Final Foreign Office Committee REPORT!

The final report from the British Foreign Office Committee on the impact the cuts to shortwave would have. Click on the link to bring you to the report!

International Radio Report going down hill!

For many years I was a regular listener to the International Radio Report on CKUT in Montreal. I use to listen on FM when I lived in Canada and then via the CKUT website. But in the last while I have noticed a number of problems with the show. It's showing it's age. Steve and Janice were doing a great job to bring new life to the show. But since Janice left for a few months to work in Africa, one of the shows creators has returned Sheldon Harvey. Now first off I need to say I respect Sheldon as he knows his stuff and has worked hard over the years along with many others to save Radio Canada International.
But listening to him makes him sound as if he is at a casting called for Grumpy Old Men 3. I have never heard anyone so bitter, jaded and angry. He spends most of his time going on and on and on complaining about radio and the people on radio. Maybe he should look at himself?
There was a time when I use to tune in to hear interesting talk about radio, but since he has been back it's nothing but negative comments about everyone and how bad radio is. My next problem with the show is the name. It's called International Radio Report. Hummm! Where is the international? All I seem to hear is news about local radio in Montreal. Maybe the name show be changed to Montreal Radio Report. If the show is "international" from it's title, it seems as if these days Montreal radio and or Montreal is is center of international.
And again this week not the first time in the last 10 months. Nothing but music! Hummm! Have they ever heard of recording a show or two incase they can't make it in? If anything your doing your listeners a disservice.
There is no excuse for this. As the old saying goes the show must go on.

New Years Shows

The New Years shows are now uploaded at www.pcjmedia.com .

Sorry this message is so short, but I'm staying in Hong Kong for a few days to get some R&R.

Keith

Happy Station Show now to Europe

Happy Station Show can be heard on shortwave to Europe now on 5835khz Sunday's from 1300UTC to 1355UTC. If the signal is not good in your area you can tune at the same time to the live stream at www.southhertsradio.com .

For all Happy Station Show broadcast times go to www.pcjmedia.com

Happy 2010
Keith
Taipei, Taiwan
Republic Of China

Special December 31st Happy Station Show

For the first time in Happy Station's history the show will be 120mins. From 1928 to 1977 Happy Station Show had a running time of 80mins, then in it was reduced to 54mins, then to 50mins. Since March 12th the show went back to 55mins. On December 31, 2009 as a test both the 0200UTC and 1600UTC shows to the Americas will be 120mins for the Happy Station Show's New Year Celebration. Depending on if they are a success they will be extended both to a 120mins format in the new year.

The show from 0200UTC to 0359UTC will be live from Taipei directed to the Caribbean/Latin & South America will be co-hosted by my good buddy David Monson who for many years hosted Brussels Calling on Belgium Radio International. David also worked in the past for the SABC, and Namibian Broadcasting Corp. For this show we have special reports on new years celebrations from different parts of the world.
Neil Hendrickse from Springbok Radio - Cape Town, South Africa
Carl Blare from KDX - USA
Yukiko Tsuji-Maki - Japan
Beta Wayne - Montreal, Canada
Ian McFarland/Colin Newell - British Columbia, Canada

The show at 1600UTC to 1759UTC will be live from RTHK in Hong Kong. It will open with the fireworks display that will already have started from Victoria Harbor. This show will be directed to North America/Caribbean and will also include some features and reports sent in from different places.
Peter Anthony Holder looking at the more odd news items from 2009 - Montreal, Canada
Chrissy Brand - Manchester, UK
Paulette MacQuarry host of Nash Holas on Ukrainian New Years Celebrations - Vancouver, Canada
King Daevid McKenzie - Tuson, USA
Bob Thomann and Bob Zanotti with the first new Swiss Shortwave Merry Go Round presented since 1994 - Switzerland
Tom Meijer reporting from his home on the New Year Celebrations that will take place in Holland - Port Almere, Netherlands
I will also be announcing the winners of the Happy Station Show Year End Contest.

Both these specials will be broadcast on 9955khz, 31MB. You can also tune to the live internet stream from WRMI at www.wrmi.net .

If you would like more information about PCJ and Happy Station check us out online at www.pcjmedia.com

Happy 2010
Keith
Taipei, Taiwan
Republic Of China

New meanings for the ACRONYM RCI or Radio Canada International

As those who listen to international radio may know Radio Canada International or RCI changed it's mandate to only reflect the interests of new immigrants coming or interested in coming to Canada. At the time it's programs are now being carried by the CBC. A few weeks ago while hanging out with David Monson formerly of Belgium Radio International we came up with some new meanings of RCI's acronym to reflect it's new mandate.

They are:

The favorites
1. Radio Canada Internal
2. Radio Canada Immigration
Now the new ones
3. Radio C**** (banned word) International
4. Radio Condom International
5. Radio Canada Idiots
6. Radio Canada Insane
7. Radio Canada Icecap
8. Radio Canada Iceberg (already hit the Titanic)
9. Radio Canada Impotent
10. Radio Canada Impossible
11. Radio Canada Impractical
12. Radio Canada Incest
13. Radio Canada Inartistic
14. Radio Canada Inactivity
15. Radio Canada Incurable
16. Radio Canada Intoxicated
17. Radio Canada Intestinal
18. Radio Canada Itch
19. Radio Canada Inflammation
20. Radio Canada Insane

I've had a number of Happy Station listeners send in some new ones as well. They will be added shortly.

Keith

Crazy weekend!

This weekend was very crazy. And I don't mean crazy wild, but crazy looney. I'm going away for 2 weeks and was recording not stop for 2 weeks of show. This week on the 24th of September we have a special birthday show for Bob Thomann who is turning 81. For those who are too young to remember Bob hosted the Swiss Merry Go Round from the mid 1950s to 1994, for 24 of those years he did the show with Bob Zanotti.
I was listing to a few of the show from the 60s and will use some clips. People asked me. I enjoy doing every show? The answer is yes, but there are some show I enjoy doing more than others. The show for Bob Thomann is just one example of one of my favorites. This is for the simple reason that I was a listener for many years and when i do these special show for people I use to listen to I get a real kick from it.
Now as I just said it was a crazy weekend. Part was recording shows back to back, but the another reason was I had my dogs with me in the studio. That's a story in itself.

Special YEAR END SHOWS!

Hi Everyone,

Starting September 10th, 2009 we are launching a New Years contest with the winners to be announced at 1230am (local HK TIME) that’s 1730UTC on January 1st, 2010.

Times reflect the November time shift. Meaning 0100UTC now will be 0200UTC after that.

Let me fill you in the loop as they say. On December 31, 2009 both editions of Happy Station will be 2 hours each.

The transmission at 0200UTC will be a special program for South America and the Caribbean and will run for 2 hours. Details are still being worked on at this moment. I will fill you in when they become available. This program will be recorded.

The transmission at 1600UTC will be LIVE from Hong Kong. My friends at RTHK (Radio Television Hong Kong) are giving us a studio over looking Victoria Harbor where at 1659UTC we will do the countdown to 2010. They are also letting us patch into the audio feeds for RTHK, so you will be able to hear the countdown live as it happens in Hong Kong. After the countdown, plus a small concert of the Hong Kong Symphony Orchestra I will announce the winner of the contest. Prizes listed below!

This contest is open to both email and post entries. But to enter you will need to send in the time and date you hear a short message that will start to air September 11, 2009 for the broadcast at 0100UTC. This message will also be used during the 1500UTC program, and for the shows for Indonesia and New Zealand. Now the message is in code, but if you can’t understand it. That’s not important! What’s important is you report the time you heard it and the date. I will announce the the shows next week more details about how it will work. But please remember to include your postal address! And that even goes to those who send in emails.

Prizes
1st Prize: Sangean ATS909
2nd Prize: Sangean ATS606
3rd Prize: The 3 books from Jerry Berg about SW
4th Prize: 1 Year membership to Communication from the BDXC
5th Prize: 10 winners of a CD by Tom Meijer called Easy Come, Easy Go!

So good luck to everyone!

Warmest regards,
Keith Perron
Happy Station Show

The Ham Band

Soon The Ham Band will be on the show. I'm going to run a fun DX contest

Happy Station Show August 13, 2009 0100UTC & 1500UTC

Hi Everyone,

Here are the podcasts for the August 13, 2009 0100UTC & 1500UTC Happy Station Shows.

0100UTC - http://www.radio4all.net/files/kperron@gmail.com/3101-1-happy_station_081309_0100utc.mp3

1500UTC - http://www.radio4all.net/files/kperron@gmail.com/3101-1-happy_station_081309_1500utc.mp3

If you log onto www.radio4all.net and click on the Happy Station you can download the shows using Itunes. Using this feature makes it easy to set your itunes to download the show weekly. If you have any problem feel free to contact me at anytime pcj.happystation@gmail.com.

I also want to take this opportunity to announce the following. All emails, letters and facebook messages are being entered into a lucky draw that will be held on December 31, 2009. The last transmissions for the end of the year will be 2 hours. The prizes will be a:

Sangean SW Radio

All 3 books from Jerry Berg

CD of songs by Tom Meijer

And much more.

Just to let you know if you send in your reception reports, letters, emails, facebook messages please enclose your address so the HS QSL card cane be sent out.

Regards,

Keith

My early days!

A few days ago I talked to a technician I use to work with 100 years ago. And he told me that he has all the logger tapes from CINQ where for 3 years hosted a Saturday morning show called Waking Up With Keith Perron.

There is a funny story behind this clip. It was just after I got back from Holland after spending time with Tom at his house in Hilversum. This show aired just a few weeks after Tom and I discussed that maybe Happy Station should come back as an independent production. Listening to this clip now makes me wonder if in the back of my head the idea started growing. LOL

All that has survived of this show is the last 2 mins.
www.radio4all.net/files/kperron@gmail.co...wkp_may_29,_1993.mp3

Just to let you know the music that is played at the beginning of the clip is from a Skymasters LP Tom had given me.

Also one final note. This show was aired 2 months before I moved to Cuba.

Here is a clip of the Saturday morning news magazine I use to do called International Report.
www.radio4all.net/files/kperron@gmail.co...rep_may_29,_1993.mp3

Typhoon MORAKOT

Well the first major typhoon of the season is coming to Taipei. Last week before I left for Japan I took down all my array antennas. Last year during a typhoon everything blew away and it took me 1 month to rebuild everything, so this year I'm not taking any chances.

In my building some of my neighbors think I'm a spy because of the set up I have on my rooftop, but last year when power was out and no one could find out updates about the storm a few of them came to my place to listen to the special broadcasts by the Central Weather Bureau (CWB). They were surprised that I still had power, so I took them up to my rooftop during the wind and rain and shows them my 2kw solar panels. They were shocked. Yes I'm a green person. The only power I use from the main grid is for the aircon, everything else is from my solar panels and wind turbine. One radio I have is always tuned to 109.00Mhz a frequency used the the CWB for typhoon warnings.

Happy Station's Tribute To Dxers Part 2

A number of people have been contacting me asking first if I was going to do a second special DXERS show and if I was when? The answer is YES and YES.

Happy Station Tribute To Dxers Part 2
Air date: August 13, 2009
Time: This will be for the 1500UTC Transmission
Frequency: 9955khz
Webstream: www.wrmi.net

My guests and topics will be:
Soviet Jamming with a former Lithuanian Minister Of Communications and long time Dxer Rimantas Pleikys.
Simon Mason author of Secret Signals to talk about the mystery of spy number stations.
And the full interview with Jerry Berg about his books on the history of shortwave radio.

This show will air on World FM 88.5fm in Tawa & Redwood, New Zealand on August 15, 2009 at 1000UTC. The webstream for that transmission can be heard at www.worldfm.co.nz .

If you have any questions about that show my email is pcj.happystation@gmail.com

Keep Listening,
Keith

Just some chit-chat!

Well next month will be 6 months that Happy Station has been back on air, and the past 2 weeks have been very busy. I have a small group of people in Europe monitoring a few SW frequencies for me of possible channels for Europe. Also July 31, I'll be off to Tokyo, Japan for 10 days to tape a TV series I do yearly for NHK. It's a bit crazy to do because we have 6/60min shows to record over 10 days, all live with an audience. Parts of these shows will air on Happy Station in the coming months.

Now since I will be in Tokyo for 10 day, I'll be doing two shows from NHK for August 6th, 2009 at 0100UTC and 1500UTC. These 2 shows will be music based with some fun stuff that I hope will make you all giggle. I love Japan it is in many ways my home away from home. I always find it fun and a challenge to work in Japanese. As my accent is rather funny. Last year I played the role of an American CIA Agent in a Japanese sitcom. A local newspaper in Tokyo called my performance a cross between Benny Hill and Steve Martin. Honestly I'm not quite sure how I should take that. LOL! For those who have been asking to see and hear my work in Japanese and Chinese some clips will be uploaded in youtube soon.

Also an interview I gave to CTTV in Taiwan will be added to the Happy Station youtube channel.

Happy Station Shows July 9th Tranmissions.

July 9th, 2009 0100UTC- Happy Station Show music, greetings and more: http://www.radio4all.net/files/kperron@gmail.com/3101-1-happy_station_070909_0100utc.mp3

July 9th, 2009 1500UTC- Happy Station's Tribute To Springbok Radio: http://www.radio4all.net/files/kperron@gmail.com/3101-1-happy_station_070909_1500utc.mp3

Don't forget to get your birthday greetings in!!

Strange letters

I think a few weeks ago I made a mistake of saying I like the strange letters, as now a few people have sent in strange letter on purpose. My technician told me maybe I should do one show of strange letters, but as I told him you ask for one and than after that it's all you get. But I have to say there is something I don't understand. How can you post a letter not sign it, not put a return address and then ask for something. Very odd!

So anyone reading this if you post to the Happy Station please include your name, address, email, and phone number.

Happy Station Show

8th Floor, No. 47, Section 1,

Sanmin Road, Banciao,

Taipei, Taiwan

ROC 22070

The links for the 0100UTC and 1500UTC July 2, 2009 Transmission

0100utc to 0155utc: http://www.radio4all.net:8080/files/kperron@gmail.com/3101-1-happy_station.mp3

1500utc to 1555utc: http://www.radio4all.net:8080/files/kperron@gmail.com/3101-1-happy_station0702091500utc.mp3

Find it amazing

Since reviving the show in March I have been keeping tabs on listeners. The more I continue doing the show I am gearing more towards targeting Europe/Africa/Asia/Pacific and South America with a consideration of dropping it to North America.

Question is why would I consider dropping it to North America? The listeners from other regions has been greater. Also the DXERS that tune in who are very helpful to let me know how the show sounds when it's being transmitted there is a big difference between those from North America and the rest of the regions. The emails and letters I am getting from a few hard-cord dxers in the US makes me want to drop North American transmission and only use SW for Europe and Africa. Just recently I got an email from a listener in the US who was blasting me for not being a winner in the "LUCKY DRAW" I was having for two SW radios. He was so bitter he didn't win. but as I stated from the beginning the contest was only open to those who wrote in by snail mail and not those who sent in emails. Some of his emails were very strange/funny/sad. About 2 months ago I played a band from Scandinavia he wrote me about. I played them because I also liked the sound of the band. But then 2 weeks ago being pissed off that he was not entered into the draw because he didn't send in a letter, he said the strangest thing. He said if it was not for him this band never would have become world famous after being on Happy Station. I thought to myself is there something about Happy Station that I don't know about? World famous from being played on Happy Station? LOLOL You have got to be kidding.

I really feel listeners in other regions are listening more to content than most of the US listeners who just collect QSL Cards.

The biggest response in order is:

UK

Europe

South America

Cuba

Indonesia

North America

Happy Station PHASE 2 weekly!

Since the revival of Happy Station March 12, 2009 the response has been incredibly positive I can now announce phase two.

Starting July 2, 2009 the transmissions at 0100UTC and 1500UTC will not be re-broadcast the following week, but will be two new shows. The only occasions that 0100UTC and 1500UTC will be the same is when it’s a special program.

Some of the upcoming special programs will be:

Happy Station’s Tribute To Dxers Part 2

A tribute To Edward Startz

Happy Station with Steve Lawrence

Happy Station with Bob McGrath

Happy Station’s Happy Birthday to Radio Australia

Happy Station From Japan

Happy Station Classic Moments

And much more.

For details on broadcast dates stay tuned

For more information please feel free to contact me at anytime. The email is pcj.happystation@gmail.com .

My view of Edward Startz

I was 6 years old when Eddy passed away in 1976 so I never had a chance to listen to his version of Happy Station until a few years ago when I got hold of some of his shows. After listening to them I can understand why people tuned in for many years. He made you feel as if you were in the studio with him. HS was part of his life for more than 40 years and if Eddy was still with us I would love to have him on the show. I have so many questions I would want to ask him. Here is a list of questions I would have asked Eddy.

1. Why Happy Station?

2. What was your feeling about when you first went off air in 1941 during the NAZI occupation of Holland?

3. What was it like returning after the founding of Radio Nederland?

4. Did you ever think the show would last so long?

5. What are some of your fondest memories of HS over the years?

6. What is your relationship with the audience?

7. Did you really drink tea in your cup or was it ever anything stronger?

8. Where do you see radio going?

9. After you retired did you ever want to come back with a new show?

10. Would you do internet broadcasting?

11. Do you think in some way HS helped bring people together?

12. When you started with Philips Radio in 1927 did you ever think it was going last as long as it did?

13. Did you think it was something special?

14. How much of yourself was HS?

15. How do you want to be remembered?

Cheers Eddy! Let's lift our cups of tea!