Apparently-to: scdx@get.pp.se
From: "George Wood" 
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  ::           MediaScan             
  ::      SWEDEN CALLING DXERS       
  ::       from Radio Sweden          
  ::    Number 2277--Aug. 19, 1997    
  ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 
Satellite, shortwave and other electronic media news from Radio
Sweden.
This week's bulletin was written by George Wood.
Packet Radio BID SCDX2277
Updated Web edition at: http://www.sr.se/rs/english/media/
All times UTC unless otherwise noted.
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Note: For a number of reasons, for the time being I am discontinuing
storing a RealAudio version of the MediaScan program on our Web pages.
You can always access today's Radio Sweden program in English (after
18:30 hrs UTC Tuesday) if you want to listen to the broadcast and
missed it on the air. If there is a general desire for an archive
copy, I can follow the example of WRN and store the entire English
half hour from the days in question. While this means you'd have to
scroll through the first half of the program to get to MediaScan, it
would have the advantage of being in RealAudio 3.0, while the archived
editions until now have been in RealAudio 2.0. But I'll only do that
if there is a demand. (I mean, how many people really do want to be
able to listen to an edition of MediaScan from a couple of months
ago?)
NORDIC MEDIA NEWS
WRN3--Radio Sweden is pleased to be among the stations included in the
World Radio Network's long-awaited new German-language network. WRN3
will be officially launched at the biannual consumer electronics fair
IFA in Berlin, on August 31, 1997. Besides Radio Sweden, German
services from YLE Radio Finland, Radio Prague, Deutsche Welle, Radio
Vlaanderen International, ORF Radio Austria International, the Voice
of Russia, Vatican Radio, Radio Budapest, and Polish Radio Warsaw are
taking part.
WRN3 will be carried in Europe on Astra, analog on Sky Movies
transponder 16, audio 7.38 MHz, and via Astra Digital Radio on ZDF's
transponder 33. Radio Schweden will carried daily on WRN3 at 06:30,
21:00, and 24:00 hrs CET. (WRN)
NORDEN THIS WEEK--Julian Isherwood, of BBC and Radio Denmark fame, has
begun producing a weekly 14 minute news and current affairs program
dealing with events in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden,
called "Norden This Week": ("Norden" is the Swedish word for the
Nordic region.) It's sponsored by the Nordic Council, and is broadcast
via the World Radio Network on Sundays, to Europe at 19:00 hrs CET, to
North America at 12:00 hrs EDT, and to Asia/Africa/Pacific at 17:00
hrs UTC. This is in addition to "Copenhagen Calling" which Julian
Isherwood also produces, as a private external service in English
about Denmark. More information about "Norden This Week" at:
http://www.wrn.org/stations/ntw.html
You can listen to the latest program in RealAudio at:
http://audio.wrn.org/audio/ntw.ram
THOR--On September 1 FilmNet is changing its name to Canal Plus. In
addition to the Thor 2 frequencies listed last time, here are
frequencies on Thor 1:
Canal Plus Gul (Pan-Nordic):  12.015 GHz
Canal Plus Sweden:            12.092 GHz
(Richard Karlsson, "Aftonbladet")
RADIO LISTENERSHIP IN SWEDEN--Private radio listening is increasing in
Sweden, while the public service Swedish Broadcasting Corporation is
losing some of its market share. Local commercial radio is only a
couple of years old here, and is dominated by a handful of national
networks exploiting loopholes in the law requiring local content.
Virtually all of the private stations play non-stop pop or rock music,
with slightly varying formats.
According to a new survey the non-commercial Swedish Broadcasting
Corporation still dominates the radio landscape here. During an
average day 57.6 percent of the population listened to one of the
national networks P1, P2, P3, or P4. That's a drop of just over half a
percent from the previous survey period.
Just under one-third of the population listened to private commercial
radio, an increase of almost two percentage points. (TT)
The private stations are competing on one hand with Swedish Radio's P3
pop and rock channel, on the other hand with the P4 network of local
stations. There are 25 local stations, which split up their broadcast
day between local programming and networked material. 
Probably the most popular of the local stations is Radio Gotland, on
the Baltic island of the same name. I recently visited their studios,
and talked to station manager Kjell Anderstedt. You can hear our
conversation in today's program.
INTERNET--Stockholm's largest cable operator, Stjaern-TV, is testing
Internet access this Fall. 300 subscribers in the southern inner city
island Soedermalm and the northern suburb of Vaellingby will be
included in the test. If it is successful, a further 30,000 Stockholm
households will be offered Internet access via cable.
Telia Kabel TV, the largest cable operator in the country, has been
conducting similar tests in Stockholm and in Helsingborg in southern
Sweden since last Fall. According to Telia's Director of Information,
Hans G. Larsson, after the beginning of the year subscribers around
the country will be offered regular Internet access, but only if
building owners are willing to make the necessary investment to
upgrade. (TT)
EUROPE:
ASTRA--Rupert Murdoch's British Sky Broadcasting has been carrying out
some major housekeeping, with what may be the final analog changes,
before BSkyB's digital service starts in a few months. Astra
transponder 47, which has carried 7 different kinds of programming,
which Murdoch has called 7 different channels, is breaking up. The
Christian Channel Europe, Sky Soap, the History Channel, and the
Sci-Fi Channel have all moved to transponder 24. Mexico's Galavision
has cut back on transponder 44 to just 6 hours each morning
(06:00-12:00 hrs CET), and is being joined there by Sky Travel and Sky
Movies Gold.
This will leave Sky Sports 2 alone on transponder 47, where it is
expanding to 20 hours a day, and is being offered as a premium channel
in its own right. Subscribers to either Sky Sports 1 or Sky Sports 2
will receive Sky Sports 3 for free.
On September 1st, the National Geographic Channel is replacing Sky 2
on transponder 7. On October 1st, Granada Talk on transponder 59 is
reportedly changing into a sports chat line called Granada Sports
Club. Murdoch is also reportedly taking his Asian MTV-clone, Channel
V, and bringing it to Astra transponder 57. (James Robinson, Michael
Murray, and Richard Karlsson, "Aftonbladet")
No word yet on the report last time that BSkyB would be making the
Disney Channel available as a premium channel (rather than as a bonus
for those who subscribe to both Sky Movies and the Movie Channel).
Outside the Murdoch orbit, the Bloomberg business channel has started
in the clear on Astra transponder 11. (Richard Karlsson,
"Aftonbladet")
Several German channels have begun broadcasting in clear MPEG-2 on
Astra 1E and 1F: ARD, Bayern 3, N3, Sudwest, and Hessen (new on
satellite) are all on 12.422 GHz. (Richard Karlsson, "Aftonbladet")
Canal Plus 1 and Canal Plus 2 have replaced the Benelux versions of
FilmNet on Astra on 12.441 GHz in encoded MPEG-2. Several other
channels have moved around in the Multichoice package. ("SATCO")
TDF--According to SatTracker, TDF2 had already reached 36 degrees East
by August 11. This has yet to be confirmed. For the latest details
see:
http://www.satcodx.com/tdf2.html   
("SATCO")
EUTELSAT--BBC Prime has now started on 11.602 GHz in clear MPEG-2.
("SATCO") This is sharing a transponder with BBC world in clear PAL on
11.619 GHz.
Russia's VRT (BPK) has started on Hot Bird 1, on 11.304 GHz in clear
MPEG-2. The English name for this channel is "World Russian Channel".
("SATCO")
Britain's ITN is considering taking a 49 percent stake in Euronews.
("What Satellite TV")
MIR--Mir feeds can occasionally be seen on Luch 1 at 16 degrees West
on 10.830 GHz. ("SATCO")
FRANCE--According to the "La Tribune" newspaper, Canal Plus is in
talks with the newspaper publishers Groupe Amaury to set up a
television news channel to rival TF1's LCI. The new channel is
expected to start broadcasting next Spring. LCI is one of the featured
channels on TPS, the rival digital satellite project managed by TF1,
competing with Canal Plus's Canal Satellite. (Reuters and
"Tele-Satellit News")
According to a report in the financial daily "Les Echos" Groupe Amaury
is also planning to launch a television sports news channel. The idea
was reportedly inspired by Time Warner's CNNSI channel. The project
was presented to the three French digital satellite television
services, TPS, Canal Satellite, and AB Sat, in June, and its timing
and budget depend on their response. (Reuters)
RADIO--VOA Express is being carried on Sky 2's Astra transponder 7, on
7.56 MHz. (Allan McKellar)
Ireland's Independent Radio and Television Authority has told the
radio station Limerick 95 that any rebroadcasting of their program on
terrestrial FM could result in prosecution. The Limerick City
station's licence expired at the end of July, but there was apparently
a plan afoot for some community radio stations to carry Limerick 95.
The station also has a British Broadcasting Licence which it uses to
transmit programming via Astra. (Finbarr O'Driscoll)
The satellite relay is known as Irish Satellite Radio, and can be
found on VH-1 UK's Astra transponder 22, audio 7.92 MHz. More details
at:
http://ireland.iol.ie/limerick95
East Kent Radio have announced the launch of a new radio service on
October 20, 1997. European Klassik Rock will be a Pan-European A.O.R.
rock station, and will operate on Challenge TV's Astra transponder 35
on 7.38/7.56 MHz. It will also be carried by cable systems in the UK
and the rest of Europe, and will be the first music station on the
London DAB multiplex. From 22:00-06:00 hrs British time, the channel
will be taken over by "Night Tracks", described as an "adult
contempory service". (UK-BDXC via Allan McKellar)
AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST
TURKSAT--Sun TV has started on Turksat 1C on 11.045 GHz in clear MPEG-
2. ("SATCO")
ISRAEL--Israel is to put one of its satellites at the disposal of an
Iranian opposition group to allow it to beam radio programs into the
Islamic republic. According to Israeli Radio, "Opponents of the Tehran
regime based in London" will be able to use the Amos-1 satellite for
one hour a day. (AFP)
ASIA/PACIFIC
JAPAN--All channels on BS-3B have moved to BSAT 1A, with the same
line- up. ("SATCO")
INDONESIA--Indonesia's only pay-TV company is racing ahead with plans
to put up its own satellite, and according to officials, will have 40
digital channels by the end of the year. Peter Gontha, president
director of PT Datakom Asia has told Reuters that the Indostar-1
satellite will be launched by Arianespace on October 10. An earlier
launch date of mid-August had to be postponed, but the satellite has
now been shipped. By the end of the year it will begin broadcasting 40
channels of Western and Indonesian movies, news, soaps, and financial
information, to dishes as little as one meter in diameter.
Datakom's pay-TV platform, called Indovision, currently uses the
Palapa-C1 satellite for its 19 channels (which includes CNN, TNT, 5 of
Rupert Murdoch's Star-TV channels, the BBC, HBO, and ESPN). By the end
of August six terrestrial Indonesian channels will be added. All of
these will shift to Indostar, and the additional channels will be
filled by PPV programs, home shopping, financial news, educational
programs, and Gontha's own music channel.
Datakom (one-third owned by President Suharto's second son) has been
allotted slots to launch 3 more satellites by 2003. Another satellite
will be orbited in 1999, with subsequent launches planned for 2001 and
2003. (Reuters)
AMERICAS
DEUTSCHE WELLE--Deutsche Welle TV is back on Intelsat Star at 21.5
degrees West, on 11.735 GHz V to South America and 11.735 H to North
America. ("SATCO")
SATCOM--Satcom K2 has bee relocated from 85 to 81 degrees West.
("SATCO")
ALPHASTAR--Alphastar has gone out of business, the package has ceased
on Telstar 5 on August 7. ("SATCO" and "Tele-satellit News")
USA--The following is from the Web site of "Montoring Times" and
"Satellite Times" magazines:
"House Resolution 2369 goes beyond HR 1964 and threatens shortwave
utility, satellite, and scanning hobbies....This bill is pure poison
to all branches of the radio hobby. In particular, we are extremely
concerned with section 3 of this bill amending the Communications Act
of 1934. Every radio listener and ham needs to contact his or her
elected officials in Washington and voice opposition to this bill.
"Unlike the Markey bill, HR 2369 does have sponsors and, given the
timing in the legislative calendar, it may have an excellent chance of
getting through Congress this session. This bill has the same
provisions in it as the Markey bill (HR 1964) plus the new language on
scanner mods in section 2 and the new, very restrictive language for
the Comm Act of 34 in section 3. This affects every radio listener
from shortwave right on up to the microwave regions. If your hobby is
listening to something other than broadcast radio or television, ham,
or CB, this bill could and probably will affect you."
For more details, including the text of the bill:
http://www.grove.net/mtnews2369.html
CANADA--The Canadian government has announced that it will keep Radio
Canada International running by providing it with more than 15 million
Canadian dollars annually beginning next year. RCI was in danger of
being axed last year, when funds were cut back. (UPI)
PANAMSAT--PAS-6 was launched on Ariane on August 8. The satellite
carries 36 high-powered Ku-band transponders and three spot beams,
which will be used to transmit hundreds of digital channels to small
dishes through-out Latin America from 43 degrees West. PAS-6 will be
used by Sky Latin America, which brings together Rupert Murdoch's News
Corp with Grupo Televisa, Organizacoes Globo, and TCI. PAS-5, due to
launch from a Russian Proton rocket on August 22, will also be used by
Sky Latin America. (Reuters and "Tele-satellit News")
LAUNCHES
ARIANE--The launch of Hot Bird 3 has been delayed to September 3.
Intelsat 803 will follow on September 23. ("SATCO")
CHINA--Unsuitable weather conditions have delayed for a second time
China's launch of a Philippine satellite. The launch of the Mabhuay
satellite was originally scheduled for August 10-12. (Reuters)
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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
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