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TS News - Dutch News Roundup

TELE-satellit News, 28 September 1996

Dutch News Roundup
  AMSTERDAM, Holland, 96/09/16 (SatND) -- This is a roundup of Dutch media
news by Jitse Groen.

  The Dutch weather channel should have launched today (9/16). After being
delayed two times (it originally was planned for July 1, and later for
September 1) it has now started broadcasting to about one half of a million
households. This, of course, is not truly remarkable in a heavily cabled
country such as the Netherlands. "Het Weerkanaal" will be produced in London
for the time being according to Weerkanaal, because the English (and also
the European) Weather Channel have all the required facilities at hand. Het
Weerkanaal will not only provide up-to-date regional and nation-wide weather
information. Local updates will be automatically inserted by local cable
operators with the help of computers, and besides the channel will also
transmit specific information on beach and business weather, for example.

  A small quarrel in the Netherlands last week. MultiChoice has for months
been refusing to supply smart cards for Panasat satellite receivers, because
those receivers (according to NetHold) were 'not suitable for the
MultiChoice package'. MultiChoice said that the receivers could not properly
receive the signals and lacked teletext support anyway. Although this may
hold true, the Panasat receivers *do* work. Even if they didn't, MultiChoice
had no right to refuse supplying smart cards. Panasat receivers were
originally made for the South African MultiChoice package, but were imported
by a Dutch company. After some Panasat buyers threatened to take to court,
MultiChoice wasn't that sure about the receivers' deficiencies anymore. They
have now agreed to supply the cards.

  The NOZEMA, the company in control of most terrestrial transmitters in the
Netherlands, today has boosted Radio 538's transmission power. Radio 538 had
complained that the NOZEMA did not supply the agreed power, and NOZEMA has
now been found prepared to change the transmitter in Lelystad. At the same
time, Radio 538 has started a rather sentimental action to keep the station
on air, or even better, to get the station more transmitters. Radio 538
fears to be forced off air next year, following a proposed auction of
transmitters. The station expects not to be able to compete with bids by
more powerful stations as Veronica or Radio 10.

  Source: SatND

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