From WOOD@stab.sr.seTue May 16 15:36:35 1995
Date: Tue, 16 May 1995 14:11:57 +0200
From: George Wood <WOOD@stab.sr.se>
To: wood@stab.sr.se
Subject: MediaScan/Sweden Calling DXers 2224
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:: MediaScan ::
:: SWEDEN CALLING DXERS ::
:: from Radio Sweden ::
:: Number 2224--May 16, 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 SCDX2224
All times UTC unless otherwise noted.
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RADIO IN CYBERSPACE:
RADIO SWEDEN
The World Wide Web is part of Swedish Radio's future vision, with daily
schedules, and recordings from newscasts all planned. Yesterday company
management was scheduled to formally approve the plans. So, we're not
online yet, but the day is that much closer.
While waiting for Swedish Radio's official Web site to go online, we've
set up a temporary home for MediaScan at:
http://www.abc.se/~m8914/media.html
It contains links to the MediaScan text and sound archives and various
pages and articles about radio and other media.
RADIO NETHERLANDS
(BBC Monitoring) We can also mention that Radio Netherlands now has a
World Wide Web page at:
http://rnw.nl/rnw
SKY RADIO
(Ruud de Groot) The European satellite station Sky Radio has a page
(albeit so far only in Dutch. The URL we gave last time was incorrect.
Thanks to Ruud de Groot for sending the correct URL:
http://www.euronet.nl/users/skyradio
In today's broadcast program we mentioned Real Audio, the system that
allows you to listen to sound files while you download them, reported
in in the Online Edition of SCDX 2222. Their URL is:
http://www.realaudio.com
@HOME
(The Guardian) The leading American cable TV operator, TCI, plans to
offer high speed Internet access via its cable networks, through a
company called @Home. For more information see:
http://www.home.net
MEDIA CONCENTRATION:
SWEDEN
Global media concentration is a seemingly unavoidable trend. All around
us Time Warner, Viacom, TCI, and Rupert Murdoch are putting together
international media empires. Here in Sweden we have the giant Bonniers
publishing powerhouse, and Kinnevik, which dominates electronic media
with satellite and cable channels, Scandinavia's primary satellite
channel subscription service, cable networks, and telephone companies,
both wired and cellular.
Swedish Culture Minister Margot Wallstroem has appointed a council to
investigate the concentration of the mass media in this country. In
today's program we talk to Jens Cavelin, the Principle Secretary of new
Swedish Council on Pluralism in the Media.
One of their main studies will be the Kinnevik media empire, which has
a lot of parallels on the Scandinavian level with Rupert Murdoch's
global conglomerate, and in fact the primary outlet in Scandinavia for
programs from Murdoch's Fox network seems to be Kinnevik's TV3.
RUPERT MURDOCH
(Reuters, AP) But Kinnevik has had something that Murdoch has lacked,
it's own long distance and cellular telephone companies, as well as an
Internet access data network. The future seems to lay with cable, which
can be two-way, rather than one-way satellite broadcasting. But last
week Murdoch made some moves to cover the gap. His British Sky
Broadcasting has been working for some time with the British telephone
company BT, which is also seeing its market threatened by cable
companies in the UK offering telephone services.
Now BT's American partner MCI has announced it plans to invest up to 2
billion dollars in Murdoch's News Corporation. The two companies are
looking to jointly provide global two-way video and other
communications services. They say that first they're looking at
computer online systems and Internet access. News Corporation owns the
Delphi Online service, which has been competing against larger systems
such as CompuServe and America Online.
(Derek Boyd in alt.satellite.tv.europe) "Electronics Times" recently
wrote: "BSkyB, the satellite broadcaster, is in negotiations with
British Telecom to link its digital set-top boxes to the public
telephone network. The plan, confirmed by industry sources, will enable
BSkyB to access a viewer's digital decoder from a central server, via
an integrated modem."
The article goes on to say that this will be done in the early hours of
the morning, and will enable BSkyB to monitor viewing habits, and in
theory to stop pirate viewing.
ITALY
(Reuters) The issue of media concentration has been a major topic in
Italy, where Silvio Berlusconi owns all three of the country's private
national TV networks. When he turned politician and ended up Prime
Minister of Italy last year, not only did Berlusconi not divest himself
of his media holdings, he began to influence the public broadcaster RAI
as well. That started the protests, which led to his fall in December.
Next month Italians will be voting in a referendum, which may force
Berlusconi to sell off his TV interests. Now Rupert Murdoch has
reportedly offered 2.8 billion dollars for Berlucsoni's TV networks.
BRITAIN
(Reuters, AP) The British government recently took bids for a new fifth
national network, in addition to the current two BBC networks, the ITV
network, and Channel Four. Rupert Murdoch was reported to be extremely
interested in gaining the franchise for his British Sky Broadcasting,
and before the bidding opened, fears were expressed about the
extraordinary power Murdoch would have should he win the licence.
So there was a gasp of disbelief when the Channel 5 bids were
announced. The highest bid, a whooping 36.26 million British pounds (59
million dollars) came from UK TV, made up of CanWest Global
Communications in Canada, Network Ten Australia, Scandinavian
Broadcasting Systems (largely owned by ABC), and SelecTV. That dwarfed
the next highest bids, both for 22 million pounds (36 million dollars),
from Virgin Television (made up of the Virgin Group, Philips
Electronics, HTV, Paramount Pictures, and Associated Newspapers) and
Channel 5 Broadcasting (MAI, Pearson, and Luxembourg's CLT).
And Murdoch? The bid from New Century Television, the consortium
organized by British Sky Broadcasting, Granada Television, and Sweden's
Kinnevik, was for a paltry 2 million pounds (3.24 million dollars).
British media observers were astonished at Murdoch's low bid, given his
obvious interest in gaining the franchise. Channel 5 will use European
UHF channels 36 and 37, which are currently used by VCRs, satellite
receivers, and video games. The holder of the winning bid will be
obliged to visit every household in the Britain to help retune
equipment, which will be a considerable expense.
It's not certain that UK TV's huge bid will be accepted, since the
British licensing authority the ITC has the right to reject any bid
considered to be economically unviable.
EUROPEAN MEDIA NEWS:
HOT BIRD
(James Robinson) Three more channels have appeared on Hot Bird. All
three are French--the music video outlet MCM is at 11.303 GHz, and TV5
Europe is at 11.324 GHz, and with it a number of French radio networks
and Swiss Radio International in French. Both are in clear PAL. The
third, Canal Horizons, is in coded Nagravision at 11.408 GHz.
A number of Hot Bird broadcasters are moving from Eutelsat II-F1, at
the same position. Arte is replacing TV5 on Eutelsat on June 1st, the
German sports channel DSF is taking over EDTV's old transponder, and
something called Com-TV is replacing MTV.
ASTRA
(Tele-Satellit) Romain Bausch has been announced as the new general
director of SES, Astra's parent company. Before taking up his position,
the 41 year old Bausch had a successful career in Luxembourg's
government. He was a member of SES's administrative council for 5
years, as well as its vice president.
(James Robinson) Over on Astra, the new Christian Channel is to use Sky
Sports transponder 20 every morning between 5 and 7 British time,
beginning in June. Sky Sports is already the home of United Christian
Radio.
RADIO
(James Robinson) On August 26 Radio X is due to begin broadcasts on
Astra transponder 45 (Bayern 3) on 7.38 and 7.56 MHz.
On October 1, ERF (the German section of Trans World Radio) is to start
a (presumeably Christian) rock and pop radio station on QVC's Astra
transponder 38.
Digital audio tests are underway on Astra transponder 50 (Super
Channel) on 7.74 MHz.
(Heike Claudia Zimmerer in alt.satellite.tv.europe) Here is a
provisional list of Astra Digital Radio:
Transponder 39, 11.053 GHz H (WDR - Germany)
6.12 1 Live (WDR)
6.30 WDR 2
6.48 WDR 3
6.66 WDR 4
6.84 WDR 5
Tp. 41, 11.112 GHz H (Discovery/TLC)
7.56, 7.74, 7.92, 8.10, 8.28, 8.46 DMX Test
Tp. 42, 11.097 GHz V (Bravo/Adult)
7.74, 7.92, 8.10, 8.28, 8.46 DMX Test
Tp. 43, 11.112 GHz H (MDR - Germany)
6.30 MDR Live
6.48 MDR Info
6.66 MDR Kultur
6.84 MDR Sputnik
Tp. 45, 11.141 GHz H (Bayern 3 - Germany)
6.12 Bayern 1
6.30 Bayern 2
6.48 Bayern 3
6.66 B 5 aktuell
6.84 B 4 Klassik
Tp. 48, 11.186 GHz V (Suedwest 3 - Germany)
6.12 SDR 3
6.30 SDR 1 (planned)
6.48 S2 Kultur (-"-)
6.66 SWF 1 (-"-)
6.84 SWF 3
Tp. 19, 11.494 GHz H (ARD - German)
6.30 DLF Koeln (planned)
6.48 hr 3 ( -"- )
6.66 hr 4 ( -"- )
6.84 hr 2 ( -"- )
7.74 hr 1
7.92 Deutschlandradio Berlin
So far there are no consumer receivers available for any of this, but
hopefully within a few months Europeans will also be able to tune into
DMX. According to reports, special ADR receivers will cost around 500
dollars when they appear.
INTELSAT
(James Robinson) EBN stopped broadcasts from Intelsat 601 yesterday. It
continues on Hot Bird.
EKSPRESS/STATSIONAR
(Bertil Sundberg in "Paa TV"/Elektronikvaerlden) The Indian channel
Apna has been broadcasting via the new Russian Ekspress II satellite at
14 degrees West, in the C-band 3.825 GHz. Recently, however, it
suddenly appeared on the Ku-band transponder on 11.525 GHz on the
neighboring Russian Statsionar satellite at 11 degrees West.
Programming usually begins after 20:00 hrs UTC.
ORION
The new Orion-1 Atlantic relay satellite at 37.5 degrees West has come
alive. VH-1 is using 11.472 GHz to reach Europe, while there are so far
unidentified carriers on 11.003 and 11.532 GHz.
POLAND
(Martyn Williams) Independent Russian Television (NTV) has reported on
preparations to open a radio station called Free Caucasus. It will
broadcast in several languages and be managed by the Chechen
Information Center in Cracow, Poland. The exact location is being kept
secret, and the equipment has been supplied by Solidarity, which still
has equipment from its underground days.
NORTH AMERICAN MEDIA NEWS:
MORE MURDOCH
(Reuters) Rupert Murdoch's Fox Television says it is altering the
structure of its parent company to comply with U.S. rules limiting
foreign ownership of television stations. In a filing with the Federal
Communications Commission, it said the move would affect Twentieth
Century Holdings Corp., but not Murdoch's global holding company News
Corp. Ltd., which is based in Australia.
The FCC ruled last week that News Corp. violated a 25 percent cap on
foreign ownership of broadcast outlets when it bought seveal stations
in 1985 that led to the creation of the Fox network. But the agency
said the company would not be required to divest holdings if it can
successfully argue that the current ownership structure serves the
public interest.
INTELSAT
(Curt Swinehart, Listserv Dishheads) Intelsat 705 is now active at 50
degrees West. SUR and Vyvx Miami feeds have moved from Intelsat 504 to
Intelsat 705.
Intelsat 706 is due to launch tomorrow, May 17 on an Ariane rocket from
French Guyana. Carrying 26 C-band and 15 Ku-band transponders, it is
scheduled to be placed at 53 degrees West. The C-band footprint covers
much of the Americas, while the three Ku band footprints cover Europe,
North, and South America.
WEATHER SATELLITES
(Curt Swinehart, Listserv Dishheads) An Atlas launch on May 19 is due
to carry the weather satellite GOES 9 into orbit.
(Tele-Satellit) The nearly 20 year old GOES 2 and GOES 3 weather
satellites have been reactivated as communications satellites to enable
the National Science Foundation and the Univesity of Hawaii to transmit
educational programming in the United States. They are using their
fully operational transponders in the S-band to receive and transmit
video signals.
GOES 2, launched in 1977, is being used to transmit live television
from the South Pole Station to public broadcasting facilities in the
United States. In recent years the satellite has been allowed to drift,
and it now has an 11 degree orbital inclination, whcih makes it
possible to view the NSF's South Pole Station for almost 6 hours a day.
The University of Hawaii is using GOES 3, launched in 1978, for the
transmission of educational programming through-out the Hawaiian
Islands.
ASIAN MEDIA NEWS:
MTV
(Reuters/Tele-Satellit) Almost exactly one year after being dumped by
Rupert Murdoch from his Star-TV package on Asiasat-1, MTV has returned
to Asian skies. MTV Mandarin started on Indonesia's Palapa B2P
satellite (113 degrees East) on April 21, followed on May 5 by the
return of the English language MTV Asia. The new channel, operated in
co-operation with Polygram in the Netherlands, is scrambled, and
reaches viewers in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, and
Hong Kong. MTV Mandarian is primarily aimed at Taiwan.
(Reuters/BBC Monitoring) India's staid public broadcaster Doordarshan,
shaken by the sudden appearance of satellite-borne competitors over the
past few years, has now struck back with a plan to take its own
programming to the rest of the world. Doordarshan International began
broadcasts on March 14th. Now the channel has signed an agreement with
PanAmSat for three transponders on the upcoming PAS-4 satellite. This
is to be placed at 72 degrees East, which in theory should give
Doordarshan coverage from Western Europe to Eastern Australia.
Unfortunately footprint maps are one thing, actual-on-the-ground
reception is something else. Even as far east as Stockholm, 72 degrees
East is out of reach for ordinary TVRO monitors.
The Doordarshan signal is supposed to be downlinked in Paris for a
relay via PAS-1 (45 degrees West) over the Atlantic to North America.
WTN
(Tele-Satellit) Worldwide Television News has announced it has leased 9
MHz of a C-band transponder on the upcoming Asiasat-2 satellite,
scheduled to be launched by a Chinese Long March rocket this summer. It
carries 24 C-band transponders, and 9 in the Ku-band.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA NEWS:
ARIANE
The Ariane launch program, after finally getting Hot Bird into orbit,
months late, suffered a new set-back in early May when two technicians
at the Kourou, French Guiana, launch station died after inhaling inert
gas during a test of the new Ariane 5 engine. The Ariane 5 rocket is
scheduled to be used first in November.
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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.
Our (temporary) World Wide Web page is at:
http://www.abc.se/~m8914/media.html
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 or by e-mail to: wood@stab.sr.se
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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In the subject field write "subscribe mediascan"
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Thanks to this week's contributors Good Listening!