Thread: Satellite News Aprail 2010

ZBC’s Bulawayo studio faces collapse
April 1st, 2010 - 13:05 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.

Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation’s Montrose studio in Bulawayo faces collapse due to obsolete equipment, a Parliamentary committee has said. The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Media, Information, Communication and Technology toured the dilapidated studios yesterday and it emerged that the station last received equipment 15 years ago when Zimbabwe hosted the All-Africa Games.

The committee chairperson, Member of the House of Assembly for Southerton (MDC-T), Gift Chimanikire said the studios were a serious health hazard to employees. “What we have seen here leaves a lot to be desired, all the equipment is dilapidated and taking into consideration that technology is changing everyday theirs is really outdated as we have noted that they are still using analogue. It will not be surprising if one day we wake up to ‘total darkness” on the airwaves. I believe that if any country in the world is to experience what these people do they would collapse just after the problem ensues.”

Montrose studios hosts Radio Zimbabwe, TV programmes and Spot FM. Mr Chimanikire noted lack of transmission in areas like Binga and Honde Valley, among others.

Independent TV channel suspended in Kyrgyzstan
April 2nd, 2010 - 11:21 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.

Kyrgyz police seized equipment in a raid on a local television channel yesterday, effectively taking it off the air in what the opposition said was an attack on press freedom in the former Soviet republic. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrives in Kyrgyzstan later this week as part of a tour of Central Asia that will be watched closely for how strongly he pushes human rights issues. The country is also home to a US military air base and a vital hub for troops and supplies bound for the Afghanistan war.

A group of activists rallied outside the UN office in Bishkek yesterday, urging Mr Ban to focus on media freedom in his talks with President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, whom rights groups accuse of trying to silence independent media.

Stan TV, a web-based network that has been openly critical of Mr Bakiyev, said police seized computers and other equipment in a raid on its main office in the capital Bishkek, effectively suspending its operations. “This is a revenge for our reports about the opposition, for our reporting on what is really happening in this country,” Kirill Stepanyuk, Stan TV’s editor in chief, told Reuters.

Kyrgyz police said the raid had nothing to do with politics. “The investigation is done in accordance with Kyrgyz laws,” said Almaz Mumzhurov, a senior Kyrgyz financial police official. “We have suspended their use of unlicensed software.”

Rights groups say attacks on press freedom - and on journalists - are on the rise in Central Asia. Two journalists were killed in the region late last year. Several independent media websites and radio stations have not been accessible in recent weeks.

“This is yet another step by Bakiyev’s regime in its fight against truth and objectiveness,” the opposition Ata-Meken party said in a statement after the Stan TV raid. The opposition has been holding regular protests since last month, accusing Bakiyev of corruption and nepotism.
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EBU offers support for Teleradio Moldova
April 2nd, 2010 - 11:27 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.

Vice-President of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) Claudio Cappon has held talks in Chisinau with Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat on strengthening support for Teleradio Moldova (TRM). Mr Filat said that TRM, under its newly recruited president Constantin Marin, had been given independence from the government as part of a reform of several Moldovan institutions. It was now up to Mr Marin and his colleagues to fulfil TRM’s public service mission. He thanked the EBU for its “very valuable expertise”.

Mr Cappon stressed that properly-financed independent public service broadcasting is a cornerstone of democracy according to European norms. He confirmed the willingness of the EBU and its Members to support TRM’s reform process through their Special Assistance Project, which includes a package of programming made available by other Members together with training seminars and other specialised assistance.

Mr Cappon, who was accompanied by Assistant Director General David Lewis, also had talks with Corina Fusu, chair of the Moldovan parliament’s Committee on Culture and Mass Media, and at the mission in Moldova of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The OSCE has undertaken to provide financial support to a training seminar devised by RTVSLO (Slovenia) which will be provided to TRM through the Assistance Project.

Mr Cappon’s visit also included lengthy discussions with Mr Marin, with new TV Director Angela Sirbu and with new Radio Director Alexandru Dorogan.

Australian TV ownership rules may change
April 2nd, 2010 - 11:30 UTC
by Andy Sennitt.

Rules that prevent Australian metropolitan television stations from owning their partners in regional areas are likely to be scrapped as part of an overhaul of broadcasting rules, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has said. Mr Conroy said he thought the rule was outdated and ripe for change, The Age reports.

The change could trigger a significant shake-up of media ownership, with the companies behind stations Seven, Nine and Ten soon able to buy out their smaller regional affiliates Prime, WIN and Southern Cross.

Mr Conroy last week announced a review of broadcasting rules to keep them relevant in an era of widespread fast Internet access likely to be turbocharged by the A$43 billion (US$39.5 billion) national broadband network.

Audience reach rules now prevent a company from owning broadcasters that reach more than 75 percent of the population, a rule in place to maintain media diversity and give regional media some independence from metropolitan broadcasters. “As we move into high-speed broadband and TV stations start streaming their content live, I just don’t think that that 75 percent reach rule can survive. The technological change is going to wash over the top,” Mr Conroy said. ”It would be hard to see how you could implement that law in a 21st century national broadband network (environment).”
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UKE explained the delays DVB-T

The Office of Electronic Communications has published 1 April 2010 about the delay of the second phase of digitization of terrestrial television in Poland. The National Broadcasting Council and the OEC awarded 30 September 2009 the Polish Television SA, SA, Polsat TV, TVN SA, Polish Television SA and media Puls Sp. z.o.o. the right to dispose of the common frequencies for the first multiplex NTC (DTT) and disseminated to the following television programs: TVP1, TVP 2, TVP 3, Polsat, TVN, TV4, and Pulse.

It was also established a timetable for the start-up of these programs in a digital way and the end of analog broadcasting in Polish in certain areas. In addition, the President of UKE in the decision of 30 September 2009 for booking bands for the first multiplex (MUX1) has a number of conditions regarding their use. In one of these conditions, it was decided that during the term of this reservation of frequencies entity or entities authorized jointly by all co-owners MUX1 may require the issuing of licenses to use radio devices that use the spectrum covered by the reservation.

The problem is that until now such a common authorization entity that is the de facto technical operator MUX1 not the case. The reason for this is that Public TV can not accept the technical operator of that choice already made by commercial broadcasters, explaining its position that, as the company that the Treasury is required when choosing this type of service provider to apply the provisions of the Public Procurement Law, and thus identify the merged entity as a result of the tender. However, to date, TVP has not launched a tendering procedure in this respect, its refusal to take part in this venture of commercial broadcasters. Broadcasters who are co-owners of licensed frequency bands with MUX1 other hand, maintain that the Act does not apply to their procurement law, and they've made the appropriate choice. We are therefore faced with a stalemate in their choice of a technical operator MUX1.

Therefore, regular emissions under the NTC MUX1 to date have not started. It is true that in most areas of use of MUX1 listed in the first stage of the start of broadcasting in the digital way (Warsaw, Poznan, Zielona Gora, Zagan) emissions are ongoing, but they have the character test, rather than regular / commercial. In this situation failed to meet the deadline for making the second phase of digitization (31 March 2010), which de facto due to the implementation of the NTC region in Poland, which at that stage was to begin, would be the real beginning of the digitization of terrestrial television. First step is digitizing only the continuation of tests conducted a few years.

UKE (responsible for the management of frequencies), the National Broadcasting Council (responsible for curriculum issues) and Minister of Infrastructure (in charge of strategy for the digitization of terrestrial TV) intensively looking for a solution of the problem. There are two proposals out of the impasse occurring in the implementation of NTC. The first concerns the establishment of regulations regarding the procedure of selecting technical operator of the first multiplex NTC under a new law on the implementation of digital terrestrial television in Poland. The second proposal considers the separation of public service broadcasters and commercial broadcasters currently MUX1 grouped into two separate multiplexes. Commercial broadcasters in this regard by the relevant proposals to the National Broadcasting Council and the President of UKE. These requests will be dealt with urgently.

As for the new start date of the second phase of digitization of the commercial broadcasters in their applications addressed to NBC and the President of UKE for the allocation of frequency bands with them instead of MUX1 MUX2 pointed out that this step could take place from 30 September 2010

Fox Life HD menu packet Cyfrowa Polsat

1st April 2010 to offer programs in high definition (HDTV) Polish satellite pay-TV platforms Cyfrowa Polsat expanded on Fox Life HD. The station is available to customers with a platform for the HD package fee 15 PLN.

The program will find the client has the 115th Software HD receiver position. Fox Life HD is offered as an additional channel package for a family of stations.

Fox Life HD Fox Life after HD, Nat Geo Wild and Nat Geo Wild HD stations from other stations group portfolio FOX International Channels (FIC) in the menu Cyfrowa Polsat and is in the order as early as 10 channels in high definition menu operator.

Fox Life HD offers the latest movies, the cult series from the major U.S. film studios. Most of them are first broadcast on Polish screens. Fox Life HD is designed for lovers of serials who appreciate high quality sound and picture.

Technical parameters:
Hot Bird 8 (13?E) freq 12.265 GHz, Col. V, SR 27500, FEC 2/3, DVB-S2/8PSK, CA Media Access Nagra (N3).

CNN International has ceased analog distribution

American news channel CNN International (Cable News Network) ended on 1.4.2010 analog distribution system in the European satellite Astra 19.2 degrees East. Now the station tuned just owners of digital satellite receivers.

CNN broadcast on the frequency 11.627 GHz, the half of Astra 1KR. Turn off the analog signal was announced during the previous month.

Transponder on CNN will be used for digital broadcasting.

Analogue on ASTRA ending no later than April 2012. Capacity will be used for the development of digital broadcasting, especially the expansion in high definition (HDTV).

CNN broadcasts the digital transmission form FTAs with the same orbital position of Astra 1M (19.2?E) freq 11.778 GHz, Col. V, SR 27500, FEC 3/4, DVB-S.

Ukrainian blow for Viasat

Ukraine’s Supreme Court has ruled in favour of Poverkhnost Sport TV in a dispute with Viasat’s Vision TV.
Kyiv Post reports that Poverkhnost TV accused Vision TV of violating property rights through the unauthorised rebroadcasting of EUFA games in the 2008-9 season. Poverkhnost sub-licensed several TV channels to transmit the matches terrestrially but Vision TV re-broadcast those channels live and in re-runs within its satellite package.
Vision TV has questioned the Supreme Court’s review of the case, “given that the Constitutional Court defined the High Economic Court as the supreme body in the economic courts system”, according to Oksna Ferchuk, DG of Vision TV.
The Supreme Court’s ruling is regarded as unprecedented and could be a landmark fro the future intellectual property disputes in Ukraine, where both Poverkhnost and Viasat operate DTH platforms.
Separately, it is also reported that the Istil Group has raised its stake in Poverhnost Group to 55%. It acquired a 40% in the group in August 2009, with an option of acquiring a controlling stake.