Apparently-to: scdx@get.pp.se
From: "George Wood" 
CNET--The Sci-Fi Channel, which relays the computer show "C/Net
Central" on its American network, has begun rebroadasts to Europe as
well, Tuesdays at 22:30 British time, on Astra transponder 47. 
The Sci-Fi Channel Europe does broadcast 24 hours in MPEG, which is
relayed on cable networks in Britain and Finland. The European
schedule on the Sci- Fi Channel's Website
(http://www.scifi.com/sforiginals/cnet/") lists other broadcasts of
"C/Net Central" on Saturdays at 10:50 and Sundays at 17:00 hrs British
time. An Internet-related program called "The Web" is carried
Saturdays at 10:00 and Sundays at 17:25 hrs British time, and a
science and technology program called "The New Edge" is on Tuesdays at
22:00 hrs (while the Astra transponder is carrying Sci-Fi Channel),
Saturdays at 11:15 and Sundays at 18:15 hrs. The Sci-F Channel was
supposed to be carried on Nickelodeon Sweden's Astra transponder 27,
and was reported sighted there a couple of times before the
"Nickelodeon 09:00-15:00" test pattern went up. Last Sunday evening,
the test pattern was gone, and the sounds of "C/Net Central" could be
heard on the channel for a while.
COMPUTER CHANNEL--British Sky Broadcasting has announced the launch of
another "channel" to its Sky Multichannels package. The Computer
Channel will be carried for two hours between 18:00 and 20:00 hrs
British time daily from November 1. Programming will be in four half
hour shows: Family Guide (a beginner's guide to technology), Games
World, Global Village (with computer news from around the world), and
Chips with Everything (an expert guide to technology). ("Tele-satellit
News") It's unclear what transponder this "channel" will join,
possibly Sky 2, possibly the "7 channels" on transponder 47, should
the Sci-Fi Channel be given its own transponder for 24 hour
broadcasts.
FOX--Rupert Murdoch's new children's channel will definately be called
the Fox Kids Network, and will share Astra transponder 7 with Sky 2,
beginning October 19. As we reported last time, it will broadcast
daily between 06:00 and 19:00 hrs British time (making the use of this
transponder for the Computer Channel less likely). ("Tele-satellit
News")
GRANADA--Granada promos have begun broadcasts on Astra transponder 58
(Granada Good Life) and 59 (Granada Talk TV). Both are scheduled to
begin on October 1, along with Granada Plus on transponder 3. (This
would seem to argue against the report last time that BSkyB is
launching a pay-per-view service on transponders 58 and 59.)
WARNER--Astra promos are now being carried on Astra transponder 57,
where Warner Brothers Television begins on November 1. 
BBC--TCI's British subsidiary Flextech has reportedly beaten out
British Sky Broadcasting to win the BBC contract to launch at least
six pay TV networks in Britain early next year. The new services will
also be available in around 18 months as part of the BBC's new digital
multiplex. (Cable World)
This channels are reportedly: BBC 1 Plus, BBC2 Plus (both offering a
complementary program schedule to the existing national channels), and
a 24 hour news channel called BBC News, which will all be free.
Several subscription channels complete the package: BBC Learning Zone,
Arena (arts) Horizons (science and nature), Life (lifestyle and
consumer programs) and Showcase (entertaiment and drama). 
While it had been reported that a BBC Sport Channel had been rejected
because the Beeb cannot compete with BSkyB in this area, it now
appears that there will be a channel called Sportsview, containing
archive material and event repeats. 
The method of delivery has yet to be decided, but the coming Astra 2A
at 28.2 degrees East (which will the home of digital channels from
British Sky Broadcasting) and the launch of UK digital terrestrial
broadcasting in late 1997/early 1998 offer the most obvious
alternative methods of delivery.  
Working with Flextech could give the BBC access to the American
market, and Flextech access to at least some of the BBC's vast program
archive. Flextech is also in talks to buy out the stakes of two of its
other (besides the BBC) partners in the UK Gold and UK Living
channels, Pearson PLC and Cox Communications. (James Robinson and
"Tele-satellit News")
HUNGARY--Angenna Hungaria's MPEG-2 package has officially started on
Israel's Amos-1 satellite. The first channel is TV3 Budapest. More
digital signals should be expected soon, as Nethold will launch its
package, which should include A3 Television. The Hugnarian HBO is
another possibllity. The service is intended for cable systems, rather
than DTH. ("Tele-satellit")
FRANCE--Radio France International is now broadcasting on
Nickelodeon/Paramount's Astra transponder 48, audio 7.38 MHz. (Richard
Karlsson in "Aftonbladet")
MPEG--The German 3Sat and Franco-German Arte are now broadcasing in
MPEG on Astra transponder 71, joining Cartoon Network/TNT, CNN, and
Multithema 2- 4. (Richard Karlsson in "Aftonbladet")
AFRICA:
WORLD RADIO NETWORK--Radio Sweden is about to join a number of other
international broadcasters on FM in South Africa, via the World Radio
Network. I called up WRN's Karl Miosga in London for the details, and
our conversation is in today's program. 
Following the example of its feed to the CBC Overnight Service in
Canada, WRN will be relaying six radio stations, including Radio
Sweden, as part of South Africa's SAFM service, in the middle of the
night. The WRN African feed is also going to be carried on Nethold's
Multichoice digital DTH package to South Africa.
SOUTH AFRICA--The board of the South African Broadcasting Corporation
as given the go-ahead for a new eight-channel satellite TV service,
Astrasat. It will begin before the end of the year, and will be free
until next March, when it becomes a pay service.
Six of the channels will be new, and the remaining two services will
be SABC Two and SABC Three. Three free channels, SABC One and two new
services, will be available from next year when PanAmSat's PAS-7
satellite is launched. A total of 13 channels will eventually be
available from PAS-7, in addition to all of the SABC's radio networks.
("Tele-satellit News")
NORTH AMERICA:
WORLD RADIO NETWORK--In today's program, Karl Miosga also talks about
WRN's hopes to expand its current North American service, which is on
the Galaxy 5 satellite, to one of the several DBS DTH digital services
over North America.
TIME-WARNER/CNN--On a closely contested 3-2 vote, the American Federal
Trade Commission has given final approval to Time Warner's acquisition
of Turner Broadcasting, clearing the way for the creation of the
world's largest media company. The settlement requires Time Warner's
cable networks to carry a second news channel to compete with CNN to
at least half of its subscribers within three to five years (good news
for MSNBC and Fox News). ("Time" magazine")
Ned Brainard writes on "Wired" magazine's "Packet" Website that the
FTC decision can't have pleased Time's "Pathfinder" WWW service. He
notes a "Wall Street Journal" report that Ted Turner has been pushing
to have Time Warner's interactive services, such as Pathfinder, put
under the control of Turner's CNN Interactive Unit. ("Packet")
FOX--Rupert Murdoch's Fox News Channel becomes the third 24 hour cable
news channel in the United States when it starts on October 7. It will
initially be available to 10 million cable subscribers, with 16 hours
of live programming daily, and news updates during programming
repeated overnight. (AP)
FAMILY CHANNEL--Family Channel viewers in the western USA will soon be
watching a digital version of the channel, although they might not
realize it. The programmer, who service is seen in almost 99 percent
of America's cable households, has announced it is switching to
Scientific Atlanta's PowerVu system for domestic cable distribution.
The new system will enable the Family Channel to deliver six video and
audio channels over a single transponder, on Satcom C3.
("Tele-satellit News")
LAUNCHES--GE Americom's GE-1 satellite was launched by an Atlas rocket
from Cape Canaveral on September 8. The satellite will relay TV
programming across the US and Caribbean, including GE's NBC network,
Turner Broadcasting, Primetime 24, Starnet, Microspace, NATV, NET,
several Rainbow regional sports services, and the Qualcomm tracking
and data messaging service for the trucking industry. The spacecraft
features the first US 36 MHz Ku-band transponders. The 4 launch burns
should be completed by September 19, when Lockheed Martin will turn
over control of GE-1 to GE Americom. The satellite will be located at
103 degrees West. ("Tele-satellit News", AP, Reuters, and Curt
Swinehart)
Echostar 2 was launched on an Ariane 4 rocket from French Guiana on
Septmber 10. HBO and Turner Broadcasting will be among the major users
of this DBS satellite. EchoStar expected the satellite will begin
delivering broadcasts to its DISH Network subscribers by November 1.
The satellite is capable of transmitting more than 100 (digital)
channels, doubling the DISH Network's current offerings. It will be
located at 119 degrees West, alongside Echostar 1. (Reuters,
"Tele-satellit News" and Curt Swinehart)
LATIN AMERICA:
ESPN--ESPN will launch its fourth Latino network, ESPN2, in
association with Mexican programming broker Productora y
Comercializadora de TV. The network will be available in Mexico and
Central America, and will mix sports from that region with North
American events like Major League Soccer and Baseball. ("Tele-satellit
News")
ASIA:
JAPAN--Toyota Motor Corp. is investing 500 million yen (USD 4.5
million) in PerfecTV, Japan's first satellite digital programming
venture, which will begin broadcasting later this year, with 70
channels of programming. (AP)
The PerfecTV Web site is at:
http://www.perfectv.co.jp
Correcting the report in edition 2255, CTN is Hong Kong-based, not
Taiwan. Their Web site is at:
http://www.ctn.net
And the name of the Japan satellite System's satellites is JCSAT, not
JCSat. (Goro Amihari)
Arianespace has announced it has signed a contract to launch the
JCSAT-5 satellite at the end of 1997, or beginning of 1998. (Reuters)
INDIA--Rupert Murdoch's British Sky Broadcasting is expanding
overseas. According to sources, Sky Sports is set to expand to India
and some areas of Asia. Apparently, advertisements for the channel are
already being seen in India. ("Tele-satellit")
On September 6, the Indian government announced approval for a USD 11
million direct foreign investment for Murdoch's News Television India
Private Ltrd (NTVI). This gives NTVI clearance to operate as an Indian
company, breaking the barrier that has kept foreign broadcasters out
of India. Murdoch's Star- TV owns 40 percent of NTVI, with the rest
owned by a Mauritius-based offshore company headed by a Non-resident
Indian. If NTVI applies to become a broadcaster, and if Indian law is
changed to allow satellite uplinks directly from the country, Star
will be better placed than any rivals in the direct- to-home TVRO
market, with programming originating in India, rather than beaming in
from abroad. Four Star-TV channels already reach India via cable
networks in the major cities. (Reuters)
CYBERSPACE:
RADIOTOWER--The Radiotower is a directory of live audio broadcasters
on the Internet:
http://www.radiotower.com
With a radio receiver type interface, it makes it easy to find and
tune in radio stations from around the world. (Paul Valkama, via Curt
Swinehart)
WORLD OF RADIO--Glenn Hauser's "World of Radio" now has a Website at:
http://hudson.idt.net/~khecht19/radio/shortwave/ghauser
INTERNET TV--Internet-capable TVs are moving into the Japanese market,
with Sharp Corp, due to release a 32 inch Internet-ready set soon,
Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and Sanyo Electric Corp. planning October
launches for their own Internet TVs, and Hitachi Ltd. slating a
November debut for a set-top box with Internet functionality.
(TechWeb)
But there's a  much cheaper way to surf the Web on your TV set. Just
find a an old used Atari ST, with at least 1 MB RAM. You can use your
TV as a monitor, and surf the Web (by modem) by using the Atari
Internet Pack, which you can download from: 
http://www.tripnet.se/~mille/english/programs.html
("InterNet Guiden")
CNN/PAGENET--CNN has launched a news service to pagers connected to
the Pagenet system. The pager in a Web window is also available from
the CNN Interactive site (http://cnn.com/ads/pagenet).
Thanks to this week's contributors!
************************
George Wood            wood@rs.sr.se
Radio Sweden           http://www.sr.se/rs
S-105 10 Stockholm   tel: +468-784-7239
Sweden		        fax: +468-667-6283	
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