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. Welcome to the latest edition of TELE Satellit News. We have several special announcement this week : - This week we are pleased to announce that you can now receive TS News via NBC Text. The news is on page 171 of the new service and is in an experimental stage at present. If you have any ideas about what you'd like to see on NBC Text please email us. - RTL called us this week and asked for help in getting reception reports for the new Eutelsat 2 F1 service from viewers in the Canary Islands, Greece and Northern Africa and surrounding areas. Please see the item below. - Jean Phillipe Donnio in France, a TS contributor, is now distributing this news on three networks : Globalnet : GN.ONDES.COURTES.FR Sparknet : SK_SATELLITE Fidonet : RADIOCOMMS.FR Thanks Jean Phillipe ! TELE SATELLIT EUROPE'S SATELLITE MAGAZINE European Satellite News - English Version Number 20, Week ending 9 October 1994 By Martyn Williams News Desk : Internet martyn@euro.demon.co.uk or CompuServe 100025,1637 (c) TELE Satellit Magazine Late news : ITALY - FININVEST RAIDED Italian investigators raided the offices of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's TV empire on Friday in an attempt to find documents that would prove Berlusconi's Fininvest holding company held more than the legal maximum of TelePiu shares. Investigators took away documents and computer records according to media reports. Under Italian media law Fininvest can own no more than 10% of the national pay TV network which operates two channels via terrestrial transmitters. The investigation will also centre on whether brides were paid to the financial police. Analysts say Berlusconi will almost certainly have to resign as Prime Minister if these allegations are proved. Berlusconi via satellite : Italia 1 Intelsat 602, 11.137 GHz, H Rete 4 Intelsat 602, 11.011 GHz, H Canale 5 Intelsat 602, 11.173 GHz, H RAI Uno Eutelsat 2 F2, 10.972 GHz, V * RAI Due Eutelsat 2 F2, 11.095 GHz, V * Telepiu 1 satellite next year Telepiu 2 satellite next year * The RAI channels are not owned by Berlusconi but his government is taking increasing control in the broadcaster EU rules TV transmissions can be banned under law The European Commission declared Wednesday that TV transmissions can be banned under EU law in certain circumstances. The case in question was that of TV-10, a Dutch TV station that was setting up in 1989 and intending to broadcast via the new Astra 1A satellite, transponder 9, to the Netherlands. When TV 10 moved it's operating base from the Netherlands to Luxembourg the Dutch authorities decided this was done to escape Dutch TV legislation and promptly banned the carriage of TV-10 on the countries cable networks. TV-10 never launched but did take the Dutch media commission to court. The European Commission decided this week that although the Treaty of Rome allowed TV stations to transmit across borders, EU law did not oppose the banning of a TV station in the nation it had moved from if that move was to escape national laws. BSkyB set for public share issue BSkyB are planning a major public share offering placing 20% of the companies stock onto the London and New York markets. News Corp, Granada and Pearson have all agreed to reducing their share in BSkyB meaning the 20% public offering would be comprised of 10% of the company stock that News Corporation already hold and the rest from shareholdings of Pearson, Chargeurs and Granada. Chargeurs has commented that it wishes to retain it's 17.5 % stake in BSkyB raising speculation that Chargeurs and not entirely happy with the prospect of a public flotation. The offering could go ahead before the end of the year depending on market conditions. A possible problem will be the recent price rise of £3 and the subscribers the channel may loose and the cost involved in starting the new networks that Sky have launched in the last two months. Sky seemed to placate worries on subscriber levels this week when it announced the creation of a new subscriber management centre in Scotland, employing 1,000 people, see story below. Current valuations on the company put it at £5 bn. This would place BSkyB into the top 40 companies making up the FTSE 100 index. The flotation would allow BSkyB to pay back the majority of the £1.5bn it still owes, freeing up a considerable amount of the stations capital. Cable Plus goes multi-choice TS News Bureau Munich Czech pay TV sender Cable Plus will join the Multi Choice TV packet. The movie channel marks the launch of the multi choice package in the Czech Republic. Cable Plus has recently moved satellites from the Russian Gorizont at 11 degrees West to Eutelsat 1 F5 at 21.5 degrees east. The Gorizont relay will end in two months time. RTL needs your help ! German TV channel RTL has recently begun on EUTELSAT II-F1, 13° East, 11.596 GHz H, and wants to know about the reception of its programme in the following areas: Greece, Canary Islands and Northern Africa. Anybody receiving RTL within this areas via EUTELSAT (NOT ASTRA!) is asked to answer the following questions: 1. What diameter dish do you use to receive RTL ? 2. Do you receive RTL in an acceptable quality? 3. What make is your LNB, What is it's noise figure (dB) ? 4. What receiver do you use for RTL via EUTELSAT? Send in your answers to: SATCO DX, c/o TELE-satellit, dep. RTL, POB 801965, D-81619 Munich, Germany, or fax to: +49-89-496911, or via CompuServe 100277,2111, or via Internet to: awiese@telesat.gerwin.net. Every serious answer will be honored with a big wall chart satellite poster so don't forget your postal address ! Successful launch for Intelsat 703 Intelsat successfully launched their 703 satellite on October 6 at 0735CET after a delay of one day. The launch vehicle was an American Atlas IIAS rocket which launched from Cape Canaveral. The satellite will provide additional telephone, broadcasting, and private network capacity to meet the rapidly growing needs of INTELSAT customers throughout the Asia-Pacific. In all, thirty-six transponders aboard the spacecraft will provide a mix of Ku-band and C-band service. Commenting on the successful launch, Irving Goldstein, INTELSAT's director general and CEO, said: "The deployment of INTELSAT 703 brings enhanced capacity for our customers in the Asia-Pacific region. Our goal is to continually introduce the latest in satellite technology as we replace retiring spacecraft, as well as to support new telecommunications applications. We congratulate Martin Marietta, Space Systems/Loral, and the many members of the INTELSAT team who contributed to the success of this mission. We look forward to repeating this success in December with the launch of INTELSAT 704." The spacecraft will enter into service in December l994. Ariane carries Mexican, Thai satellites into space An Ariane 44L rocket launched Mexico's Solidaridad 2 and Thailand's Thaicom 2 satellites into orbit early on Saturday morning. The launch, at 0307CET, was declared as successful by Ariane's CEO Charles Bigot, "This evening's launch is a clear demonstration of Arianespace's dedicated commitment to serving space users throughout the world. By launching SOLIDARIDAD 2 for Telecomunicaciones de Mexico and THAICOM 2 for Shinawatra of Thailand, our company has consolidated both its position and its image in two regions that are enjoying very strong growth in space communications, Latin America and Southeast Asia." Less than a year ago Ariane launched both Solidardad 1 and Thaicom 1. The next Ariane launch, Flight 69, is scheduled for October 31st. An ARIANE 42L launch vehicle will be used to launch the ASTRA 1D direct broadcasting satellite into geostationary transfer orbit for the Luxembourg-based Societe Europeenne des Satellites (SES). Sky adds capacity at subscription centre Sky Television is to set up an additional subscriber management centre in Fife, Scotland employing up to 1,000 people. The centre will handle applications from new subscribers. According to BSkyB the companies current Livingstone centre is at full capacity. The new centre will start operations in a years time and become fully operational by the end of the decade. Mirror gets MacKenzie for new cable channel Mirror Group PLC, publishers of The Mirror newspaper, have appointed ex BSkyB chief Kelvin MacKenzie as head of the groups television division. The Mirror group is setting up a new UK cable TV channel called Live TV set to debut next year. The job places the ex-Sun editor at the helm of the Mirror's TV group from October 25 and in competition with Sky TV for the cable audience. UK TV guides on CompuServe TS News Bureau Munich The UK Press Association now offers a TV listings service which includes the main English language satellite channels. CompuServe users can access the Press Association news wire by typing GO PAO. Under the TV listings heading daily schedules can be found for NBC Super Channel, Children's Channel, MTV, Sky One, Sky News, Sky Movies, Eurosport, The Movie Channel, Sky Sports, Sky Sports 2, Sky Movies Gold, UK Gold, Bravo, Discovery, UK Living, Nickelodeon, The Family Channel, CMT, Cartoon Network and TNT plus the UK terrestrial networks BBC 1, BBC 2, ITV, S4C and Channel 4. TNT / Cartoon Network launch in Asia Ted Turner's TNT and Cartoon Network have launched to Asia on Thursday this week. The networks will share a channel on Indonesia's Palapa satellite and China's ApStar 1. The network is available from day one to 600,000 cable subscribers in Indonesia and 500,000 viewers in Taiwan. Talks are currently underway with Hong Kong's Wharf Cable for carriage there. October TELE Satellit available The October issue of TELE Satellit magazine is now available. All the usual departments are there including new products, your letters and phone calls and daily news from the TS news desk. Receiver reviews this month are the Pace MSS 500, the WISI Orbit 57, the Predki Saturn, the Morgan's Dallas and the Philips STU 560A. Also reviewed is the Digitrona VideoCrypt 1 / 2 converter. We also look back at October 1984 and talk about PAL Plus. As usual the programme guide includes frequency lists of TV, radio, news and digital channels plus the unique photo programme guide - an all satellite guide with photos of the logos used by each channel. Subscription details are below or from good kiosks in Germany, Austria and Switzerland for DM 8,50. Germany's SAT NET adds international nodes SAT NET News Desk - Manuel Vitti SAT-NET is a mailbox network distributing daily updated satellite related news. The net now consists of 21 mailbox systems throughout Europe with emphasis on Germany. News is in German and English with frequency listings of European satellite channels. A new section is called Orbit View ®. There, anybody can contribute and send in his DX news of the satellite channels. Orbit View ® is also mailed out daily. This is the current member list of mailbox systems connected to SAT-NET. Most BBS do also offer other satellite related files: BBS name location number bps times Five Miles Out Herzogenrath +49-2407-17244 14.400 0-24 h Funkladen BBS (2) Freiberg +49-3731-22915 14.400 0-24 h Softwareschuppen Delbrueck +49-5250-53709 14.400 0-24 h Satellite Info Box Bad Homburg +49-6172-305224 28.800 0-24 h NEBOSA Bischmisheim +49-681-897388 14.400 0-24 h BL-Box Balingen +49-7433-8344 28.800 0-24 h Wildcat Erding Erding +49-8122-91919 19.200 0-24 h PD-Welt Landsberg +49-8191-3442 19.200 0-24 h SAT-BOX Landsberg +49-8191-39747 19.200 0-24 h Tele-Box Rammingen +49-8245-3739 14.400 21-3 h Telepoint BBS Bad Wurishofen +49-8247-31828 14.400 0-24 h KKK-Box Kaufbeuren +49-8341-69790 14.400 0-24 h Glufamichl Dietmannsried +49-8374-6631 14.400 0-24 h vidi Muenchen +49-89-133247 28.800 0-24 h Cyberspace BBS Muenchen +49-89-3611110 28.800 0-24 h Funkladen BBS (1) Muenchen +49-89-7603102 14.400 0-24 h Fiffi's Inn Muenchen +49-89-5701353 19.200 0-24 h Fiffi's Inn Muenchen +49-89-5704243 19.200 0-24 h Fiffi's Inn Muenchen +49-89-54710940 ISDN 0-24 h First Aid Muenchen +49-89-6732410 14.400 23-4 h Satellite Info Box Bad Homburg +49-6172-305224 28.800 0-24 h Lost Continent Motfel (B) +32-3-4482680 14.400 0-24 h Alley Cat Bandhagen (S) +46-8-7495826 19.200 0-24 h All times CET, ISDN node runs at 128,000 bps Any BBS sysop interested in joining SAT-NET should contact "vidi" (sysop Manuel Vitti), SAT-NET's central mailbox in Munich, Germany or on 100412.2365@compuserve.com Philips offer STU 909 upgrade Philips have just released a new upgrade for the STU 909 receiver. The upgrade takes the original receiver up to STU 909A specifications which make it fully Astra 1D compatible and increase the number of available channels to 520. The upgrade involves changing two ICs, the main microprocessor and an EEPROM and can be carried out by all users with moderate electronics experience of local Philips Satellite dealers. The STU 909A costs GBP 529,99 in the UK with the upgrade costing GBP 90 or less. In brief .... TS News Bureau London and Munich - ERF on Astra from December. Evangelical radio station ERF will begin broadcasting via QVC on Astra from December. The station previously leased time on failed country music radio station CMR. The subcarrier is understood to be 7.38 MHz. - The US will get it's fifth major TV network next year. The United/Paramount Network will begin broadcasting nationwide via 72 affiliate stations from 16 January 1995 offering two evenings of entertainment totalling four hours a week initially. - WRN has failed in their bid to get an FM licence in London. The results of the fierce bidding war for 4 available licences was announced Friday. Virgin 1215 has managed to get an FM channel in London. At present the satellite network is only available nationwide on medium wave. Transponder watch .... TS News Bureau London and Munich - GALS 1, 71 degrees East - Korean TV on 12.165 GHz, right hand, with a 2.40 m dish ! - ASTRA, 19.2 degrees East - The three Spanish radio programmes via Cinemania on 11.657 GHz have disappeared. - EUTELSAT 1 F5, 21.5 degrees East - Czech pay TV station Cable Plus is broadcasting around the clock. - INTELSAT 515, 18 degrees West - Swedish TV has left this satellite for Intelsat 702. - PANAMSAT 1, 45 degrees West - A new radio station called Kiss FM is available via Galavision on the 7.40 MHz subcarrier. 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 +49-7308-5296 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 Fax polling Netherlands +31-45-273615 *2*9 Fax polling Germany +49-89-496287 *9 NBC Super Channel - NBC Text page 171 ISDN Mailbox IDTRANS (128 kBps), User Gast, Password SAT, +49-89-45001424 alt.satellite.tv.europe newsgroup on Usenet World Wide Web : http://xan.esrin.esa.it:2602/satellite.html Fidonet SAT.028 newsgroup Fidonet RADIOCOMMS.FR Globalnet : GN.ONDES.COURTES.FR Sparknet : SK_SATELLITE Anonymous FTP to : ftp.funet.fi /pub/dx/text/satellite/telesatellit SAT NET BBS network TELE Satellit News, German : CompuServe Deutschland on line (GERLINE) - ASCII version, library 15 CompuServe Der Spiegel Forum (SPIEGEL) - ASCII version, library 11 Fax polling Germany +49-89-496287 *8 Fax polling Netherlands +31-45-273615 *2*8 SAT NET BBS network ISDN Mailbox IDTRANS (128 kBps), User Gast, Password SAT, +49-89-45001424 TELE Satellit Hotline +49-90-6350613 Zeiten: Do 15-20 Uhr, Sa 14-20 Uhr TELE Satellit TV ! Last Friday of every month, repeated following Sunday . DFS Kopernikus 2, 28.5 degrees east. 11.625 GHz, Horizontal polarisation. Audio 6.60 MHz. 20:00 UK, 21:00 CET Other reliable sources of satellite news : - Satellite Journal International provides worldwide satellite news and can be found in UKFORUM, EURFORUM, TELECOM, BPFORUM and CEFORUM on CompuServe plus other networks worldwide including Internet, Nifty Serve Japan and Fidonet. - *44022999# ,menu option 30 on BTX / Datex J - 3615 SATPHONE on Minitel - Phone 3670-8192 in France - SAT 1 Text, page 550 with fresh news every 3-4 days plus frequency charts. - BAYERNTEXT page 575 / 576 - Radio Sweden Mediascan. 1st and 3rd Tuesday, 20 minutes into the English programme via Astra, Shortwave, Mediumwave 1197 kHz and the World Radio Network. - Sat News on the Internet - Skyguide on the Internet - 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