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:: SWEDEN CALLING DXERS ::
:: from Radio Sweden ::
:: Number 2076--Jan. 9, 1990 ::
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Shortwave and other electronic media news from Radio Sweden.
This week's bulletin was written by George Wood.
Packet Radio BID SCDX2076
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Welcome to edition 2076 of Sweden Calling DXers. This week we'll finish our
look back at media news from 1989, and look forward into the future of
technology.
EUROPEAN SATELLITE TELEVISION--1989 was a major year in European satellite
television, with much of the future of broadcasting in the continent being
laid. It was the year of direct broadcast satellites (DBS). When the year
began two had just been launched, but were not yet in regular service. By the
end of the year there were 6 direct broadcast satellites over Europe.
The most exciting was Astra, a Pan-European satellite offering 16 channels,
all of which were allocated by year's end. No less than 4 transponders are
being used by Sky Television for various channels. Unfortunately, at the last
moment Sky decided to save costs on performing rights, and beam its channels
to Britain only. Sky had been very popular in the Benelux and Scandinavia.
Britain, on the other hand, has little cable-TV and dish sales have been
slow. Surveys indicate a major drop in Sky viewership.
Sky's potentially biggest competitor is British Satellite Broadcasting, who's
Marco Polo satellite was launched in August. BSB aims to beam 5 channels of
movies, sports, entertainment and news direct into British homes. But the
special flat satellite antennas marketed for BSB have been slow showing up in
the shops. BSB was due to go on the air in September. Because of the delay in
marketing reception equipment, the service is now due to start early this
year.
Europe's first DBS was the French TDF-1. In May the transponders for the
satellite were allocated. The television channels will be: Canal Plus in both
French and German, Sport 2/3, the cultural channel La Sept, and the
children's channel Canal Enfants, which will be sharing its transponder with
the music program Euromusique.
Other European DBS birds launched during 1989 were the West German TVSAT-2
and Kopernicus, and the European Olympus, and the Swedish Tele-X. Confusion
continued over Tele-X, as no customers have yet been found for its two TV
channels. A secret report by the Swedish Space Corporation, leaked to the
press in mid-December, proposed one commercial channel and one pay-TV
channel. Swedish Television has been studying a plan for a pay channel via
Tele-X.
1989 was also the year Swedish Television lost its monopoly, and the first
year commercials in Swedish appeared on TV screens here. New Year's Eve, 1988
saw the first broadcast of the private London-based channel TV3, which later
switched over to Astra. With the rapid expansion of cable networks in Sweden,
TV3 soon became the most popular satellite channel here, and gained much
publicity by successfully outbiding Swedish Television for some popular
sporting events.
TV3's mother company also started it's own pay-TV channel towards the end of
the year. Called TV 1000, the new station also uses Astra.
Another new station, Nordic Channel, had problems when Swedish Telecom
suddenly announced in early December that it would no longer be able to use
the ECS-1 satellite. At the last minute Nordic Channel was able to move over
to ECS-4, since FilmNet had moved to Astra.
Two more Swedish satellite channels emerged during 1989. SF Succe is a pay
channel owned jointly by Sweden's biggest newspaper, film and publishing
group, along with Warner Brothers from the United States. It went on the air
on December 1st, using an Intelsat satellite, putting it out of the reach of
home dish owners.
The other channel, TV4, is owned by powerful business interests and has hired
some major names in Swedish broadcast journalism. It's not due to go on the
air until the latter half of 1990.
1990 marks the 10th anniversary of the Cable News Network, the world's first
global TV broadcaster. CNN is now available in 85 countries. It is
distributed to 52 million households in the United States and some 5 million
in Europe. In August 1989 CNN began 24 hour a day transmissions from Soviet
satellites to Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and the Far East.
Looking into future of global television, broadcasts from Japan are about to
appear on European screens. A consortium of major Japanese broadcasters,
including the public NHK and private Nippon TV, TV Tokyo, and Fuji TV, are
renting a transponder on Astra. The commercial channel will share the
transponder used for Lifestyle.
SATELLITE-RADIO--In North America satellite radio channels have been
available for years. In 1989 satellite radio grew enormously in Europe.
France has already made use of its Telecom satellites to relay French public
and private broadcasters around France and to overseas territories. The new
TDF-1 satellite has made three Radio France radio channels available across
Europe: Radio France International, France Musique and France Culture.
Radio France International joins two other shortwave broadcasters on
satellite--the BBC World Service and VOA Europe. A number of new music-
oriented satellite broadcasters have also appeared, such as Sky Radio,
available from several transponders on Astra. Radio Luxembourg is also using
Astra for a new satellite radio service.
TELECOMMUNICATIONS IN THE FUTURE--A year ago we presented some ideas about
the future of telecommunications. It might be useful to review some of those
thoughts now.
We proposed a shortwave "Walkman", a pocket SW receiver, with digital read-
out, a built-in active antenna, and the antenna itself in the headphone cord,
as is done with pocket FM receivers. The closest thing so far is the Sony SW-
1. However, the active antenna included in that package is far too large. And
even if you skip the active antenna, you still wind up with a half meter long
rod antenna sticking up out of your pocket!
The January 1990 issue of the Japanese magazine "My Wave" reveals a new Sony
creation that still isn't a shortwave Walkman, but is very exciting. The ICR-
SW700 comes with four credit card sized cards that are inserted into the
receiver. Each card offers 10 memory channels on each side, acting as memory
buttons for major broadcasters. The receiver comes with 4 cards, for BBC/VOA,
for Radio Australia/Radio Japan, for Radio Beijing/Radio Korea/Radio
Moscow/Deutsche Welle/Voice of Free China, and a fourth card that can be
programmed for any 20 channels.
The idea is wonderful. It's uncertain how sensitive and selective the ICR-
SW700 is, but it is inexpensive, only around USD 100. It's somewhat larger
than the popular Sony ICF-7600/2002 (189 x 116 x 45 mm). So it's time to
refine our future receiver vision. This pocket-sized wonder mentioned above
should also come with insertable cards with databases of all international
broadcasts to a particular part of the world in a particular language. Since
the receiver should include a clock, it should also keep track of which
stations are currently on the air, and offer a choice, choosing which of the
programmed frequencies is strongest.
TELEPHONES ON THE MOVE--In recent weeks the price of cellular telephones has
finally dropped in Sweden, although these units are still far more expensive
here than in other Western countries. (For example, the cheapest pocket unit
here costs around USD 2670, while similar units in the United States cost
around USD 600.) A European-wide cellular telephone network called GSM is due
to start in 1991. Using digital techniques, it may be less extensive at
first, but it ought to be in full operation by around 1995.
Meanwhile the development continues of the "poor man's cellular telephone",
the second and third generation of cordless phones. The second generation,
CT-2, has already begun limited operation in Britain. Users carry pocket
units which can be used to make calls through transmitters called Telepoints.
Unlike the much more expensive cellular units, the new cordless phones are
only outgoing, they cannot receive calls. Within a few years the third
generation, an all-European cordless phone, or CT-3, should be ready.
Operating in the 1.6 GHz region, final specifications are due to be adopted
at the end of 1991.
Nowadays you can attach a pocket computer, like the little Atari Portfolio,
to a radio modem and a small transmitter, each the size of a package of
cigarettes, to transmit and receive packet radio messages around the world on
the amateur radio bands. In the not-too-distant future you'll be able to
attach that same pocket computer to a cordless telephone for wireless
telephone contact with international databases and electronic mail services
from anywhere in the world.
THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY--Let's look ahead at where communications technology
is going. The following is by Reuters Science Correspondent Catherine Arnst:
"The symbol for technology at the decade's end is the video cassette recorder
sitting in six out of 10 households in the Western world, its digital clock
blinking away, unset.
"The inability of so many consumers to set that clock represents the
challenge facing the electronics industry at the dawn of the 1990's.
"Technology innovators spent the past ten years astounding the world with
machines that were ever smaller, faster, smarter, and stronger. Now they have
to come up with a reason for people to buy them.
"Engineers and social scientists recognise that the pace of technological
change has outstripped people's ability to adapt to it, and this awareness is
creating a transformation in the way the electronics industry is approaching
new research and development."
Some predictions from Reuters: In the realm of computers, further development
of the handheld units already available, with advances in flat screens,
battery technology, and ever-smaller memory chips. High definition
television, with movie quality pictures. Digital sets with computers built in
will permit watching two, four, or even six channels at once, and interfacing
with the cable network for access to computer information services. For voice
communications, pocket mobile telephones will replace the wired version as
satellite technology is developed. Fixed phones will be used for video,
entertainment, and teletext. Data transmission over fiber optic networks will
lead to the development of picture phones by the mid-1990's.
THE DARK SIDE OF TECHNOLOGY--There is a dark side to the continuing
improvements in technology. "Omni" magazine recently asked a number of
experts for their views of the future.
While the science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke commented: "By the year
1995 the Soviet Union will have taken glasnost into the heavens and helped
lay the foundation for a worldwide satellite monitoring system whose motto
will be Peace through truth"; another correspondent replied less
optimistically: "While a minority of humanity will live in a high-tech
fantasy world, the majority will live in overcrowded, filthy cities lacking
basic services."
The positive view was: "By the end of the century the United States will have
completed an "informational superhighway" of fiberoptic cables from coast to
coast. The digitalized system will carry voice and digital data, enabling
users to talk, send television pictures, and communicate with computers on
the same line...In South America, farmers isolated in rural areas will use
information gathered from telecommunications systems to direct their crops to
countries willing to pay the most. They will thus avoid corrupt middlemen and
find the highest market."
There are less positive visions of what future technology may mean to the
Third World. Francisco Sagasti of the World Bank writes: "Modern
communications will give the average persion much greater access to
information from other parts of the world. The threat of cultural 'Western'
homogenization may trigger a retreat to traditional ways of thinking and even
religious fundamentalism, such as the Islamic revival that swept Iran. New
communications technology may also fuel discontent in the world's poorest
nations, as people contrast the life-styles they see on television with their
own."
This fits with the novelist Paul Theroux's future vision of one Third World
city, Beijing: "It is an island of relative prosperity in an impoverished
country. And there are dangers--street gangs, the black market, triads,
muggings, and a brisk and bewildering trade in foreign passports...Television
is the great recreation: the numerous satellite channels, the educational and
language channels, which fill the Chinese with a desire to leave. Every
Saturday there are the telvised executions."
This is reminiscent of the future depicted in the film "Bladerunner" and the
"cyberpunk" science fiction novels of William Gibson, such as "Neuromancer".
On the other hand, glasnost and the recent events in Eastern Europe perhaps
give us more to be optimistic about, including where future technology is
concerned.
And this ends our annual Sweden Calling Dxers look into the future. We'll be
back next week with our usual round-up of electronic media and shortwave
news. Until then, good listening and take care.
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Sweden Calling DXers is the world's oldest radio program for shortwave
listeners. Radio Sweden has presented this round-up of radio news, features,
and interviews on Tuesdays since 1948. RS broadcasts to North America:
15:30 hrs on 17880 and 21610 kHz
02:30 hrs on 9695 and 11705 kHz
To Europe, Africa, and the Middle East:
15:30 hrs on 21655 kHz (East Africa)
18:00 hrs on 1179, 6065, and 7265 kHz
21:00 hrs on 1179, 9655 and 11705 kHz
23:00 hrs on 1179 kHz
00:00 hrs on 1179 kHz
And to Asia and the Pacific:
12:30 hrs on 15190, 17740, and 21570 kHz
14:00 hrs on 11905 and 17740 kHz
01:00 hrs on 7225 and 11760 kHz
The Radio Sweden schedule to Europe can be found on Sky Channel's teletext
Service, Sky Text, on page 496.
The Electronic Edition is based on the Sweden Calling DXers bulletins
which are mailed out every 4 weeks to contributors. Contributions can be sent
to DX Editor George Wood to Swedish telex 11738, CompuServe (via the HamNet
Forum or Easyplex 70247,3516), through the FidoNet system to 2:202/297 or to
SM0IIN at the packet radio BBS SK0TM.
Reports can also be sent to:
Radio Sweden
S-105 10 Stockholm
Sweden
Contributions should be NEWS about electronic media--from shortwave to
satellites--and not loggings of information already available from sources
such as the "World Radio TV Handbook". Clubs and DX publications may reprint
material as long as Sweden Calling DXers and the original contributor are
acknowledged, with the exception of items from BBC Monitoring, which are
copyright.
We welcome comments and suggestions about the electronic edition, Sweden
Calling DXers, and our programs in general.
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