Dario Monferini visiting Ràdio Nacional d’Andorra during the 2019 EDXC meeting in Andorra
Dario Monferini has died after a long illness at Centro Girola close to his home in Milano. He was best known for being a DXer and editor of the PlayDX newsletter (and later the Play-DX blog) that he founded in 1975. He has been hospitalised and trying to recover at Centro Girola in Milano for several months before his sudden death on Monday, October 22, 2022.
Dario suffered a few strokes since June 2020 and became isolated at Centro Girola during COVID. Unfortunately, his medical situation never improved, as he spent COVID wholly isolated inside the rehabilitation centre and could not get back onto his feet for the last two years.
Since early September 2020, Dario has been recovering in a hospital in Bollate, just outside Milan. He could not walk and could only move around in a wheelchair. It was not an easy job to get in touch with him because he initially did not have a phone or PC. As Dario does not have a direct family, he was put under legal supervision, and a lawyer took care of his affairs.
During most of 2020 and 2021, visitors were not allowed in hospitals due to COVID-19. As a result, communication with Dario was not easy and very intermittent, as sometimes Dario could not recharge his phone for days. Dialling and answering calls were also difficult for him due to reduced mobility.
In late October 2020, Dario had a second stroke, but his mind remained strong and active. A few friends managed to visit him after the COVID isolation, including his long-time friend and EDXC Assistant Secretary General Christian Ghibaudo. We at NEXUS-IBA managed to keep in contact through the occasional phone call and WhatsApp and smuggled a massive package of sweets for Christmas into his rehabilitation centre.
Dario Monferini (left) and Christian Ghibaudo at the 2019 EDXC conference in Andorra
Dario Monferini’s early days as a DXer and DX radio editor
Dario Monferini became a Dxer and started listening to foreign Medium Wave stations in 1970. Initially, he started listening to MW station from Spain. He sent letters and reception reports to several radio stations and started collecting many “souvenirs” that were usually sent to him with a station’s QSL card.
After that, he upgraded his receiver and got passionate about receiving DX signals on Shortwave from South America. He particularly enjoyed listening to the joyful music of fare-away countries.
It was in 1980 that he started his collaboration with the Italian Millecanali radio magazine, a well-known publication in Italy. Radio stations were growing in number along the Italian peninsula at that time.
His task was to create a database of all private radio stations on FM that were growing in number along the Italian peninsula. At that time, he had no computer, only pencil and paper and his faithful typewriter that he also used to edit his homemade weekly editions of the Play DX magazine.
After that, Dario started collecting QSL cards, pennants and stickers from stations broadcasting on Medium Wave and Shortwave worldwide, not only stations broadcasting in Spanish as he did at the beginning of his career as a DXer.
The late ’90s and 2000’s
In 1990 and after 2000, several shortwave stations closed down transmissions, especially smaller stations in South America, mainly due to a lack of spare parts for their transmitters. So Dario’s interest moved again to listening to distant signals from FM radio stations, often brought in from thousands of kilometres by troposphere-enhanced reception caused by E-skip or meteor scatter.
Tropospheric ducting happens when a temperature inversion in the troposphere (the lowest layer of the atmosphere) helps FM/TV signals travel farther than usual. A temperature inversion is a reversal of the average decrease in temperature with height caused by several factors, including cooling due to adiabatic contraction and warming due to sunlight. This phenomenon can generate radio waves to be refracted towards the Earth rather than up into space, known as tropospheric propagation.
Dario travelled a lot, especially during the summer, to better listen to this type of long-distance FM propagation, i.e. in the Balearic islands in Spain, Scandinavia and far away in Peru, New Zealand and Canada. Dario has been a member of the European DX Council for several years. We spent some time with him at the latest EDXC meeting in Andorra in September 2019. That was Darios’ last trip before COVID-19 and his hospitalisation.
Dario Monferini has also been writing for the Italian magazine Monitor and cooperated with the World Radio & TV Handbook (WRTH), which he secured in multiple copies and also made available to Italian listeners at discounted prices.
Dario has also been a radio producer. For some time, he edited a radio edition of the Play DX magazine that was broadcasted over IRRS-Shortwave on 9815 kHz back in 1989 and 1990.
In lasting memory of Dario Monferini
The death of Dario Monferini has come as a shock to those involved in shortwave radio. Blogs announced the passing of Dario on the morning of October 17, 2022, after the news was spread rapidly via social media. Dario was a well-known DXer worldwide whose contribution to the hobby is well-documented.
In memory of Dario Monferini, we are scheduling replays of some of his broadcasts in Italian and English during the weekends of October 22-23 and October 28-29, 2022, on our Shortwave and Medium Wave frequencies and via streaming.
Dario’s funeral was held on Thursday, October 20, 2022, at the Church of San Nicola Vescovo, at 08:30 AM in via Livigno 21, Milano.
RIP, and thanks for all the excellent work promoting radio and DXing worldwide. Stay tuned, Dario, and please, send us another reception report from Heaven!
Play DX editor Dario Monferini died on October 17, 2022, at the age of 72 was last modified: May 20th, 2023 by NEXUS-IBA Editor
Donate to International Radio Broadcasting to the Ukraine
NEXUS-IBA needs your help and support. Donate to Humanitarian Radio broadcasting in Ukraine and all war zones. Support us to increase our international broadcasting coverage of Ukraine and conflict zones worldwide.
To keep up with the ever-increasingly tragic events unfolding in Ukraine, we have extended our news coverage of the invasion and occupation of parts of the country. As a result, we have added extra hours to broadcast high power signals to areas affected by the conflict in Ukraine to inform as many people as possible.
Support fair and balanced news coverage of conflict zones in Ukraine
Thousands of people in Ukraine have been forced to take refuge in basements (March 2022) or are trying to flee the country. It is now more important than ever to inform, educate and inspire listeners with Free Speech, balanced and independent news coverage, as well as provide inspiration and compassion to those under siege or heavy bombardments.
The current war severely affected media inside Ukraine and Russia, information either censored or limited by damages to the telecom and press infrastructures. For example, we are now hearing that foreign media like the BBC or CNN, and YouTube have been blocked in Russia. In addition, there are limits to the public from accessing information online.
Donate now!
Your gift will go directly to fund NEXUS-IBA International Broadcasting services and renowned programming. You can help support fair and balanced news coverage of the invasion and war in Ukraine by making a donation to NEXUS-IBA today.
We need your help to make these vital programs available via International AM or Medium Wave Radio, on Shortwave in the conflict zones – and to anyone worldwide via streaming – so that more people have access to a truly independent source of journalism.
Become a financial supporter now and help NEXUS-IBA defend the truth in highly hostile environments, reach millions of people with timely and trusted news from the region, and grow our broadcast and digital coverage of the stories that matter most. Every Euro and Dollar you give helps us deliver accurate and objective news into Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, Iran, Iraq and Syria.
How you can support us
You can really make a difference in the world by donating below! Donate now and support free speech independent journalism.
We welcome donations of any size, large or small! The NEXUS-IBA International Radio Network is 100% operated by volunteers, and none of the financial contributions that we receive goes into paychecks or other profits. Instead, your donations will go directly into the airtime of transmitters, electricity, software and hardware to keep our network up and running for the benefit of our international community.
With your donation today, you help us raise the power of our transmitter to enlarge our day and nighttime coverage of conflict zones and the length of our current broadcast. Your financial donation also helps us provide airtime to those with a message but no financial resources to cover the cost of airtime in reaching their target audience with news, feature programs, and inspirational Christian programs.
Donating to NEXUS-IBA helps keep our international radio broadcasting project alive and sustainable. By donating to our international media organisation, you’ll help support the delivery and availability of all of our programs now and in the future. In addition, whichever you choose, your contributions will be used to create independent and engaging global radio coverage.
If you cannot contribute financially, your emails, comments and reception reports are welcome and helpful to our program producers.
Our mission in international broadcasting
Too often in today’s media, Europe is forgotten, yet Europe is facing challenging times and many threats. NEXUS-IBA makes it our mission to speak out for democracy and its pillars of Free Speech, Freedom of the Press, and freedom of religion. But this doesn’t mean we ignore what is happening elsewhere in the world – the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Besides providing balanced and independent news coverage, we deliver inspirational Christian programs across the world via European Gospel Radio.
NEXUS-IBA is your ONLY choice that is truly FREE and unbiased, without political interference from governments or foreign broadcast organisations. We are not funded by any government or supported by any large NGO.
A free-speech, balanced, independent, international media network
We are a free-speech, balanced, independent, global media network. It is not always easy to be free and independent. That is why we rely on contributions from people like you, who care about impartial information that can transform lives.
NEXUS-IBA and European Gospel Radio are broadcasting all of their programs to the 64 million people of Ukraine, and we need your support to continue
NEXUS-IBA (the parent non-profit organisation of European Gospel Radio) is a non-commercial, non-profit organisation that strives to give a voice to the voiceless in Eastern Europe, Russia, Central Asia and beyond.
In addition to our daily broadcasts on 7290 kHz (Shortwave) from 19:00-20:00 Central European Time (one hour later in Ukraine), a high-power transmitter on 1323 kHz has been switched on better coverage of Ukraine and nearby conflict areas.
NEXUS-IBA, IPAR and European Gospel Radio have increased our coverage, adding news from independent sources, repeating the most informative and inspirational programs in English to support displaced people, and covering the latest events in Ukraine and nearby countries.
Our 24/7 streaming service is also expanding with additional news and programmes in English (the first most common language on our broadcasts due to high demand) to cover the latest events in Ukraine and nearby countries, with a greater focus coming soon on the impact that this conflict is having on the European and world economy and stability.
PLEASE NOTICE: When you donate to NEXUS-IBA, you donate to an Italian non-profit organisation that is committed to bring fair and balanced news, inspirational and humanitarian radio programs into Ukraine, to any war affected area and to the rest of the world. You are not donating directly to support the Ukrainian war, ukrainian people, food or relief supplies in Ukraine.
Donate now to support free media to Ukraine!
Thank you for considering making a donation to NEXUS-IBA. Contributions are not tax-deductible in the US, but they allow us to continue bringing you independent, unbiased news from around the world.
NEXUS-IBA selects Milano Ventures Ltd as Global Media service partner
Global Media partnership in International Broadcasting and Content Delivery
Milano Ventures merges the competencies and shares the values of NEXUS-IBA in offering strategic consultancy and opportunities to International Broadcasters, either secular or Christian, to reach any country in the world via (World)International Shortwave Radio, International AM radio (Medium Wave), IP Streaming and Satellite.
NEXUS-IBA and Milano Ventures use the most advanced public & private cloud technologies, including CDN for fast & reliable streaming and broadcasting & media services for international organisations.
Be like the BBC (*), VOA, CNN, Radio France Internationale, The Deutsche Welle (*), Al Jazeera or your favourite international broadcaster and cover the world with a single broadcast, at less than the cost of one market on FM or terrestrial TV at home.
(*) The BBC World Service and Deutsche Welle are among the many international broadcasters hosted in Milan, Italy. As a NEXUS-IBA member, they broadcasted live headline news and information to Milan’s English-speaking community.
Africa and Asia satellite coverage
With our global media partnership, NEXUS-IBA and Milano Ventures help you reach any world corner with powerful international broadcasting services. We use some of the most powerful stations in the world, with more than 40 Million Watts (up to 43 MW ERP) on Shortwave radio, AM/Medium Wave (in Europe) or via satellite radio & TV and Internet streaming.
How to Replace Satellite Radio Networks with IP
You can now save money using IP streaming to convey your audio or video stream from your production studio to our stations. You can save money, broadcast live and use your live stream connected to our CDN to make your content available to listeners in the Americas, Europe, Asia/Pacific and Africa.
NEXUS-IBA and Milano Ventures use WorldDirector CDN technology to transport digital audio or video signals and deliver content to millions of users worldwide.
Secular and Christian media
Milano Ventures and NEXUS-IBA do not discriminate against race, sex, language, or political or religious beliefs. We promote pluralism of information, human rights, free speech, political and religious pluralism, diversity, with particular attention to minorities, and above all ethnic, cultural, political, and religious minorities. We promote first hand information, apply no censorship to content providers, and make all efforts using the best available technologies to overcome those who blocks access to free flow of information on radio and TV using jamming or slowing down or denying cross-border Internet traffic.
On IPAR (International Public Access Radio), we promote news and feature programs in English and other languages that deal with sensitive issues such as freedom of speech. We can also target regions where freedom of speech is at stake, where governments block the Internet and censor communication and media.
Over EGR (European Gospel Radio), we promote Christian and religious programs aimed at worldwide evangelism, hosting any preacher, Minister, Church, missionary, confessional, non-denominational religious organisation or anyone who has something to say or preach to the world.
Over our mainstream streaming channels or via the client’s dedicated streaming audio (radio) and streaming video (TV) channels, we offer a 24/7 presence accessible anywhere. We use our WorldDirector CDN cloud-based services, not necessarily controlled by any significant cloud providers or Governments, running on an independent Content Delivery Network (CDN) with Point of Access servers spread across the world. Working with an independenthybrid cloud vendor like Milano Ventures allows greater independence over corporations controlling Internet access and public clouds.
Our offer is a unique opportunity for any broadcaster or program producer to reach any country without barriers, using Shortwave radio, Satellite, TV, AM or Medium Wave radio and Internet streaming in any possible combination.
The power of International media: Know your audience
International broadcasting is like advertising: everybody agrees it works, but it isn’t easy to quantify. The world’s largest broadcasting organisations have been deeply involved in audience research, costing vast money.
Even the largest International broadcasterscannot accurately estimate the size of their audience for any program they air with the same or even a comparable level of accuracy as an FM or TV station can do for any particular market.
How many listeners do we reach daily?
Since 1979, NEXUS-IBA founders have been working with worldwide Radio & TV Ministries, the BBC, the United Nations, UNESCO, other prominent International broadcasters and media, and those involved in Audience and International Media Research.
Global media content delivery via NEXUS-IBA
Only the most prominent organisations like the BBC or the Voice of America can afford the cost of conducting some audience research on Shortwave. However, some empirical data exists on the number of Shortwave receivers in each country, which lead to a potential audience of more than ten million in Europe and about the same in North Africa and the Middle East. We can cover these regions with a Grade-A signal using a 50 to 150 kW service on Shortwave. Other areas in Asia/Pacific or the Americas can be best covered using up to 300 kW. Most of the time, we know that people listen because we monitor our signal quality continuously in several countries and because listeners write to our members, our program producers and us.
International Radio Audience Research
Graham Mytton, former Head of Audience Research of the BBC, stated:
People will go through the trouble of listening to shortwave, even when reception is difficult, if it provides something that they otherwise cannot get.
According to our experience, if your program has an impact and is not available on local TV or FM & AM radio, people will tune into your schedule to listen to it. Someone calls it word-of-mouth propagation, and for this reason and our long-standing experience, we are well known among Shortwave listeners worldwide for our high-quality radio relay services at nonprofit cost.
Radio Marketing: How to promote your radio program
Most of our World Radio broadcasters and program producers do fantastic work advertising their broadcasts among their churches or community members overseas. Once they know that we provide an excellent signal in the target area, they tune and may call other people to listen, in a snowballing effect.
You have to consider doing this when you start airing, i.e., using your existing contacts and email or messaging them to spread the news about your broadcasts’ time, frequency, and area.
We can provide help to people tuning in, and we can offer you advise and marketing tools, but we cannot often go as far as keeping you connected with the audience of your program. So you should consider this as part of your mission as an International Broadcaster!
Global Media Outreach: How can you reach the whole world
For all the satellite radio and TV talk, Shortwave radio remains the most cost-effective electronic mass medium that can instantly span enormous distances and penetrate every home in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the Pacific. Also, Shortwave radio is portable and is a companion wherever one goes. It is indeed the world’s most mobile electronic mass medium. Modern Shortwave receivers are ultra-compact, inexpensive, and very easy to use.
Any program aired on Shortwave and AM/Medium Wave is also carried over our 24/7 streaming channels. So anyone who is connected to the Internet can also listen to your program using a phone, tablet, a PC or Internet radio device.
On Satellite, we can distribute your radio and TV signal via satellites worldwide. In addition, beyond the digital divide, we complement our services with simultaneous audio (radio) streaming wherever the Internet is available.
We can build your own radio station
Milano Ventures and NEXUS will create your virtual radio station on Shortwave, AM/Medium Wave, or online, often with a dedicated frequency you air for more than 60 minutes per day.
We can help you create your dedicated audio channels or your streaming radio station from scratch, including a visual player hosted on your website. Your streaming radio station can be based on your content, music, news, and live events. And once you have a live 24/7 channel over the Internet, we can also take it all or just a few hours on our WorldWide radio stations and broadcast it live on Shortwave and/or AM/Medium Wave to Europe or on Shortwave to Africa, Asia, North or South America.
We can also help locate and integrate news, information and additional material into your schedule to create a loyal audience. Typical applications include in-store radio, Church or Christian radio, group or interest-based radio, news radio services, music, political, foreign or vernacular language service.
Marketing, SEO and lead generation
Milano Ventures and NEXUS also help your organisation create a modern communication strategy, i.e., creating real opportunities to impact innovative services, such as marketing automation, fundraising,lead generation, on-demand marketing, online presence, and social media management. In addition, NEXUS-IBA and Milano Ventures help secular and Christian organisations increase fundraising opportunities and fund their mission and outreach ministries.
Continuous innovation and research in new technologies
With the help of Milano Ventures, the NEXUS association strengthens its position as Innovator and Technology Mediator or facilitator. We enable NEXUS-IBA’s members worldwide and end-users to make full use of innovation and recent technology developments in media, including broadcasting, social media, and the Internet.
NEXUS-IBA (nonprofit) volunteers
People volunteering for NEXUS-IBA are professionals, teachers, university professors and researchers, journalists, students, and engineers. Most of them devote their spare time and resources to public service to the global community.
On June 15, 1995, NEXUS-International Broadcasting Association was officially approved for association with the Department of Public Information (now: the Department of Global Communication) of the United Nations. For more than 20 years, NEXUS-IBA has been actively promoting the work and activities of both the UN and UNESCO. Researchers at NEXUS-IBA created the first load-balanced cloud and Content Delivery Network (CDN) called WorldDirector, later used by Milano Ventures and their clients in Europe and the USA.
Innovation in the Cloud
Most Internet and cloud-related services and applications are delivered to end-users fast and reliably over the WorldDirector platform, including streaming audio and video services on behalf of our stations and members.
About the NEXUS-IBA term
The NEXUS term was chosen because this Latin word says it all: a link or point of connection, using international media, radio, TV and cloud services to link content providers with their audiences.
But NEXUS also stands for more than just a physical connection using various technologies. It also means World communication and promoting freedom of speech around the world. When an individual or an organisation becomes part of NEXUS-IBA, they are part of a dynamic, highly professional and creative team devoted to utilising the latest technologies to deliver their content at the lowest possible cost.
Milano Ventures (Dublin, Ireland) is proud to be selected NEXUS-IBA’s partner to service their membership and commercial clients, service and and maintain their cloud and broadcasting infrastructure across all continents.
From Dublin, Ireland, Milano Ventures Ltd. offers content media delivery services worldwide both to NEXUS-IBA’s members and commercial clients. Services offered by Milano Ventures include: international broadcasting, disaster recovery, professional e-mail, software and application development, domain registration, web marketing & SEO, high reliability WorldDirector cloud hosting and related consulting services.
NEXUS-International Broadcasting Association (NEXUS-IBA, Milan, Italy) is a non-profit association founded in 1990. NEXUS-IBA provides its membership all necessary means for the effective dissemination of content on radio, TV, the Internet and any media in general. NEXUS-IBA reaches every country in the world. Radio and TV broadcasters, as well as small program producers from all-over the world make use of NEXUS-IBA’s Internet media streaming & distribution, radio, TV and satellite broadcasting services to reach audiences worldwide.
International Radio Broadcasting at the time of war in Ukraine
In connection with the latest tragic events following the incursions of Russian military troops into Ukraine started on February 24, 2022, and subsequent occupation of part of the country’s territory, our stations have added additional news coverage of these events and extended the operating hours at high power into the conflict regions in and around Ukraine.
We hear almost continuous coverage on several Radio and TV stations in Europe, which makes everyone worried about the consequences for European stability.
New high-power broadcasts on 1323 kHz
NEXUS-IBA has increased the power of our broadcast on 1323 kHz Medium Wave to Central and Southern Europe, and we can reach the conflict region and nearby countries (Poland, Romania, Belarus, Western Russia) with a great signal. After measuring the strong signal in central and Northern Europe in January, we started regular programming on this new AM/Medium Wave frequency.
From 19:00-23:00 CET daily on 1323 kHz, we have increased our special news coverage, adding repeats of the most informative and inspirational programs in English to support displaced people and cover the latest events in Ukraine and nearby countries.
NEXUS-IBA and IRRS mission in recent wars and conflicts
As we have done by tradition and during the previous conflict in the former Yugoslavia, Kossovo, Iran, Iraq and Sudan, NEXUS-IBA has contributed to countering disinformation and fake news. We do it in the public interest by airing 24/7 information, feature programs and inspirational Christian programs promoting free access to information and our media channel for those who have something to say.
Our mission is to form a bridge between content and program producers and listeners worldwide, producing and disseminating original content in an entertaining, informative, educational and sometimes provocative way.
A free-speech, balanced, independent, international media network
NEXUS-IBA is the world’s only independent international media network that provides a platform for all sides in every conflict. So no matter your political, religious or ethnic beliefs, you can be sure your voice will be heard. Not only that, it will be heard by hundreds of millions of people around the globe. It’s no wonder NEXUS-IBA is considered the most trusted name in international broadcasting.
At NEXUS-IBA and European Gospel Radio, we need your support and help us extend our coverage during these difficult times for Ukraine, Europe, democracy, and Free Speech!
Please consider donating to NEXUS-IBA because we need your help to continue and extend our broadcasts and allow more news and inspirational broadcasts to air on our stations.
Your emails, comments and reception reports are also welcome and helpful to our program producers.
How to send a reception report
Please send your reception report to: reports@nexus.org requesting our latest e-QSL card.
Feel free to comment on this page if you have reliable information to share. Please note, we will not publish content that is irrelevant, abusive, or disrespectful.
