****SATELLITE JOURNAL ITL VOL 2 NO 13 (INTERNET)
Gary Torrens
Volume 2 Number 13
June 23 1994
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TOP STORY
Arianespace
------------
On Friday, June 17, 1994, Arianespace successfully launched the
Intelsat 702 satellite, the second in this new-generation series
operated by Intelsat, the International Telecommunications Satellite
Organisation.
The launch vehicle for Flight 64 was an Ariane 44LP, the version
of the European launcher equipped with two liquid-propellant and two
solid-propellant strap-on boosters. Lift-off from the Space Centre
in Kourou, French Guiana, took place on Friday, June 17, 1994, at
04:07mn19sec. am, local time, that is or 03:07 a.m. Washington
time, or 07:07 a.m. GMT, or 09:07 a.m. Paris time.
Commenting on this launch, Arianespace Chairman and CEO, Charles
Bigot, said: "The success of Flight 64 today allows us to fully
satisfy the expectations of our prestigious customer Intelsat, which
has repeatedly renewed its full confidence in our service.
Following Flight 63 early this year, the European space industry has
made a considerable effort, and the work carried out these past few
months has been exemplary. Nothing was left to chance, and this is
to the credit of the men and women involved. Their work has been
both excellent and fast, two qualities which are vital in our
business, and which must be respected in that order, quality first,
plus quickness. Ten years after the opening of the first space
transportation "line" in 1984, Arianespace takes off again with a
launch system that is safer and more reliable, thus ensuring better
service for its clients."
Provisional parameters at third stage injection into
geostationary transfer orbit were:
Perigee: 297.8 km for a target of 299.80 km Apogee: 35624 km for
a target of 35,934 km Inclination: 7.00 for a target of 7 degrees.
Intelsat 702, the tenth satellite entrusted by Intelsat to
Arianespace, was built by Space Systems/LORAL in Palo Alto,
California. Weighing 3,695 kg (8, 129 lb.) at lift-off, it is
equipped with 26 C-band transponders and 10 Ku-band transponders.
It will provide international telephony links, television program
transmission and video transmissions for the Atlantic region.
Flight 64 also placed two microsatellites, STRV 1A and 1B, into
geostationary transfer orbit for the British Ministry of Defence.
Built by the UK Defence Research Agency as prime contractor, these
satellites are designed as technological demonstrators and for
scientific investigations.
The next launch, Flight 65, is now scheduled for July 8, 1994.
An Ariane 44L launch vehicle will place two satellites into
geostationary orbit: the PanAmSat 2 Telecommunications satellite for
PanAmSat of the United States, and the BS-3N direct TV broadcast
satellite for NHK (Japan).
As of June 4, 1994, following Flight 64, Arianespace's backlog
now stands at 39 satellites to be launched, worth about 18 billion
French Francs (or about 3.1 billion US$).
C-COR Electronics
C-COR Electronics, Inc. announced that Rogers Cablesystems
Limited, will be using C-COR modules and new electronic equipment to
upgrade approximately 15 systems throughout Canada by the end of
December 1995. The project is designed to achieve two goals:
complete the total bandwidth increase from 450 MHz to 550 MHz in the
Rogers' systems not currently at that capacity and increase return
path capacity to 5-42 MHz throughout all of Rogers' systems in
Canada. As part of the upgrade program, over 70,000 existing
feedforward trunks and line extenders will be retrofitted. In
addition, over 20,000 new feedforward trunks and line extenders will
be purchased to complete the project.
Commenting on the upgrade program, Rogers Cablesystems' Vice
President, Engineering and Technology, Nick Hamilton-Piercy, stated,
"This ambitious project will put us in a position to offer advanced
voice, video, and data services to our customers throughout Canada.
We chose C-COR for the quality and reliability of its products and
the company's excellent service reputation."
Home Shopping Network
Home Shopping Club, Inc. (HSC), subsidiary of Home Shopping
Network, Inc., has signed five more cable affiliation contracts
during the past weeks, bringing its total count of recently signed
agreements with cable multiple system operators (MSO) to 16. The
MSOs will air Home Shopping Club programming.
Recognising the need for strong partnerships with MSOs, Gerald
Hogan, president and chief executive officer of HSN, said, "In view
of the extremely tight channel capacity faced by all programmers in
the cable industry, we plan to dedicate a substantial amount of our
corporate energy to attaining the broadest household reach and
strongest cable alliance network possible."
Home Shopping has signed cable affiliate agreements with these
leading MSOs:
Comcast Cable Communications, the nation's fourth largest MSO
Sammons Communications, Inc the 14th largest MSO in the country.
The Lenfest Group, the nation's 23rd largest MSO. Multimedia
Cablevision Inc., the nation's 31st largest MSO. TKR, the nation's
32nd largest MSO.
California Amplifier Inc.
California Amplifier Inc announced an agreement with CAI
Wireless Systems to purchase the company's Wireless Cable products
under a purchase order valued at approximately $850,000. The bulk
of the CAI order is for the company's 33 Channel Low Noise Block
down converter and integrated Yagi antenna (LNBY) product. The LNBY
integrates two components, the downconverter and the receive
antenna, into one easily installed compact design.
CAI, a large Multiple System Operator, MSO, of Wireless Cable
Systems in the eastern United States, operates a Wireless Cable
System in Albany, N.Y., and holds FCC licenses for upcoming Wireless
Cable Systems in the Virginia Beach, Va., Hartford, Conn., and
Rochester, N.Y., markets.
Country Music Television
The CRTC awarded a license to a new Canadian-owned country music
channel proposed by MH Radio/Rawlco Partnership.
In connection with that decision, the CRTC issued a separate
decision (CRTC 1994-61) that removes CMT from the list of U.S.
speciality services eligible for carriage by Canadian cable
companies. CMT will cease providing its service to its Canadian
affiliates when the new service is launched, sometime in late 1994
or early 1995.
CMT, which launched in Canada in 1984, currently reaches over
1.9 million Canadian cable television homes as well as 24.5 million
television homes in the United States. In addition, CMT Europe,
which launched in 1992, reaches over 8.4 million European television
homes.
CMT issued the following statement:
"We are disappointed that, as a result of the CRTC decision, CMT
will no longer be available to our loyal Canadian cable affiliates
and their cable subscribers. While we are disturbed with the CRTC's
decision, we will do what we can to encourage the CRTC to find some
way to return Country Music Television to Canadian country music
fans. We are currently evaluating our options, including an appeal
of this decision.
"We believe that, over the past ten years, CMT has been a
welcomed country music video service for Canadian cable operators
and Canadian television viewers. While the financial impact of
CMT's removal from the Canadian market is insignificant, we are
concerned that this decision does not seem to take Canadian
television viewers or their cable operators into account when
deciding to remove CMT from their channel lineups.
"In addition, CMT has become a very valuable showcase for
Canadian country music artists in Canada and the United States.
Canadian country music artists also have a valuable 'window to the
world' via CMT Europe, which is seen in a growing number of
countries throughout Europe. Many of the music industry executives
who supported a Canadian country music channel did not consider that
the de-listing of CMT was a likely outcome.
"We, in fact, support a Canadian country music channel and
stated so in a letter to the CRTC in January. We believe a variety
of channels will create more compelling country music television
programming and will generate greater viewer interest. This
protectionist decision is perplexing for these reasons.
"In view of the fact that the United States does not
discriminate against Canadian television services (MuchMusic and the
CBC will soon be available to U.S. viewers via DBS and cable), we
find this action to be unneighbourly.
"The CRTC's decision should have no impact upon the growth of
CMT around the world."
Loral, Alcatel and France Telecom
Loral Corporation Alcatel and France Telecom announced that
France Telecom has through a joint venture with Alcatel become a
strategic partner in Globalstar, a new low-cost, easy-access,
world-wide satellite-based mobile telephone system. The joint
venture, TESAM, will be an owner and service provider of Globalstar
in France and a significant number of other territories.
In March of this year, Loral announced that it and an
international consortium of companies are investing $275 million in
Globalstar.
France Telecom is taking 51 percent of the TESAM joint venture
and Alcatel 49 percent. The total investment in the joint venture
is $37.5 million and represents about 8.3 percent of the ownership
of Globalstar.
Already present in the analogue cellular market and more
recently in digital cellular with the deployment of its Itineris GSM
network, France Telecom is positioning itself among the future
marketers of global satellite-based mobile telephone systems. The
TESAM venture complements other activities of France Telecom in
mobile satellite communications: participation in Inmarsat,
Satellite Aircom (telephone service in long- haul aircraft) and
Euteltracs (European system of radio messaging and location of road
transport vehicles.
France Telecom brings to Globalstar its expertise in the
development of different system components and in particular in the
interconnection of terrestrial networks. France Telecom will do so
by bringing the support of its operating units and of its research
centre, CNET, to TESAM activities. In making the announcement,
Bernard L. Schwartz, chairman and chief executive officer of Loral
Corporation, said, "We are very pleased to welcome France Telecom
into the Globalstar partnership. The addition of this international
Telecommunications leader adds further validation to Globalstar's
business plan and technology."
Globalstar, which will begin service in 1998, will offer voice,
data, fax and position locating services employing a constellation
of 48 low-earth-orbit satellites circumnavigating the globe. Its
world-wide addressable market is estimated at more than 33 million
subscribers by 2012. The cost to the end user will be substantially
below other competing mobile satellite service rates and at only a
modest premium over existing cellular services. The handset will be
dual-mode and comparably priced to existing subscriber terminals.
Subscribers to Globalstar, including those who now use roaming
services and those without current service in developing nations,
will be able to make and receive calls with hand-held or remote
fixed-site telephones from anywhere to anywhere in the world.
SSE Telecom and EchoStar
The agreement to combine the direct broadcast satellite (DBS)
licenses owned by subsidiaries of SSE Telecom Inc. and privately
held EchoStar Communications Corp., Englewood, Colo., has moved a
step closer to completion with the closing on June 7, 1994, of
EchoStar's $335 million debt financing.
As previously announced, the merger of the DBS licenses owned by
the SSE Telecom and EchoStar subsidiaries is subject to two
conditions: first, completion of a qualified financing of at least
$200 million by EchoStar, which now has been satisfied; and second,
to approval of the combination by the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC). The FCC approval process is underway.
Directsat Corp., an 80 percent-owned subsidiary of SSE Telecom
and Echostar Satellite Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar
Communications, each hold FCC satellite construction permits and
orbital slot assignments at 119 degrees west, one of the three
orbital slots located over the United States that provides full
broadcast coverage to the entire continental United States.
Under the agreement, which has been approved by the boards of
directors of all four companies, Directsat's shareholders will
receive an approximate 3 percent equity interest in EchoStar
Communications (EchoStar) in exchange for all of Directsat's
outstanding stock.
TURKSAT READY
Turkey's telecommunications satellite Turksat 1B built for
Turkey by a French group is ready for launch in July. Readers will
remember that Turksat 1A, the first of two satellites built by
French Aerospatiale and Alcatel together with MBB of Germany, was
lost in January when the European Ariane rocket failed to inject it
into orbit.
According to Turkish officials everything is on schedule and the
launch will be between July 27 and 29. Turksat 1B's footprint will
cover from Central Europe to Central Asia and will end Turkey's
communication problems due to mountainous terrain.
The satellite will carry data, telephony and up to 22 television
channels.
General Instrument Corporation
General Instrument Corporation has been selected by NYNEX
CableComms Ltd., one of the United Kingdom's largest communications
operators, as the primary supplier of cable television technology
for its broadband systems in north-west England.
According to terms of the agreement, GI will supply its
consumer-friendly ICFT-2000 series addressable terminals primed for
interactive television services. GI is also building the unified
headend system that will enable NYNEX CableComms to control its 10
franchise, 1.5 million home network. The system includes GI's
access control technology for transmission of 60 television channels
and a range of multimedia services. GI will also provide
downloadable graphics software for NYNEX's local operations to send
menu-based program guides, information and personal messages to
subscriber sets.
Hal Krisbergh, president of the GI Communications Division of
General Instrument, pointed to the agreement as yet another sign of
the acceptance of broadband network architecture for converging
telephony/cable services.
"Our expertise in broadband technology allows us to offer
practical schemes for Telecommunications companies evolving into new
service markets," Krisbergh said. "We are very pleased to be
working with NYNEX CableComms to develop this forward-looking
venture."
NYNEX also announced an agreement with Nokia to provide
switching technology and network positioning.
"Having our own switching platform allows us to introduce a
wider range of services than offered by the existing traditional
fixed line telephone market, " explained Bruce Rabuffo, NYNEX
CableComms' chief operating officer and group executive director.
"Through service differentiation, we are targeting both residential
and business customers, offering services such as call forwarding,
call divert and call waiting."
The company's strategic objective, Rabuffo said, is to provide
service that is responsive and tailored to customer needs.
"It is with these objectives in mind that we chose Nokia and
General Instrument as our suppliers for our Telecommunications
network infrastructure and cable television customers," he
continued. "They not only have the right equipment, but also share
our values and goals regarding quality and responsiveness, plus
sharing our vision of what will be needed to meet future demands."
General Instrument Corporation also has been selected by
Ford Motor Company to provide the network control system including
the video encoding, receiving and decoding equipment for its
recently announced "Fordstar" VSAT satellite network that will link
Ford and its dealerships in a two-way data and one-way video
network.
When fully installed the "Fordstar" system will be the most
comprehensive VSAT business television network in North America.
The DigiCipher(R) digital compression system will enable Ford to
ultimately deliver up to eight discrete programs simultaneously,
using a dedicated transponder. Ford will also retrofit its existing
internal corporate television network (FCN) to utilise this emerging
DigiCipher II/MPEG 2 technology in 1995. An average of two
DigiCipher Integrated Receiver/Decoders (IRDs) will be installed at
each dealership and corporate site.
"Ford's selection of GI's DigiCipher system to launch
'Fordstar' is an outstanding endorsement of GI's continuing
expansion into the private network arena," said Rick Friedland,
president and chief operating officer of General Instrument
Corporation. "The 'Fordstar' project, in addition to the education
network GI developed for PBS, are important models of how digital
television technology can be used for distance education, in this
case to improve business and customer service," Friedland said.
Ford will also equip each dealership for live "distance
education" training courses where dealer employees and their
Ford-based teachers can fully interact with voice dialogue and
testing.
"Ford is embracing communications as a strategic tool in its
pursuit to achieve customer satisfaction," said Tom Wagner, Ford's
vice president, Customer Communications and Satisfaction. "We are
convinced that if we can win the competition in education, training,
and communication, we can execute the customer satisfaction equation
and make increased owner loyalty a reality."
Within the company, Ford also plans to expand its existing
daily television news service and its live interactive education and
training activities which have been piloted with great success.
"While it is true that many of our competitors have networks
in place, none is equipped to send more than one television signal
at a time, none uses high-speed compressed digital video technology
and none is equipped to use interactive voice and data as a basis
for training and communication," said Wagner.
RIMSAT
Four of seven transponders onboard the new Gorizont
satellite that Rimsat, Ltd., launched on April 20 are now under
long-term lease to two new customers, according to Michael
Sternberg, chief operating officer of the Fort Wayne, Ind., company.
Asian Broadcasting Corporation, Ltd., headquartered in
Jersey, the Channel Islands, United Kingdom, will use three
transponders for video transmission. Celcom, a division of TRI of
Kuala Lumpur, will use the fourth transponder to provide VSAT
service linking cellular sites in eastern and western Malaysia.
Designated Rimsat 2, the Gorizont launched from the Baikinour
Cosmodrome by a Proton SL-12 rocket on April 20 "has taken up
position at 142.5 degrees East and completed all operational tests
with flying colours," Sternberg said.
The company plans to begin launching a series of larger
Express satellites starting in the Fall of 1994. Two of those
satellites will be positioned over the Indian and Pacific Oceans at
70 and 170.5 degrees East, Sternberg said. TongaSat, the satellite
authority of the Kingdom of Tonga, recently licensed the slots to
Rimsat.
COMSAT
COMSAT Corporation reported that a federal judge has denied a
PanAmSat motion to add 15 new defendants and several new claims to
its pending antitrust lawsuit against COMSAT.
Judge John F. Keenan of the U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of New York ruled June 7 that PanAmSat's motion to
add 13 INTELSAT Signatories and two parent companies to the
antitrust case was "inexcusably delayed." In addition, the judge
noted that on a previous occasion, PanAmSat had admitted that adding
INTELSAT Signatories as defendants would be improper.
"We've been confident all along that the facts in this case will
demonstrate that there is no validity to PanAmSat's allegations,"
said Bruce L. Crockett, president and CEO of COMSAT. "This latest
ruling sets the stage for bringing this matter to a conclusion in
due course." Judge Keenan said that allowing the PanAmSat amendment
would undoubtedly delay the disposition of this case for years.
"COMSAT would be prejudiced by this delay, as well as by the
dramatic changes in the nature of the allegations and the exposure
claimed against it," he wrote.
PanAmSat had also threatened that -- if the court denied its
motion -- it would sue the other Signatories separately and then ask
the court to consolidate that lawsuit into the COMSAT case. Judge
Keenan made clear in his latest ruling, however, that if PanAmSat
chooses to file a new suit, it will not be consolidated.
The judge also ruled that discovery in the COMSAT case is to be
completed by Sept. 9, 1994.
Warren Zeger, vice president and general counsel of COMSAT, said
that a status conference would be held by the court on Sept. 12,
1994, at which time "COMSAT would propose a schedule for the court
to act on a motion for summary judgement."
SJI EuroWatch ....
By Martyn Williams in London
Berlusconi accuses RAI of bias
------------------------------
Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has accused Italian
state TV, RAI, of bias in it's reporting during the election
campaign and subsequent reporting of the new, Berlusconi led, Forza
Italia government. EBU President, and BR chief, Albert Scharf was
one of the first to condemn Berlusconi for his comments.
Through his ownership of Fininvest, Berlusconi controls Italy's
three top commercial TV networks, Italia 1, Rete 4 and Canale 5. The
company also has interests in other TV stations throughout Europe
and several magazines in Italy. Fininvest executives also occupy
most of the seats in the Italian government.
Many complained of blatant media manipulation during the
campaign when Berlusconi used his TV networks to promote Forza
Italia.
D-Day anniversary fills the sky
-------------------------------
Undoubtedly, the satellite event of the week was the 50th
anniversary of the D-day landings and the commemorative events that
went with them. Numerous newsfeeds were sighted right across the
sky with the Reuters London transponder on Intelsat K becoming "RTV
NORMANDY" for the weekend. Live coverage was carried in all of the
nations taking part in the commemorations from the UK, Belgium and
France.
The technical quality of CNN's live coverage of UK events seemed
particularly poor compared with those on BBC 1 and a look at the US
network pool on Eutelsat 2F3 revealed that the signal leaving the
UK, in NTSC, was of very poor quality.
6 June 1994 - UAP's D-Day
-------------------------
The same day was also D-Day for United Artists Programming but
it had a different meaning. In UAP's case, D-Day was digital day.
UAP, parent company of seven TV stations has changed to digital
transmission for three cable services. Wire TV, The Learning
Channel and The Parliamentary Channel are now being broadcast as a
digitally compressed signal on the old Parliamentary Channel
transponder.
The new standard ensures that the services, which were
officially cable only, are now only received by authorised cable
networks that have paid for the stations. The pictures in
subscribers home should also be of a higher quality and less
resistant to rain degradation. Since the new service started on 6
June The Parliamentary Channel has been sending in analogue on the
new channel of 11.476 GHz, H. This service is expected to be only
temporary whilst other authorised users of TPC are converted to
digital.
General Instrument wins big Nynex contract
-------------------------------------------
One of the UK's leaders in cable television and telecoms has
chosen US based GI to provide cable TV terminals as the networks
looks towards the future.
The new GI terminals are described as user friendly and
interactive TV ready. Nynex provides 1.5 million UK homes, mostly
in the north, with a cable TV service. In addition to the contract
for user terminals the deal also contracts GI to build a new head
end system allowing Nynex to individually control each converter and
allow up to 60 channels onto the network. Most UK networks
currently offer up to 30 channels and most homes are not
individually addressable. When the system is built it will be a
showcase for other network operators to emulate.
Bertelsmann, TCI plan new music channel
---------------------------------------
German multi media concern, Bertelsmann (BMG), and America's
largest cable operator, TCI, are planning a new music channel to
rival MTV in the United States. The new channel, full details of
which have not been announced, will rival the upcoming music service
from Sony, Time Warner, Thorn EMI and Polygram.
CMR missing
-----------
Astra country music radio station, CMR, is not currently
broadcasting. A tape loop on the Sky Sports audio subcarrier
declares " We regret the interruption of service. Country Music
Radio is currently unavailable <click> ". CMR was part of the
Quality Music Radio group which recently collapsed bringing an end
to QEFM. A technical problem is understood to be the reason for the
lapse in transmission.
BBC staff strike again
----------------------
Staff at BBC television and radio held another one day stoppage
on 10 June. The action came after negotiations broke down between
the National Union of Journalists and the engineers union BECTU and
BBC management. The corporation's bosses want to impose new work
patterns and pay routines. Some of the news output was disrupted on
BBC TV and radio. The unions are threatening another strike to
coincide with the coverage of the European election results on
Sunday night.
QVC welcomes Europe
-------------------
UK based home shopping network, QVC, has begun aiming programmes
at a European audience after its recent inclusion in the Multichoice
Kaleidoscope package. The channel's teletext service now carries
telephone numbers for the European countries it broadcasts to and
regular reference is made on screen to conversions from the mainly
imperial UK sizes used to the metric sizes used throughout the rest
of Europe.
Broadcasters prepare for World Cup '94
--------------------------------------
The US feeds are already getting busy with reports for all of
the European networks from corespondents already in the USA. The
World Cup boasts the world's largest TV audience and will draw
millions of viewers continent wide. In Europe, satellite dish
owners can see most matches live on ARD, ZDF, Eurosport and MBC.
Other satellites to watch for feed material from the US are any
of the Atlantic Ocean Intelsats. Transponders have been reserved on
Intelsats at 18W, 24.5W and 35W and on PanAmSat. The host
broadcaster for the championship is Europe's own EBU. The EBU
circuits will run full time on NASA's TDRSS satellite at 41W.
BBC WSTV - news from Hong Kong, Japan
-------------------------------------
The BBC have just re-entered the television market in Hong Kong.
An agreement with the countries only cable operator, Wharf Cable,
has put four hours of BBC World Service news onto the networks
"International Channel" as of 11 June. The BBC were part of Rupert
Murdoch's Star TV package until they ended their agreement for
carriage on the North beam of Asiasat. The BBC remain part of the
Star package for the Indian region.
World Service TV still haven't finalised satellite details for home
reception. The feed to Wharf is understood to be taken from the
digital BBC feed going to New Zealand.
In Japan the BBC are about to launch World Service TV onto cable
networks with DTH reception following soon. The Japanese service
will include four hours a night of prime time programming broadcast
in two channel sound, English and Japanese.
Radio Xanadu changes to Energy Munchen
---------------------------------------
German rock station, Radio Xanadu, has changed it's name
following the sale of 40% of the station to French radio group NRJ.
The station, available Europe-wide via the DSR radio packet is now
calling itself Energy Munchen.
New logo for Eurosport
----------------------
Eurosport has begun using a new logo. The logo made it's first
on screen appearance on Friday June 17 as part of the World Cup
soccer coverage. The logo has been appearing in Eurosport press
advertisements and on the stand at the Cable and Satellite 94 show
in London back in April.
The new logo is little different to the old one.
New look for RTL Text
----------------------
RTL Text, the teletext service of RTL Television has been
re-structured. The new look to the service has brought most of the
page numbers in line with the ARD/ZDF model which most other German
TV stations follow.
Global TV tests
---------------
A new Asian TV service, Global TV, has been seen testing on
Eutelsat 2F3. The channel in use is 10.987 GHz H, also used by HRT
Croatian television.
Turksat tries again
-------------------
Turksat 1B should be launched in mid July. The launch of this
satellite has been brought forward due to the failure of an Ariane
vehicle carrying the original Turksat 1A satellite earlier this
year. The satellite carries 16 transponders delivering a powerful
51 dBW signal across Turkey. Due to it's orbital position of 31 or
42 degrees East, the satellite can put a 48 dBW signal into central
Europe and a 45 dBW signal into central Asia.
ARD Radio is market leader
--------------------------
Germany's national broadcaster, ARD Radio, is the market leader
in Germany. According to recently released figures 35.87 million
people listen to an ARD radio station every weekday. Leading ARD
station, WDR 4, also available on Astra, attracts 1.17m listeners
whilst the top private radio station Antenne Bayern counts 640,000
listeners on an average weekday.
MCM keeps on expanding
----------------------
The French language alternative to MTV, MCM Euromusique, is now
offering viewers in Germany subscriptions. The channel has been
available for some time in the UK. The subscriptions offered are
for the D2-MAC service via TDF 1 at 19 degrees West. This satellite
is a DBS bird so the signal is only receivable in and around France.
Subscriptions for the SECAM service on Telecom are only available to
French viewers as part of the Canal Satellit package.
Radio news
----------
The unidentified radio station on EDTV Dubai's channel on Arabsat
has been identified. The station is Dubai Jamhurya. The station
broadcasts on the 7.20 MHz subcarrier of EDTV Dubai (3.955 GHz LZ)
alongside Dubai's English language sender, Dubai FM on 7.74 MHz.
German station JAM FM is in financial trouble. Only a few months
after the dance music station started on Kopernikus they have run
into problems. JAM FM uses a subcarrier on the Franco-German Arte
channel but needs more exposure.
ISS Radio, which broadcasts several channels of narrow band audio
via Kopernikus may be taking the service digital.
In brief ...
------------
The RTL Radio news and sports service, Nachrichten- und Sport
Radioservice GmbH, has signed a new co-operation agreement with
Agence France Presse. AFP will join with NSR to produce a single
radio news service for German radio stations. NSR supplies 20 radio
stations with their current service.
The Adult Channel has dropped subscription prices in Germany.
Subscribers now pay DM 199 compared with the old price of DM 399.
The new price is more comparable with the price UK viewers pay of
GBP 50.
The Russians launched another satellite on 7 June. A Cosmos 2281
satellite was put into orbit by a Soyuz rocket for the Russian
military.
German TV channel VIVA plans a teletext service.
Romanian TV is planning a Eutelsat service.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Satellite Journal
International
Volume 2 Issue 13
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
------The DTP version is mailed via air or First Class and has
product information, reviews and other items not in the electronic
version.
U.S.A. $45.00 U.S. Dollars
Canada $55.00 Canadian Dollars
(Discount for FNL/OMEGA listeners)
U.K. 55.00 Sterling
Other rates are in U.S. funds
Europe $75.00
Rest of World $85.00
------For information or to subscribe please contact Satellite
Journal International at:
71165...@Compuserve.com or
P.O. Box 2065
Burleson Texas
76097-2065 U.S.A.
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Copyright 1994 Satellite Journal International