Article: 18639 of rec.radio.shortwave Newsgroups: rec.radio.shortwave Path: news.cs.tut.fi!news.funet.fi!funic!nic.funet.fi!compuserve.com!70247.3516 From: 70247.3516@compuserve.com (George Wood) Subject: SCDX 2174 Message-ID: <930302131545_70247.3516_EHB34-1@CompuServe.COM> Sender: root@nic.funet.fi (The FUnny NET guru) Organization: Finnish Academic and Research Network Project - FUNET Date: Tue, 2 Mar 1993 15:15:46 +0200 Lines: 451 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: MediaScan :: :: SWEDEN CALLING DXERS :: :: from Radio Sweden :: :: Number 2174--Mar. 2, 1993 :: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Satellite, shortwave and other electronic media news from Radio Sweden. This week's bulletin was written by George Wood. Packet Radio BID SCDX2174 All times UTC unless otherwise noted. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- On February 28th, we celebrated our 45th anniversary. Arne Skoog, who founded the program in 1948, and wrote it for 30 years, joined us in the studio. Arne is highly critical of the direction the program has taken in recent years, shifting the emphasis from shortwave to satellites. ARNE SKOOG: I'm not against satellites, but they are quite another thing. When you're depending on satellites, you're not mobile as you are with shortwave. You can never compete with shortwave, in that you can carry a shortwave receiver in your pocket, and listen to it where ever you are. You can never do that with satellites. (EDITOR'S NOTE: But in fact, when Sweden Calling DXers began in 1948, shortwave receivers were large immobile units, just like today's satellite receivers. So that satellite DXing today is very much like shortwave listening was when this program started. And just as shortwave receivers have shrunk to the pocket size, within a decade there will be portable satellite radio receivers as well.) AS: Satellites are very good and very interesting as far as high fidelity is concerned, but shortwave listeners do not require such high fidelity because a shortwave listener is not asking for entertainment or information. He is interested in a friendly contact. RADIO SWEDEN: You've been very critical of the direction this program has taken over the last few years. But I remember you always used to say that while different stations may all have their own DX programs, all these programs complement each other rather than compete. Isn't that what's happened now? It used to be that we carried the same kind of news as could be found on Radio Netherlands' "Media Network", for example. Now we're different, they concentrate on shortwave, and we concentrate on satellites. AS: You must remember that you are reaching different groups of listeners on satellite and shortwave. And management thinks that shortwave listeners are too few. So it doesn't pay to invest in shortwave broadcasts. But I think this is a mistake because satellite radio has to face such heavy competition. When you access to satellites, you have such an enormous quantity of TV programs and radio programs, so I don't think Radio Sweden has a chance to compete with them. RS: Our policy at Radio Sweden is to report on Sweden and the Nordic countries. Yet for 45 years we've had a program that has reported mostly on the rest of the world, and even given publicity to competing radio stations. Why have we done that, and what has been the advantage to doing that? AS: We've received a lot of goodwill among foreign listeners, and also among broadcasters. You see, through "Sweden Calling DXers" we stimulated not only the listening but also the manufacturing of suitable receivers for shortwave reception. We also organized contests in collaboration with "competing" international broadcasters. RS: But there are those who would argue that this was needed 30 or 40 years ago, but no longer. Today there are good shortwave receivers, the listeners know what they are doing. We don't have to do that any more. AS: Yes the equipment for shortwave reception has improved immensely. And the competition is heavy, therefore it's important to concentrate programming from international broadcasters on specific listener groups. For instance, DXers. They are reliable, and you can also collaborate with DXers for special broadcasts to limited groups with a common interests. Such as people with visual handicaps here in Sweden and abroad. HIGH DEFINITION TELEVISION: THE DEATH OF MAC?--The great battle over future European TV standards may be over. It looks as though the EC commissioners have finally abandoned their attempt to force D2-MAC and the HD-MAC standards on European broadcasters. D2-MAC as a transition to high definition television using HD-MAC had been championed by France and the Netherlands, home of the electronics companies Thomson and Philips. European broadcasters have fought the move, arguing that the largely analog HD-MAC system is about to be made obsolete by coming digital technologies. Now Martin Bangemann, the new EC commissioner responsible, says the commission is ending support to develop HD-MAC, and will instead follow the American lead. (TT) The Federal Communications Commission in the United States is currently assessing various HDTV standards. The FCC has now asked three competing consortiums to work together to develop a universal digital HDTV standard. ("Financial Times", "Satnews") (Curiously, one of these includes Thomson and Philips, who have been pushing the non-digital HD-MAC on Europe. The FCC has rejected the analog Japanese MUSE standard.) Should Europe adopt the eventual American standard, the world could be on its way to having a single television system in the next century. But development of digital high definition television is going on here in Europe as well. Last year a Scandinavian consortium demonstrated a new system called HD-Divine to the IBC conference in Amsterdam. The group includes Swedish Television, Norwegian Telecom, Telecom Denmark, and two offshots of Swedish Telecom. We asked Swedish Television's Technical Director Sven Olof Ekholm why broadcasters would prefer HD-Divine and other digital high definition systems to the EC's HD-MAC? SOE: The problem is that a system for teleivision is supposed to survive, to be working, for at least 50 years. To go on with analog systems seems stupid to me, and to the other broadcasters. Because now, when you have the chance, you have to take a big step to the future, make a future-proof system. And as far as I can see, that can only be digital. We don't want to take a lot of small steps, costing us as broadcasters and the public a fortune every step. RS: Your new system, HD-Divine, seems to have a lot in common with the new Digital Audio Broadcasting system for radio. SOE: Yes, if you mean the modulation system, and the way it's transmitted, it's basically the same. That's because we are looking for a robust system that can avoid all the interference. It also means we can use less transmitter power, which is important because we have to transmit parallel with analog channels for at least 20 years. RS: There are several digital HDTV systems under development. What are HD- Divine's advantages over these other systems? SOE: For the time being, we are the only ones in Europe with hardware, with a system that works. The second generation system will be ready this month, with more facilities than we have demonstrated before. For example, we can choose to transmit terrestrially with a single HDTV channel, or with 4 standard television channels (in the same single UHF channel), or via satellite. RS: The American FCC is going to pick a digital HDTV system for the United States, which many people believe will become the international standard. But HD-Divine is not one of the systems under consideration. Isn't this a problem for you? SOE: Yes of course we are worried. But our goal was to start a process in Europe showing that digital systems are the future. There are problems if you compare the environment in the United States with Europe. As you know, one of the systems that is competing in the US is a European system, made by Philips and Thomson, and it's one of the best as well. So maybe, if we don't win in Europe, they will. But so far we will fight for our system because we believe it's the best we have seen so far. But we know there can be other systems that are even better than ours. RS: What's the timetable here? And when do you think Europe will see digital HDTV finally? SOE Finally? (laughs) We hope to start with real field tests this Spring. We still have some trouble with the transmitting part of the system. We'll be getting the new parts for the second generation on the 15th of March, and then start, perhaps even over satellite. Because the race in Europe for the time being is not over the terrestrial environment, it's satellites, because all these pay channels are appearing and are looking for compression systems to squeeze in many more channels into one satellite channel. In the upcoming April edition of the "BBC Worldwide" magazine, Simon Spanswick will be writing about high defination television. NORDIC MEDIA NEWS: BREAKFAST NEWS--Yesterday, Swedish Television's second channel started weekday breakfast broadcasts. They were preceeded by several months by the commercial channel TV4. The programs will be produced alternate weeks in Gothenburg and Malmoe, with news from Swedish Television in Stockholm. Commentators here are uncertain if Swedes will change their morning habits to watch TV, especially when there's already competition from the BBC, Sky News, CNN, and other international channels, as well as the traditional radio and newspapers. PRIVATE RADIO--Last week the Swedish parliament approved a bill to permit private commercial radio stations in this country, beginning April 1st. Initially 60 licences are to be granted. If there are several applicants for a licence, it is to be sold to the highest bidder. Government agencies and newspapers will not be allowed to own stations. The present community radio stations will also be allowed to carry advertising. (TT) NORDIC COUNCIL--At the Nordic Council meeting in Oslo, Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt has proposed the creation of a common Nordic television channel. Bildt says viewers in Stockholm can see television from countries outside Scandinavia, but not from Denmark or Norway. (TT) The Prime Minister apparently doesn't know that all 4 Norwegian channels are available on satellite, they just aren't being carried on cable here, while Swedish channels are in fact on cable in Norway and available over the air in Finland and Denmark. Finland has an entire radio network in Swedish, which could easily be relayed on Swedish cable networks, giving the country a completely new channel, and improving Nordic understanding. KINNEVIK EXPANDS--Meanwhile, Swedish media baron Jan Stenbeck is expanding his empire into the other Nordic countries. Stenbeck's Kinnevik company owns 20 percent of Norway's new "Radio Hela Norge" ("Radio All of Norway"), which is to be the country's fourth national radio network, and the first privately-owned. The main office will be in Liljehammar, site of next year's Winter Olympics. Radio Hela Norge is to officially begin broadcasts on September 15th. Besides separate TV3 outlets for Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, Kinnevik's other satellite channel is the pay channel TV1000. It also operates cable- only film, music video, and home shopping channels in Sweden, a satellite-fed music service for community radio stations in Sweden, and a handful of local radio stations in Denmark, including satellite broadcaster The Voice. Through TV3, which is based in London, the company is also part owner of a new local radio station in Britain. Kinnevik is also part owner of Sweden's commercial terrestrial channel TV4. ("Dagens Industri") THOR--Norway is going ahead with its plans for a Nordic satellite package on the Thor satellite. Kauto Huopio, who passes lots of information on to us from Internet News, says he's now discovered Eurosport on Thor. The signal was in D-MAC, with English commentary, and no other audio channels in use. There was also a MAC teletext transmission. (Kauto Huopio) Eurosport has been expected to join CNN and FilmNet on Thor, as the first three programmers in Norwegian Telecom's Nordic DBS package. "Satnews" reports that the Thor version of Eurosport will carry more Nordic- oriented programming, with Swedish and Finnish commentaries. Norwegian Telecom plans to start with five channels on Thor, increasing to 15 channels within the next year and a half, by co-locating other DBS satellites with Thor at 1 degree West. ("Satnews") EUROPEAN TELEVISION NEWS: SCREENSPORT/EUROSPORT--In the early hours of March 1st, Screensport merged into Eurosport. The new Eurosport is now broadcasting over both Astra transponders 1 and 4, although the signal on transponder 1 will only last a few weeks. The new Eurosport has taken over Screensport's spot as a pay channel on Swedish cable networks. Eurosport was dropped from Swedish cable systems on January 4th, after it demanded compensation from Nordic cable operators (alone) while refusing to become a pay channel or to code its satellite transmissions. SKY NEWS--British Sky Broadcasting has announced that both the currently uncoded channels Sky One and Sky News will become part of a subscription package with several more channels, after the launch of the Astra 1C satellite. However, the "UK Press Gazette" reports that BSkyB is considering splitting Sky News into two services, one solely to the UK for the subscription package, the other still uncoded for European viewers. According to the report, BSkyB is also considering extending Sky News into an international networked service, using resources from the Fox Network in the United States, which is also owned by BSkyB's parent company. ("Satnews") THAMES--Thames Television has confirmed plans to use a transponder on the upcoming Astra 1C, to relay archive material to subscribers. ("Satnews") ASTRA--Speaking at the Financial Times Cable and Satellite conference in London recently, Celso Azevedo, Technical Director of Astra's owner SES, said two later satellites, 1D and 1E, will be set aside for HDTV and digital compression techniques, which could provide 180 channels. However, 60 of those channels may be devoted to showing the top ten films, available on a subscription basis. The transmission times would be staggered so that a viewer would not have to wait more than 20 minutes for a film to start. ("Financial Times") POLAND--TV Polonia will launch on Eutelsat II-F3, on 11.555 GHz, on April 1st. (James Robinson) ISLAM--There is a regular broadcast from a London mosque Saturdays and Sundays at 11:45-13:30 hrs on Eutelsat II-F1, 11.617 GHz. The background audio is on 6.20 MHz, English commentary on 6.84, and Arabic commentary on 7.38 MHz. The channel ID is "Moslem TV Ahmediyyah".This began on February 27th (which was in fact the first Saturday in the Moslem holy month of Ramadan, which may have something to do with the broadcasts). (James Robinson) INTELSAT--The Intelsat Satellite Show in Germany will be broadcast for several days beginning March 6th at 08:00-16:00 hrs on Eutelsat II-F3 on 11.555 GHz. ("In Orbit") ESTONIA--The Ostankino television company has reached agreement with the Estonian authorities on relaying the Russian channel to Estonia. Ostankino has agreed to pay all relaying expenses. The Russian television company and the St. Petersburg television company have not as yet come to Estonia for talks. (Estonian Radio via BBC Monitoring) EUROPEAN RADIO NEWS: BBC--An inside source at the BBC tells us that World Service radio will be appearing on the UK Gold transponder on Astra in April, along with Radio 4 and possibly Radio 1. Four of the subcarriers on the channel have just been activated. James Robinson tells us that on the BBC feed on Eutelsat II-F1, on the Super Channel transponder, audio 7.56 MHz, there is a language which is not on shortwave, at 22:30-23:00 hrs. He believes this is Slovenian. (James Robinson) EURONET--On the other hand, another Astra radio channel is to close. Euronet says unless if can raise enough revenue, it will disappear from the Sky Sports transponder on March 31st. ("In Orbit" and James Robinson) GERMANY--We've had reports of two stations which were to start broadcasts on March 1st on the Premiere transponder on Astra. These are the former East German youth station DT64 and another station called MDR Sputnik, both reported to be using the subcarriers 7.74 and 7.92 MHz. (James Robinson and Peter, DH2HAP) Nothing is heard there yet, but there is a German station now on 7.38 and 7.56 MHz. CANADA--Radio Canada International's Russian Service is now being carried by the World Radio Network on Eutelsat II-F1, using the MBC transponder at 11.554 GHz, audio 7.74 MHz. Broadcasts are daily at 15:30-16:45 hrs. (James Robinson) RADIO LIBERTY/RADIO FREE EUROPE--The people shaping the budget for the new Clinton administration in the United States want to close Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. They say the stations have done their jobs, and their USD 210 million a budget is needed elsewhere. It's been proposed RL/RFE merge with the Voice of America, which would take over their facilities, but not their budget. The two stations broadcast in 23 languages spoken in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, most also carried by the Voice of America. The proposal, which would have to be passed by Congress, does call, however, for USD 30 million to set up a new Radio Free China. ("The Economist") ASIAN/PACIFIC MEDIA: AUSTRALIA--The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has just launched its new Asian service, Australian Television International, or ATVI. It went on the air February 17th, using Indonesia's Palapa B2-P satellite, using the transponder at 3800 MHz. (BBC Monitoring, IPS) ATVI will be competing with CNN International, which is also on that same satellite, along with BBC World Service Television on Asiasat-1. ASIA BUSINESS NEWS--A new business channel for the Asia-Pacific region is to be launched later this year. Based in Singapore, Asia Business News will broadcast for 18 hours a day during the week and 6 hours a day Saturdays, on Palapa B2-P. ("Satnews") WEATHER SATELLITES: METEOSAT--Meteosat-3, a European weather satellite, has completed a move to 75 degrees West, providing coverage over the Americas. The satellite has been loaned to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as a temporary replacement for the GOES-6 satellite, which failed in 1988. Since then, the GOES-7 satellite has been repositioned midway over the United States, limiting coverage of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. A permanent replacement, the first of a new generation called GOES-NEXT, was due to be launched last year, but has been delayed until 1994. A second satellite is due to be launched the following year. (AP, "Satnews") SHORTWAVE: JAPAN--Beginning March 7th, Radio Japan is broadacasting in Russian: 05:00 hrs on 15170 and 15355 kHz, 08:00 hrs on 9670 and 9770 kHz, 09:15 hrs on 9750 and 11840 kHz, 12:30 hrs on 7210 and 9580 kHz, and 19:30 hrs on 6005 kHz. (Radio Japan) UK--The BBC World Service resumed broadcasts in Albanian on February 28th. The schedule is 18:30-19:00 hrs on 1215, 7105, and 9770 kHz. ("'BBC Worldwide") USA--WWCR in Nashville will begin testing its third transmitter around April 1. Frequencies have been announced as 5810 kHz nights and 15610 kHz days. (George Thurman via Internet News) PUBLICATIONS: COMMUNICATIONS IN SPACE--The new 50 page edition 5.4 of Radio Sweden's satellite guide "Communications in Space: The DXers Guide to Galaxy" is now available free of charge. Just write to: Radio Sweden, S-105 10 Stockholm, Sweden. DXers GUIDE TO COMPUTING--Last chance!!!!!! We still have a few copies of "The DXers Guide to Computing" left. Once sold at USD 5 apiece, we're giving them away, first come, first serve. Write, E-mail, or fax now! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sweden Calling DXers is the world's oldest radio program for shortwave listeners. Radio Sweden has presented this round-up of radio news, features, and interviews on Tuesdays since 1948. Beginning January 18th, Radio Sweden broadcasts in English: Europe and Africa: 18:30 and 22:00 hrs on 1179, 6065 and 9655 kHz, and 23:30 hrs on 1179 and 6065 kHz Middle East and East Africa: 18:30 hrs on 15270 kHz Asia and the Pacific: 13:30 hrs on 15240 and 21625 kHz 22:00 hrs on 11955 kHz 01:00 hrs on 9695 and 11820 kHz North America: 16:00 hrs on 17870 and 21500 kHz 02:00 hrs on 9695 and 11705 kHz The 13:30, 18:30, and 22:00 hrs transmissions are also broadcast to Europe via satellite: Astra 1B (19.2 degrees East) transponder 26 (Sky Movies Gold/TV Asia/Adult Channel) at 11.597 GHz, audio subcarrier at 7.74 MHz, Tele-X (5 degrees East) (TV4 transponder) at 12.207 GHz, audio subcarrier 7.38 MHz. Contributions can be sent to DX Editor George Wood by fax to +468-667-6283, from Internet, MCI Mail or CompuServe (to the CompuServe mailbox 70247,3516), through the FidoNet system to 2:201/697 or to SM0IIN at the packet radio BBS SM0ETV. Reports can also be sent to: Radio Sweden S-105 10 Stockholm Sweden Contributions should be NEWS about electronic media--from shortwave to satellites--and not loggings of information already available from sources such as the "World Radio TV Handbook". Clubs and DX publications may reprint material as long as MediaScan/Sweden Calling DXers and the original contributor are acknowledged, with the exception of items from BBC Monitoring, which are copyright. We welcome comments and suggestions about the electronic edition, Sweden Calling DXers, and our programs in general. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thanks to this week's contributors Good Listening!