WNSW 1430-AM Newark, NJ Now Progammed 24/7 by Russian Government from Moscow

[TimeIsTight]

The Russian government-owned broadcaster "Voice of Russia" is now being heard in English 24/7 on WNSW 1430-AM in Newark, NJ.

Listening for a couple of hours, the programs heard all originated in Moscow. There have been interview shows, and a music hits show. Most of the program hosts have American accents. Talk topics have been about life in Russia.

There are Russian news focused newscasts at the top and bottom of the hour. The audio sounds good for AM.

They keep promoting the fact that they are now heard in New York on 1430 and in Washington DC on 1390.

This might be the most unusual English language radio station in the State of New Jersey. It will be interesting to see if it draws any measurable audience.

 

[MattParker]

Oh, my! Nixon and McCarthy must be spinning in their graves.

 

[MickeyD]

The Russian government-owned broadcaster "Voice of Russia" is now being heard in English 24/7 on WNSW 1430-AM in Newark, NJ.

Listening for a couple of hours, the programs heard all originated in Moscow. There have been interview shows, and a music hits show. Most of the program hosts have American accents. Talk topics have been about life in Russia.

There are Russian news focused newscasts at the top and bottom of the hour. The audio sounds good for AM.

They keep promoting the fact that they are now heard in New York on 1430 and in Washington DC on 1390.

This might be the most unusual English language radio station in the State of New Jersey. It will be interesting to see if it draws any measurable audience.

I wonder if the stations applied for authority to broadcast foreign radio? It is required. I'll be listening for "Nikita the K"

 

[KC2LDY]

Do they still need that permission in this age of deregulation? I've wondered about that with the BBC, which many public stations carry daily, often for several hours at a time (such as overnights).

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

I'm pretty sure the owners of WNSW can run the programming 24/7, as long as there is no financial interest or LMA...similar to the various public radio stations that run BBC overnight, as noted here.

 

[VeteranPD]

Actually, the show I heard was quite enjoyable..a countdown of the year's past hits. The show was well produced and Neal's audio on 1430 is always superb if the source material is good. I suspect he's got an Optimod running into a BE 5Kw xmtr. Not bad for a stations sharing towers with AM 930,

 

[MattParker]

I'm pretty sure the owners of WNSW can run the programming 24/7, as long as there is no financial interest or LMA...similar to the various public radio stations that run BBC overnight, as noted here.

Now that you mention it, lots of radio stations run programming from government-owned international broadcasters. PRI distributes the BBC. Deutsche Welle, Radio Nederland, Kol Israel and others provides programs on CD. Many public radio stations carry a feed from WRN with shows from different government stations around the world. At one time, stations would pick up and rebroadcast news via shortwave, although stations of governments involved in some international incident and conflict can hardly be considered objective. But it's there, it's free and it fills time.

It may be legal but it's mostly propaganda (just like the VOA). I know, they all say they are "objective."

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Now that you mention it, lots of radio stations run programming from government-owned international broadcasters. PRI distributes the BBC. Deutsche Welle, Radio Nederland, Kol Israel and others provides programs on CD.

PRI also distributes the CBC's "As It Happens", which is heard weeknights on WCPN/90.3 on my radio many evenings.

WRN also airs on the SAP (digital subchannel now?) on some TV stations, including WLIO in Lima, OH.

And since the Voice of Russia is mentioned here, the MHz Worldview service (seen on many public TV stations as a subchannel, including WNEO/WEAO here) runs Russian Television (in English, a rather slick production) frequently.

I'm curious what led to the 24/7 arrangement on WNSW, though.

 

[MickeyD]

Do they still need that permission in this age of deregulation? I've wondered about that with the BBC, which many public stations carry daily, often for several hours at a time (such as overnights).

Occasionally you come across such an authorization in FCC's Daily Digest. I have never seen one denied but they still must require them.

 

[TheMinimumDose]

I've heard of permits granted by our government to deliver programming to foreign stations (that's how, for example, Mexican stations end up as affiliates of ESPN Radio), but a situation like this would require the permission to be provided by the other country's applicable agency, and danged if I know what the Russian telecom body is called.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Perhaps someone in the U.S. already has the rights to resell the Russian programming? It could be as simple as that.

The RT English language programming on public TV outlets comes through DC area-based MHz Networks.

 

[TimeIsTight]

I'm curious what led to the 24/7 arrangement on WNSW, though.

These government owned international broadcasters, like Voice of Russia, are funded with tax dollars to pass along news, views, cultural, tourist, political, education and other information about their countries to listeners in other lands for public relations and other purposes.

WNSW, used to be WNJR which for decades was the Rhythm and Blues station in Newark, NJ. In 1995, it was purchased by Multicultural Media, which is owned by Arthur Liu. Liu owns a number of AM stations in the New York City Market and other cities that offer block program time to whomever wants to buy it. In the NYC area, the block air time is sold to local commercial foreign language broadcasters who program to the Asian, Hispanic, Russian, Polish, Caribbean and other immigrant communities.

In this case, it appears that the Voice of Russia has purchased the block time on one of Liu's stations 24/7. I am sure he is very happy to sell the time to a good customer that is well funded, and doesn't rely on advertising for support, and will likely still have the money no matter how bad the economy gets.

New York and Washington are the two biggest "International Cities" in the US. New York has the UN, and lots of consulates, along with a large immigrant population.

Washington has the diplomatic community, and is the hometown of the US government. It's natural that Voice of Russia would be heard locally in those two cities first.

In the old days, Radio Moscow broadcast to the US on shortwave, and the US broadcast to Russia on shortwave on the Voice of America, and through Radio Free Europe. Times have changed and now the US and Russia can apparently lease local stations in each other's cities to broadcast their messages. Apparently, there are Voice of America programs carried on a local FM station in Moscow now too.

It is interesting that the entire day is live from Moscow. Watching a US radio network clock while listening to the Voice of Russia newscasts, they hit the top of the hour straight up. There isn't even a second delay. It's pretty well done.

If you can't hear WNSW or the station in DC, you can hear the Voice of Russia on their website:

www.english.ruvr.ru

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

In this case, it appears that the Voice of Russia has purchased the block time on one of Liu's stations 24/7. I am sure he is very happy to sell the time to a good customer that is well funded, and doesn't rely on advertising for support, and will likely still have the money no matter how bad the economy gets.

Yeah, I'm aware of the nature of Liu's stations - remember, he block sold time to the Air America folks for about a month in Chicago and Los Angeles until it turned out that they couldn't actually PAY him for it (due to the bogus financial claims of the founding management).

I just don't know if it is indeed the Russian government/Voice of Russia buying the time directly, or if it's some third party Russian programmer, maybe a rich Russian businessman with money and time on his hands.

Back in the Soviet era, that latter thing would seem unlikely (what Russian in the U.S. would want to rebroadcast Communist propaganda?), but now, I'm not so sure.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

I do know, for example, that China Radio International buys block time on shortwave stations in the Western Hemisphere. I think they lease time at Radio Canada International's Sackville NB facility during hours CBC/RCI don't use the facility.

China Radio International also broadcasts a significant part of the schedule (if not the entire schedule) on Salem's KHCM/880 in Honolulu.

http://www.am880.net/about.asp

 

[Neal]

Actually, the show I heard was quite enjoyable..a countdown of the year's past hits. The show was well produced and Neal's audio on 1430 is always superb if the source material is good. I suspect he's got an Optimod running into a BE 5Kw xmtr. Not bad for a stations sharing towers with AM 930,

Actually its a BE AM 10A. WNSW is 10kw day 7 kw night.
I could tell you whats in the audio chain , But then I would have to ask you to place you hands on a Coil in the Phasor while I power it up.

 

[w9wi]

I've heard of permits granted by our government to deliver programming to foreign stations (that's how, for example, Mexican stations end up as affiliates of ESPN Radio), but a situation like this would require the permission to be provided by the other country's applicable agency, and danged if I know what the Russian telecom body is called.

The permits are required if a US-based firm wishes to send its programming to a foreign station that will broadcast that programming back into the U.S.. That's applicable to the situation you cited: ESPN Radio is of course a US-based operation, and the Mexican stations in question are close enough to the border that they can be easily heard in the US. (of course, they wouldn't be carrying ESPN in English if they could only be heard in Mexico..)

The idea is to prevent Americans from side-stepping US broadcasting regulations by using transmitters beyond the jurisdiction of the US government.

 

[magicjellybeans]

Do they still need that permission in this age of deregulation? I've wondered about that with the BBC, which many public stations carry daily, often for several hours at a time (such as overnights).

They need to re-regulate FAST! Deregulation is making a mess of this country!