[Prev][Next][Index]

Sat-UK-News #212 13.03.98: BSkyB, HotBird 4???

Sat-UK-News Report #212:
- BSkyB loses key financial offer
- Is it HotBird 4 at 29 degrees east?
friday 13th march 1998
=======================================================================
Email: dsedghi@TELE-Satellite.com OR dominic@bigrp.demon.co.uk
Sat-UK-Web: http://www.sat-uk.com/
UK Satellite Control: http://www.sat-net.com/uk-satellite/
And now the news:

Hi again. I hope Friday 13th hasn't been an unlucky day for you all. For
me it has been quite a good day. Apart from tuning into EuroSport at 29
degrees east (albeit the bad picture), I have found a Eutelsat
promotional too!

---------- BSkyB loses key financial offer
(source and copyright UK Satellite Control)
 British Sky Broadcasting sadly reported Monday that Nick Carrington,
the company's chief financial officer, died suddenly last week after a
short illness. He was 47 years old. Carrington had served as deputy
director of finance from 1989 to 1991, a period which saw the launch of
Sky's original four channels and the merger with BSB to create British
Sky Broadcasting. Following a four-and-a-half year stay at Polygram U.K.
Limited, Nick returned to BSkyB as chief financial officer, in May 1995.
He was appointed an executive director in November 1997. Mark Booth,
BSkyB CEO, said, "This is a tragic loss and our deepest sympathy is with
Nick's wife, Pauline, and her family. Nick had an incredible knowledge
of BSkyB and was a strong presence during two key periods in the
company's short history. He will be missed very much by us all." 

---------- Is it HotBird 4 at 29 degrees east?
 If you point your dish to 29 degrees east and look up 12,303 V, you
might find EuroSport. I did, but not before adjusting my LT8700 to a
video low threshold of 14. Even then the picture was deplorable,
although better than Kopernikus 2. I stored this frequency then moved
quickly on to 12,359 H, where I picked up the much talked about Eutelsat
promotional video. The picture was even worse. Maybe it's just that
there's some big obstruction in the way. I think not - Astra 1D was
coming in loud and clear with only a few sparklies. Perhaps I'll cut the
trees a bit more.
 What interested me, though, is that on both channels which I have
mentioned above, there is a scrolling message, which reads something
like "Transmission of EuroSport over the Europesat-I system of the
Eutelsat satellite network". This makes me wonder. People have been
saying that these transmissions are being broadcast by HotBird 4, but
the weak signal strength makes me wonder. Bring this message into the
equation, and could it be that Eutelsat has already put together the
EuropeSat venture which it has been planning for some time now to link
Europe and Asia by a common satellite? Then again, they might be using
HotBird 4 with the EuropeSat footprint to secure 29 degrees east. Well,
we'll know just which satellite it was when HotBird 4 start moving west
again. Meanwhile, I welcome your reception reports on these two channels
as well as Astra 1D. I still haven't spotted any digital stuff yet,
though. Due to start on Monday!


All contents (C) 1998 Dominic Sedghi, except where indicated. All
rights reserved. Contents may be reproduced providing the following
is included: "Provided by Sat-UK - www.sat-uk.com/".
Information is subject to change and/or may be incorrect.

***************************************************
  WANT TO ADVERTISE HERE? YOUR ADVERT COULD REACH
A POTENTIAL 800 CUSTOMERS OR MORE!!! FOR MORE INFO,
      CONTACT ME AT dominic@bigrp.demon.co.uk
***************************************************
[Other mailing lists]