Apparently-to: scdx@get.pp.se
From: "George Wood" 
Kirch are in intensive negotiations that could lead to close
cooperation of their joint pay TV channel Premiere and Kirch's upstart
DF-1, the companies said on June 16. But officials from both companies
called unlikely a report in the news weekly Der Spiegel which said the
sought- after cooperation could go as far as a merger of Premiere and
the smaller digital pay TV rival DF-1. 
A Bertelsmann spokesman said any talk of a merger of DF1 and Premiere
is "highly speculative". 
Bertelsmann and French pay TV group Canal Plus each hold 37.5 percent
of Premiere, which has over 1.5 million subscribers to its analog
broadcasting service. Kirch holds the remaining 25 percent of
Premiere, but last sought to gain the upper hand in the emerging
market for digital pay TV by launching the DF-1 network in competition
to Premiere. 
Since then, the three Premiere partners have been feuding and have
appeared close to a deal on at least two previous occasions. But
industry analysts say the time is now right for the two companies to
make a deal. Deutsche Telekom, the telecommunications giant with
Germany's only national cable television network, is hoping to set the
stage in the next few months for a major pay TV promotion in time for
the key Christmas shopping season. And without a deal, huge start-up
losses continue to hit DF-1, which still has no deal with Telekom over
cable broadcasting and therefore is only available over satellite
networks. DF1 has just 40,000 subscribers, far short of original
forecasts of at least 200,000 by the end of last year. 
Any deal could also involve Kirch raising his stake in Premiere should
Canal Plus decide to sell all or part of its stake in the company,
which has been under discussion for months. 
The next round of meetings between Bertelsmann and Kirch could be as
soon as this weekend, when Deutsche Telekom is scheduled to hold
another set of industry-wide talks on the future of the cable
television industry in Germany. (Reuters)
ASTRA--MTV UK launches on July 1 on Astra transponder 15. (James
Robinson)
The Hungarian M-Sat is leaving Astra transponder 73 and moving to
Israel's Amos-1. (James Robinson)
Dutch Summer Television returns on July 1, in MPEG-2 on Astra. A PAL
version may also use transponder 58 after Granda Good Life signs off
at 20:00 hrs UTC. (James Robinson)
On June 21 Germany's DF-1 will be adding 5 new MPEG channels: Planet
(documentaries), Seasons (hunting and fishing), Cineclassics 1 and 2,
and DSG Action (sports). This will probably be on transponder 91.
(James Robinson)
Premiere 2 in encoded PAL may be coming to Astra transponder 11 in
September (this is still carrying Filmnet). Premiere 2 is already part
of the digital Premier package on tansponder 85. (James Robinson)
EUTELSAT--Eutelsat has confirmed that BBC Prime in digital MPEG-2 will
join the analog BBC World transponder on Eutelsat II-F1 in August.
(Eutelsat) 
Thaiwave has left Eutelsat II-F3 11.163 GHz. (Richard Karlsson in
"Aftonbladet")
Polsat 2 has left 11.348 GHz on Hot Bird 1, because of uplink
problems. ("SATCO DX Chart Update")
AMOS--Poland's ATV on 11.388 GHz has switched from PAL to MPEG-2.
("SATCO DX Chart Update")
INTELSAT--Russia's NTV is in clear MPEG-2 on Intelsat 604, on 11.515
GHz. ("SATCO DX Chart Update")
ORION--The Landscape Channel is broadcasting in clear MPEG-2 on Orion
1 on 11.622 GHz. ("SATCO DX Chart Update")
RADIO--On July 1 10 SRG radio stations from Switzerland will start
broadcasts from Astra transponder 45, using digital ADR. 
Tamil Radio is broadcasting on audio 7.56 MHz on the Movie Channel
transponder 18 on Astra. 
On ZDF's Astra transponder 33, there are two new digital radio station
using 7.38 MHz. Granada FM, which transmits to motorway service
stations, is in mono A, while the Student Radio Network, which plays
indie label records, is mono B. The transmissions are not yet ADR-
compliant. When the equipment for full ADR is installed next week, the
two channels will leave Astra transponder 54, 5.56 MHz. (James
Robinson)
AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST
AFRICA--On June 15 African Information Ministers met in Cairo for a
three day long conference. According to Egyptian Minister of
Information Safwat Sherif, the discussions will center around
launching the first African communications satellite. Creating an
African radio and TV network will also be discussed. If "Africa Sat
TV" becomes a reality, there will be programs in Arabic, English,
French, Portuguese, and four African languages. (TT-AFP)
MIDDLE EAST TELEVISION--On June 5 Middle East Television, a station in
southern Lebanon owned by the US-based Christian Broadcasting Network,
began broadcasting on satellite over the Middle East. Programs are in
English, Hebrew, and Arabic, and can be received by a potential
audience of 200 million people in 15 nations, including Israel,
Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, and Kuwait. CBN was founded by American
religous broadcaster Pat Robertson. (AP)
METV is on Amos-1, 11.554 GHz, in clear PAL. ("SATCO DX Chart Update")
IRAN--Iran's Baztab has left both its transponders on Arabsat 2B and
has moved to Asiasat-2, 3.680 GHz. Mahuga Hadeen TV is on Asiasat-2 on
3.680 GHz. 
IRIB TV has left Intelsat 602 and is now only receivable on Intelsat
801 at 62 degrees East:
IRIB 1 11.174 GHz (plus 4 radio channels)
IRIB 2 10.998 GHz
IRIB 3 11.096 GHz
IRIB 4 10.964 GHz
("SATCO DX Chart Update")
ASIA/PACIFIC
PAS--The Disney Channel has started on PAS-4 on 3.980 GHz in MPEG-2.
ART Australia and RAI International have left 3.880 GHz on PAS-4, and
are now only on 3.966 GHz. ART and RAI have left PAS-2 4.153 GHz.
("SATCO DX Chart Update")
TURNER--The Cartoon Network will be launched in Japan on September 1
by Turner Broadcasting, Time Warner, and Japan's Itochu. The 24 hour
channel will offer 10,000 titles from Time Warner's library, with
sound in Japanese, although the original English will also be
available for some programs on a separate audio channel. Cartoon
Network Japan will be delivered to Japanese subscribers via satellite
and cable providers, including PerfecTV, a satellite broadcasting
venture headed by Itochu, that began broadcasting last year. ("USA
Today" via Michael Murray", and Reuters)
CHINA--China has successfully launched the Fegyun 2 weather satellite.
(AP)
NORTH AMERICA
MURDOCH STRIKES AGAIN--Rupert Murdoch's News Corp took two giant steps
in North American TV on June 11, agreeing to buy Pat Robertson's
Family Channel cable network in a USD 1.9 billion deal, and teaming up
with cable operators to form the number 2 satellite TV service in the
United States.
Fox Kids Worldwide Inc., the children's programming arm of Murdoch's
media empire, will pay USD 35 dollars a share for Robertson's
International Family Entertainment, which owns the Family Channel and
other assets. Fox Kids hopes to expand International Family through
News Corp's worldwide distribution system. The sale is a windfall for
Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network, which owns 3.8 million
shares of IFE. (The Family Channel used to be part of Murdoch's
British Sky Broadcasting, but was such a flop that TCI's subsidiary
Flextech bought it out, changed the name to Challenge TV, and switched
to a totally game show format.) 
Meanwhile, Murdoch's ASkyB digital TV venture will team up with
PrimeStar, a DTH service set up and operated by U.S. cable companies,
including Murdoch's arch enemy Time Warner. He won't have much
influence on the newly created company, however, with just a 30
percent non-voting interest.
News Corp./MCI will transfer to PrimeStar Inc. the 110 degree high
power orbital position, the license for 28 DBS transponders, and two
satellites under construction at Loral. The two Loral satellites from
News Corp./MCI will be added to the two Loral satellites of the same
advanced model which will be owned by PrimeStar Inc. upon completion
of the roll-up. 
The transaction is subject to approvals of federal regulatory
agencies. Primestar and Tempo Satellite have agreed to dispose of
their rights in the license to operate 11 transponder channels at the
119 West Longitude orbital slot. FCC regulations forbid any company to
hold licenses for more than 32 DBS transponders. Concurrently, ASkyB
has agreed to sell its Gilbert, Arizona satellite uplink facility to
Tele- Communications, Inc. for a purchase price which represents
ASkyB's investment in the facility, plus related interest expense.
("Tele- satellit News") 
An analyst on the BBC commented that the deal represents a surrender
by Murdoch to the cable interests, as Primestar is the industry's
attempt to compete with rival DirecTV. (BBC World Service)
Echostar, former partner of Rupert Murdoch in the US digital TV
market, has fired back against News Corp.'s plans to align with
Primestar. The company is currently involved in a legal dispute with
News Corp. over the breakdown of the venture and issued the following
strongly worded statement:
"Consumers across the country would object in mass if they understood
Primestar Inc., a proposed comprehensive combination of the five
largest cable companies in the world, including the largest content
providers in the United States, with perhaps the most powerful media
mogul.
"It clearly is not in the public interest to give the single piece of
real estate in space which is most capable of fostering effective
competition to cable, to a cable and content cartel of unprecedented
size and proportion.
"This proposal, if permitted, would clearly result in even higher
cable television rates and the consumer will continue to be held
hostage to the powerful cable interests.  This alliance will violate
the spirit of the 1996 Telecommunications Act and the best intentions
of President Clinton and Congress in passing what was intended to be
comprehensive pro-competitive legislation.  
"The stark contrast with Rupert Murdoch's recent promise to Congress
that he would: "offer consumers a full-fledged, satellite- delivered
alternative to cable" is disturbing, and raises serious questions.
"This transaction is obviously anti-competitive and anti-consumer. We
are confident that the Federal Communications Commission, the
Department of Justice, and the Federal Trade Commission, together with
other federal and state regulators charged with protecting consumers,
will reject this proposed alliance. We trust that our leaders in
Washington will not allow the "Big Cable Operator in the Sky" to
deprive American consumers of a competitive choice.
"EchoStar Communications Corporation intends to vigorously oppose this
anti-competitive combination on many levels."
EchoStar notes that in its pending litigation with News Corporation
Ltd. in U.S. Federal Court in Denver, it has demanded damages and
specific performance from News Corp. which prohibits News Corp. from
completing the transaction with Primestar Inc.  EchoStar says it is
contractually entitled to use the 28 DBS frequencies at 110 degrees
West which News Corp. proposes to contribute to Primestar, Inc.
("Tele- satellit News")
MONITOR RADIO--The Christian Science church said on June 16 it had
failed to sell Monitor Radio and the news network used by more than
200 public radio stations in the United States, and will stop
broadcasting on June 27. A last-minute bid to sell the broadcast
operation to World Times Inc. failed because not enough stations had
agreed to carry the programming when new  owners took over July 1,
officials said. 
The Christian Science church, which also publishes The Christian
Science Monitor newspaper, announced in April it would sell or
discontinue the radio network by the end of June to concentrate
financial resources on other projects. 
Nearly 70 Monitor Radio employees will lose their jobs at the
network's Boston headquarters in addition to staff and stringers in
several bureaus. Monitor Radio began operation in 1984 and now
distributes three weekday magazine-style programmes and an hourly
headline service. It is often used by stations to supplement
programming by the larger National Public Radio network. 
The church in 1992 shut down its short-lived cable television network,
The Monitor Channel, and sold a Boston television station because of
financial problems. It is also attempting to sell two shortwave radio
stations. (Reuters) 
LAUNCHES
ARIANE--On June 4 an Ariane rocket put into orbit Inmarsat-3F4 and
India's Insat-2D. Inmarsat was placed over the western Atlantic, and
completes a satellite network supporting mobile telephone services
worldwide. (AP and Reuters)
Insat-2D is India's fourth indigenously-made satellite. It will be
placed at 74 degrees east. It carries 18 C-band, 3 Ky-band, and 1 S-
band transponder. (Curt Swinehart and "SATCO DX Chart")
Intelsat 802 is scheduled to launched on Ariane V96 on June 25, and
will be placed at 174 degrees east. PAS--6 is to be on V98 on August
6. Indostar 1 and Hot Bird 3 are scheduled for V99 on August 29.
Intelsat 803 is scheduled for launch on V100 on September 18, and will
be placed at 21.3 degrees West. ("SATCO DX Chart Update")
INTELSAT--Intelsat 804 will be at 29.5 degrees West, Intelsat 805 will
be at 55.5 degrees West (and not 33 degrees East), and Intelsat 806
will be on 40.5 degrees West. ("SATCO DX Chart Update")
SATELLITE OF LOVE--Once again "Neuromancer" author William Gibson's
predictions seem to be coming true: A Japanese company wants to send
honeymooners to a 50 story orbiting hotel, complete with a wedding
hall. Lucky couples will enjoy space walks, low-gravity sports,
dining, and an unforgettable view. Shimzu Corporation, the world's
fourth largest construction firm, says wedding services begin in 2020.
The trip may cost USD 80,000. ("Wired" via Pointcast)
[End of Part 1]
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