A: We’d like to begin this week’s Letter Box with a letter from American listener James Camili. James said that he sent us a reception report a while ago but he did not get a verification card.
B: James also said that perhaps we sent it but it got lost in the mail so he has submitted that report once again for verification. We’re very sorry, James. We checked our records and they show that a reply was sent a while ago, so maybe it went astray.
A: We got the letter and the reception report that resubmitted to us so we will send you another QSL card immediately. As stated in the report, James listened to us on the 29th of December, 2011, at 24:10 UTC on a frequency of 6175 kHz.
B: James said he listened to a female announcer who was speaking about Vietnam boosting its foreign relations, and that was followed by the “Letter Box” program. Thank you James, your report is very detailed and it tallies well with our station log. We really hope our reply reaches you this time. And once again, we’re very sorry it has taken you so long to get our verification.
A: It’s a nice coincidence that just a few days after we got that letter from James, another one from James arrived. In this letter James went straight to suggesting a monitoring club for VOV. He wrote:
B: “I have a suggestion for your “Suggestion Box” : How about starting a VOV monitoring club for your regular listeners? Membership could be open to anyone who submitted at least 3 verified reception reports to VOV. You could then send these listeners a special wall certificate to acknowledge their enrolment in the club”.
A: And James gave us a sample layout for the membership card for this proposed monitoring club, which looks really cool and professional. He said that the design of the certificate could be changed or a contest could be organized to select the best design.
B: This is an excellent suggestion, James. It is really a suggestion that we need to think about it seriously. Thank you so much for your keen interest in our programs and your enthusiasm about expanding your knowledge of VOV. We will bring up the idea in our planning meeting and we hope it can be implemented in the near future.
A: James added: “I believe other shortwave stations in the past have tried monitoring clubs and they have proven to be quite popular with listeners. In fact the wall certificates becomes highly collectible”
B: Thank you, James, once again. Your information strengthens our determination to launch something new to make VOV more popular. We’ll get back to you once we’re clearer about our future plans.
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| Listeners' letters from the around the world continue to arrive in our mailbox |
A: Shin Harada of Japan sent us a reception report for the program broadcast at 13:40 UTC on 12020 kHz on the 11th of April. Mr. Harada said he uses a SONY ICF-SW 7600GR receiver with a wire indoor antenna. The signal was very strong and he got almost all the contents.
B: Thank you, Mr. Harada, for letting us know that the signal in your area was strong. We’re very glad to hear that the SINPO for the program was all FIVEs. Your report was an excellent reflection that we’ve forwarded to the technical department for their good work.
A: We’ve also acknowledged your report and sent you our verification card. We hope to hear more often from you. Thank you once again and keep in touch.
B: This week we also received a letter from our old friend Grant Skinner who lives in Essex, England. Grant’s letter is dated the 18th of March. He wrote:
A: “I have pleasure in submitting a reception report after listening to your radio broadcast of 18th of March on 7220 kHz at 16:06 GMT on a Grundig YB 400 with extendable rod.”
B: Grant reported interference from another foreign radio station during the broadcast. He said he needed super duper ears to establish what the presenters were talking about because of the powerful noise.
A: Grant reported continued noise and interference for the programs after that at 19:00 GMT the same day. The next day Grant listened to the program broadcast at 20:30 GMT on 7220 kHz but noise was the only thing he could hear.
B: The same day Grant got better reception for the broadcast at 20:35 GMT on 9550 kHz. He said it was the best of the lot. There was noise but not so bad and he could get the whole program.
A: We’re very sorry to hear this, Grant. We understand how bad it is when you really want to listen to a program but the noise and inference is really bothersome. We’ll forward your feedback to our technical department so they‘ll know the situation and hopefully find a way to fix it. Please continue to update us in the future letters so we can improve our service to you.
B: Grant did send us very positive overall feedback for our programs. He wrote: “Your broadcast provides me with straightforward news and information. You enable me to know the real Vietnam. What most impresses me is your commitment to your audiences”
A: He continued: “I’ve been an ardent admirer and avid listener of Voice of Vietnam for a long time now. I can honestly say my listening experiences have been unprecedented and rewarding, I have found listening to be liberating and breathtaking. If I am to describe Voice of Vietnam in five words I must say: Accurate, Objective, Dependable, Comprehensive, and Unique”.
B: Oh, thank you so much, Grant, for such nice words. We’re really happy to see how much you love and trust Voice of Vietnam. Having a listener and a friend like you is our great privilege.
A: Please remember that from now on you can also listen to us on the web at: www.vovworld.vn or www.vov5.vn. Any program you’ve missed you can always catch up with by logging onto our website, where you can either listen live or listen to recorded programs.