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Radio Free Sarawak goes on the air
November 15th, 2010 - 11:15 UTC by Andy Sennitt.
Radio Free Sarawak, aimed as an alternative voice for Sarawakians, went on air this morning. In an e-mail to Free Malaysia Today, the Bruno Manser Foundation, said that the new alternative radio station will have two daily broadcasts on shortwave, presumably in Iban and Bahasa Malaysia. “It aims at Sarawak’s rural communities who lack access to independent media,” stated the e-mail.

It is an open secret that the media in Sarawak are strictly controlled by the state government under Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud and logging companies who own and control all major media outlets in the state.

The transmission details of Radio Free Sarawak are as follows:

■1st transmission: 0630-0730 local time (2230-2330 UTC) on 7590 kHz
■2nd transmission: 1800-1900 local time (1000-1100 UTC) on 15680 kHz
The e-mail had also attached a message from the producers of Radio Free Sarawak. Below is the message;

“Please send the details to all your Sarawak friends so that they know the existence of the radio-which will become an alternative news source to the Sarawakians, especially to those who stay in the interior. The folks in the interior have been fed with a monotonous one-sided views from the ruling parties - if at all they can receive the TV and radio transmissions. So they need another avenue - and Radio Free Sarawak intends to fill in this gap.”

(Source: www.freemalaysiatoday.com)

Andy Sennitt comments: If anyone knows the transmitter site(s) being used, please advise us. There is nothing in the current HFCC database that appears to match the above schedule. On this page the power of 7590 kHz is listed as “100 or 200 kW”, and this page says “the broadcast is being transmitted out of London”, but this probably refers to the production facility rather than the transmitting site.

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← ZBC faces collapse as managers plunder - reportRussia Today launches new multimedia portal →2 Comments on “Radio Free Sarawak goes on the air”
#1 Alan Pennington
on Nov 16th, 2010 at 11:43
15680 kHz 1000-1100 UTC (16 Nov) was streaming on the WHRI website (whri dot com) via their Angel 4 transmitter Real Audio link so is from Palau. (not sure about 7590 though)

#2 Peter Ng
on Nov 29th, 2010 at 03:28
15.680 mhz at 1000 UTC is heard here in Peninsular Malaysia with poor signal due to QRM by Radio Farda on 15.690 mHz and becoming strong at around 1030 UTC. Transmit from facility of World Harvest Radio in Palau. Could be consider a clandestine radio as far as the Malaysian government is concerned.