Von: BueschelW@web.de im Auftrag von Wolfgang Bueschel ...

Here in Wavescan today, we continue in the Pakistan radio story, this time
with the saga of their early mediumwave stations. It is the story of two
radio stations in two cities; or, if you look more closely, it might be
the story of four radio stations located in two cities.
The first radio broadcasting station in the territory now known as
Pakistan, was a small amateur station installed in the YMCA building in
Lahore in the year 1928. This station was funded by the YMCA, the local
Text Book Company, and the provincial Punjab government.
This new and rather amateurish radio station was initially allocated 812
kHz as its broadcasting channel, though this was subsequently changed to
1200 kHz. The allotted callsign was VUL, indicating India Lahore. Radio
station VUL Lahore was on the air spasmodically for a period of a little
less than ten years, and it was finally closed on September 1, 1937, in
favor of a larger new station due to open soon afterwards.
This new station in Lahore was officially inaugurated three months later
on December 16, 1937 with 5 kW on 1086 kHz under the same callsign as its
predecessor, VUL. It was one of the new radio broadcasting stations in the
expanding network of All India Radio.
Thus, it is true, there were really two different radio broadcasting
stations in Lahore in the era before partition; the amateur station
followed by the government station, both of which were on the air,
consecutively, under the same callsign, VUL.
Now up to the frontier city, Peshawar. It was in the year 1934 that the
Marconi radio company in England offered equipment for a new radio
broadcasting station to the government of the North West Frontier
Province. The agreement was that if the project was successful, the
provincial government would purchase the equipment.
This new radio broadcasting station was inaugurated on March 6, 1935 and
soon afterwards it was allocated the callsign VUP, with these letters
indicating India Peshawar. This small radio station emitted just 250 watts
on 1500 kHz which gave it little more than just quite local coverage. Back
at that time there was a promise that the station would be upgraded
to 2 kW, though this prediction was never ever fulfilled.
During the following year, the provincial government took over the control
of the station, and during the next year again, the station was taken over
by the Indian national government in Delhi. Then, in March 1939, station
VUP Peshawar was converted into a relay station, taking its programming
from the national station VUD in Delhi.
However, a totally new broadcasting station, with new studios and new
technical equipment, was constructed in Peshawar soon afterwards, and this
was inaugurated on December 1, 1942. This new station was assigned the
mediumwave channel 629 kHz with an output power of 10 kW.
Thus, it is true, there were really two different radio broadcasting
stations in Peshawar in the era before partition; the Marconi station
followed by the government station, both of which were on the air,
consecutively, under the same callsign, VUP.
file:///E|/datentransfer/wwdfxc_2010/BCDX958.TXT[06.01.2011 12:39:01]