Apparently-to: scdx@get.pp.se
From: "George Wood" 
than 51 percent, with Telecom Italia and RAI set to become
shareholders. (Reuters and "Wall Street Journal")
RAI has confirmed the launch of three new thematic satellite
channels which are to start broadcasting from September 29th, via
RAI's digital transponders on Hot Bird 2. The channels are to be
called RAISAT 1, 2, and 3, and include a cultural channel
(broadcasting 6 hours a day, repeated 4 times), a children's channel
(9-15 hours a day), and an educational service (6 hours a day,
repeated 4 times). A "multi-ethnic" channel is set to follow, as well
as an all-news radio service. These channels will broadcast in the
clear. ("Tele-satellit News")
Telepiu has annoucned that it will launch a new 24 hour music
channel called Match Music Satellite. The channel will be based
in Verona, where it has operated as a local channel before
starting to produce music programs for other Italian TV channels.
Match Music Satellite will join Telepiu's digital package in October,
and will be offered to subscribers as part of the Basic package of
channels. Telepiu has also confirmed the launch of other thematic
channels: Marco Polo (devoted to travel and tourism, from September),
a classic Italian movies channel called Cineclassics Italia, NBC
Europe, and Canale Disney (to start in December). A horseracing
channel is in the planning stages, as are channels dedicated to
hunting, nature, classical music, business, and cars. All will be part
of the Basic package. ("Tele-satellit News")
On July 29 the Italian parliament approved a controversial bill
to create a watchdog body to oversee the telecommunications and
television sectors. The law was written to limit the
concentration of media ownership. No single television company
will be allowed to control more than 20 percent of TV
broadcasting, nor more than 30 percent of revenues. Former Prime
Minister Silvio Berlusconi will be allowed to keep his three TV
channels, but one will be converted into a satellite-only
operation. RAI will have to stop using money from advertising to
fund one of its 3 channels, and rely solely on licence fees. The
new authority will also oversee the privatization of Telecom
Italia, scheduled for October. (Reuters and AP)
SPAIN--The Spanish digital TV wars continue. After trailing its
rivals badly in the race to launch digital television in Spain,
Telefonica de Espana has struck back by moving to acquire control of
one of its two key digital-TV competitors, Antena 3 de Television. The
news came only hours after the European Commision gave the Spanish
government a one-month ultimatum to change a recent law on digital
decoders that is widely seen as favoring Via Digital, the
government-backed digital platform that is 35 percent owned by
Telefonica, along with Radio Television Espanola, and Mexico's Grupo
Televisa. Via Digital is scheduled to begin broadcasting later this
year. Rival Canal Satelite Digital is already in operation, operated
by Sogecable, which in turn is owned 25 percent by France's Canal
Plus, 25 percent by Spain's largest media company Grupo Prisa, and 15
percent by Antena 3. ("Wall Street Journal")
HUNGARY--Turner Broadcasting has decided not to extend its
agreement with Antenna Hungaria, and is removing CNN and
TNT/Cartoon Network from the local MMDS (microwave) distribution
system in Budapest. Four German, 1 French, and 8 Hungarian
channels remain. There are no longer any English channels. NBC
was the first to leave the system, followed by Eurosport.
Apparently the reason is because satellite distribution offers
better quality and well as national coverage. ("Tele-satellit
News")
Luxembourg-based CLT-UFA has announced that its Hungarian
affiliate, M-RTL, will launch later this year (but not under that
name). The new national commercial TV network will be called RTL Klub.
("Tele-satellit News")
LITHUANIA--Lithuanian Radio is ceasing to transmit its 2nd Home
Service program on medium wave. The frequencies 1107 and 1134 kHz
closed at 21:00 hrs UTC on July 31, and transmissions continue on FM
only. The 3rd Home Service program, with classical music, is expected
to start on October 1st, also on FM. (Sigitas Zilionis, "LTU-BC-INFO")
RADIO FREE EUROPE--Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty announces with
profound shock and sadness the murder of Molly Gordin, a long- time
colleague. Mrs. Gordin was shot by an unknown assailant about 1:30 PM
Thursday July 24, 1997 while walking in a pedestrian underpass near
RFE/RL's headquarters in Prague. RFE/RL has requested that anyone with
information that may contribute to the investigation of this tragic
event to contact the Prague Criminal Police. (RFE/RL)
AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST
ARABSAT--After showing an X-rated film by mistake, Canal France
International has been removed from Arabsat 2A, 3.946 GHz.
Arabsat says the channel has been banned for violating Islamic
codes of decency.  CFI says the transmission of 30 minutes of
"Private Club in Portugal" instead of a children's program was
a mistake on the part of France Telecom over which it had no
control. The porno film was supposed to have been carried on
another satellite. According to an Egyptian newspaper, a French
TV delegation is to visit Saudi Arabia to apologize for the
error, but the head of Arabsat says the decision to cancel the
contract is "final and irreversible". (Reuters, AP, and "SATCO
DX Chart Update")
TURKEY--Genc TV ("Young TV") has moved from Eutelsat II-F3 to
Turksat 1C. ("SATCO DX Chart Update")
INTELSAT--Iran's Baztab has started on Intelsat 510 (33 degrees
East) on 4.015 GHz, Eastern hemisphere beam. ("SATCO DX Chart
Update")
SOUTH AFRICA--According to the "South African Mail and Guardian",
M-Net is planning a pan-African satellite music channel. Although a
name hasn't been found yet, the channel is expected to be launched as
early as September this year. Thirty percent of the 24 hours broadcast
daily will be devoted to South African music, 10 percent to the rest
of Africa, and the rest to black American music. The new music station
will be part of the 40 channel DSTV bouquet that already offers the
Carlton Network, BET on Jazz, and Zee TV. ("Tele-satellit News")
ASIA/PACIFIC
JAPAN--JCSAT 1A (JCSAT 4) has taken over from JCSAT 1 at 150
degrees East. ("SATCO DX Chart Update")
Japan's Superbird satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral on
July 28. (AP)
APSTAR--ABC 5 and RPN 9 have moved from Gorizont 30 to Apstar 1
(138 degrees East), 3.800 GHz, MPEG-1, with PowerVu encryption.
("SATCO DX Chart Update")
KOREASAT--KBS 1 and KBS 2 are on Koreasat 1/2 on 11.823 GHz. A
South Korean package of 29 TV channels is also here. ("SATCO DX
Chart Update")
INSAT--DD13 has started on Insat 2C, 2.595 GHz, in PAL. ("SATCO
DX Chart Update")
ASIASAT--A new Indonesian package has started on 3.740 GHz in
encrypted MPEG-2: Channel V Asia, Film Indonesia, HBO Asia, BBC
World, MGM Gold, Discovery, ESPN, CNN International, TNT, Cartoon
Network, and Rajawali Citry TV. ("SATCO DX Chart Update")
INDIA--Rupert Murdoch is taking the Indian government to court
over its ban on broadcasting directly into viewers' homes, saying it
infringes on their right to information. Murdoch's News Television
India Ltd., through its unit, Indian Sky Broadcasting, was expecting
the government to license direct-to-home broadcasts when the ban was
announced in mid-July. The day after the suit was filed, the Indian
government said the prohibition is only temporary. Broadcasting
Minister Jaipal Reddy said his government is determined to loose its
hold on the flow of information, and the first step would be giving
the state-owned broadcasters more autonomy, beginning next month. DTH
will be legalized in the government's Broadcast Bill.
"The ban is purely temporary," Reddy told reporters. "It is
nothing more than a legal device to keep the whole thing on hold
until the broadcast authority is in place." 
Murdoch's Star-TV already has a popular free-to-air service in
India using the C-band, which requires large antennas used mainly by
cable operators. The new DTH service could transmit directly to homes
with smaller Ku-band antennas. The Broadcast Bill is expected to be
moved in parliament for approval later this year. In its current form,
Indian Sky Broadcasting would have to bid in an auction to launch DTH
services. (AP and Reuters)
AUSTRALIA--Australia's Seven Network has bought Australia
Television from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Seven
Network, owned by media mogul Kerry Stokes, already runs the
Seven Network Asia, and it says the purchase of Australia
Television will help Seven increase its influence in Asia. The
English-language satellite service, which broadcasts over much
of East Asia to a potential audience of 20 million, would
continue to be based around the ABC's news and current affairs
programs, the ABC and Seven said. Seven said it would add its
own news, light entertainment, drama, and sports programming to
the channel. 
Seven could use digital technology to broadcast between 6 and 8
channels on Australia Television's transponder. Formed by the ABC four
years ago, Australia Television currently broadcasts one channel
through the Palapa C2 satellite over an area reaching from Beijing in
the North to Western Samoa in the East and India in the West. Set up
under the former Labor government as a way to project Australia into
the increasingly important Asian market, Australia Television has been
a constant drain on the ABC's finances as it struggled to secure
enough advertising. The current right wing Australian government
forced the ABC to sell Australia Television through a budget cut-back,
despite widespread protests from around the Pacific. (Reuters and
"Tele- satellit News")
Australian pay-TV company Australis Media Ltd. is merging with
rival Foxtel, run by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp and government-
owned telecommunications company Telstra Corp. The new company
will be called Foxtel. Since its launch Foxtel has built up more
than 200,000 subscribers, while Australis says it reaches 110,000
households. The merged company will have access to all three pay TV
technologies available in Australia: satellite, microwave
distribution, and cable. The other major participant in Australia's
pay-TV industry, Optus Communications, says it will "vigorously"
oppose the merger. (AP)
NORTH AMERICA
DMX--Digital Music Express has merged with TCI Music. TCI Music
was established in January 1997 to provide digitally delivered
music services via television, Internet, and other delivery
methods. Initially TCI Music will be focused on expanding DMX
distribution and subscribers. The service is provided to more
than 2 million homes and 35,000 businesses in the United States,
and is the most widely available music service in the world.
("Tele-satellit News") Curiously, the merger coincides with the
disappearance of DMX in Europe.
TIME WARNER/MURDOCH--Time Warner and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp
have settled a long running legal dispute that will finally give
Murdoch's all-news cable TV channel access to the New York media
market. Time Warner confirmed on July 23 that its New York City
cable system will carry Murdoch's 24 hour Fox News Channel. Fox
would be given one of the city government's public access
channels, and the city would get a channel in return when the
system expands, possibly in one year. Time Warner had sued the
city when it tried to run Fox on a public access channel. As part of
the deal, all litigation in the dispute will be dropped and Murdoch
will gain access to 65 percent of Time Warner systems across the
country. Time Warner, the second largest cable operator in the US, has
a total of 12.3 million subscribers. In exchange for carrying Fox,
Time Warner over time may gain access to a network of international
satellite television systems that Murdoch has in Latin America, China,
and other countries. (AP)
FCC--The Federal Communications Commission says federal rules bar a
small Kansas town from restricting where consumers can install
satellite TV dishes. It's the first time the FCC has pre-empted a
local ordinance under new rules that prevent localities from placing
curbs on the placement of small dishes, as well as antennas for
receiving wireless cable TV. The commission says it rules prohibit
Meade, Kansas, from requiring installers and users of satellite dishes
to get a USD 5 permit prior to installation and before local officials
approve placement. (Reuters)
CANADA--Canadian TV viewers may soon be able to watch Euronews,
the pan-European broadcaster with no on-screen presenters. CanCom has
filed an application to broadcast the multilingual TV network across
Canada. The signal would be uplinked from France via a trans-Atlantic
satellite whose footprint includes Canada. ("Tele- satellit News")
LAUNCHES
ARIANE--The launch of Indostar 1 with Ariane has been delayed
until October. It will be launched together with Sirius 2.
("SATCO DX Chart Update")
PROTON--The launch of PAS 5 on Proton has been delayed until
August 22, at 00:32 UTC. ("SATCO DX Chart Update")
LONG MARCH--The launch of Apstar 2R on a Long March has been
delayed twice, first to late August, then to September 5 or 10.
The reason is concern over control of the orbiter after launch.
The Filipino Mabuhay satellite is scheduled for launch on August
10 with a Long March 3B rocket. This will be the first flight by
that type of rocket since its debut launch last year ended in an
explosion that killed six people. (AP, Reuters, and "SATCO DX
Chart Update")
ASTRA--SES has announced the following schedule for upcoming
Astra satellites:
Astra 1G  end of October, 1997
Astra 2A  December, 1997
Astra 2B  third quarter 1998
Astra 1H  fourth quarter 1998
(Richard Karlsson, "Aftonbladet")
(Part 2 follows)
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