From WOOD@stab.sr.seSun Oct 22 23:25:05 1995
Date: Tue, 19 Sep 1995 13:32:37 +0200
From: George Wood <WOOD@stab.sr.se>
Reply to: wood@rs.sr.se
To: wood@rs.sr.se
Subject: MediaScan/Sweden Calling DXers 2232
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:: MediaScan ::
:: SWEDEN CALLING DXERS ::
:: from Radio Sweden ::
:: Number 2232--Sept. 19, 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 SCDX2232
All times UTC unless otherwise noted.
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Finally finally finally...the Radio Sweden section on the Worldwide Web
is up and running. Aim your Web browser at the following address:
http://www.sr.se/rs
And you'll find Radio Sweden's little home in Cyberspace. And you can
go directly to the MediaScan page:
http://www.sr.se/rs/media.htm
Please update bookmarks and Web links to reflect these URLs. My own
personal pages will remain at:
http://www.abc.se/~m8914
And many many thanks to the ABC Computer Club for allowing us to set up
the temporary site.
At the end of this newsletter, you'll find the new Radio Sweden
shortwave schedule, which goes into effect on Septebmer 25, 1995.
You can now also remove yourself from the MediaScan mailing list by
sending a message to:
unsubscribe@rs.sr.se
RADIO IN CYBERSPACE:
INTERNET VIA TV--Last time we talked to Bert Willborg, who's putting
Sweden's Kinnevik media empire on the Microsoft Network and the
Internet. Kinnevik is well-placed on the Information Superhighway.
Besides a whole series of satellite TV channels, Kinnevik also owns the
Tele2 telephone company, an Internet service provider called Everyday,
and a major Swedish data network, Swipnet.
Much of that is coming into play now as a Kinnevik subsidiary says it
is about to offer access to the Worldwide Web using teletext on an
ordinary television set, with communications back using the telephone.
Per Leine is Products Manager for Kinnevik's Infral subsidiary. In
today's program we talk to him over a GSM telephone (the GSM operator
Comviq is also a Kinnevik subsidiary), at the IBC Show in Amsterdam,
where he's been busy selling the new system.
Infral's system strips away the graphics, so the result is text-
browsing, similar to using Lynx. According to Leine, Kinnevik's TV3
Sweden is to offer Web access beginning next month. No mention of
whether the phone call will be free, or whether Kinnevik will be trying
to earn big money by using a premium phone number (like 900 in the US).
The company is already offering e-mail using teletext and such a phone
number, costing users a whopping 63 cents a minute to compose their
messages on a touchtone phone.
THE BIG BYTE--There was an impressive example of the future of
broadcast multi-media on the WorldWide Web Sunday during the Big Byte
program on the BBC's Radio Five Live. While the program is medium wave
only in the UK, it's also carried on the Astra satellite to Europe. And
this Sunday, the program used just about every possible means of
Internet contact. There was a camera taking studio pictures every
minute, and putting them out on the World Wide Web. The entire program
was carried live to the world using RealAudio and the Internet
Multicast Backbone. A transcript of everything said was typed into
Internet Relay Chat, so even the hearing impaired could follow the
program. And listeners could send immediate feedback using e-mail and
Internet Relay Chat.
SATELLITE LINKS--Jay Friedman writes in rec.video.satellite: "I just
came across a great web page full of links to satellite and related
topics:"
http://trance.helix.net/~lekei/links.html
NORDIC MEDIA NEWS:
STOCKHOLM INTERNATIONAL--We welcome a new foreign broadcaster to the
Stockholm International transmitter on 89.6 MHz. Beginning October 2,
Deutschlandsradio will be carried on Stockholm International daily
between 12:00 and 13:00 hrs CET. That precedes National Public Radio,
which is carried daily except Saturdays 13:00-14:30 hrs.
SKY SPORTS--Last Spring Sky Sports was very close to signing an
agreement to broadcast on Swedish cable systems. What stopped the deal
was Nethold, owner of FilmNet, which has bought most of the rights for
broadcasting English soccer matches to Scandinavia. Nethold's new
channel SuperSports is scheduled to go on the air on December 1st.
(Frank Oestergren, "Aftonbladet")
NETHOLD--Nethold also says it is launching a new digital service
offering near-video-on-demand in Europe by the end of the year. 50
near-video-on-demand channels are to be available via Astra,
presumeably the upcoming Astra 1E satellite, in the Benelux and
Northern Europe. Near-video-on-demand is as close as a satellite
broadcaster can get to video-on-demand, where you can order up any
program you want at any time. The near version means starting the same
program at different times on different channels, so you don't have to
wait very long to see it. The first services will offer movies timed to
begin every half an hour meaning that around four channels will be
required for each movie making a total of ten movies available at any
one time. Sports will also be offered to viewers.
Decoder prices are planned to come in at around 900 to 1000 Dutch
guilders with monthly subscriptions priced at around 70 guilders.
Additional charges will be levied for movies. The Dutch PTT will link
Nethold, parent of FilmNet, to the Astra satellite from where the
service will operate. (Reuters and "Tele-satellit")
FilmNet's arch-rival Kinnevik is planning to start some kind of near-
vdieo-on-demand from the Norwegian satellite position at 1 degree West.
Other stations starting there soon are probably the Sci-Fi Channel, the
English version of VH-1, and Nickelodeon. A new station called the
History Channel is also coming. (Frank Oestergren, "Aftonbladet")
EUROPEAN MEDIA NEWS:
SKY MOVIES GOLD--Despite it's being exiled to the Astra 1D satellite,
Sky Movies Gold is actually expanding its hours of operation. Beginning
October 1, the channel will begin broadcasts daily at 12:00 hrs British
time, instead of the current 14:00 hrs. (James Robinson)
SHOP EUROPE--A new channel called Shop Europe is to replace TV3 Norway
on Astra transponder 31, when Kinnevik's TV3 and TV1000 channels leave
Astra next month. (James Robinson)
CHINA NEWS AND ENTERTAINMENT--China News and Entertainment is moving on
October 30 to Astra transponder 53, which it will share with SBS-6
(James Robinson)
PLAYBOY--It looks like the Playboy Channel will be launching on
November 1 on Astra transponder 47 (Sky Soap, etc.) instead of
transponder 42 as previously reported. The Adult Channel continues on
transponder 42. (James Robinson)
GRAFF/PENTHOUSE--Graff Pay Per View and Penthouse International,
annouced this week a joint venture between Spice, Inc., a wholly owned
subsidiary of Graff, and Penthouse International, Ltd., a wholly owned
subsidiary of GMI. The company will be the exclusive vehicle for the
development and distribution of adult entertainment television networks
and programming outside North America, using the Penthouse and Spice
brand names.
Spice and Penthouse will each own 50% of the equity of the joint
venture company. The proposed terms of the transaction are that The
Home Video Channel Limited (HVC), a wholly owned United Kingdom
subsidiary of Graff, together with the Spice name and related
identity, will be contributed to the joint venture company for
additional consideration.
HVC currently operates three subscription networks: The Home Video
Channel, which features Hollywood movies; and The Adult Channel, an
adult television network distributed to more than 40 countries from
the U.K.; and Eurotica, a more explicit adult channel broadcast to
more than 30 European countries from Denmark. ("Tele-satellit")
SKY MULTICHANNELS--When EBN joins the Sky Multichannels package on
October 30, transmissions on Astra transponder 42 will be at 06:00-
12:00 hrs British time, rather than 04:00-12:00 hrs as previously
reported. (EBN continues in the clear 24 hours a day on Hot Bird).
The Sci-Fi Channel will be joining the transponder 47 package on
October 30 as well. (James Robinson)
ASTRA TRANSPONDER SWAP--Having swapped transponders, HOT is now on
Astra transponder 62, while Cable Plus is on 61. (James Robinson)
RADIO--Radio Austria International will be broadcasting digitally on
Astra transponder 45 (Bayern 3) on 8.10 MHz, as part of Astra Digital
Radio. (James Robinson)
PARAMOUNT--Viacom has been looking for something to take over from
Nickelodeon after it shuts down on Astra transponder 46 early every
evening. Nick-at-Nite didn't materialize. Now British Sky Broadcasting
is working with Viacom to bring a Paramount channel to Britain. ("Tele-
Satellit")
One wonders if this could be the United Paramount Network, complete
with "Star Trek Voyager", which is otherwise scheduled to begin on Sky
One next month. Sky holds the rights to "Star Trek: Next Generation"
and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine".
NOS SATELLITE SERVICE--Dutch public broadcasting is set to light up
Europe's skies next year when the NOS begins a satellite TV
service for Dutch citizens abroad. Basing the service on Germany's
Deutsche Welle TV and France's TV5, the new channel will offer tailor
made programmes for an international audience and the best of Dutch
public TV. The channel will make money from advertising and sponsorship
and target the estimated 600,000 Dutch speakers living outside Holland
and the Belgian region of Flanders. ("Tele-satellit")
TRT--TRT was supposed to leave Eutelsat II-F1 on September 15, but is
till there. It remains on Turksat. (James Robinson) Turksat's European
beam should be called "The Invisible Beam".
ASIAN MEDIA NEWS:
PANAMSAT--PanAmSat's new PAS-4 has entered operation at 68.5 degrees
East. According to "Tele-Satellit" monitors, the following transponders
are already in use:
>From Australia
3.905 V Sony Entertainment Television
3.912 H Carrier
3.965 V CNN International
4.111 H CNBC Asia
4.035 V NHK TV-Japan
3.995 V CNN Newsource
3.935 H Test Pattern - "PAS 2 SYLMAR, CA."
(courtesy Nathan Kopel, International Radio Monitors and Peter Merrett)
>From South Africa
12.5375 V M-Net South Africa
12.6645 V SABC TV 1
12.6975 V SABC CCV
12.7245 V SABC NNTV
12.7405 V CDAT
(courtesy Michael Cookson, TELE-satellit South Africa)
NHK will also be using the satellite to link Tokyo to Paris and
India's Doordarshan has also announced it will be using the satellite
for services to Asia and Europe. Hong Kong Telecom this week said it
would begin using PAS-4 for broadcasting service also.
Other broadcasters include China Central Television, Disney Co.,
Capital Cities/ABC Inc.'s ESPN, HBO & Co., Liberty Media Corp.,
MNET/Multichoice, SABC/Sentech, Sony Corp., Turner Broadcasting Corp.
and Viacom Inc.
IRAN--The Iranian police are reported to have made around thirty
arrests over production of satellite reception equipment
and dishes. A local newspaper said police seized 226 satellite dishes
from a workshop just outside the capital, Tehran. In April, the Middle
Eastern country made ownership of such equipment an offence. Some
dishes are reported to have been placed back on the roofs of Tehran and
disguised with air conditioners and other equipment. There are no
reports of arrests for individual possesion of satellite reception
equipment. ("Tele-satellit")
LATIN AMERICA:
TURNER BROADCASTING--General Instrument Corporation and Truner
Broadcasting System have announced the US broadcaster will use
GI's DigiCipher(R) II equipment to provide compressed video/audio and
data services to Latin America. Turner Broadcasting will use GI's
DigiCipher II MPEG-2 compatible digital compression system to
eventually reach over 1,500 different sites throughout Latin America.
The service will be transmitted over PanAmSat 3 which is scheduled to
launch in late 1995, and will become operational in February 1996.
("Tele-satellit")
SHORTWAVE:
VOICE OF AMERICA--Congratulations to Dr. Kim Andrew Elliot, the new
host of the Voice of America's Communications World program. We can
confirm that in response to his highly representative and scientific
audience survey ("If you want me to continue as host write a letter to
the VOA, if you don't want me, write to Radio Sweden"), that we have
received just one letter, which actually was more critical of
Congressional budget cuts of the VOA than of Kim's performance.
HOBBY NEWS:
GROVE--We've often reported in the program about the European DX
Council, the organization that links clubs for radio monitoring
hobbysts in Europe. The closest North American counterpart to the
annual EDXC Conference is happening next month. The Grove
Communications Expo-95 will be help October 13-15 in Atlanta. This is
the new name for the Monitoring Times Convention, and seems to reflect
the addition of Grove Enterprises new magazine "Satellite Times". (In
the interests of journalistic integrity here, I have to reveal that I
write a column for "Satellite Times".)
Radio and satellite monitor hobbyists from around North America and the
rest of the world will join together with a number of international
broadcasters, including Ian McFarland of Radio Canada International and
Radio Japan fame, and Radio Moscow's Joe Adamov. For more information,
North Americans and USA Direct users can call:
800-438-8155
Overseas callers can try:
+1-704-837-9200
Fax:
+1-837-2216
You can write to:
Grove Enterprises
300 S. Highway 64 West
Brasstown, NC 28902
USA
Or even check out the new Grove WWW pages at:
http://www.grove.net
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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.
Beginning September 25, 1995, Radio Sweden broadcasts in English:
To Europe:
17:15 hrs 1179 and 6065 kHz
18:30 1179, 6065, 7240, and 9655 kHz (also Africa/Middle East)
21:30 1179, 6065, and 7230 kHz (also Africa/Middle East)
22:30 1179 and 6065 kHz (also Africa/Middle East)
23:30 1179 kHz
Asia/Pacific:
12:30 hrs 9835, 13740, and 15240 kHz
01:30 hrs 7120 kHz
North America:
13:30 and 14:30 hrs on 11650 and 15240 kHz
02:30 and 03:30 hrs on 7120 kHz
Latin America:
00:30 hrs on 6065 and 9850 kHz
The broadcasts at 17:15 and 18:30 hrs are also relayed to Europe
by satellite:
Astra 1C on ZDF's transponder 33 at 10.964 GHz, audio subcarrier at
7.38 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 1C, 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 new World Wide Web page is at:
http://www.sr.se/rs
Sound files of Mediascan are archived at:
ftp.funet.fi:pub/sounds/RadioSweden/Mediascan.
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
Radio Sweden news (recorded at 01:30 hrs UTC daily) is available in the
Real Audio format via the World Radio Network, at:
http://www.wrn.org
Contributions can be sent to DX Editor George Wood by fax to
+468-667-6283 or by e-mail to: wood@rs.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.
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:
subscribe@rs.sr.se
You ought to get a confirmation message in reply. To unsubscribe from
the list, send a message to
unsubscribe@rs.sr.se
To get a copy of Radio Sweden's English program schedule, write to:
english@rs.sr.se
And for general questions, comments, and reception reports, our e-mail
address is:
info@rs.sr.se
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Thanks to this week's contributors Good Listening!
************************
George Wood wood@rs.sr.se
Radio Sweden http://www.abc.se/~m8914/
S-105 10 Stockholm tel: +468-784-7239
Sweden fax: +468-667-6283
************************