From WOOD@stab.sr.seThu Mar 23 01:05:35 1995
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 14:46:46 +0100
From: George Wood <WOOD@stab.sr.se>
To: bergstamta@decus.se, andy@euronet.nl, andy.sennitt@almac.co.uk,
ab5sm@netcom.com, hermod.pedersen@swedx.ct.se, kauto.huopio@lut.fi,
kenta@sr.se, ar416@freenet.buffalo.edu, bignoise@cix.compulink.co.uk,
tstader@aol.com, satnews@cix.compulink.co.uk, 100121.655@compuserve.com,
71163.1735@compuserve.com, 70630.560@compuserve.com,
100113.1517@compuserve.com, 76703.407@compuserve.com,
3382983@mcimail.com, 2446376@mcimail.com, jpdonnio@dialup.francenet.fr,
scdx@get.pp.se, tp6@evansville.edu, martyn@euro.demon.co.uk,
xx024@detroit.freenet.org, George Wood <WOOD@stab.sr.se>,
George Wood <70247.3516@compuserve.com>
Subject: MediaScan/SCDX 2220
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:: MediaScan ::
:: SWEDEN CALLING DXERS ::
:: from Radio Sweden ::
:: Number 2220--Mar. 21, 1995 ::
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Satellite, shortwave and other electronic media news from Radio Sweden.
This week's bulletin was written by George Wood.
Packet Radio BID SCDX2220
All times UTC unless otherwise noted.
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NORDIC MEDIA NEWS:
RADIO SWEDEN--The Electronic Edition is now open for general subscription!
If you would like to subscribe, send an e-mail message to:
wood@stab.sr.se
with the words "subscribe mediascan" in the subject field. You should receive
a confirmation message in return. To take yourself off the mailing list, send
a message with "unsubscribe mediascan" in the subject field.
RADIO SWEDEN--Here is the new Radio Sweden English schedule from March 26,
1995) (all times UTC):
Europe:
16:15 hrs 1179 and 6065 kHz
17:30 1179, 6065, 9655, 13690 and 15600 kHz (also Africa/Middle
East)
20:30 1179, 6065, and 9655 kHz (also Africa)
21:30 same as 20:30
22:30 1179 kHz
Asia/Pacific:
11:30 hrs 13740, 15120, and 15240 kHz
01:30 hrs 9695 kHz
North America:
13:30 and 14:30 hrs on 11650 and 15240 kHz
02:30 and 03:30 hrs on 7120 and 9850 kHz
Latin America:
00:30 hrs on 6065 and 9810 kHz
The broadcasts at 16:15 and 17:30 hrs are also relayed to Europe by
satellite:
Astra 1B (19.2 degrees East) transponder 26 (Sky Movies Gold) at
11.597 GHz, audio subcarrier at 7.74 MHz
Tele-X (5 degrees East) via TV5 Nordic at 12.475 GHz, audio
subcarrier 7.38 MHz.
Radio Sweden is also relayed to Europe via the World Radio Network on
VH-1's transponder 22 on Astra, audio 7.38 MHz, daily at 22:00 hrs CET.
Radio Sweden can also be heard on WRN's North American service on
Galaxy-5, on WTBS's transponder 6, audio 6.8 MHz, daily at 16:00 and
20:30 hrs Eastern time. And the World Radio Network is also carried
live in the Internet MBONE via Internet Multicasting.
You can also get a copy of the latest English schedule by sending an e-mail
message to:
wood@stab.sr.se
with the words "English schedule" in the subject field.
PARAMOUNT GOES NORDIC--TV 5 Nordic, or Femman, as France's TV Cinq would
prefer the Swedes to say, has a new part owner. The station is 75 percent
owned by a Luxembourg-based company called the Scandinavian Broadcasting
System, which also owns TV Norge in Norway, Denmark's TV2, Belgium's new VT-
4, and a number of Nordic radio stations. The largest owner of SBS is the
American ABC network.
Now the Paramount Television Group has bought a smaller share of SBS.
According to "Dagens Nyheter", a 10 year programming contract is included.
Paramount has one of the world's largest film libraries, with 14,500 series
episodes, and 2000 files. Nordic's Managing Director Hans von Schreeb says:
"For Femman, the agreement means that we have first option on all material
from Paramount, which will mean a significant improvement in the quality of
our programming." ("Dagens Nyheter")
TV5 Nordic has already been broadcasting Paramount's "Star Trek" and "Star
Trek Next Generation" series. Perhaps now they'll add the new series "Star
Trek Voyager", which launched Paramount's new American TV network UPN in
January.
TV LICENCES--In the United States, the new Republican Congress wants to cut
subsidies to public broadcasting. Here in Sweden, public service radio and
television are financed by mandatory TV viewer licence fees. The company that
collects the annual payments is the Radio Service, located in the northern
city of Kiruna. Recently they announced they want to collect fees as well
from some personal computer owners. In today's program we ask the Radio
Service's Anders Persson why.
He tells us that the Radio Service does not know how many Swedish PCs have TV
reception cards, but he believes the number will increase in the future.
Asked how they can possible expect to enforce such a ruling, he says they
willrely on basic Swedish honesty, and hope that most people with PC TV cards
already have licences for their home TVs.
CYBERSPACE:
FINLAND--While we're all waiting for the lawyers to approve Swedish Radio's
World Wide Web pages, mentioned last time, Finland's YLE has joined the WWW
through its pop channel, Radiomafia. Check out:
http://www.radiomafia.yle.fi/radiomafia
(Kauto Huopio)
SPACE:
ARIANE--Just 6 minutes from the end of the countdown last night, the Ariane
71 launch was once again delayed, the fourth time launch 71 has been
scrubbed. The much-delayed Hot Bird-1 and Brasilsat B2 satellites will have
to wait at least until the end of the week before the next attempt to put
them into orbit. Ariane launches are carried live on Euronews on Eutelsat II-
F1.
SHUTTLE/MIR--In happier space news, we reported last time how the American
space agency NASA put the recent flight of the space shuttle Endeavour online
on the Internet's World Wide Web. You could follow the activities of the
astronauts, and even send them e-mail. Many of the questions were answered
online, some with radio messages from the shuttle. (A recording downloaded
from the WWW is in today's program.)
Now the first American astronaut is abroad the Russian space station MIR, so
there should be more English from MIR. You can listen to it in FM on 143.625
MHz, and there are amateur radio transmissions on the same downlink frequency
as used by the space shuttle, 145.550 MHz.
Last Friday Sweden's first astronaut, Christer Fuglesang, was disappointed to
learn that his German colleague Thomas Reiter has been picked to spend 135
days aboard the Russian space station, beginning in August. Fuglesang is part
of the reserve MIR team, so there is a chance he'll make it into space. Back
here in Stockholm during the weekend, he was asked by reporter Bill Schiller
about the amateur radio transmissions from MIR.
We'll be continuing our conversation with him in Horizon, next Thursday here
on Radio Sweden.
EUROPEAN MEDIA NEWS:
BBC--As the BBC's Andrew Taussig told us a few weeks ago, from April 1st, BBC
World Service radio is dividing the world up into regions, with programming
in each region targeted at peak audiences there. But part of that system
seems to have already been implemented. For the past couple of weeks, the
Astra relay of World Service has been carrying European programming, like
"Europe Today", and the Sunday program "Weekend", which is the pilot for the
European Digital Radio programming from the BBC, along with Radio
Netherlands, Deutsche Welle, and Radio France International.
BODY SHOP--The European Body Shop chain will be testing its own radio channel
for one month. It's uncertain when they will begin, but keep an ear on MTV on
Astra, audio 7.38 and 7.56 MHz. (James Robinson)
VIVA--Starting today, the German music video channel Viva-2 is on Eutelsat
II-F1, on 11-146 GHz. (James Robinson)
VH-1--The German service of VH-1 has begun transmissions on Nickelodeon's
transponder 46 on Astra, during the evening and night hours Nickelodeon is
off the air. (Which makes sense, since both are operated by Viacom.) However,
to keep British viewers from tuning in, the otherwise clear PAL signal blanks
out after a couple of seconds if a videocrypt 1 decoder is connected. Viewers
with separate decoders can always unplug them, but it's a lot harder for the
majority of British TVRO viewers, whose receivers generally have built-in
decoders.
MTV--Another Viacom channel, MTV Europe, will be scrambling its signal on
Astra on July 1, using both Videocrypt-1 (for Britain) and Videocrypt-2
(which is supposed to be marketed in the rest of Europe, but is non-existent
in Scandinavia).
Hot Bird (whenever it is launched) will carry a Viacom transponder with 6
MPEG-2 channels, including MTV, VH-1 Germany, and the new Nickeolodeon
Germany. (James Robinson)
CANAL HORIZONS--Also scheduled for launch on Hot Bird, is the French language
Canal Horizons (which bought NBC Super Channel's option on the satellite). It
is to begin on September 1, in D2-MAC, Eurocrypt. (James Robinson)
SUPER RTL--Super RTL, which will carry Disney progamming in German, is has
been showing a test card on Astra transponder 13 (former home of RTL-4, which
is now on Astra 1D, transponder 52). Now there are several promotional
screens, announcing that service will begin on April 28.
NETHOLD--South Africa's Nethold, owners of FilmNet, has announced it is to
launch digital pay TV later this year into various European countries,
including the Benelux and Scandinavian nations. Nethold has announced the
leae of eight transponders on the upcoming digital Astras 1E, 1F, and 1G, and
the lease of three more transponders on the upcoming Eutelsat Hot Bird-2
satellite.
According to SES: "By leasing these transponders, Nethold intends to develop
a direct-to-home digital satellite network that willoffer viewers...more than
70 television programs and other home entertainment services." ("Tele-
Satellit")
DIGITAL ASTRA--Rupert Murdoch's News Datacom has carried out the first
compressed digital video transmissions on Astra 1D. The company, which owns
the Videocrypt encryption system, is using its VCS4000 system. This complies
with MPEG-2 specifications. A special test program is being broadcast
constantly on two channel on Astra transponder 77 (11.954 GHz H). One channel
is being shown in the clear, while the other is encrypted. ("What Satellite
TV")
TDF--Now that Norway has bought Germany's TV-SAT direct broadcast satellite,
Eutelsat is reportedly interested in the remaining 2satellites at 19 degrees
West, France's TDF 1/2, to position them alongside Hot Bird and Eutelsat II-
F1 at 13 degrees East, to add even more channels to that position. ("What
Satellite Television")
INTELSAT--Intelsat 704 is in position at 66 degrees East, replacing the aging
and inclined Intelsat 510. On February 26th, it suddenly became possible here
in Sweden to receive Deutsche Welle/Worldnet in color on 4180 GHz (PAL).
(Bertil Sundberg in "Paa TV")
EKPRESS--Since March 2, Portugal's RTP Internacional has been observed on the
Russian Stationar satellite at 14 degrees West, on 4025 MHz. The Radio
Portgual external service can be heard on audio subcarrier 7.0 MHz. (This is
apparently the new Ekspres 2 satellite which has taken over the 14 degrees
West position.
RTP announces this service is directed towards South America, Africa, the US
east coast, and southern Europe. It is also broadcasting to Europe on
Eutelsat II-F2; to Africa, southern Europe, and the Indian Ocean region on
Stationar 12 (40 dgrees East), and to North America on Telstar 302. (BBC
Monitoring)
Besides the usual Ku-band transponder on 11.525 GHz, Ekspres carries a second
Ku transponder on 11.625 GHz. Reuters has moved from 14 degrees West to
11.525 GHz at 11 degrees West. (Bertil Sundberg in "Paa TV")
LATIN AMERICAN MEDIA NEWS:
DIRECTV--Hughes Communications has linked up with three Latin American
communications companies for a Latin American version of its DirecTV DBS
system, the Galaxy Latin America consortium. Broadcasts would begin in 1996,
providing more than 144 TV channels to Latin America and the Caribbean. Half
of the DirecTV channels will be in Spanish, the otherhalf in Portuguese.
Hughes Communications will soon begin building the first Galaxy Latin America
broadcasting center in Long Beach, California. Initially, the progrmming
willbe transmitted through the Galaxy III-R satellite that Hughes will launch
in September, 1995. This satellite will be replaced in 1998 by the larger
capacity Galaxy VII. (EFE via BBC Monitoring)
ASIAN MEDIA NEWS:
INDIA--On March 14th, India's state broadcaster Doordarshan began broadcasts
to 40 Asian countries via the Asiasat 1 satellite. Programming is currently
for 3 hours every morning Indian time. (PTI via BBC Monitoring)
IRAN--The ban on satellite dishes recently passed by the Iranian parliament,
the Majlis, is to be enforced from around the first week of April. (VOIRI via
BBC Monitoring)
JAPAN--Two Japanese satellites were successfully launched into orbit on March
18th. Space Flyer Union (SFU) is a scientific satellite in a 500 km low Earth
orbit. After a few months in orbit, it will be retrieved by the American
space shuttle.
The Geostationary Meteorological satellite No. 5 (GMS-5) is a geostationary
weather satellite to replace the aging Himawari-4. (Reuters and AP)
STAR--Rupert Murdoch's Star-TV is launching a satellite radio service to Asia
this month, promising computer-produced, "middle of the road" music, with no
politically sensitive newscasts to disturb conservative Asian regimes. Star
Radio, or "The Wave" will start broadcasting on March 30 from Asiasat-1. It
will start with a Mandarin service to North Asia and an English service to
South Asia and the Middle East. Local radio stations will be allowed to
rebroadcast the signals. The station's general manager Mike Mackay says:
"You can think of it as cut-and-paste progrmaming if you like. Desk-top radio
is here."
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Sweden Calling DXers/MediaScan is the world's oldest radio program about
international broadcasting. Radio Sweden has presented this round-up of radio
news, features, and interviews on Tuesdays since 1948. It's currently
broadcast on the first and third Tuesdays of the month.
Radio Sweden broadcasts in English:
To Europe:
16:15 hrs UTC on 1179 and 6065 kHz
17:30 on 1179, 6065, 13690, and 15600 kHz (also Africa and the Middle East)
20:30 and 21:30 on 1179, 6065, and 9665 kHz (also heard in Africa)
21:30 on 1179 kHz and 6065 kHz
22:30 hrs on 1179 kHz
Asia and the Pacific:
11:30 hrs on 13740, 15120, and 15240 kHz
01:30 hrs on 9695 kHz
North America:
12:30 and 13:30 hrs on 11650 and 15240 kHz
02:30 and 03:30 hrs on 7120 and 9850 kHz
Latin America:
OO:30 hrs on 6065 and 9810 kHz
The broadcasts at 16:15 and 17:30 hrs are also relayed to Europe
by satellite:
Astra 1B on Sky Movies Gold's transponder 26 at 11.597 GHz, audio subcarrier
at 7.74 MHz
Tele-X via TV5 Nordic/Femman's transponder at 12.475 GHz, audio subcarrier
7.38 MHz
Radio Sweden is also relayed to Europe via the World Radio Network on VH-1's
transponder 22 on Astra, audio 7.38 MHz, daily at 22:00 hrs CET. Radio Sweden
can also be heard on WRN's North American service on Galaxy-5, on WTBS's
transponder 6, audio 6.8 MHz, daily at 16:00 and 20:30 hrs Eastern time.
Sound files of Mediascan are archived at:
ftp.funet.fi:pub/sounds/RadioSweden/Mediascan.
If you access to the WorldWide Web, you can also find the programs among the
offerings of Internet Talk Radio at various sites, including:
ftp://town.hall.org/radio/Mirrors/RadioSweden/MediaScan
The World Radio Network is also available live via the Internet MBONE. Check:
http://town.hall.org/radio/wrn.html
Contributions can be sent to DX Editor George Wood by fax to +468-667-6283,
via the Internet to wood@stab.sr.se, from MCI Mail or CompuServe to the
CompuServe mailbox 70247,3516, or to SM0IIN at the packet radio BBS SM0ETV.
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 MediaScan/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.
The mailing list for the Electronic Edition is now open to general
subscription. If you can send e-mail over the Internet, send a message to:
wood@stab.sr.se
In the subject field write "subscribe mediascan"
You ought to get a confirmation message in reply. To unsubscribe from the
list, send another message to the same address, with the words "unsubscribe
mediascan" in the subject field.
To get a copy of Radio Sweden's English program schedule, include the words
"English schedule" in the subject field.
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Thanks to this week's contributors Good Listening!