In a letter to the Solomon Star, Cornelius Rathamana, General Manager of the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) says that the BBC radio relay on the National AM service after midnight has had to be be switched off. The people of the Solomon Islands have been receiving BBC World Service relays from the SIBC National Service since the beginning of this millennium from 11 PM to 6 AM local time next day.
Mr Rathamana says that due to high cost of electricity, SIBC will no longer be supporting the relay as it will have to shut down its transmitters as soon as the national broadcast finishes at 11 PM. He adds that SIBC has taken this decision with full understanding that the growing BBC audience in the Solomon Islands will be deprived of this service when it is switched off.
However, Mr Rathamana says that SIBC can restore the relay if the electricity costs of the relay times were sponsored. The annual cost for the relay on one HF transmitter at 10kW is estimated at SBD$90,000.00 (US$11, 471).
(Source: Solomon Star)
on Jan 21st, 2010 at 12:24
they might adopt the same listener supported relay that was arranged in Auckland. WS feeds go into a digital delay and are played back 2% faster, hence they are able to squeeze a sponsors message in at the top of the hour. At least that it how it worked when I visited in 2000
on Jan 21st, 2010 at 22:31
Yes Jonathan, still going strong on 810 AM in Auckland, though at my coastal country location 90km north, NatRad Dunedin skywave is annoying at night. Sponsorship and litener donations keep the operation going - see their website worldservice(dot)co(dot(nz).
Kind regards, Bryan