The npower Football League 2010/2011 kick off!

THE FIRST WEEKEND of the npower Football League fixtures have been completed and here are the results:

• The npower Championship

Bristol City 0 - Millwall 3

Burnley 1 - Nottingham Forest 0

Cardiff City 1 - Sheffield United 1

Coventry City 2 - Portsmouth 0

Crystal Palace 3 - Leicester City 2

Hull City 2 - Swansea City 0

Leeds United 1 - Derby County 2

Middlesbrough 1 - Ipswich Town 3

Norwich City 2 - Watford 3

Preston North End 0 - Doncaster Rovers 2

Queen's Park Rangers 4 - Barnsley 0

Reading 1 - Scunthorpe United 2

• npower League One

Carlisle United 2 - Brentford 0 (Madine 22, Harte [pen] 45)

Charlton Athletic 1 - AFC Bournemouth 0

Exeter City 2 - Colchester United 2

Notts County 0 - Huddersfield Town 3

Peterborough United 3 - Bristol Rovers 0

Rochdale 0 - Hartlepool United 0

Sheffield Wednesday 2 - Dagenham & Redbridge 0

Southampton 0 - Plymouth Argyle 1

Swindon Town 1 - Brighton & Hove Albion 2

Tranmere Rovers 1 - Oldham Athletic 2

Walsall 1 - Milton Keynes Dons 2

Yeovil Town 2 - Leyton Orient 1

• npower League Two

Accrington Stanley 0 - Aldershot Town 0

Burton Albion 0 - Oxford United 0

Bury 0 - Port Vale 1

Chesterfield 2 - Barnet 1

Crewe Alexandra 0 - Hereford United 1

Gillingham 1 - Cheltenham 1

Rotherham United 2 - Lincoln City 1

Shrewsbury Town 3 - Bradford City 1

Southend United 1 - Stockport County 1

Stevenage 2 - Macclesfield Town 2

Torquay United 3 - Northampton Town 0

Wycombe Wanderers 2 - Morecambe 0.

That completes the results for the first weekend of the npower Football League. Don't ever expect results from the Premiershit, as no one is interested in that. Get down to your local club, support them and enjoy real football!

Taylor Swift, new track!

THE NEW SINGLE from Taylor Swift, "MINE", coming to radio and iTunes August 16 at 12:01am!

More details on Taylor Swift's Facebook page, which you can click through to here.

"Mine" is the first record to be released from Taylor Swift's forthcoming new album "Speak Now".

Looking forward to the new music!

Reflections of the Nashville floods, May 2010

I WAS NOT AWARE, until I read the Twitter feed of Taylor Swift, pictured above, of the flooding which took place in Nashville, TN, USA, in the early days of May 2010.

Pictures and articles were posted on the website of The Huffington Post, which demonstrate the scale of the flooding.

A small photo gallery is available on the website of international radio broadcaster WWCR, who went off air during the flooding due to damage caused to their aerials by the water.

Here's hoping Nashville is on the road to recovery. Thoughts are with you.

Summer 2010 Medium Wave DX Results

SUNDAY 25 JULY 2010 was spent with the Roberts R881, tuned to the Medium Wave band. Here are the results of what I heard throughout the day:

• 0956 UTC, 882 kHz : BBC Radio Wales, for South Wales via Washford, Somerset. Music : No Doubt 'Don't Speak'.
• 1018 UTC, 909 kHz : BBC Radio Five, for Northern England via Moorside Edge, West Yorkshire. Traffic & travel report. The top ten most talked about news stories of the week (The Vuvuzela, Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins, Lindsay Lohan).
• 1042 UTC, 936 kHz : Fresh Radio via Hawes, North Yorkshire. Music from A~ha, Dido, Ellie Goulding, Gwen Stefani.
• 1133 UTC, 1053 kHz : TalkSport via Droitwich, Worcester.
• 1148 UTC, 1071 kHz : TalkSport via Wrekenton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
• 1335 UTC, 1170 kHz : Magic 1170 via Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside. Music from The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, ad break.
• 1359 UTC, 1215 kHz : Absolute Radio, for Northern England via Moorside Edge, West Yorkshire. Music : Lenny Kravitz 'Fly Away', ad break, The Cardigans 'My Favourite Game', Florence & The Machine, Genesis 'That's All'.
• 1444 UTC, 1242 kHz : Absolute Radio via Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside. Music : The Clash 'London Calling', Sheryl Crow.
• 1515 UTC, 1341 kHz : BBC Radio Ulster via Lisnagarvey, Co Down, Northern Ireland.
• 1535 UTC, 1368 kHz : Manx Radio via Douglas, Isle of Man.
• 1557 UTC, 1413 kHz : Fresh Radio via Skipton or Richmond, North Yorkshire. Music : The Eagles 'Hotel California', Cher 'Believe'.

Not a bad list for daytime! Have a good week.

Taylor Swift 'Fearless' Wallpaper

Miss Cumbria 2010 - The Result!

THE RESULT of the Miss Cumbria 2010 competition is in. As you may be aware, Reporting From The Fox Tower lent its support to the campaign run by Abbie Steele. The Miss Cumbria 2010 final took place on Saturday 3 July, at the Stanwix Arts Theatre, Carlisle. Prior to the final, the competitors faced fundraising challenges and a public vote. Here are the results of Miss Cumbria 2010:

IN the public vote, Kirstie Day received over 800 votes, Abbie Steele received 259. In the fundraising challenges in aid of The Variety Club, Kirstie raised £5000, Abbie raised £560.

The winner of Miss Cumbria 2010 is Kirstie Day, age 18, of Carlisle, centre of picture, above. The Runner up, only one point behind Kirstie, was Abbie Steele, age 19, of Stainmore, centre left, black dress. Third was Sarah Goulding, age 20, of Cockermouth, whilst Claire Beeby, age 23, also Cockermouth, far left, green dress, was fourth.

Kirstie received not only the Miss Cumbria title, but also Most Popular Contestant (for the public vote) and Biggest Fundraiser.

So our Congratulations go to Kirstie, but also to Abbie, well done, so very proud of you!

(Click on the names highlighted above to see the Miss Cumbria gallery images. Main picture by Paul Fisher Photography)

A Belated Happy Birthday, Miss Lohan!

Only a couple of weeks late, but a belated Happy 24th Birthday to the Hollywood Hurricane, the actress who can start a riot in an empty house, Miss Lindsay Lohan. The picture above was taken during the evening of Friday 2 July, when Miss Lohan was out celebrating her Birthday with her entourage, with a can of Red Bull. Surely Lindsay has ingested enough stimulants of legal and illegal varieties, without adding a high energy drink to the mix? So, for your next Birthday, party like the Lohan ... !

The Beautiful Ballerina

LAST CALL for your votes for Abbie Steele, pictured above, for her campaign to become Miss Cumbria 2010. Voting closes Friday, 2 July 2010, at 11:59pm BST, so please, pick up your mobile phone and text Cumbria 05 Abbie S to 84205. I hope to bring the result of the Miss Cumbria competition to RFTFT, but for now, as always, Good Luck Abbie!

Listening and voting, June 2010

THIS blog is in two parts; the first part is the 'Listening', which is the list of broadcasts I heard on the Short Wave band, Saturday, 19 June 2010. The 'voting' is the second part, which I shall persuade you to take part in after I have posted my Short Wave logs, starting here!

• 0805 UTC, 11645 kHz : Radio Filia, Greece. Continuous music! Radio Filia website.

· 0832 UTC, 11670 kHz : BBC World Service, United Kingdom. English to Middle East via A'Seela, Oman. President Obama. BBC World Service website.

· 0847 UTC, 11785 kHz : China Radio International, China. Chinese speech, sports report. CRI in English online.

· 0922 UTC, 12020 kHz : RDP Internacional, Portugal. Portuguese speech, including telephone callers to the show and music. RDP English website.

· 1024 UTC, 13635 kHz : Voice of Turkey, Turkey. Arabic to Asia and Africa, 500 kW. Play/drama, followed by pop music. TRT World website.

· 1207 UTC, 13665 kHz : Radio Rossii, Russia. Sport bulletin! Website in Russian.

· 1225 UTC, 13700 kHz : Radio Nederland Wereldomroep, Holland (The Netherlands). Dutch to Europe. Live report from the FIFA World Cup, Durban, South Africa: Holland v Japan, half time.RNW Dutch website.

· 1247 UTC, 13720 kHz : Radio Exterior de Espana, Spain. Spanish to Europe. 'Diario de Europe' / 'Hispanorama'. REE website.

· 1307 UTC, 13760 kHz : Voice of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). English to Europe and America. Sixtieth anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea. (No website)

· 1327 UTC, 13790 kHz : China Radio International, China. English to Europe, Asia, Australasia, America via Urumchi, China. 'China Drive' followed by 'Media Scan'. (Please follow the CRI link above)

· 1405 UTC, 13800 kHz : Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iran. Arabic speech, male host, telephone callers, music. Worldservice website.

· 1425 UTC, 13845 kHz : WWCR-3, Nashville TN USA. English to Europe and America. University Network programme. WWCR.com

· And finally, 1536 UTC, 15825 kHz : WWCR-1, Nashville TN USA. English to Europe, Middle East and America. 'Showers of Blessings', followed by Brother Eugene Brown with 'Words of Hope'. 'Words of Hope' website.

Don't stop voting!

Part two of this post is, of course, further encouragement for you to vote for ABBIE STEELE, pictured right, in her campaign to become Miss Cumbria 2010. A quick recap of how you can vote for Abbie:

By telephone : Call 09016561528 and then key in 05 when asked;

By text : Cumbria 05 Abbie S (with capitals in the correct places) to 84205.

Voting lines are open till 2nd July for Miss Cumbria. All votes cost 60p plus standard network charge on mobile phones.

The official Miss Cumbria website, featuring Abbie in the photo gallery, voting details and votes cast so far, can be visited by clicking here.

Once again, Good Luck Abbie! x

Vote for Abbie!

ABBIE STEELE, pictured left, of Stainmore, Cumbria, has been chosen by the Miss Cumbria organisation to compete in the Final - Abbie needs your votes!

To make Abbie Miss Cumbria 2010, voting is by telephone and text. Voting lines are open until July 2, 2010.

To vote by telephone, call 09016561528 and then key in 05 when asked. To vote by text, send Cumbria 05 Abbie S [with capitals in the correct places] to 84205.

All votes cost 60p plus standard network charge on mobile phones.

Show your support for Abbie on Abbie's Miss Cumbria Campaign on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abbies-Miss-Cumbria-Campaign/124362190936005

Become friends with Abbie on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=699796809

Good Luck Abbie!

The author!

Carlisle United's biggest fans!

Domestic Football round-up, May 2010

THE domestic football season has come to a close in England and here are the results of who became champions, who was promoted, who won the play-off matches and who was relegated, with some notes as we go through.

First things first, the Premiership Champions are Chelsea FC, whilst the three teams relegated from the Premiership are Burnley, Hull and Portsmouth.

In the Championship, the Champions are Newcastle United, promoted are West Bromwich Albion and the winner of the play-off is Blackpool. Relegated are Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth Argyle and Peterborough United.

The League One Champions are Norwich City. Leeds United promoted in second place, whilst Millwall won the play-off final at Wembley Stadium. Carlisle United Football Club finished the League One season in fourteenth position. Relegated from League One are Gillingham, Wycombe Wanderers, Southend United and Stockport County.

The League Two Champions are Notts County, promoted are Bournemouth and Rochdale. Dagenham & Redbridge won the play-off final. Morecambe finished their season in fourth position. Relegated out of the Football League are Grimsby Town and Darlington.

The Blue Square Premier Champions are Stevenage FC (formerly Stevenage Borough). Oxford United are promoted, courtesy of winning the play-off final. Barrow won the FA Trophy at Wembley Stadium and finished their season in fifteenth position. Relegated from the Blue Square Premier are Forest Green Rovers, Ebbsfleet and Grays Athletic.

It is with regret that this season has come to a close with the loss of Chester City Football Club, who closed after having a history of over a century. An unofficial Chester Football Club website is available here.

Football does not end here for 2010, the FIFA World Cup will soon be upon us. Whoever your club is, wherever your country is, let us hope the tournament will be, as always, the best ever.

The Man In Black at his best.

The Morecambe mountain wallpaper

THE next time you visit Morecambe, Lancashire, look out for the mountain. Namely The Alps. Not quite. Wallpaper of the Week brings you an image which is part of a metal sculpture on the seafront of Morecambe, which illustrates the range of hills, fells and mountains which are visible in the distance. Do visit Morecambe and enjoy!

May 2010 Medium Wave DX and a view of Appleby

I spent the evening of Friday 14 May 2010 listening to the Medium Wave band. The meagre results are as follows:

• 810 kHz : BBC Radio Scotland via Westerglen, Scotland. Sport: Rugby Union. Ospreys v Glasgow.
• 837 kHz : France Info via Nancy, France. Discussion between two males and a female.
• 846 kHz : Radio North / Gospel 846 via either Caradonagh, Co Donegal or Galway, Republic of Ireland. Male host with music: Buddy Holly 'Heartbeat'.
• 855 kHz : Radio Nacional de Espana [RNE] 1 via Cotillas Tower, Murcia, Spain. Fast moving speech between male and female hosts with news and sport reports.

A nice spread of broadcasts from across Europe. Next, Wallpaper of the Week brings you a popular feature of Appleby in Westmorland railway station:

KEEPING in with the railway theme, may I tip my hat to those working overnight at Crosby Garrett on the Settle - Carlisle line. I believe it is Story Rail who are working there; I can see their lights on the line from my home in Brough!

Strong, secure, safe. Wallpaper election special.

CARLISLE changed hands last Friday morning from Labour to Conservative, joining Penrith and the Border as a representative seat of the new government. To celebrate, Wallpaper of the week brings you Carlisle Castle. Enjoy.

Happy Birthday, Mele!

MONDAY, the third of May, 2010, is not only the May Day Holiday in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, but is also the Birthday of Mele Koning, pictured left.

Mele (Emelie) is Swedish, grew up in and studied in Sweden, complimenting her school and college studies with becoming a model and a DJ, which has served Mele well, by securing modelling work in Europe and playing DJ sets in Europe and the United States of America.

Mele divides her time between Ostersund and Stockholm in Sweden and New York City and Los Angeles in the USA, as well as points between.

Mele is currently in the USA, following her first loves, those American boys - Isaac, Taylor and Zac - Hanson, who are touring the States with their new music.

Mele is keeping up to date with the tour and everything else on her web pages, which are as follows:

Twitter : http://twitter.com/allispretty

Tumblr : http://allispretty.tumblr.com/

Wordpress : http://allispretty.wordpress.com/

The official Hanson web is http://www.hanson.net/

Happy Birthday, Mele! Everyone else - Have a great Holiday weekend!

Wallpaper of the week, 1 May 2010

WALLPAPER of the week for the beginning of May features the crest of the city of Carlisle, situated on an external wall of Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery.

Wallpaper of the week, 25 April 2010

WALLPAPER of the week returns with an image of Carlisle Cathedral, which I hope you enjoy!

Happy Birthday, Maria!

THE CURRENT EDITION of The Westmorland Gazette, published Thursday, April 15, 2010, lists this coming Monday, April 18, as the twenty - third birthday of former Wimbledon tennis champion, Maria Sharapova, pictured left. Here's hoping Maria has an enjoyable day and best of luck for the 2010 tennis season!

Follow Maria online at her official website: http://www.mariasharapova.com and keep up to date with The Westmorland Gazette online at http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk

As mentioned above, hopefully Miss Sharapova will appear during the tennis season as part of the 2010 summer of sport, which will be covered here on Reporting From The Fox Tower. I intend to share with you my thoughts and reactions to the close of the domestic football season, the build-up and the results of the South Africa football World Cup and other events taking place during 2010, not just the summer. Better get revising the sporting calendar!

Apologies for the absence of Wallpaper of the Week recently, but it will return very soon. Until then, take care and be good!

Short Wave DX: April 2010

HERE is a list of what I heard on the Short Wave radio band, on the evening of Thursday 8 April 2010. All times in GMT / UTC, all frequencies in kiloHertz (kHz). Enjoy!

• 1849 UTC, 7520 kHz : Radio Tirana, Albania. English to Europe and America. Website.
• 1904 UTC, 7550 kHz : All India Radio, General Overseas Service. English to Europe and Africa. Website.
• 1925 UTC, 7570 kHz : Radio Thailand. News, Business news. English to Europe via Udon Thani, Thailand. Website.
• 20:00 UTC, 9490 kHz : Family Radio. "Send an email to international@familyradio.com to receive our card", Off air.
• 2018 UTC, 9645 kHz : Vatican Radio. "Visit us [online]".
• 2033 UTC, 11610 kHz : Radio Netherlands Worldwide, Hilversum, Holland. English to West Africa via Kigali, Rwanda. "Visit our website". 'Earth Beat' programme, 'Reloaded' programme. Radio Netherlands Worldwide is also on Facebook and Twitter.

Finally, may I bring back some memories of the much missed 'Long Wave Giant' Atlantic 252 - How many of you had, or still have, a sticker from them, as featured below?

FM DX Logs, Sunday 28 March 2010

Sunday 28 March 2010 was the day Carlisle United Football Club contested the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Final, against Southampton FC, at Wembley Stadium. I travelled to the game on a bus and spent the day listening to my pocket FM radio in the early morning and evening, the broadcasts I heard are as follows (all times in British Summer Time) :

• 0635 BST : STRAY FM, Harrogate (97.2 MHz). Host: Paul Hartley, music from Black Eyed Peas 'Meet Me Half Way' and Billy Joel 'Uptown Girl'. Strayfm.com
• 0700 BST : BBC RADIO HUMBERSIDE, Hull (95.9 MHz). Host: Andy links to the news at 0700. bbc.co.uk for Humberside
• 0720 BST : BBC RADIO SHEFFIELD (104.1 MHz). 'Traffic and travel for South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire'. Sports news with Sarah Major. bbc.co.uk for Sheffield
• 0825 BST : HEART. Music from Gabrielle, ID, Take That. heart.co.uk
• 0830 BST : BBC RADIO LEICESTER (104.9 MHz). Host: Steven Butt, ID, news: Murder charge. bbc.co.uk for Leicester

Evening :

• 1950 BST : BBC RADIO SHEFFIELD (88.6 / 94.7 / 104.1 MHz). 'Eastern Air' Community broadcast.
• 1955 BST : BBC RADIO NOTTINGHAM (95.5 / 103.8 MHz). Community broadcast, text 07786 201038. bbc.co.uk for Nottingham
• 1958 - 20:00 BST : TRENT FM (96.2 / 96.5 MHz). Ad for John Rose Jewellers, music: Ke$ha 'Tik Tok'. trentfm.co.uk

I hope you find the above of interest, if you would like to interact, please use the comment facility below. Finally, may I take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Easter!

Wallpaper of the week, 21 March 2010

VIEW of the skyline from Buttermere, July 2009.

Wallpaper of the week, 16 March 2010

THIS week, Wallpaper of the week brings you a view of a Herdwick sheep, nibbling at the grass beside the rural road which winds its way alongside Buttermere,which you can see over the wall. This photograph was taken by myself, July 2009. Enjoy.

Medium Wave DX Logs, March 2010

Medium Wave:

• 756 kHz : BBC Radio Cumbria (1kW via Carlisle, Belinda Artingstoll Drivetime)
• 756 kHz : Deutschlandfunk (100 - 200kW via Germany)
• 765 kHz : BBC Essex (500 watts via Chelmsford, Sue Marchant show)
• 765 kHz : Option Musique (600kW via Sottens, Switzerland)
• 774 kHz : RNE [Radio Nacional de Espana] 1 (20 - 100kW via Spain)
• 783 kHz : MDR [Mittel Deutscher Rundfunk] Info (100kW via Leipzig, Germany)
• 792 kHz : France Info (300kW via Limoges, France)

That's yer lot for March, as far as my radio is concerned, short and sweet; BBC Essex did throw me at the time, as I was delighted to hear them this far north! Roll on Spring...

DX Logs, January and February 2010

Listening to Medium Wave and Short Wave in the early days of 2010 went like this:



January 2010:

• 675 kHz [Medium Wave] : NRK-1 via Rost, Norway.


• 675 kHz : Radio Maria Nederland & Vlaanderen via Lopik, Holland.


• 684 kHz : RNE [Radio Nacional de Espana] 1 via Seville, Spain.


• 693 kHz : Radio Rossii via Moscow, Russia.


• 693 kHz : BBC Radio Five Live via Stagshaw, Northumberland, UK.


• 711 kHz : France Info via Rennes, France.


• 738 kHz : RNE 1 via Barcelona, Spain.


• 747 kHz : NOS Radio 5 via Flevoland, Holland.


• 756 kHz : BBC Radio Cumbria via Carlisle, Cumbria, UK [The Richard Nankivell Late Show].

February 2010:

• 5010 kHz [Short Wave] : HIMI 5010 Radio Cristal International via Dominican Republic [Presumed].


• 5830 kHz : Radio Ukraine International [German Service].


• 6075 kHz : Deutsche Welle, Germany. German to Europe via Rampisham, UK.


• 6100 kHz : International Radio Serbia, English to Europe.


• 6200 kHz : Radio Bulgaria, English to Europe.


• 6240 kHz : Radio PMR [Pridnestrovye Moldovan Republic], English to Europe and America via Moldova.


• 7220 kHz : Radio Romania International, English to Europe, Asia and America.

Best Wishes until next time!

DAB Radio Update, January - February 2010

• Absolute Radio - www.absoluteradio.co.uk
• Amazing Radio - www.amazingtunes.com
• BBC Asian Network - www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork
• BBC Radio 1Xtra - Text: 88111, www.bbc.co.uk/1Xtra
• BBC Radio 6 Music
• BBC Radio 1 - www.bbc.co.uk/radio1
• BBC Radio 2
• BBC Radio 3 - www.bbc.co.uk/radio3
• BBC Radio 4
• BBC Radio 5 Live
• BBC Radio 5 Live SportsXtra
• BBC Radio 7
• BBC World Service
• BFBS Radio - UK Telephone: 01494 848001, UK Text: 07740 377377 (start message with UK followed by a space), www.bfbs-radio.com
• Classic FM - Postal address: Leicester Square, LONDON WC2H 7LA www.classicfm.com
• D1 Test 1 (Test transmission) - www.ukdigitalradio.com
• NME Radio UK
• Panjab Radio UK - Telephone: 020 8848 8877, www.panjabradio.co.uk
• Planet Rock - www.planetrock.com
• Premier Christian - www.premier.org.uk
• talkSPORT
• UCB UK Christian - Telephone: 08456 300 400, www.ucb.co.uk

List compiled Saturday 23 January 2010. The telephone numbers, text numbers and website addresses were noted from the scrolling display on the DAB radio.

Magnificent Mella.

http://twitter.com/mellameic

http://www.facebook.com/melissa.meic

Wallpaper of the Week, 9 January 2010.

THE first wallpaper for 'Twenty Ten' is this rather unusual road sign, spotted by my good self in May 2009, on the Sunbiggin Tarn Road. It was originally a rather mundane 'Beware of sheep' sign, which has been altered (not by me) to now display 'Beware of ... Rhino'!

Your New Year Resolution for 2010

CHRISTMAS 2009 is now behind us and I hope you enjoyed your presents. Thinking ahead to the New Year which arrives this week, have you made a New Year resolution, or thinking of making a resolution?

May I suggest that you take a moment to consider making a donation to the charity which will gain from the monumental effort to be put in by Sarah Cowin (pictured right) in the Summer of 2010.

Sarah is to join a group who will climb Mount Kilimanjaro in June 2010 to raise money for the charity Scope, who work to help those with Cerebral Palsy.

Please sponsor Sarah by visiting her fundraising website at:

http://www.justgiving.com/sarahinafrica

Please give generously!

Wallpaper of the Week, 26 December 2009

WALLPAPER of the Week returns to RFTFT and as it is deepest mid winter, take heart from a photograph I took during the Summer of 2009, showing the track bed of the now long gone Stainmore Railway and the road bridge which still bears the soot of the steam trains which passed under it. It is close to this point that the British Transport Film 'Snowdrift At Bleath Gill' recorded the recovery of the goods train from Kirkby Stephen which became trapped by a snowdrift around half a century ago.

I hope you enjoy the image and are enjoying the festive season.

Radio Round up, 2009

WELCOME to my end of year radio listening round up, details include Short Wave and Medium Wave logs made June to December 2009 :

June 2009 :

• 9510 kHz [Short Wave], IRRS - Shortwave, English to Europe & Middle East via Rimavska Sobota, Slovakia.
• 9895 kHz, Radio Nederland Wereldomroep, Dutch to France, Spain, Portugal and the Balearics.
• 12040 kHz, Voice of Russia, English to Europe, Middle East and Asia via Moscow, Russia.

August 2009 :

• 585 kHz [Medium Wave], BBC Scotland via Dumfries.
• 594 kHz, HR Info via Frankfurt, Germany.
• 603 kHz, BBC Radio 4 via Wrekenton, Newcastle - Upon - Tyne.

October 2009 :

• 12040 kHz, Voice of Russia, English to Europe via Moscow, Russia.
• 12080 kHz, Voice of America, VOA Special English to Africa via Botswana.
• 12095 kHz, BBC World Service, English to East & South Africa via Cyprus.
• 12160 kHz, WWCR-3 Nashville TN USA to America and Europe.
• 13590 kHz, 1Africa, English to Africa via Lusaka, Zambia.
• 13780 kHz, Deutsche Welle, German to East Africa via Skelton, Cumbria, UK.
• 13790 kHz, China Radio International, English to Europe, Africa, Asia & America via Urumchi, China.
• 13845 kHz, WWCR-2 Nashville TN USA, English to Africa (University Network).
• 15225 kHz, Radio Kuwait, Main Arabic Programme to Europe and North America.
• 15400 kHz, BBC World Service, English to West Africa via Ascension Island.
• 15580 kHz, Voice of America, English to Africa via Botswana.

November 2009 :

• 603 kHz, BBC Radio 4 via Wrekenton, Newcastle - Upon - Tyne.
• 603 kHz, France Info via Lyon, France.
• 612 kHz, RNE1 [Radio Nacional Espana] via Vitoria, Spain.
• 621 kHz, RTBF1 via Wavre, Belgium.
• 630 kHz, NRK Euuropakanalen via Vigra, Norway.
• 630 kHz, Voice of Russia, German via Germany / Russia.
• 639 kHz, RNE1, Football commentary in Spanish.
• 639 kHz, Czech Radio 2 via Prague, Czech Republic.
• 648 kHz, BBC World Service via Orford Ness, Suffolk.
• 666 kHz, Sudwestrundfunk via Rohrdorf, Germany.
• 675 kHz, Radio Maria, Dutch via Lopik, Holland

December 2009 :

• 15575 kHz, BBC World Service, English to Middle East via Cyprus.
• 15585 kHz, Radio Exterior de Espana, Spanish to Europe.
• 15595 kHz, Vatican Radio, Angelus (Liturgy) with Pope Benedict XVI to Europe, Asia via Santa Maria di Galeria, The Vatican.
• 15650 kHz, Voice of Greece to Europe, Middle East and Asia.
• 17760 kHz, Radio Romania International, English to Europe and Africa.
• 11675 kHz, Polish Radio External Service, English Section to Europe via Moosbrunn, Austria.

That is all my radio reports for 2009. Happy Christmas!

Merry Christmas, 2009

I WOULD just like to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Christmas!

Four more stations, celebrity gossip.

APRIL 2009 Short Wave Logs:

Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 6205 kHz, English Service: News headlines follow Prayer. Website: english.irib.ir .

WWRB, Manchester, TN, USA, 9385 kHz, English Service: Global III transmitter relaying Overcomer Ministry. Website: wwrb.org .

All India Radio, 9445 kHz, General Overseas Service - V (English). Website: allindiaradio.org .

Radio Australia, 9500 kHz, English Service: 'Saturday Extra' programme, reviewing 100 days of Obama's Presidency. Website: radioaustralia.net.au .

Celebrity gossip: Britain's youngest WAG dumped by boyfriend

BRITAIN'S youngest WAG Melissa Reeves, pictured above, has been dumped by Everton starlet Jack Rodwell, after she was featured on the front page of the Daily Star Sunday.

Sexy Melissa, 16, from West Derby, Liverpool, was dumped by Rodwell, 17, after a picture showing her in a racy outfit at a Formula One models launch was published on the front page of the paper.

Rodwell told Mel that her modeling career was giving him unwanted attention, and he even accused her of trying to cash in by becoming another fame-hungry WAG.

"He's finished me for his football. I'm stunned. I'm not bothered about the WAG thing - it’s not my fault I was photographed. I love my modelling but I didn’t want anything to come between us," the Daily Star quoted her as saying.

"Just when I thought things were going so well he's gone and done this. I'm gutted. I feel like my world has ended," she added.

The two had been dating only for a few months when they had been compared to ex-Everton star Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen.

But mates of Rodwell insist he doesn't want to be tarred with the same brush.

"Jack's desperate to make it in the top flight and doesn't want anything to get in the way," one of Rodwell's pals said.

"All those pictures and stories of him with Melissa and comparisons to Wayne and Coleen are not what he wanted.

"He found himself on the front of newspapers instead of on the back page - where he should be.

"Mel was attracting unwanted attention with her modeling so he decided to call it a day.

"Football is his priority now," the friend added.

Radio update May 2008 - March 2009

I PRESENT one year's worth of Short Wave and Medium Wave listening, which I have been neglecting on RFTFT, stations listed below with links to thier websites, beginning May 2008 :

BBC Radio 4 (website), Radio 5 Nostalgie [Holland] (website), BBC Radio Cumbria (website - profile of Gordon Swindlehurst), BBC Radio Leeds (website), BBC Radio Scotland (website), BBC Radio Cumbria (profile of Val Armstrong), BBC Radio Lancashire (Sport : Live Cricket - Lancashire v Scotland), BBC Radio Wales (website), BBC Radio Five Live (Sport), Fresh Radio (website), Magic 999 (Preston), TalkSport (website), Magic 1170 (Stockton on Tees).

June 2008 : BBC Radio Cumbria at Appleby Horse Fair.
Radio Nederland Wereldomroep (Holland - Dutch language).

August 2008 : Vatican Radio (English website), BBC Radio Cumbria (Sport : Live Football - York City v Barrow).

September 2008 : Magic 1170, Radio Sweden (English website), Absolute [formerly Virgin] Radio (website), France Info (French language).

October 2008 : Vatican Radio, Laser Hot Hits (website).

November 2008 : Deutschlandfunk (Germany - German language), Voice of Russia (English website), BBC Radio Ulster (website), Manx Radio (Isle of Man, website), France Info, BBC Radio Gloucestershire (website).

December 2008 : Vatican Radio.

January 2009 : BBC Radio Gloucestershire, Deutschlandfunk, Sunrise Radio (Sunrise website - may ask to download a Quick Time application or add-on, your discretion).

February 2009 : Radio Slovakia International (English website, links also available for Slovak, German, French, Russian, Spanish), Deutsche Welle (Germany, English website, links to other languages in right hand column and bottom of page), Overcomer Ministry (Brother R G Stair, website), Radio Bulgaria (English website).

March 2009 : Sunrise Radio. SER (Spain, Spanish language), France Info, BBC Radio Stoke (website).

You are now up to date with my radio listening, DXing, call it what you will, bar any April listening, which I haven't done yet, but next weekend (Easter 2009) onwards should hopefully change that and I hope to place the results of which here on RFTFT.

As always, any questions or comments, direct them to the comments link below or get on your email and drop me a line.

Take care, see you soon!

Welcome to 2009

A LITTLE BIT of housekeeping is in order, I feel, as I have been neglecting RFTFT for around six months, judging from my last post, the Carlisle United squad list, which I posted in the early stages of the season, September 2008.

May I belatedly welcome you to 2009 through RFTFT and I do hope to get back to posting here more regularly, if I can wean myself off the addictive social networking which has taken hold . . .

Carlisle United Football Club 2008 - 2009

CARLISLE UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB
Manager : John Ward

The 2008 - 2009 Squad :

1 Ben WILLIAMS
2 David RAVEN
3 Evan HORWOOD
4 Marc BRIDGE-WILKINSON
5 Danny LIVESEY
6 Peter MURPHY
7 Kevin GALL
8 Chris LUMSDON
9 Danny GRAHAM
10 Danny CARLTON
11 Paul THIRLWELL
12 Luke JOYCE
13 Dan WORDSWORTH
15 Grant SMITH
16 Josh GOWLING
17 Cleveland TAYLOR
18 Simon HACKNEY
19 Michael BRIDGES
20 Chris HOWARTH
21 Richard KEOGH
22 Darren CAMPION
24 Shaun VIPOND
26 Scott DOBIE
28 Gary MADINE
32 Jeff SMITH
.

Girls love rally driving!

YES, it is true, girls do love driving rally cars, as this edition of Reporting From The Fox Tower proves. Depicted on the left is Carlisle rally driver Jemma Bellingham, who, alongside the rallying, is social action reporter for BBC Radio Cumbria.
Jemma updates her very own rallying website, which I have linked to here.

REMINDER : Brough Agricultural Show takes place on Thursday 21 August. The show has its own website, which you can visit here.

DAB downturn : The latest closures on DAB radio are as follows:

BFBS "BFBS Radio's trial on DAB digital radio has now ended. Thank you for listening and all of the positive feedback. www.bfbs.com"

Capital Life "We're sorry, but Capital Life has closed down. Thanks for listening to the station over the past few years."

theJAZZ "We're sorry, but theJAZZ has closed down. Why not try Classic FM's late night Jazz programme or the Jazz stream at classicfm.com?"

One piece of good news is that Birdsong is still going strong. For all the latest UK Digital Radio news, go to the website, here.

A*M*A*N*D*A goes live!
Crosby Garrett's Amanda Tinkler, now based in Los Angeles, is on tour with Boyzone and Reporting From The Fox Tower can now report Amanda has her very own website, which you can visit here.

That's all for this weekend on Reporting From The Fox Tower, take care and have a good week!

Eurovision got it wrong so many ways...

NEVER mind the end result and the places in the table for the twenty or so nations which made it in to the final on the Saturday night all those weeks ago, the Eurovision Song Contest got it wrong at the Semi Final stage when they eliminated the Czech Republic entry Tereza Kerndlova, pictured above, with her song Have Some Fun, which was pretty enough, I guess, as a song, but it was the fabulous Miss Kerndlova's little silver outfit which got my vote.

That will be the last word on the Eurovision Song Contest for 2008.

Reporting From The Fox Tower will be looking forward to Summer 2008 very soon with the following :

• Wimbledon 2008 A fantastic excuse, if ever you need one, for new pics of 'top seed' Maria Sharapova.
• Say What A link to the brand new website for Cumbria's own singing superstar Amanda Tinkler.
• Digital Deadlines Rounding up the television switchover dates for late 2008 and a review of DAB digital radio here below the Fox Tower.
• Girls love it hard, rough, dirty Girls love Rally Driving... It's true! A Cumbrian website will show you how it's done.
• Wallpapers Might not be weekly as before, but nice pics all the same.

Take care, be good...

Hello again... it's been a while!

A WHILE has passed since I last posted here on RFTFT, so I thought I would post a few lines...

Manchester United have just been crowned Premiership Champions as I write this, Sir Alex Ferguson's tenth trophy as manager.

I also listened to my radio at the beginning of May, here are the broadcasts I heard on Medium Wave :

BBC Radio 4 ( 720 kHz ) , Radio 747 / Radio 5 (Holland) ( 747 kHz ) , BBC Radio Cumbria ( 756 kHz ) , BBC Radio Leeds ( 774 kHz ) , BBC Radio Scotland ( 810 kHz ) , BBC Radio Cumbria ( 837 kHz ) , BBC Radio Lancashire ( 855 kHz ) , BBC Radio Wales ( 882 kHz ) , BBC Radio 5 Live ( 909 kHz ) , Fresh Radio ( 936 kHz ) , Magic 999 ( 999 kHz ) , TalkSport ( 1053 kHz , 1071 kHz , 1089 kHz ) and Magic 1170 ( 1170 kHz ) .

More soon . . . !

Wallpaper of the Week: Brough, Cumbria.

Sheep graze; Brough Castle in the background.

The playing surface and stand, Brough Football Club.

2008 FA Cup Semi Final Draw

Today, Monday 10 March 2008, the draw for the FA Cup Semi Finals took place at the headquarters of The Football Association, London.

The team numbers were as follows:
1 - Cardiff City
2 - Portsmouth
3 - West Bromwich Albion
4 - Barnsley

The Draw was made by former football player Bryan Robson and the results of the draw are as follows:

Barnsley v Cardiff City
West Bromwich Albion v Portsmouth

Games to be played weekend of 5 - 6 April 2008 at Wembley Stadium, London.

Good Luck to all concerned!

March 2008 Short Wave Links & Red Hot Roxy!

Last Sunday, I spent a day listening to the Short Wave band and published the results here on RFTFT. Here is a list of web links to the stations I heard last week, which I hope you will find informative. To go to the station website, just click on the station name:

Radio Ukraine International

WWV

Radio Bulgaria

China Radio International

Radio Exterior de Espana

Radio Sweden

Voice of America

BBC World Service

May I draw your attention to a particular favourite broadcast of mine, the Sunday night broadcast from Radio Exterior de Espana. The programme is 'Radio Club', a traditional listener response programme, the reading of letters and emails with the odd piece of Spanish music. If you have a Short Wave radio, why not give it a listen? Sundays, 2200 GMT, 6125 kHz.

To contact 'Radio Club':
Postal address: Radio Club, English Language Broadcast, Radio Exterior de Espana, PO Box 156 202, MADRID 28080, SPAIN
E-Mail: englishbroadcast@rtve.es
Web as listed above or via http://www.rne.es/

Enjoy your radio!

Wallpaper of the Week : Red Hot Roxy!

Maxim Magazine invited Roxanne Pallett, star of Emmerdale and Soapstar Superstar, to a photoshoot and interview a while ago, one result of which is this week's Wallpaper of the Week!

As usual, click on the image to show full size, then save as wallpaper, using a program or format of your choice.

Finally, drawing your attention to the following, in a 'Coming Soon!' style :

The FA Cup Semi - Final Draw : Who will play who out of Portsmouth, Barnsley, Cardiff City and West Bromwich Albion at Wembley Stadium?

Jemma Bellingham of BBC Cumbria Social Action with her role as a rally car co-driver!

That's coming soon on RFTFT, but for now, goodbye!

March 2008 Short Wave Logs and this weeks 'paper

TODAY, Sunday 2 March 2008, I have enjoyed tuning around the Short Wave bands yet again, from 9.9 MHz, right up to the end of the band at 26.1 MHz. Here is what I heard:

1005 - 1015 GMT, 9950 kHz, Radio Ukraine International, English language to Europe, 'Ukrainian Diary' programme.

1022 - 1030 GMT, 10 000 kHz, WWV, Boulder, Colorado, USA, Time Signal station.

1107 - 11:15 GMT, 13600 kHz, Radio Bulgaria, Bulgarian language to Russia (Moscow) via Plovdiv transmitter? Female broadcaster with speech.

1122 - 1134 GMT, 13665 kHz, China Radio International, English to Europe via Albanian transmitters, Male broadcaster with news, weather, music.

1254 - 1315 GMT, 13720 kHz, Radio Exterior de Espana, Spanish language to 'Noreste de Europa'. Male & Female broadcasters, rapid speech in Spanish.

1345 - 1352 GMT, 15240 kHz, Radio Sweden, English to North America via Horby transmitter, Sweden, 500 kW transmission. 'Network Europe' programme.

1420 - 1435 GMT, 15530 kHz, Voice of America / Radio Aap Ki Dunyaa, Urdu language to West & South Asia. Male & Female broadcasters with Urdu programming.

1445 - 1455 GMT, 15580 kHz, Voice of America, English to Africa via Sao Tome transmitter, 'Our World' programme with host Art Chimes.

1510 - 1517 GMT, 17830 kHz, BBC World Service, English to West Africa via Ascension Island transmitter, News reports from the US Presidential campaigns and a new group in Nepal.

1528 - 1534 GMT, 21470 kHz, BBC World Service, English to East & South Africa via Ascension Island transmitter, Live news feed from Female journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Wallpaper of the Week - The Capybaras. All together now: Aaaah....

February 2008: Medium Wave Logs.

THE following broadcasts were heard by me on the Medium Wave band, Saturday 23 February 2008:

0842 - 0928 GMT, 567 kHz, RTE Radio One, Tullamore transmitter, Ireland. 'Farm Week' programme. Website here. (Farm Week webpage)

0950 - 1030 GMT, 585 kHz, BBC Radio Scotland, Dumfries transmitter, Scotland. 'Sports Weekly' programme. Website here. (Sports Weekly webpage)

1151 - 1203 GMT, 603 kHz, BBC Radio Four, Wrekenton (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) transmitter, England. 'From Our Own Correspondent' programme. Website here. (From Our Own Correspondent webpage)

1216 - 1230 GMT, 657 kHz, BBC Radio Wales, Wrexham transmitter, Wales. Rhod Gilbert programme. Website here. (BBC Wales Rhod Gilbert webpage)

1254 - 1320 GMT, 666 kHz, BBC Radio York, Fulford (York) transmitter, England. Richard Allinson albums programme. Website here. (BBC York Richard Allinson webpage)

2045 - 2101 GMT, 675 kHz, Radio Maria Nederland, Lopik transmitter, Holland. Continual music programme. Website here. (Radio Maria Nederland homepage, Dutch language)

2126 - 2136 GMT, 684 kHz, RNE 1, Seville transmitter, Spain. Live La Liga football: Sevilla v Real Zaragoza. Website here. (RNE homepage, Spanish language)

2140 - 2151 GMT, 693 kHz, BBC Radio Five Live. Live Six Nations Commentary with Ian Robertson, France 13 - England 24. Website here. (podcast link: Matt Dawson’s 6 Nations Rugby)

2208 - 2214 GMT, 711 kHz, France Info, Rennes transmitter, France. Report from Stade de France, Paris, of the Six Nations Rugby Union result: France 13 - England 24. Website here. (France Info report of France - England, French language)

2223 - 2235 GMT, 720 kHz, WDR, Langenberg transmitter, Germany. Music and speech. Website here. (WDR Radio homepage, German language)

2241 - 2248 GMT, 720 kHz, BBC Radio Four, Lisnagarvey transmitter, Northern Ireland. Round table discussion programme. Website here. (BBC Radio Four homepage).

Those are the logs for February 2008, I hope you find the weblinks interesting too!

FA Cup 6th Round (Quarter Final) Draw

The Quarter Final Draw for the FA Cup 2008 is as follows:

Sheffield United or Middlesbrough v Cardiff City
Manchester United v Portsmouth
Bristol Rovers v West Bromwich Albion
Barnsley v Chelsea

Matches played the weekend of 8th and 9th March 2008.

Wallpaper of the week, FA Cup 5th & 6th Rounds.

WALLPAPER of the week, a once popular feature here on RFTFT, returns with an image of BBC Television's 'Sportsround' reporter Helen Skelton, pictured in her days with BBC Radio Cumbria, on an outside broadcast. Helen is former joint presenter of the BBC Radio Cumbria weekend, latterly weekday, breakfast show. Helen is now reporter on 'Sportsround', broadcast on BBC2, Saturdays, 11:45am.

FA CUP 5th & 6th ROUND :

FIFTH Round Results:

Bristol Rovers 1 - Southampton 0

Cardiff City 2 - Wolverhampton Wanderers 0

Sheffield United 0 - Middlesbrough 0

Liverpool 1 - Barnsley 2

Manchester United 4 - Arsenal 0

Preston North End 0 - Portsmouth 1

Coventry City 0 - West Bromwich Albion 5

Chelsea 3 - Huddersfield Town 1.

SIXTH Round numbers:

The eight teams in the sixth round draw have been allocated the following numbers:

1 - Bristol Rovers

2 - Cardiff City

3 - Sheffield United or Middlesbrough

4 - Barnsley

5 - Manchester United

6 - Portsmouth

7 - West Bromwich Albion

8 - Chelsea.

The ties will be played 8 and 9 March 2008.

(Details from the FA website, http://www.thefa.com )

FA Cup 5th Round Draw, 2008

THE DRAW for the 5th Round of the FA Cup took place today (Monday), which is as follows:

Bristol Rovers v Southampton

Cardiff City v Wolverhampton Wanderers

Sheffield United v Middlesbrough

Liverpool v Barnsley

Manchester United v Arsenal

Preston North End v Portsmouth

Coventry City v West Bromwich Albion

Chelsea v Huddersfield Town

All of the above ties are to be played the weekend of 16 - 17 February 2008.

Other football news:

Dennis Wise, manager of Leeds United, is to join Newcastle United as part of the new coaching set-up under Kevin Keegan. Wise joins Newcastle United on Tuesday morning.

Carlisle United winger / striker Kevin Gall is to join Darlington on a short term loan.

Lucy Branthwaite of Brough is to be a Mascot for Carlisle United at a forthcoming home fixture. Lucy will be Mascot at the United v Huddersfield Town match at Brunton Park on Tuesday 12 February 2008, four or five days before Huddersfield Town face Chelsea in the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge. Town's goalkeeper is former United #1, Matty Glennon.

Former Carlisle United striker Karl Hawley, who wore #10 for the Blues, scored twice for Preston North End as they knocked Premiership strugglers Derby County out of the 4th Round of the FA Cup on Saturday (26 February 2008). PNE face Portsmouth at Deepdale in Round 5.

RUGBY UNION : Return of the 6 Nations

Saturday 2 February sees the start of the 2008 6 Nations, the opening fixtures are England v Wales, Scotland v France.

BFBS DAB TRIAL :

The trial service by BFBS continues on DAB Digital Radio. Please support the BFBS trial by listening on DAB and contacting BFBS using one of the methods included in a previous post.

One highlight of BFBS on DAB is long-serving presenter Simon Guettier, who hosts the weekday afternoon show. Simon also has a MySpace page, which I have linked to here.

More news, views and updates very soon...

2008 Analogue & DAB update

JANUARY 2008 Short Wave logs :

All India Radio, 9445 kHz, General Overseas Service to Europe & Australia, Light Music segment. Website here.

Radio Medi Un (Medi 1), Morocco, 9575 kHz, website here. (Web has a flashy intro!)

Radio Exterior de Espana, Spain, 9630 kHz, website here.

Radio PMR, Pridnestrovie Moldovan Republic, website here.

DAB update January 2008 :

Statement from Oneword on DAB radio readout:
"Oneword Radio is no longer broadcasting. Many thanks for your support over the years. www.ukdigitalradio.com"

Oneword has been replaced on DAB by a rural birdsong soundtrack.

BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service) Radio has replaced Core on DAB Digital Radio.
BFBS online: www.bfbs.com/digital
Contact BFBS by email: dab@bfbs.com
Telephone (UK): 01494 848001
SMS Text Message (Mobile / Cell phones): 07740 377 377 start message with UK followed by a space.

That's all for now, happy listening and 73's...