Archive

Author: Adrian Peterson

The Samoan Earthquakes and the Early Radio Scene in American Samoa

American Samoa is a small group of small islands in the exotic South Pacific with a total land area of only 76.8 square miles, a little more than the area of Washington DC.  There are five main islands, and two coral atolls, with a population of 45,000, most of whom are bilingual in both Samoan and English. 

ARAMCO Radio in Saudi Arabia and BFBS radio programming in Nepal

The earliest beginnings for ARAMCO Radio in Dhahran Saudi Arabia can be traced back to the late 1930s when the Arabian American Oil Company played music over a set of loud speakers that were installed at a company swimming pool.  The Arabian American Oil Company was established in 1933 and with its exponential growth it has become the largest and most valuable commercial company in the world.

Nepal Earthquake: The Current Radio Scene in Nepal

The current radio scene in Nepal indicates that the most significant form of radio coverage in Nepal is achieved by more than 500 FM stations; government owned, commercial, and community stations. Programming is on the air in a multitude of local and regional languages, and also in English, Hindi and Urdu for wide area coverage.  Off air relays in several languages from the BBC in London are also heard on some FM stations.

American Shortwave Stations on the Air in 1926

During the year 1926, a total of five American shortwave broadcasting stations were on the air, though generally with relay programming from the mediumwave parent station, as was the case back then. 

Radio Weddings: Gleason Golden Wedding Interview

On six previous occasions here in Wavescan, we have presented interesting information about Radio Weddings, weddings that were broadcast live over a radio broadcasting station.  Down there in Jacksonville Florida, Wendy Heape came across some of the information about our presentations of Radio Weddings, and she made contact.

Bird Calls on Radio

Adrian Peterson takes a look (and listen) to some more bird calls that have featured on radio stations around the globe.

Ocean Island

Back in the year 1908, just eight years after Marconi inaugurated his first permanent wireless station in England, the Pacific Phosphate Company announced that they hoped a wireless station could be installed on Ocean Island. During the following year (1909), another announcement indicated that the wireless station would be capable of long distant transmission.  In addition, the specific location on Ocean Island for the projected station would need to be approved by a Wireless Engineer, they said.

American Shortwave Stations – 1928

At the beginning of the year 1928, there were six international shortwave stations on the air in the United States

Recent Radio Developments in Europe and Africa

Recent radio news in four different countries, two in Europe and two in Africa, indicate a positive direction for mediumwave and shortwave broadcasting, rather than a negative.

Return to Guadeloupe: The Radio Scene on outlier islands

We return to the radio scene on Guadeloupe, and in particular to the radio scene on the other nearby islands that form part of the this French overseas department in the Caribbean.

Whale Stranding at King Island and the Local Radio Scene

Adrian Peterson takes a look at the history and local radio scene on King Island, off the northern coast of Tasmania, Australia.

VOA Voyager: Three Mobile VOA Stations in the United States

On three separate occasions, VOA, the Voice of America, has commissioned a mobile radio station for use within the United States. On each occasion, the intent was to obtain information and recordings about lifestyle and events throughout the nation for inclusion in their worldwide English and foreign language programming.

Return to Guadeloupe

We return to the French island of Guadeloupe which is shaped like the wings of a butterfly that is flying towards the northwest.  That island is located between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, and we examine the early communication radio scene and their almost three quarter century of mediumwave radio history.

Tasmanian Whales Stranded Again, and Four Mediumwave Stations

We present another story of two more mediumwave stations on the island of Tasmania; two double commercial stations (7UV & 7AD and 7DY & 7SD) in country areas to the north of the island.

Hurricane Fiona and the Early Shortwave Scene on Guadeloupe

Adrian Peterson takes a look at Guadeloupe, in the Caribbean, and its early radio history.

The Saga of Radio Antwerpen

During the 1920s and 1930s, a multitude of small radio broadcasting stations (some formal though most were informal), took to the air throughout Belgium, rather like what was happening in many other countries throughout the world.  The stations in Belgium were installed in private homes, business locations, church buildings, and even out in the fields; wherever was convenient. 

The Radio Scene at the End of the Highway: Cooktown Part 2

This is our second topic on the radio scene at Cooktown at the end of the highway in Cape York Peninsula, at the far north of coastal Queensland in Australia. Unexpectedly, Cooktown was the second largest town in Queensland at the height of the nearby gold rush in the 1880s. Back then, the state capital Brisbane had a population of 50,000 and Cooktown had a population of 30,000.

3XY and the Falling Door

Back on April 19, 1944, there was a military parade through the downtown streets of Melbourne city with soldiers marching, a musical band from the Royal Air Force playing, and aircraft flying in formation overhead.  A prominent announcer from radio station 3XY, Alwyn Kurts, was in one of the accompanying aircraft and he was describing for listeners what he was observing in the parade on the city streets below.

The Radio Scene at the End of the Highway

The July (2022) issue of the Australian DX News presents an interesting story about plans for an amateur DXpediton to the Grassy Hill Lighthouse overlooking the small northern town of Cooktown, at the end of the highway in far northern Queensland.  This readable feature article reminds us that there have been three different eras associated with the radio scene in Cooktown.

American Radio Stations in New Zealand

Additional interesting information about American radio stations in New Zealand, back during the World War 2 era, and also subsequently.