The Media Network Vintage Vault 2024-2025

MN.12.12.1996 Baygen

15 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A week of shifting emphasis. Radio Vlaanderen International cancels German, Arabic and Spanish. They have decided to use Juelich site in Germany for b...

MN.24.10.1996. soho

15 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A news and science features edition of the programme. Victor Goonetilleke reports a problem on Radio Netherlands CIS relay – a loud hum. Arthur Cush...

MN.20.07.1995. SES ASTRA

15 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Will Ireland to return to shortwave? Michael Collins advises us of a radio conference in the West of Ireland where the keynote speaker will be Simon S...

MN.08.06.1995 Peru

14 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A regular edition of the programme. Across the Americas opening. We take a call from Lima Peru and talk to George McLintock station manager WWCR which...

MN.22.11.1990 - Prague Velvet Revolution

14 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

One year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, radio colleague Kim Andrew Elliott jumped in my car and we toured some of the famous Eastern European radi...

DXJB.7.01.1981 - Hunt for USSR Stations

14 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Many recordings of the predecessor of Media Network were not preserved. There was pressure on producers to recycle tapes since the large 30-minute ree...

MN.25.07.1996. Not Atlanta

26 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

While the rest of the media was focussing on the Olympic Games in Atlanta, we ran an "Olympics Free" Programme...well almost. Problems for journalists...

MN,26.09.1996 Receiver Survey

26 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Richter announces the new name for US surrogate broadcasting to Asia: Radio Free Asia They keep quiet about the transmitter sites and the freq...

MN.10.10.1996 Grand Antenna Show

26 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Complete schedule of RNW in English in advanced of the winter transmission season. Interesting to see how extensive the schedule was in 1996. Also, th...

MN.22.08.1996. New Season

26 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

An interesting catch-up show as we re-convene for a new season of Media Network. Diana Janssen is back from Asia and has some concerns about how the p...

MN.20.06.1996. Channel Africa

26 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Plenty of radio news in this edition of the programme. We talk to Flame Nieuwenhuizen about the future finances of Channel Africa. The station has bee...

MN.01.08.1996. Pacific Island Stations

26 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This edition focused on the future of digital satellite television. We started with an Interview with Scott Zimmer of Echostar about the growing direc...

MN 04.07.1996 DAB Gender

26 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This edition starts with feedback from the answer line. DAB Radio E. As July 1st sees the daily email news service begins. NOS Gender Portrayal depart...

MN.08.08.1996 Early Fake News

29 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We are recording this edition of the programme in advance because of Diana's upcoming Asian trip. Andrew Rodgers reports that he heard us on the Astra...

MN.17.10.1996.BFBS Germany

29 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Ginger da Silva announces that Radio Netherlands will switch from 1440 kHz via Luxembourg to 1512 via Radio Vlaanderen International. SKY Channel is n...

MN.14.11.1996 Language AI Stasi

29 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Professor John Campbell answered questions about the future of artificial intelligence and language recognition. It is hard to believe this was record...

MN.13.11.1997. BVN

27 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

BVN and the future of Television: Lodewijk Bouwens (in photo) explains that Wereldomroep TV will get a permanent status as from January 1st 1998. Mike...

MN.28.09.1995 Victor

27 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This was a general news programme with an indepth interview with Victor Goonetilleke who was visiting The Netherlands. European winter time has starte...

MN.12.10.1995 Frits Thors

27 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Hilversum 3 opening with song by Herman van Veen. Jonathan's annoying tie. Anniversaries. Hilversum 3 and Nederland resumes broadcasts to the Dutch Ea...

MN.09.06.1994.Kalingrad

27 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This edition of Media Network was salvaged from a cassette and a few seconds before Chris Greenway you will hear that a bit is missing. Radio Netherla...

MN.12.08.2019. A visit with Dan Robinson Episode 1

12 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This is the first in a new series of Media Network special video safaris, investigating the long slow fadeout of shortwave international broadcasting....

MN.15.01.1998. Boundless & RNZI

03 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Crazy opening with Coco Jambo. The international service of Radio New Zealand may be axed. We spoke with Linden Clark (photo) who explains the importa...

MN.24.03.1994 -schedule changes and Capital Radio

03 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Shortwave radio stations shifted their frequencies to cope with changing propagation conditions. It was often quite challenging to find where your fav...

MN.21.12.1994. EBS and Basicode

03 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This was a news update edition of the programme. Tony Barratt pays us a nice compliment. Lou Josephs reports about the newly expanded AM band above 16...

MN.08.12.1994. Veronica and Zambia

03 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A news edition of the programme. Radio Tirana is now hiring out airtime on 1395 kHz. Trans World Radio signs on from the 1 MW transmitter in Albania. ...

MN.02.06.1994 Soros moves to Prague

03 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A news edition of the programme (i.e. plenty of short items). Richard Measham of BBC Monitoring Services explains that Radio Metropolis in Prague will...

MN.19.09.1994.WillemBos

01 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A news edition of the programme. Radio Netherlands is closing the Arabic, French and Portuguese shortwave broadcasts after a re-organisation. Holland ...

MN.09.06.1994. Guiana Car Radios

16 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Media Network grew in the mid-nineties because of topical input from its listeners who volunteered information. This was in an age before email and ph...

MN.04.08.1994. KGEI

14 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

KGEI signed off for the last time. We trace the history of the station from the days when it was started by General Electric on Treasure Island for th...

MN.17.11.1994 East German psyops

14 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We look at a mysterious station OPS which used to operate on 1430 kHz aimed at the US forces in Berlin. It was presumed to come from the Nalepastrasse...

MN.13.04.1994.WashingtonEasterIsland

14 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This edition came from Washington DC where an international broadcasting meeting was being held at VOA Headquarters. There were major cuts announced t...

MN.15.12.1994. RadioMoscow

14 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Delighted to discover a cassette copy of this programme because the original Master has been lost. It includes a visit to Radio Moscow by Frans Suasso...

MN.11.12.1997 - Eastern Europe reportage

05 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

After a few programme announcements and the propagation report, we presented a mini-documentary looking at various Western international broadcasters ...

MN.28.10.1982 European TV

13 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

I recall that several of the early experiments in Europe wide satellite broadcasting by public broadcasters started on the top floor of one of the vil...

MN.26.05.1982 EDXC Lesotho

13 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This edition of the programme is from the early series of Media Network. We were very much focused on the Falkands War at the time, and this programme...

MN.18.11.1982 ANC Radio Freedom

12 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We started with a critical letter from William O'Dickerman who wants more tuning tips about English stations. Andy Sennitt also suggests that there is...

MN.25.11.1982 Suriname

12 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A rather mixed bag this week. Pete Myers reports that the UN may make it difficult for countries to start direct broadcast satellite transmissions. Th...

MN.25.08.1993. Media War in the Balkans

12 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

We did several reports from Yugoslavia as the country gradually broke up. These were the days when we spoke of Serbia and rump Yugoslavia. Eric Beauch...

MN.19.02.1982 Poland

12 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

This was a newsy edition of Media Network in early 1982. KYOI, the SW music station in Saipan is planning to start testing November 1st. 107 people ha...

MN.30.03.1983. Asian Special

12 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It was difficult sourcing audio from South Asia back in 1983. Tape recordings of radio stations were rare and phone lines to just about anywhere were ...

MN.12.08.1982 Venezuela

19 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We open a new telephone hotline for DX tips (overseas calls were still very expensive though). Professor John Campbell has been to Ireland and discove...

MN.26.08.1993 VRT

19 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

We started with news about frequency changes. I joined the VRT Open day and a trip to Wavre, the transmitter site of Radio Vlaanderen International. D...

MN.19.02.1986

19 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A regular edition of Media Network, one which I thought we wouldn't be making. If there was an 11 cities skating race in Friesland, then the feature p...

MN.03.11.1982 Irish Radio from Pirate to Private

19 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A lot has been written and documented about the growth of UK Commercial Radio. Much less on the growth of commercial radio in Ireland to break the mon...

MN.23.12.1982 Christmas Special

16 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This was an era when year end reviews were still popular. There was no internet for research or to act as the memory of great radio broadcasts. So thi...

MN.10.04.1997 Test Card Circle

16 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This was an example of interaction with listeners calling in with media news, it seems the timesignal station in Australia VNG is in trouble, we look ...

MN.29.02.1996 - The Jingle Collectors

15 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It was extremely rare that we prepared 5 Media Networks in February, so we thought of making this programme different from the usual bill of fare. But...

MN. 27.02.1997. Radio Euskadi, the Voice of the Basque underground

15 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Update; December 2020. We found a better quality copy of this unique documentary programme. The late John Campbell mentioned the clandestine radio sta...

Media Network 18.03.2018

11 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Today is Sunday March 11 2018 as we record this, I'm Jonathan Marks, the producer and presenter of a programme called Media Network. Early on Saturday...

MN.02.01.2021: Richard Ginbey African DX Special

06 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Interested in more recordings from Richard Ginbey. Check out this unique index compiled by Jerry Berg. This is a re-issue of a compilation I made on D...

MN.16.12.1999

06 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

With the news that Radio Australia is planning to cease all shortwave transmissions as from January 31st 2017, I searched through some old cardboard b...

MN.17.1987.Nederhorst Revisited

31 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Nederhorst den Berg used to be the centre for the Netherlands Radio Control Service, the government department responsible for monitoring the airwaves...

MN.30.10.1987. ITU Telecom 87

31 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The Geneva based International Telecommunication Union used to organize huge telecom exhibitions at the PalExpo in Geneva. They were enormous technolo...

MN.13.05.1993.Radio Havana

31 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

This was a news edition of the programme. Astra 1C is safely launched from French Guiana. The American Forces Antarctica is rare catch a on 6012. Ther...

MN. LatinAmericanMontage Special

31 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Just found a cassette of Argentinian and Chilean radio stations taken off the air in 1981/1982. It was sent in by a Media Network listener while we we...

Memories of a Great Friend and Radio Specialist - Lou Josephs

10 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Very sad to learn that my colleague and friend, Lou Josephs, has passed away much too soon. He died after a short illness at 6:13 am Sunday July 10th ...

MN.24.09.1992.Firato News Show

05 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

We visit the 1992 FIRATO, one of the last public audio/video fairs to be held in Amsterdam. 131,000 turned up to see widescreen televisions. The analo...

MN.16.04.1992.ChinaTaiwan

05 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

This edition of the programme from 1992 has news that Kuwait has started up 2 250kW transmitters, BBC World Service television to Asia has been spotte...

MN.12.06.1987.LondonTrain

05 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Sections of this programme were recorded on a train heading for Harwich-Hook of Holland. We start with the news from BBC's Peter Udell that they are s...

MN.12.03.1992.Rosenthal

05 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The late Dave Rosenthal was a regular contributor to the Media Network programme in the 90's. He was fascinated by the sun and propagation - as well a...

MN.10.09.1992.ICFSW15

05 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

This programme from 1992 starts with the news that Radio Netherlands board of governors has approved relays of its programmes via transmitters in the ...

MN.09.04.1992.Satellites

05 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Radio Netherlands starts feeding radio stations in Latin America and the Caribbean with a satellite signal. We profile the first commercial radio stat...

Dutch Jazz in Tokyo 2001

17 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

This was the first of two programmes I made for Dutch Horizons, a great show on Radio Netherlands English service. I helped to set up an exchange betw...

DutchJazz in Nagasaki 2001

17 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Part two of the two par jazz show I recorded with Hans Mantel in Nagasaki Japan. I recall it was a very strange time to be in Japan with the aftermath...

MN.23.12.1998. XmasMyersTribute

13 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

This was a sad week - presenter Pete Myers had passed away the week before. This programme included a great tribute from Victor Goonetilleke. We made ...

MN.18.12.1997. LatinAmerica

13 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

I personally think the old Media Network was at its best when it mixed documentary features with informed reports from the network of media enthusiast...

MN.06.04.1988. DXing Indonesia

11 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

This programme from April 1988 was a based on my personal trip to Indonesia. I took a shortwave radio and a Walkman Pro on my holidays, making tapes o...

MN.06.08.1981. Pacific broadcast Indonesian Special

11 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

A year after I joined Radio Netherlands, I remember making a feature on the different kinds of music you could hear on Indonesian radio stations. Thou...

MN.25.12.1997 Christmas Special

23 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The feature producers at Radio Netherlands were always given the task of making extended pre-recorded Christmas and New Years Day programmes because t...

MN.16.03.1995.Benidorm & BVN

21 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

This edition of Media Network includes details of Radio Netherlands summer transmission schedule, an interview with the late Joop Heintz about the pro...

MN.26.11.1981 Live Asian Special

21 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In 1981 we experimented with live special editions of Media Network directed to South Asia. There was a lot of mail coming in from India and Sri Lanka...

MN.02.07.1981. BBC Cuts & 2EA

21 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

This early edition of the Media Network programme has details of proposed cuts at BBC World Service with a call to Douglas Muggeridge, the Director Ge...

MN.10.06.1995 Live from the Broadcast Museum

21 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In June 1995 we decided to borrow some airtime from Robert Chesal and broadcast a live programme from the Netherlands broadcasting museum. The premise...

MN.01.01.1998 New Year Receiver Survey

21 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

This extended edition of Media Network broadcast on January 1st 1998 contains an extensive international survey on the state of the international shor...

MN.02.09.1982 Firato 82

05 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

There used to be an annual hi-fi and TV exhibition at the RAI Amsterdam called FIRATO. It gradually died out as organisers realized that going to see ...

MN.09.09.1982. Malta and More

05 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

More editions of Media Network from a very turbulent year -1982. Malta and Libya had entered into a Friendship and Cooperation Treaty, in response to ...

MN.23.09.1982.Botswana and Seychelles

05 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

We started with an interview with Patrick Humphreys (pictured) who explains the demise of Voices magazine - an attempt to start a listening guide abou...

MN.02.12.1982 Angola Profile

05 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Ballister reports from London on a Polish clandestine radio station supporting the Solidarity movement which has popped up in London. And Radio 4...

MN.06.05.1982.SolidarityBFBSFalklands

05 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The programme starts with news of a clandestine radio station, Radio Solidarity, broadcasting within Poland. The country is under marshall law. And BF...

MN.01.04.1982.AprilFools

05 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Remember the TV ship Odelia broadcasting off the Israeli coast? Neither did I until I revisited this edition of Media Network and an interview done by...

MN.11.03.1982.Mozambique and Afghanistan

05 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

We start this edition with news about clandestine radio stations being set up to broadcast to Afghanistan, currently occupied by Soviet troops. Dennis...

MN.23.03.1984 SW Commercial Radio & Philips AC739

02 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

This edition of the programme involved phoning more than 9 different shortwave stations in the USA as non-government licences to broadcast internation...

MN.15.03.1984.CFRB Toronto

02 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

From time to time we mentioned the low-power Canadian shortwave relays on the Media Network programme. These transmissions were originally intended fo...

MN.21.07.1984 200th show including RNTC

02 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In July 2004 I decided it was time to use the summer to reorganise the Media Network archive. By that time, there were around 180 shows which I had ma...

MN.16.02.1984 Australia

02 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

This programme includes news of the rebuild of Radio Australia's Darwin transmission facility, following damage by Cyclone Tracy in 1974. Barry Seeber...

MN.15.11.1984. WMLK & Gordon Bennett

02 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

This edition of the programme looked at WMLK, a religious radio station in Bethel, PA USA. YouTube now has video from the transmission site we're talk...

MN.19.04.1984. ICOM ICR71E

02 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

These days it would be daft to broadcast long technical reviews of radio receivers over the radio. But in 1984, there were few sources of independent ...

MN.14.06.1984.EDXC Stockholm

02 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

I remember this trip to Stockholm as though it were yesterday. I tried to cover this DX convention at Radio Sweden by editing interviews in my hotel r...

MN.08.03.1984: Propagation & Radio Truth

02 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

This is a news edition of the show. The Catholic church is increasing its power in the light of the success of HCJB in Quito Ecuador. There is a new t...

MN.11.11.1982 Clandestine Special - Radio Taiwan and China

24 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

KYOI will get its transmitter delivered to Saipan next week. We called Charles Brigg at the FCC who explained that KNLS Alaska still has to do environ...

MN.10.05.1984. Sky Channel & Laser 558

24 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

We start the programme with several reports from listeners that Laser Radio is back from the North Sea, this time on a new frequency of 558 kHz. They ...

MN.07.06.1984 Radio Camilo Cienfuegos

24 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

We're hearing a clandestine station from Central America, targeting Cuban troops serving in Angola and Ethiopia. Called Radio Camilo Cienfuegos, it is...

MN.05.04.1984 NHK Radio Japan Plans

24 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

By the mid-eighties, many international broadcasters were locked in a power race as the shortwave broadcast bands were full with the output of some 10...

MN.03.05.1984 Spy Intruders & UBIX

24 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

It wasn't often that the spy number stations strayed into the part of the dial reserved for ham radio operators. But on this occasion, radio amateurs ...

MN.01.03.1984. Satellite TV Plans & Offshore News

24 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

This edition of the programme explores the state of international satellite television. At that time, a commercial company in Amsterdam called Holland...

MN.28.07.1983. Inside Story Radio Bloemendaal et al

24 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

This is the third and final part of one of the first sound portraits I made of Dutch broadcasting in the 1980's. It includes a profile of Radio Bloeme...

MN.05.01.1995 News Update

30 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

This news edition of the programme kicks off the new year 1995 with a range of new items. This was a good example of a news show without a particular ...

MN.11.04.1985 Micromuf and Yaesu FRG-8800

30 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

This early Media Network is more than 30 years old, so be gentle when listening to it. Lou Josephs reports from Boston on how radio stations across th...

MN.29.07.1992. Vriezen on Caroline

09 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

For many years, Media Network had a shorter version sent to around 150 foreign radio stations for rebroadcast on FM. That worked better than crackly s...

MN.21.10.1993. Changes DLF & RFE

09 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

The fall of the Berlin Wall and the Velvet revolution are starting to have an affect on stations serving Eastern Europe. This programme looked at the ...