From WOOD@stab.sr.seTue Apr 18 16:57:48 1995
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 1995 15:27:52 +0200
From: George Wood <WOOD@stab.sr.se>
To: wood@stab.sr.se
Subject: MediaScan/Sweden Calling DXers 2222
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:: MediaScan ::
:: SWEDEN CALLING DXERS ::
:: from Radio Sweden ::
:: Number 2222--April 18, 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 SCDX2222
All times UTC unless otherwise noted.
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Welcome to all the new people on the mailing list. We hope you enjoy
MediaScan. Remember, if you want to remove yourself from the list, send a
message to: wood@stab.sr.se with the words "unsubscribe mediascan" in the
SUBJECT field.
Many apologies for the inclusion of the entire mailing list in the preamble
last time. Having consulted the help files attached to Swedish Radio's e-mail
program, I'm pretty sure I've managed to eliminate that material this time. I
hope so, or the list would be longer than the rest of the file! If not, more
apologies, and rest assured we'll keep working on it.
NORDIC MEDIA NEWS:
SWEDEN--Swedish Radio's World Wide Web site is still somewhere in the near
future. But that's just one of the changes that will be remaking the face of
broadcasting here. The Swedish government has now approved ambitious plans to
begin regular broadcasts of Digital Audio Broadcasting, and the company is
starting to buy computer sound editing systems. The digital revolution is
slowly working its way through the building.
To help prepare Swedish Radio's employees for the major changes coming,
starting next month, everyone will be going through a two day seminar. Called
the Radio 2000 Project, it's led by Anne-Katherine Mattson, who we
interviewed in this week's program. She talks about some of the features of
DAB, such as the need to design graphics and text to fill the receiver
screens, and how radio, TV, and newspapers are converging in a multimedia mix
on the World Wide Web.
If you missed today's program, it's available as a sound file at Internet
Multicasting mirror sites, as well as at ftp.funet.fi. For details see the
end of this file.
DAB--The government has proposed legislation that would allow Swedish Radio
to go ahead with regular DAB broadcasts, by the end of this year. The first
broadcasts would be this Fall in Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmoe, as well
as in the far north for the indigenous Sami or Lapp population. The proposal
also gives private radio stations the opportunity to participate in the first
DAB broadcasts. "(Radiotidningen")
RADIO SWEDEN--Canada's CBC Radio is introducing an Overnight programming
service, beginning May 1, 1995, which will consist of CBC Radio Newscasts at
the top of each hour from 01:00-06:00 EDT. Following those 5 minute
bulletins, the rest of each hour will carry programming from international
broadcasters from the World Radio Network.
Among these is Radio Sweden which is to be carried between 03:05 and 03:30
hrs local time in each of Canada's time zones. Initially, the service will be
carried in: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Toronto, Ottawa,
Yellowknife, and Whitehourse. The CBC also expects stations in Winnepeg,
Halifax, Fredricton, and St. John's to take the service. (CBC Radio)
TV-SAT--The new Norwegian entertainment channel TV Plus began broadcasts on
the relocated TV-SAT at 1 degree West on March 27. Broadcasting in uncoded
D2-MAC, it can be found at 11.823 GHz. The new Danish version of Z-TV can be
found on the same satellite, also in uncoded D2-MAC. According to reports,
originally the Norwegian Z-TV was supposed to be on this satellite, while
Danish Z-TV was supposed to be part of a new MPEG package on Tele-X.
Apparently, the currenthigh price of MPEG decoders is responsible for the
change in plans. (Bertil Sundberg in "Paa TV")
EUROPEAN MEDIA NEWS:
NETHERLANDS--Radio Netherlands, which already broadcasts on satellite in
English via the World Radio Network, is putting its entire output on Astra,
on the RTL-5 transponder 64, sound 7.74 MHz. (Robin Clark in
alt.satellite.tv.europe)
ASIAN MEDIA NEWS:
IRAN--A ban on satellite dishes takes place today in Iran. Owners have 4 days
to remove them or special police units will enter their homes and remove them
forcibly, says Interior Minister Ali Mohammed Besharati. Some estimates have
put the total number of satellite receivers in Tehran alone at 250,000, or
about one for every ten inhabitants. Some reports indicate that the chances
the authorities will succeed in removing all these dishes are slim. (NPR, AP
and Reuters)
INDIA--On April 7, India's Doordarshan launched a new TV service called
"Movie Club", featuring 24 hours of movies broadcast free of charge. The new
service is broadcast on Insat 2B, and is available to cable networks
nationwide. In July, it is to be followed by a second channel, featuring
programs from independent producers. The channels are seen as the first
strong attack by Doordarshan against foreign broadcasters like Rupert
Murdoch's Star-TV, and coming channels from Ted Turner and HBO. (Reuters and
"Tele-Satellit")
India's biggest owner of Hindi film rights says he will sue a TV affiliate of
media tycoon Rupert Murdoch over cable distribution rights. Dhirubhai Shah
and the satellite network Asian Television Network say they intend to bring
the action against Zee Cinema in India and Hong Kong on the grounds of
violation of copyright of more than 1000 Hindi movies. Zee Cinema is a Hindi
pay movie channel launched April 9th, a joint channel between Murdoch's Star-
TV and Zee Television, in which Murdoch's News Corp has a 49 percent stake.
According to Shah and ATN, Zee Cinema will be encroaching on their cable TV
rights of more than 1000 popular films. (Reuters)
An American satellite expert is suing Zee TV and others, alleging that they
used his ideas for a major mobile-phone system in India without his
permission. Lawyers for Michael Johnson, who describes himself as the co-
founder of the Hong Kong-based satellite company Asiasat and Rupert Murdoch's
Star-TV, announced on April 7 that he is suing for unspecified damages over
the satellite phone project.
In January this year Hughes Aircraft signed a contract to establish the USD
700 million wireless satellite telecommunications system for India, with
Afro-Asian satellite Communications. Johnson wants the project halted, and is
suing the founder of Zee TV, who is also controller of Afro-Asian, for
compensation. (Reuters)
DEUTSCHE WELLE--Deutsche Welle TV has announced it will begin broadcasts via
the upcoming Asiasat 2 satellite, due to be launched later this year. The
channel will broadcast free of charge, like the current DW-TV services, but
unlike many of the other TV services that are planning to launch in the
region. Deutsche Welle is targetinghotels and TV stations primarily.
Rebroadcast deals are close to signing in several Asian markets, Vietnam,
Malaysia, and Hong King. ("Tele-Satellit")
NORTH AMERICAN MEDIA NEWS:
SATELLITE PHONES--A satellite designed to provide cellular phone service
through-out the United States was launched on April 7. The American Mobile
Satellite Corp. satellite is dedicated to mobile telephone, radio, facsimile,
paging, and data communications for users on land, at sea, and in the air.
(AP)
GLOBAL RADIO:
WORLDSPACE--At its second annual Users' Conference held in Washington in
early April, WorldSpace Corporation reached consensus with its business
partners and system users for the implementation of a new technical standard
which will enable WorldSpace satellites to offer up to 300 channels of
digital broadcasting to four-fifths of the world's population on low-cost
postable satellite receivers called "StarMan", built by Motorola especially
for WorldSpace.
Known as "Layer 3," the new standard for satellite-to-portable digital
broadcasting was developed by the renowned Fraunhofer Institute for
Integrated Circuits, of Erlangen, Germany. Layer 3 will allow "StarMan"
radios to receive a broad range of audio signals with up to CD-quality, and
will also allow access to advanced multimedia services.
Washington, D.C.-based WorldSpace has developed, and licensed, the world's
first global portable satellite digital radio broadcasting service and plans
to begin service in the first quarter of 1998 when the first of three audio
broadcasting satellites -- Caribstar, Afristar and Asiastar -- built by a
consortium lead by Alcatel Espace, will be launched.
The Second Annual Users' Conference also witnessed important announcements
from WorldSpace's major industrial and financial partners. Alcatel Espace
announced that work had begun in February 1995 on the construction of the
WorldSpace Satellite System. Alcatel Espace Senior Vice President Pierre de
Bayser said, "Alcatel is fully-committed to the success of WorldSpace." He
said that, starting the first quarter of 1998, the three WorldSpace
satellites will be launched at six-month intervals.
Motorola presented its chipset development schedule for "StarMan" that
includes AM/FM reception capability as well as advanced multimedia
capabilities. A demonstration of the StarMan radio's fidelity was provided
continuously over the two-day conference, proving that the system's digital
technology and audio.
The Conference concluded with presentations from regulatory experts and
broadcasters concerning the future of world radio. Former International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) Secretary General Richard Butler, now chairman
of the WorldSpace AsiaSpace Group, noted that the regulatory framework was
now in place, and system coordination was underway in accordance with
international provisions.
ITU Head of External Affairs Terrefe Ras-Work said, "WorldSpace will make a
significant contribution to enrich the values of the peoples of the world."
World Health Organization Director of Informatics Dr. Salah Mandil said,
"WorldSpace will revolutionize telemedicine and distance-learning in
developing countries."
WorldSpace Corporation is the only organization licensed by the FCC to
provide portable satellite broadcasting service for Africa and the Middle
East. WorldSpace is also licensed by the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago for
broadcast to the Caribbean and Latin America. When launched in 1998,
WorldSpace will be the world's first direct satellite-to-portable radio
digital broadcasting system.
To date, WorldSpace has signed preliminary contracts with Voice of
America, Radio Netherlands, and several African and Asian broadcasters.
("Tele-Satellit")
CYBERSPACE:
REAL AUDIO--Progressive Networks has developed an system to download sound
from the Internet in realtime, rather than wait through 25 minutes of
downloading to hear a 5 minute newscast. The RealAudio system debuts with
material from National Public Radio, ABC, former MTV vj Adam Curry's On Ramp,
and RadioNet, a nationally syndicated radio show about the Internet and
cyberspace.
During the test phase, which lasts through the Fall, copies of ReadAudio
Player software can be downloaded for free from:
http://www.RealAudio.com
("USA Today" via Michael Murray)
WWW SITES--We're still waiting for the final technical and legal problems to
be ironed out before the Swedish Radio and Radio Sweden pages on the World
Wide Web on the Internet go online. Now that CompuServe has opened the doors
for its two million plus users to access the Web, there are some radio-
related Web pages that might be of interest...
The amateur radio satellite corporation, Amsat, has its own Web site. The
recent loss of a Russian rocket and with it an Israeli satellite, also took
with it amateur radio satellites for Israel and Mexico. You can find news
about them on the Amsat Web page:
http://www.amsat.org/amsat/AmsatHome.html
There's also a Web site devoted to amateur radio in general:
http://www.acs.ncsu.edu/HamRadio
Mike Richards of Britain's "Shortwave Magazine" has reported on a site called
"World Utility News" for hobbyists who like to hunt utilities, that is,
stations that are neither broadcasters, nor radio amateurs:
http://sun-gabriel.aero.org:8800
PUBLICATIONS:
CD-ROM--In the latest issue of "Shortwave Magazine" Mike Richards also
reviews the new Windows CD-ROM version of J�rgen Klingenfuss' "Super
Frequency List". This has some 14,000 frequencies from the "1995 Guide to
Utility Radio Stations". Mike's only complaint is that he would like to see a
way to link the disk with popular receivers to upload frequency and mode data
directly into the receiver.
I was a bit disappointed in the program, because it's essentially one big
list. You can break it down by country, but you can't access a list by mode,
for example radioteletype stations or weather FAX outlets. And there's
definately no fancy multimedia here, images or sound, or even hypertext
links, which would be easy and useful.
Otherwise, it's a very useful tool. The Super Frequency List costs DEM 50,
plus DEM 5 for overseas airmail, from:
Klingenfuss Publications
Hagenloher Str. 14
D-72070 Tuebingen
Germany
Fax: +49 7071 600 849
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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
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Thanks to this week's contributors Good Listening!