BC-DX 841 04 Jan 2008 Private Verwendung der Meldun

metre band. Karama FM, the call sign of the new FM station, and the
shortwave station will both continue to carry Radio Nigeria's Hausa
Service.
(Leadershipnigeria website, via RNW MN, May 15)
Radio Nigeria Acquires New Transmitters
but invalid Developments at Nigeria's premier radio corporation, Federal
Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), are fast transforming the staid image
of Africa's largest radio network.
In the past one year, Radio Nigeria has been quietly transforming itself
with improved signals, captivating programming, web audio streaming, and,
the latest, brand new transmitters at Kaduna and Enugu to be dedicated to
educationsl service.
When completely installed in December 2008, the 200 kW MW transmitter in
Jaji Kaduna would be one of the most powerful radio transmitters in
Africa, and, in combination with the 100 kW transmitter planned for Enugu
in 2009, the whole country and much of Africa would receive the signals.
The transmitters, a grant from the Japanese Government, would be digital
ready.
A statement by Ike Okere, Head of Communications FRCN, indicated that
Radio Nigeria Kaduna has begun the process of dismantling its obsolete,
47-year-old MW transmitter to provide space for the new 200 kW transmitter
coming from Japan.
The process of dismantling the gigantic, obsolete transmitter and its
antennae component and installing the new one would take six months. To
keep its Hausa language listeners during this transition, Radio Nigeria
Kaduna recently commissioned a new Hausa language FM station in Kaduna.
It also temporarily fixed its old Short Wave channel on the 49 Metre Band.
Karama FM, the call sign of the new FM station, and the SW station would
both continue to carry the quality programmes of Radio Nigeria's famous
Hausa Service.
The new, public-minded FRCN began sensitising its Hausa Service listeners
in early April with regular jingles announcing the transition and the
continuation of the Hausa Service on SW and FM. In early May, the zonal
director, FRCN Kaduna, Alhaji Ladan Salihu, took pressmen round the
transmitting station in Jaji to explain the process of de-commissioning.
Hundreds of listeners have been calling in to express support for the
planned improvement the new transmitters would bring to Radio Nigeria's
signals.
"The collaboration with Japan through the Japanese International
Cooperation Agency (JICA), would enable Radio Nigeria boost its Hausa and
Educational Services in the face of competition from foreign broadcasters
such as the BBC, VOA and China Hausa Services", said Mr. Ben Egbuna,
FRCN's Director General, in the statement.
A Yoruba language station, Amuludun FM, in Ibadan, began transmission last
year, while the Igbo language channel is expected to kick-off at Enugu
next year.
Last year, Radio Nigeria began live web audio streaming of five of its FM
stations in Abuja, Kaduna, Enugu, Ibadan and Lagos, thus enabling millions
of Nigerians in the diaspora to receive these stations and participate in