of interest plus debt-like preferred dividends was 2.55
times.
     Standard & Poor's expects that cash balances will be
used, in part, to fund new business investments including
the Fox News Channel and the company's global DTH interests,
which in aggregate are likely to continue requiring funding
support over at least the next one to two years.
                              
          Hughes to build new satellite for Sweden
  Hughes has been awarded a contract for Sirius 3.
     The satellite will be an HS 376 high-power model
satellite and will provide direct-to-home television
services to the Scandinavian region.  Hughes will also
upgrade NSAB's satellite-control centre at Esrange, Kiruna,
and will provide training to the satellite controllers.
     The current NSAB constellation includes Sirius 1, also
an HS 376 model, which was built for British Satellite
Broadcasting and sold to NSAB in-orbit in 1993, and Sirius
2, which is being built by another manufacturer and will be
launched later this year.  Sirius 3 will replace Sirius 1
and will be located at 5 degrees east longitude.
     Sirius 3 will have 15 Ku-band transponders and will use
gallium arsenide solar cells to generate 1400 watts of
spacecraft power.  Hughes will deliver the satellite on-
ground to NSAB in July 1998.  Planned service life is 12
years, assuming an Ariane launch.  NSAB will make launch-
vehicle arrangements separately.
                              
          Commerce Committee: Proposed legislation
From: Satjournal@aol.com
     Rep. Bliley, chairman of the U.S. House Commerce
Committee, introduced this week a bill,  the "Communications
Satellite Competition and Privatization Act of 1997,"  which
would amend the Communications Satellite Act of 1962 to
promote competition and Privatization in satellite
communications.  The bill sets parameters and timetables for
the Privatization of Intelsat and for changes to the
regulation of Comsat Corporation, the U.S.  signatory to
Intelsat.  Rep.  Edward Markey (D-MA), the ranking Democrat
on the House Commerce telecommunications subcommittee, co-
sponsored the bill.
     Among the bill's features are setting a deadline for
Intelsat's Privatization and prohibiting Intelsat from
registering additional orbital slots or expanding into new
services during the transition.  It would also strip Comsat
and any future privatised Intelsat entity of their treaty-
related privileges and immunities.  Also, the bill would
prohibit Intelsat and its future privatised affiliate from
providing anything but core services in the United States if
they failed to meet the bill's new requirements.
                              
           OrbView-2 Satellite Arrives at Vandenberg
                 The OrbView-2 commercial imaging satellite
has arrived at the Vandenberg Air Force Base, California
launch site where it is being integrated with the Pegasus XL
rocket that will launch it into low- Earth orbit in July.
Once in orbit, OrbView-2 will be the world's first privately
owned satellite to provide multi-spectral images of the
Earth's ocean and land surfaces that will be used by
commercial customers and scientific researchers.
     ORBIMAGE will collect and process colour images of the
Earth's oceans to produce fish finding maps that commercial
fishing fleets will use to reduce search time, lower
operating expenses and increase profitability.
                              
                       Cricket Anyone!
     USSB will televise two of the world's best one-day
international cricket teams as they do battle in June.  The
series includes two test matches and a one-day international
match between the World Cup One-Day International Champions,
Sri Lanka and the West Indies.
     The first broadcast is scheduled to begin on June 15,
with a highlight program featuring coverage from the one-day
international match on June 6.  The second program,
broadcast on June 22, will include coverage from the test
matches from June 13-17.  The final program, broadcast on
June 29, will include coverage from the second test matches
on June 20-24.  Each program will begin at 5:00 p.m. EDT.
The broadcasts will be on channel 905.
                              
                              Goal!
     Looking for soccer matches this summer! PanAmSat
expects to transmit more than 2,000 hours in 1997 of the
world's premier soccer matches for leading international
programmers, including ESPN, Fox Sports Americas, Italy's
Radio Televisione Italiana (RAI) and virtually every major
broadcaster in Latin America.  Among the transmissions will
be coverage of several qualifying matches for the 1998 World
Cup finals in France.
     Some of the 1997 soccer matches and tournaments carried
via PanAmSat satellites include:
"    The Copa America soccer tournament transmitted from
 Bolivia by a range of broadcasters including Canal 4 El
 Salvador, Canal 5 Honduras, Canal 13 Panama, Canal 13
 Paraguay, Canal 4 Peru, Caracol TV Colombia, Channel 5
 Haiti, Fox Sports Americas, Gamavision Ecuador, Televisa
 Mexico, Torneos Network Argentina, TV Bandeirantes, TV Globo
 and others throughout the Caribbean basin.  The tournament
 will take place June 11 through June 29 and involves the top
 teams from Latin America.
"    Tournaments played in France (June), Malaysia
 (June/July), Egypt (September) and Saudi Arabia (December)
 for broadcasters including Organizacion de la Televisione
 Ibero-America (OTI), Telemundo, TV Azteca and TV Globo.
"    World Cup qualifying matches in the Americas and Europe
 and involving teams from Argentina, Bolivia, Canada,
 Colombia, Croatia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Holland, Italy,
 Jamaica, Mexico, Poland, Slovenia, Turkey and the United
 States.  Broadcasters receiving transmissions include Canal
 13 Chile, the United Kingdom's CSI, ESPN, Gamavision
 Ecuador, OTI, Telefe, Televisa, Torneos Network and TVN
 Chile.  The games run through November.
"    Italian, Spanish, English, German and Union of European
 Football Associations league matches for ESPN, Fox Sports
 Americas, OTI and RAI throughout the year.
                              
           Microsoft invests $1 billion in Comcast
     Microsoft will make an investment of $1 billion in
Comcast, the fourth-largest cable television operator in the
US. The $1 billion cash investment will enhance Comcast's
deployment of high-speed data and video services via its
cable delivery network.
     Microsoft will purchase 24,642,681 shares of Class A
Special Common Stock for $500 million at $20.29 per share
and $500 million of a new issue of Comcast Series B
Convertible Preferred Stock. The Comcast Series B
Convertible Preferred Stock will have a 5.25 percent pay-in-
kind dividend and will be initially convertible into
21,243,691 shares, which equals an initial conversion price
of $23.54 per share. The number of shares into which the
issue can be converted will not increase due to the pay-in-
kind dividend as the conversion price increases
proportionately to the amount of accrued dividends.  The
issue will have a final maturity of 20 years, but may be
redeemed at Microsoft's option or called by Comcast after
seven years. The investment is expected to close this month.
                              
                 HBCO Distribution Contract
      Hungarian Broadcasting Corp. has signed a satellite
distribution contract with Antenna Hungaria using space on
the Amos satellite.  Service is expected to begin June 26,
1997.  Antenna Hungaria will provide satellite-to-cable
transmission services for HBCO's Hungarian broadcasting
station, MSAT, to cable operators in Hungary.  This
distribution is in addition to the AM Micro transmission in
Budapest. HBCO will cease transmitting MSAT's signal on the
Astra satellite effective June 30.
     
                              
        Russian/American Venture to Replace Gorizonts
     The Russian Satellite Communications Company has signed
joint agreements with U.S.  Russian Telecommunication and
Hughes that could lead to the replacement of three ageing
Gorizont satellites operating in the 53 degree East, 90
degree East, and 103 degree East orbital slots.
     RSCC will make available the orbital slots and launch
services beginning in 1998 with the replacement of Gorizont
32 (53 degE).  It is anticipated that each of the new
satellites will offer 42 to 48 transponders both in C-band
and Ku-band frequency and that all three satellites will be
on orbit and operational by 2001.
                              
                      Upcoming Launches
    "    Check our web site for current listings of 1997
                          launches.
"    Click on "Launch Info".
     Next Ariane Launch          Next Atlas/Delta Launch
Intelsat 802 --June 25, 1997   Superbird C -- July 22, 1997
         Flight 96
Satellite       Intelsat 802
Manufacturer      Lockheed
                   Martin
Type                7000
Mass at Lift-       3,420
Off
Stabilisation      3-axis
Payload           36 C Band
                  6 Ku Band
Design Life       15 years
Coverage        Asia Pacific
Orbital           174 East
Position
                              
                              
            New files and documents at our WebStand
1    DVB News International Vol. 2 No 4
1    PBS Monthly Programming Schedule
1    PBS Weekly Previews
1    A&E Prime Time Schedule
 
                              
                          In Brief
"    Cox Communications Inc. will include Bloomberg
 Television in its digital service offerings, which are
 scheduled to be launched later this year.
"    Non-stop cartoons are coming to Japan as Turner
 Broadcasting System Inc., Time Warner Inc. and Itochu Corp.
 launch a Japanese version of the Cartoon Network. The new
 network will launch on September 1 and be available to cable
 viewers and on the PerfecTV digital satellite broadcasting
 service.
"    Channel One Network has renewed its subscription to
 WTN's satellite news services through the turn of the
 century. Under the agreement, Channel One Network receives
 WTN Daily Satellite News Service which includes video of
 breaking international news events, entertainment and sports
 news from across the globe.
"    Home Box Office plans to begin offering digital high-
 definition television programming by next summer. HBO's is
 one of the first cable companies to adopt HDTV.
"    ICO Global Communications announced supply contracts
 with leading mobile telephone manufacturers  Mitsubishi and
 NEC to develop and manufacture mobile phones with an
 integrated satellite aerial.
     
"    Starting in August, BBC World and BBC Prime will be
 transmitted  from one EUTELSAT transponder at the 13 degrees
 Hot Bird position.
"    ICO Global Communications has purchased  a new building
 in the greater London area to install its Satellite Control
 Centre and Back-up Network Management Centre. The  building
 will be completed in time for the launch of ICO's first
 satellite. The London Satellite Control Centre will perform
 all management and control functions of the eventual
 constellation of 10 operational satellites.
"    China successfully launched Fengyun 2, is a second-
 generation meteorological satellite developed by Chinese
 scientists. It was launched by a Long March 3 carrier rocket
 at the Xichang Satellite Launching Centre in south-west
 China's Sichuan Province.
"    General Instrument will co- produce DigiCipher II/MPEG-
 2 digital consumer satellite receivers in China for use in
 that country
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