CQ CQ CQ – Ham Radio Thursday: Vatican Radio commits “hertzian-suicide”

I was alerted by a reader about this sad development via Portale Italradio:

Vatican Radio to leave Short Wave for Daily Mass and Rosary

No more short waves for two of the most followed liturgical broadcasts of Vatican Radio. As from 1 August 2016, Latin Mass at 05:30 UTC [Novus Ordo] and Rosary prayer at 18:40 UTC will be broadcast on the usual frequencies only on Sundays and catholic holy days. No motivation [reason] is until now available.
The decision has been taken earlier this week by the Vatican Secretariat for Communications.
Both broadcasts were especially meant to reach isolated people, travelers and all those who are prevented to attend a Mass in their country or to have a free access to the Internet.
Italradio express deeply concern for a totally inexplicable decision, a “hertzian-suicide” as we define it in a word.
As from 1 August the Mass is broadcast on SW only on Sunday and holydays: 15595 kHz. 3975 kHz
6070 kHz at 05.30 UTC. The Rosary prayer on 11625 kHz, 3975 kHz, 6070 kHz, 9660 kHz, 9755 kHz at 18.40 UTC.

Also, concerning Vatican Radio:

Vatican Radio to leave Short Wave?

Short wave transmitting centre at Santa Maria di Galeria (Rome) might be closed ina near future, Vatican Radio French and German newscasts stated, commenting the phasing out of short wave for daily Mass and Rosary prayer on weekdays, as from 1 August 2016. A new organization of Vatican media would enhance investments on digital media.
According to the French service this modification paves the way to the “démantèlement progressif des antennes du centre d’émission de Santa Maria di Galeria” (progressive dismantling of antennas at Santa Maria di Galeria transmitting centre) the German service predicts its “Abschaltung” (disconnection).
No further information was found in both English and Italian programmes.
Vatican Radio transmitting centre is one of the most important broadcasting facility in the world and a reasearch center for telecommunications, highly respected everywhere. Many International broadcasters do exchange air time with Santa Maria to cover areas such as Africa, the Middle East and Europe. A closing down of the center will be a terrible strike to International broadcasting co-operation and a enormous waste of investments carried on for over 50 years. Italradio fiercely opposes the end of operation.

And today

Radiotelevisione Vaticana, alla fine sarà solo portale internet?

A quasi due mesi dall’annuncio dato da Mons. D. E. Viganò a San Marino, trova conferma nella stampa nazionale che entro fine anno nascerà la Radiotelevisione Vaticana, un nuovo ente per il quale il quotidiano “La Repubblica” (31.08.2016) scrive che “a 85 anni dalla nascita della prima stazione radio pontificia progettata da Guglielmo Marconi, alla fine dell’anno in Vaticano nascerà un unico polo di trasmissione radiotelevisiva col compito di potenziare la diffusione nel mondo “della parola e la missione del Pontefice al servizio della Chiesa e del Vangelo, per la promozione umana, la difesa dei poveri, della pace e dei diritti umani e religiosi” attraverso “le immagini, le parole e i più significativi eventi ecclesiali, beatificazioni, viaggi papali, udienze”.
Quando Italradio ha recensito la conversazione con San Marino RTV il progetto già appariva chiaro anche se la unificazione non dovrebbe significare obbligatoriamente la fine dell’emittemte che, invece, con le recenti chiusure di ulteriori onde corte, pare profilarsi al sorgere di un progetto del quale – aggiunge Orazio La Rocca su “La Repubblica” – i “programmi, finalità e nuova dirigenza del nascente polo radiofonico pontificio saranno annunciati – si apprende in ambienti vicini alla Segreteria per la Comunicazione – “prossimamente”, prima della fine dell’Anno Santo”.
Riprendendo anche quanto preannunciato da Mons. D.E. Viganò all’inizio di agosto su “Prima Comunicazione” (HERE) il quotidiano romano sottolinea che la struttura “trasmetterà, 24 ore su 24, attraverso un grande portale internet accessibile a tutti, mediante il quale oltre alle attività del Papa e della vita della Chiesa si potranno seguire trasmissioni di approfondimento, dirette, commenti, cronache di eventi religiosi, informazioni giornalistiche e politiche seguite dalle 40 redazioni estere dell’attuale emittente radiofonica, per un totale di circa 60 lingue diverse”.
Portale internet ci pare chiaro che non sia una radio ma qualcosa di diverso e che pericolosamente vada a mettere in un angolo gli ascoltatori di tutto il mondo a favore di un gruppo di prescelti per ricevere il messaggio che rischia di perdersi nella marea di informazioni della rete. Una rete, perdipiù, notoriamente controllabile e bloccabile da governi e sistemi economici.
Ci auguriamo che le inevitabili semplificazioni giornalistiche ci abbiano finora impedito di vedere ciò purtroppo appare in tutta la sua gravità: una certa perdita di indipendenza che in un mondo pieno di frontiere, solo la Radio assicura al messaggio del Papa e all’informazione (libera) che la Radio Vaticana ha garantito per 85 anni.

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5 Comments

  1. george says:

    But… how is abandoning shortwave reaching out to, and serving, the peripheries?

  2. JonPatrick says:

    Google translate version of thew Italian. A pointed out, an Internet “radio” will be much easier to be suppressed by foreign governments:

    “Almost two months after the announcement given by Msgr. DE Viganò in San Marino, is confirmed by the national press that by year-end will be born the Radio Vaticana, a new institution for which the newspaper “La Repubblica” (08/31/2016) writes that “85 years after the birth of the first papal radio station designed by Guglielmo Marconi, at the end of the year at the Vatican will create a single broadcast transmission pole with the task of enhancing the spread in the world” of the word and the mission of the Pope to the Church and the Gospel, human promotion, the defense of the poor, of peace and of human and religious rights “through” the images, the words and the most significant ecclesial events, beatifications, papal trips, hearings. ”
    When Italradio has reviewed the conversation with San Marino RTV already seemed clear the project even if the unification should not mean necessarily that the dell’emittemte end, however, with the recent closures of more short-wave, seems to loom the rise of a project which – adds Orazio La Rocca “La Repubblica” – the “programs, objectives and new leadership of the nascent radio stations of the papal will be announced – we learn in circles close to the Secretariat for Communication -” shortly “before the end of the Holy Year” .
    Also recovering what has been announced by Msgr. D.E. Viganò in early August on “First Communication” (HERE), the Rome daily points out that the structure “will broadcast 24 hours a 24, through a large internet portal accessible to all, by which in addition to the activities of the Pope and of the life of Church can be followed in-depth programs, direct, comments, chronicles of religious events, media information and policies pursued by 40 foreign editorial offices of the radio station, for a total of about 60 different languages. ”
    Internet portal seems clear to us that is not a radio but something different and dangerously going to put in a corner listeners around the world in favor of a group of chosen to receive the message that is likely to get lost in the tide of network information . A network, perilous, notoriously controllable and lockable by governments and economic systems.
    We hope that the inevitable journalistic simplifications have so far prevented us from seeing what unfortunately appears in all its seriousness: some loss of independence in a world full of borders, just the Radio ensures the Pope’s message and information (free) that Vatican Radio has guaranteed for 85 years.”

  3. Maybe a ham could fill in the gap. Can a ham broadcast recordings? What about the Rosary in Latin?

    (As you can tell, I know nothing about ham radio.)

  4. bdouglass says:

    You can’t broadcast music over the ham bands as per the FCC. saying the rosary or Mass would be fine. Getting your call sign in properly would be awkward, though.

    Hail Mary full of grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. KI4MVL

    (pray for me that I can get passed both the general and extra exam next weekend)

  5. Semper Gumby says:

    The programming reduction of Vatican Radio, or as we like to call it: Radio Free Catholic, is unfortunate. For what it’s worth, one good travel radio is the Sony SW7600GR with a reel antenna.

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