This news is provided free of charge to on-line users by TELE-satellit magazine and TS News Service GB. IT IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. It may not be reproduced for commercial reasons by any means what so ever. If you wish to reproduce this news or redistribute it for non commercial use please contact the email address below. Der TS Nachrichtendienst ist ein Service fuer die Freunde von TELE-satellit und TS-TV und ist nur fuer persoenliche infromation freigegeben. TELE-satellit EUROPE'S SATELLITE MAGAZINE International Satellite News Number 40, Week ending 26 February 1995 By Martyn Williams News Desk : Internet martyn@euro.demon.co.uk or CompuServe 100025,1637 (c) TELE-satellit Magazine Digital TV by 1997 - NTL NTL, the commercial company responsible for transmission of terrestrial commercial TV in the UK said it will be investing heavily over the next three years to ensure that 12 digital TV channels will be available nationwide by the end of 1997. The 12 channels can be carried in the space of one conventional TV channel but will require the allocation of precious terrestrial transmission frequencies by the UK government. The space was to be given over to a fifth network, Channel 5, but that service has always been in doubt ever since the original franchise bid caused hardly any interest. NTL, who have partnered with Pace a year ago to form Pace NTL, put the price of set top receiving equipment at around GBP 300. EBN launches 27 February EBN:European Business News launches on Monday. The channel will broadcast via Intelsat 601 at 27.5 degrees West. Originally a launch had been planned on Eutelsat's Hot Bird but since that's still on the ground reserve space was taken on Intelsat. EBN will swtich to Eutelsat when the satellite becomes operational in late April. Deutsche Welle plan expansion ADN/BBC Monitoring via Radio Sweden Dieter Weirich, director of Deutsche Welle Radio and TV International, announced at the Intersat 95 trade fair in Frankfurt that Deutsche Welle will launch a 24 hour international TV channel in German, English, and Spanish from July 1, 1995. (apparently expanding the current Deutsche Welle TV in those three languages, and squeezing the USIA's Worldnet off the transponders, just as France's TV5 did a couple of years ago). News from Asia More news from Asia in the wake of the Apstar 2 satellite launch failure. The loss of Apstar 2 has forced NBC to drop a petition lodged with the FCC in the US over ownership of Rupert Murdoch's Fox TV network. The reason ? - NBC needs good distribution for it's two Asia channels, NBC Super Channel Asia and Asian Business News and it just so happens that Murdoch's Star TV has a free transponder. The combined NBC service will launch in the second half of this year and be encoded. NBC had been challenging Rupert Murdoch's ownership of the national Fox TV network under foreign ownership regulations. Murdoch became an American citizen to qualify for the regulations. Also this week, The Discovery Channel Asia announced a one year deal with Singapore Telecom for uplink facilities for it's Chinese language version to Apstar 1. Singapore Telecom currently holds to contract for carriage of Discovery's service on the Palapa B2P satellite. Proving that the Asian market is worth all the fuss over the passed month after the Apstar failure, HBO Asia announced that subsribers in the region have more than doubled. The network now counts over 600,000 subscribers to it's movies channel. Israel expands TV broadcasting Radio Sweden Israel TV's channel 3 began full-time broadcasting on satellite and cable on January 22. It can now be received in most of the Middle East, the Gulf, and North Africa. (BBC Monitoring) Presumeably the satellite in question is Intelsat 702, which carries three Israeli television channels. Channel 3 is listed on 11.023 GHz. More TV for Australia A busy week in Australian TV has seen the announcement of no less than three new TV ventures. CNN announced late this week that it would cooperate with the national ABC network on a 24 hour news channel called TNC - The News Channel. CNN's part in the venture will be in supply of certain programming as well as CNN Newssource - the networks global newsfeed operation that supplies other broadcasters with coverage of news events. The latest addition to the Australis pay TV line up will be a channels dedicated to children and the whole family focused on non violent programming. The encrypted service will begin broadcasting next month according to an announcement made earlier this week in Sydney. Meanwhile proving that it never rains but pours Nickelodeon announced the launch of its second international network, Nickelodeon Australia, an entertainment channel for children. The network will be a joint venture with Australian Information Media Pty (AIM), which is majority owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corp. The channel will provide children's programming during the day, and a combination of high quality documentary drama and general entertainment in the evening, featuring ABC and international productions. The service is expected to begin broadcasting later this year and will be distributed to subscribers Australia-wide, on all major pay-TV delivery systems, cable and MMDS. "We're thrilled to partner with the Australian Broadcasting Company," Geraldine Laybourne, President, Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite, said in making the announcement. "Australia is a particularly attractive market for Nickelodeon because the attitudes and sensibilities of Australian kids are in tune with the innovative approach of Nickelodeon. We believe Australia will love Nickelodeon and we know Nickelodeon will love Australia." Sumner Redstone, Chairman of Viacom Inc., said "Viacom's mission is to deliver our products, our brands, and our franchises to new audiences around the world. We have pursued this mission with a passion and the creation of Nickelodeon Australia is an important extension of that mission." Kim Williams, the head of AIM, said, "Nickelodeon is the premier children's channel in the U.S. and represents a wonderful opportunity for Australian kids. The strength of NICKELODEON'S library and the library of the ABC make us uniquely qualified to serve the viewing interests and demands of the Australian audience. We couldn't be more excited about this venture." Canada / CMT dispute continues Satellite Dealers Association The dispute between Nashville's Country Music Television and Canada's New Country Network could precipitate a broadening trade war between the United States and Canada. CMTV has been forcibly removed from the cable systems in Canada to make way for NCN. CMTV believes that this is a violation of the North American Free Trade Agreement. CMTV took this to Canada's Supreme Court, but the court ruled in favor of the ban. Now CMTV has removed all Canadian country music artists from their play list and the US government may be looking into other possible retaliatory actions. Media Council established in Slovakia Sharon Fisher, OMRI, Inc. The Slovak cabinet named at its 21 February session the members of the government's new council for mass media, which will be an advisory organ without decision-making powers. Deputy Premier Katarina Tothova will serve as council chairwoman, and Minister of Culture Ivan Hudec will be deputy chairman. Aside from the two government members, the 20-member council includes three parliamentary deputies from the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia; the directors of Slovak TV, Radio and the state news agency TASR; and four members of the Association of Slovak Journalists (formerly known as the Club for a True Picture of Slovakia). Only one member of the Slovak Syndicate of Journalists is represented, Sme reports. Still, Tothova said the members represent "a wide spectrum of experts." The cabinet also approved the creation of a new Ministry of Construction and Public Works, which was pushed forward by the Association of Slovak Workers. Jan Mraz of the ASW was appointed minister in December. The Ministry of Transportation, Communications, and Public Works will be changed to the Ministry of Transportation, Post, and Telecommunications, Narodna obroda reports. Neue Produkte Petra Huether, TS Munich Phone The World With INMARSAT B NERA GmbH is one of the leaders in maritime and mobile applications of the INMARSAT satellite telephone standards A, B, C and M. Now they have turned out another very handy portable INMARSAT B system called NERA Staturn Bt. It offers digital voice calls with 16 KB/s compact design with security coding, digital fax with 9.6 KB/s and - as provided by the earth stations - also data transfer with 9.6 KB/s. Next to an integrated multi function phone it also offers five transmission modes for communicating with terrestrial networks. All services can be accessed via individual INMARSAT numbers and the approaching Hannover Cebit fair will give you an opportunity to touch and try this gadget live at their stand. Info Fax: +49-711-1328599 Satellite Technology At A Close View! This is the motto of Sky Vision/Arcon`s road show, which is meant to introduce the possibilities of satellite reception to traders and other interested parties. From March to May, the road show will hit eleven cities, where the brandnew `95 model series of sat receivers and outdoor units plus a broad range of innovative accessories are presented. Including the Arcon Sweety, a mini satellite dish which has already smacked a few gobs in the trade. With a diameter of 43 cm, it applies professional Cassegrain technology that make it as efficient as a regular 55 cm offset dish. With the Arcon Partner Shop System, dealers are introduced to a new concept warranting their trade territory and offering further advantages. Traders will also be offered some feasible advice to profit from today`s market opportunities. Info Fax: +49-5303-666 TELE-satellit Magazine This news is from the English language news service of TELE-satellit, a monthly satellite magazine edited in Munich, Germany. It consists of 132 pages, full colour with tables, charts and news with many off-screen photos of the satellite channels plus an informative technical section. Subscriptions are available for DM 120, Europe surface mail; DM 144, Europe airmail and DM 192, ROW airmail. Orders for subscriptions and more information should be sent to : TELE-satellit Customer Service, Silheimer Str. 6a, D-89278 Nersingen, Germany, Fax +49-7308-919001 Where to find satellite news : TELE-satellit News, English : CompuServe UK Forum (UKFORUM) - Windows Write / ASCII version, library 19 CompuServe European Forum (EURFORUM) - Windows Write version, library 5 CompuServe Deutschland on line (GERLINE) - Windows Write version, library 15 CompuServe Telecommunications Forum (TELECOM) - Windows Write version fax on demand +49-8282-81003 fax on demand +49-2163-81744 fax on demand +49-7308-919009 NBC Super Channel - NBC Text page 171 alt.satellite.tv.europe newsgroup on Usenet World Wide Web : http://xan.esrin.esa.it:2602/satellite.html Fidonet SAT.028 Fidonet SATELLITE.FR Fidonet RU.SAT Fidonet SATELLIT_R23.PUB Maus Net : tv.grp America On Line - from the "ham radio" area in the General file library. Anonymous FTP to : ftp.funet.fi /pub/dx/text/satellite/telesatellit CIX Skyguide/telesat conference SAT NET BBS network SweDX BBS, Swedish DX Association. +46-8-53034727 / Fidonet 2:201/339 Short Wave Paradise BBS, online 24 hours a day ! USA 616-383-4979 TELE-satellit News, German : CompuServe Deutschland on line (GERLINE) - ASCII version, library 15 CompuServe Der Spiegel Forum (SPIEGEL) - ASCII version, library 11 fax on demand +49-8282-81003 fax on demand +49-2163-81744 fax on demand +49-7308-919009 SAT 1 Text - page 513 SAT NET BBS network Other reliable sources of satellite news : Radio Sweden Mediascan. 1st and 3rd Tuesday, 20 minutes into the English programme via Astra, Shortwave, Mediumwave 1197 kHz and the World Radio Network. Text and audio files of Mediascan can be found in the SCDX directory on ftp.funet.fi Radio Netherlands Media Network, Thursday, 23 minutes into the English programme via shorwave and The World Radio Network World Wide Web users can access TS News and the electronic journals above and more information via the European satellite home page, URL http://xan.esrin.esa.it:2602/satellite.html The ProShow. Every Sunday night starting at 9:00 pm EST on the Omega Radio Network - Galaxy 3, Transponder 17, 5.80 MHz. -- Martyn Williams | Internet : martyn@euro.demon.co.uk | CI$ : 100025,1637 Tell the US Congress NO to S.314 | Nifty : PXQ00623 | GEnie : NB.LON2 | The views above are my own, I think