(00:00:05) Cable seems to promise an almost unlimited number of choices and combined with home computer technology not to mention cassette recorders video discs lasers and so on the possibilities seem to be almost mind-boggling just within the past year. However, another major Communications technology has come to our attention and that is satellite TV direct broadcasts to home television sets by satellite. And that's what we're going to be talking about during this segment of our broadcast today. Our guest is Bob Frandsen vice president of u.s. Satellite Broadcasting Company Incorporated a firm set up by the Twin Cities broadcaster Stanley Hubbard owner of the KSTP of radio and television stations in the Twin Cities Bob France ins career in broadcasting spends some 30 years he was Recently the general manager at WTC and television and the Minneapolis st. Paul area a man knowledgeable and experienced in the area broadcasting Bob friends and welcome pleasure to have you (00:01:17) here. Thank you very much. Nice to be here. (00:01:19) Well, what is all of this with satellite direct satellite broadcasting? How is that going to change our lives? Do you (00:01:27) think that's sort of like just when you thought it was safe to go out my television Center? Yeah. Well, it's it's a new and exciting concept Bob one that is getting more and more. Press all of a sudden and I think the reason it's getting more and more attention. Now, is that the FCC about a week ago authorized the use of DBS up the last time it had been a sort of a dream of a lot of people and it was an actuality in certain parts of the country of the world, but not in the United States and now the FCC has authorized the use of it for direct broadcast at home and at this point Is busy we assume reviewing the applicants for license. So that licenses can be granted. Hopefully sometime in the next 30 to 90 days watch the difference in the (00:02:16) technology between direct satellite broadcast cable television and through the air broadcasting like we now know (00:02:27) well, there are a number of differences one, of course over-the-air television as we now know it or radio or simply picked up through an antenna either on your rooftop or a rabbit ear in the set so that you get the picture directly through the air as you do with radio in cable you receive the picture generally through your home being wired by the cable company. So that comes comes to your home through a coaxial cable not over the air and as a result of cable many times viewers are receiving a minimum of 12 and sometimes up to 30 or 40 different pictures. Many of those are television stations brought in from other parts of the country particularly independent stations. Some of them are so-called networks like ESPN Entertainment Sports Network relaying primarily Sports USA cable, excuse me USA cable, which is primarily a sports network though. They have recently branched into some other types of programming you have pay services such as home box office and Showtime which are primarily delivering movies usually movies just off the theatrical run. And for those you pay an occasion, there are one-time events such as price whites and so forth for which you are called pay-per-view, you paid a beaut on a one-time-only basis. So cable delivers a multiplicity of signals the various types of programming some of which it originates, but most of which This time at least it is delivering from other broadcast sources. Now the new service direct broadcast satellite will enable viewers at their own homes to pick up the signal directly from the satellite and maybe I should get into the difference a little bit here on the types of satellites because as you know, we've had satellite delivery of radio and television 040, I guess since about 1976 the first use of satellite for television at least was a Texas Milwaukee baseball game, which is sent from Waukee down to Station kxas and Dallas. So since that time over we've been receiving pictures from all over the world by satellite and I think today most people accept satellite broadcasting is a very commonplace thing where we want to see the coronation. We want to we want to see a football game. We want to see a riot. We want to see wore it all comes to us daily by satellite. All the current satellites are stationed at 22,300 miles above the Earth in a Range space over the Equator. The new satellites will also be in that same exact range 22,300 miles the primary difference between the current satellites and the new satellites is power. The new satellites will be roughly 40 to 50 times more powerful broadcasting from 200 to 250 watts of power which means that an individual in his or her home can receive that signal in a small dish of about 27 to 30 inches and the dish and the attendant equipment to get the picture into the set will probably cost about $200 and with that single dish he or she should be able to receive anywhere from 30 to 35 channels of programming depending on how many licenses are granted by the (00:06:03) Seven minutes past noon. Bob Frandsen is with us and we're talking about broadcasting by satellite. We'd like to invite you to join the conversation. If you wish if you're listening in the Minneapolis st. Paul area. The telephone number to call is two two seven six thousand 2276 thousand in Minneapolis st. Paul in other parts of Minnesota. We have a toll-free number and that is one 865 29700 toll-free 1-800 6-5 to 97004 people listening in other parts of Minnesota. And if you are listening in one of the surrounding states call us directly in the Twin Cities area at area code 612 2276 thousand and while we wait for a call or two to come in, let me ask you I suppose what is probably the most interesting question or the most important part of all this what's going to be on satellite to television. What are we going to see? (00:07:03) Well, once again, you're going to have quite a variety. Let me just describe our plan first and I launch into some of the others United States satellite broadcasting companies applied for three channels. Our plan is to start out with two satellites in operation. And a third one is a spare and each of these satellites and operational transmit the three channels of programming to each time zone 1 satellite, for example would transmit to the eastern and central time zones the other to the mountain and Western time zones on our first channel. We plan to have I guess you would call general-purpose programming first run heavy and news a lot of public affairs, but primarily entertainment and Sports Programming, which we feel will be a fourth alternate program service that would be competitive to the three current Networks. And it'll be Advertiser supported as the current networks are and is our most broadcast stations and we are job, of course to develop programming that will be able to get an audience that will be competitive to those three networks. We don't believe however that we have to Constantly juggle lineups and change programming an all-out effort to be number one. Actually. We'd like to be number one, but we think there's a great deal of waste and money and time and not allowing shows to develop. So we think we can we can plan and develop audiences and perhaps provide a community for the creative forces to let their product grow and be nurtured a little bit more stable than it has been in the past. (00:08:48) All right that's channel one. What's on channel 2 (00:08:50) Channel 2 is going to be a 24 hour news program news and sports and information. I presume you could say it would be somewhat akin to the Ted Turner operation or the ABC Westinghouse operation. The difference again is that with DBS? You can reach the whole country simultaneously with cable. You're limited by the cable Universe which are this time I think is about 30% of the nation and I guess from what I've read at least at most I believe it'll be saturated about 50 or 60 percent of the nation's so there is a considerable advantage to DBS and simply reaching greater numbers of potential viewers (00:09:30) and channel 3 (00:09:32) that will be more of a specialized channel in some cases perhaps even what might call narrowcasting for example, we could produce an opera on Channel 3 that might only hit a small percentage of the total viewing public and such a program probably would not be viable in a normal commercial Network because the audience is just too low however on a on a SoCal narrowcast range with say five percent of the country watching Opera becomes commercially viable and also satisfies the need of a lot of people in the wants of a lot of people to see that type of programming (00:10:07) we have a lot of people who would like to chat with you about your ideas. So we'll take our first listener now. Go ahead please you're on the air. Is that here? Yes. Okay. I have two questions one. How is it Bob that a satellite transmitter can beam down a signal about 250 watts and the normal stations that were normally accepting here and have an excess of a hundred thousand Watts. (00:10:32) Well, I guess the answer is all downhill. (00:10:35) I find it hard to believe but well, (00:10:37) it's a I'm not an engineer. I have to tell you right off the bat but the current satellites are operating between 5 and 10 watts and that's why you see the bigger dishes because it takes a little more to scoop that signal in and refine it but obviously scientists have worked out the ratio so that a transmitter of 200 250 watts can be easily received with a good clear picture on that small 27 to 30 inch dish. I'm sure I can give you a more technical description, but I say, I'm not an engineer (00:11:07) you might be able to explain the second part of the question in your direct broadcast system that you're planning is. Plan to be on the same type of television sets were using now or is there some plan for high-resolution television stereo and so forth all the technological things that are coming (00:11:26) up. Well, the current plan is that all of the sets that are in use today can receive DBS they will have this antenna and converter which will be priced at about $200 will convert the DBS signal so that your set can use it. I believe you are referring to high-definition television, which CBS has been espousing as the only way to go DBS we have felt that that's the wrong thing to do now because to do that would use up the entire TBS band and would immediately make all the television sets in America Obsolete and the new sets to get HDTV would be very costly ranging up from two to three thousand dollars all of Italy as the technique develops and and the signal can be compressed into a narrow bandwidth we and I'm sure other DBS operators will also go to But we don't think it can be suddenly thrust upon the American public but needs to be done in a gradual way as many other techniques are (00:12:23) is there a manufacturer other manufacturers right now who are in the process of making these? Receiving dishes in the converting. Yeah Isis there. (00:12:32) Yes, there are there are a number of them. One of the biggest was formed just a few weeks ago between Alcoa and upon electric company of Japan at this point. They have earmark 300 million dollars to manufacture and Market these dishes so you can see they're very serious about it. Others are Scientific Atlanta micro dine and there are a number of companies that are geared up and ready to roll with DBS (00:12:56) antennas especially names familiar to the (00:12:58) public and some wealth more to the broadcast business. I think than the (00:13:02) public thank you very much. Thank you for calling we'll go on to our next listener with a question. Go ahead please you're on the air. I live in a very large apartment complex and what I'm wondering about is how this is going to be made accessible to apartment dwellers. (00:13:20) I would imagine for apartments at a common antenna would be the most practical where they could the simply put an antenna on the roof and And feeds the various apartments and you can dial up whatever Channel you would like to have in your own individual (00:13:34) apartment. Sounds good. I'm I was afraid we'd be shut out all (00:13:37) together not by any means. (00:13:39) Thank you. (00:13:40) I might add here. If I met Bob just one other thing the part of our plan for United States satellite Broadcasting Company is to engage and list and be partners with a number of stations across the country that will carry and rebroadcast a good part of our programming much like Network Affiliates do today. We see these as coming from primarily independent stations now which can use help usually in prime time and and news and that sort of thing that we've also had many inquiries from current Affiliates of other networks. So we will also have a base of stations covering the entire country that will people be able to receive over their current antennas at least most of (00:14:18) it. When do you see this actually happening (00:14:21) the timetable appears to be about three years from the date of issuance of licenses if the FCC grants these licenses Sometime in the next 30 to 90 days about three years from that time primarily because it'll take that long to develop and launch the satellites there. No satellite stories you've done by you have to manufacture each one very carefully to specific frequencies and so forth. And so it's about a three year (00:14:49) process. Okay, we'll take another listener with a question higher on the air. Hi Bob. I was wondering maybe maybe you covered this in your introduction. But how how is the system going to be financed? Is it going to be paid for by the users or by advertising (00:15:05) our system will be paid for by advertisers. There will be some pay systems as well cam set which is one of the original applicants for DBS has announced it will have a three Channel pay system. In other words. Once you've got your DBS antenna installed. They would probably rent or lease you a decoder for X dollars a month. Like buying a home box office from a cable company. (00:15:31) Well, that's what brought the question of Mind was HBO's attempt to charge people for receiving electromagnetic radiation in the air waves. (00:15:40) Well, it'll be there will be a combination as we know it now among DBS applicants for free such as our services and paid in some cases and in some cases some of the applicants are simply going to be common carriers anybody who wants to run a satellite can broadcast can do so through these two particular businesses. (00:15:59) Okay. Thanks a lot Bob. Thank you. Thank you for calling our guests Bob friends and vice president of the u.s. Satellite Broadcasting Company and I see that we have a liner to open in the Minneapolis st. Paul area. If you'd like to join our conversation this new in the phone number is two two seven six thousand 2276 thousand if your listing in the Twin Cities area, and we have a toll-free number for those of you outside Minneapolis st. Paul. Seven zero zero one eight hundred six hundred fifty-two 9700. Let's take our next caller. Go ahead, please you're on the air. You've already answered a couple of my questions, but I was just curious. I may have missed the do you need a converter for for conventional TV? (00:16:49) Yes you do and that will come as part of your antenna. Another was that'll be a whole package of antenna and converter and that whole apparatus will cost as I say about $200 and you hook that up and then you select the channels that you want to (00:17:02) watch. Is there any possibility like for single-family dwelling that they might share them? There's that is it cost low enough so that you know, he should have (00:17:18) I think for single-family dwellings would be better have your own antenna and that $200 and they could be even less as they gear up into full manufacturer. I think it's practical for most To afford that because it's a one-time charge. There's no other charges after that unless of course you want to get one of the pay systems. (00:17:37) All right. Thank you for calling we have more listeners with questions. Our next caller is standing by go ahead. You're on the air. All right. I live on Burnsville and I happen to own a satellite receiver. Now big one that is picking up the normal Communications channels and I wanted to comment on you know, the scope of the programming available Etc. I don't think it's quite as wonderful as being claimed. There's about a dozen premium movie Services all who show the same movies essentially the first run movies that just came out of the theaters are universally the bad ones because the ones that were any good don't end up on satellite for a couple of years the ones that were dogs do and essentially I find the most worthwhile. Youth are the satellite receiver is to pick up those programs that the networks in our area our local stations Dima. They don't want to show us for example a Grand Prix race. That is a national event and covered by the network. But the affiliate here decides I'd rather show no movie. I enjoy very much being able to find out and watch it in spite of the censorship imposed by the local station. And I think this little three Channel setup that you're going to do is going to just be another little Network that you're going to be forced to watch what they want to watch I final with my big dish that at least I have the freedom to go look for things that somebody in this area didn't deem I supposed to watch which is most interesting use of it. France in your reaction to (00:19:10) that. Well, I think that what you're saying if I got the right to you know, you want the multiplicity of programming and that's certainly part of what DBS is about to because you will have Some 35 channels to select from know whether you like what's on the channels, of course is something else in our case. We will be broadcasting 24 hours and there will be no stations to show it or not show it you can pick it up direct from the satellite everything with we're showing or anything. Anybody else is showing. It's not quite like a an affiliate clearing programs or not clearing programs. (00:19:46) Okay. Thank you for calling from Burnsville. We have another listener standing by go ahead. You're on the air. Yes. Good morning. I was wondering if the system is the same one that we read about the local broadcasters Hubbard Broadcasting Company plans to use for its plans to introduct introduce a network television system in the not-too-distant future. And if so, if that is correct, could you describe what KSTP television and Sam Hubbard broadcasting would be introducing? (00:20:14) Yes, I'm sorry. That should have been made clear. This is a Hubbard Broadcasting Company. That is you nice a satellite Broadcasting Company started by were broadcasting and Stanley Hubbard. It will be divorced. However from KSTP TV. It'll be a separate entity broadcasting different programming different news different everything and it will be run autonomously and as I mentioned having three channels programming all coming from the same company that is USS be but with three different thrust the programming one General programming which will include Sports Major League College heavy news commitment public affairs, first-run entertainment programming which we think will will span all of the various sources of programming and which we hope will be competitive to all of the other program sources that a viewer has available (00:21:08) today, then direct broadcast satellite system would be originating from the Wellhead. In st. Paul (00:21:15) Minneapolis. Yes, it will. Absolutely. It means a lot of jobs. Of course in the in the new company for people in this area of various kinds in (00:21:23) Broadcasting. Okay, and that would be whatever ties are supported for the most part. (00:21:28) Yes. It will totally supported by (00:21:29) advertisers. I read somewhere that estimates were Madison Avenue range up to about eight hundred and forty million dollars would be required to launch a service. Is that (00:21:38) practical? Well, we think it's practical and as matter of fact could and depending on the type of programming that is done. It could run as high as a billion dollars each satellite to build and launch will run approximately a hundred million dollars. We are planning to use three to start though until the FCC issues licenses. We don't know if that plan will be approved. Ultimately. We think that everybody will be asked to go to four satellites 1 / X own and we're prepared to do that. So if that happens and you're up to approximately 400 million plus a backup or two as needed this the average life of a satellite, by the way is only seven to ten years here when you build them you're already counting down toward building another one very quickly. (00:22:23) What would access time for broadcaster? The user on a satellite run roughly is Renee way to gauge that (00:22:30) mean for our viewer to (00:22:32) help or someone would like to use the services of the satellite (00:22:34) system. Well in our case there would be no access for say the general public there would be access for the public or another company on the common carrier system to another words. You can go to Western Union which happens to be applying for common carrier status and rent a satellite transponder from them and broadcast whatever you want to (00:22:56) broadcast. That's what I'm getting at. What would be the daily hourly early charger. Is there any way to figure what that's (00:23:01) very difficult to know at this point? I don't think they've even put out any kind of rate cost that probably very heavy if you're going to use it as a as a year-long basis on a one time use it wouldn't be that heavy anymore and it probably is now maybe several thousand dollars for an hour or something like that or a couple hours. (00:23:19) Okay. Thank you for calling we have more people that we should move along to and we will take our next caller. Go ahead. You're on the air. Phyllis Jordan calling from Cloquet. Hello to (00:23:27) Bob Hi. How are you? (00:23:29) Just excited about this. I'll hoping that we can get out here in the country cable is does not come out this far, but hopefully hopefully we will have your satellite. (00:23:42) Yes, that's one of the big advantages Phyllis of the satellites that they will be able to go to Every home in the United States where today for example, there are probably a million and a half homes that don't receive signals of any kind or another three or four million that received maybe one or two channels. But in this case every home will be available or be able to pick up the 30 or 35 channels looking (00:24:03) for you even Cloquet. Thank you for calling. I'm wondering if Bob Frandsen if the commercial television as we now know it regular broadcasting on the existing TV channels is simply going to wither and die away in the age of new technology. And if not, what will be left on regular (00:24:22) TV? Well, I don't think it will. And part of our plan, of course is to enlist the television stations across the country to be a part of our organization. We want them and they have expressed interest by the hundreds and carrying a good share of the programming. We also plan to use many of them in ticker the major markets as news bureaus for our system while we'll have our own large staff both the in the Twin Cities and around the world and bureaus we feel for example at if there's a major story in Chicago, I'm Chicago television station can handle it better than we could by sending a correspondent the same way that if a story happened in the Twin Cities, we feel that a KSTP reporter could handle it and maybe know more about it than some of you arriving here from New York or Washington. So they'll be a very important part of our plan. Also, we certainly don't expect the other three networks to fold up and we don't expect independent television stations to go dark. They will compete in the same way and there will be more programming for the viewer to select from And in the long run I've said this many times. It doesn't make any difference. I don't believe whether you get the program by dog team or satellite. If you don't like the show, you won't watch it. But of the program's good you will watch it and it's our job to deliver programming that people want to watch. I will make an effort to watch. (00:25:42) It's about 27 minutes past the hour Bob Frances with a sin. I see that we have a liner to open again in the Twin Cities area. So if you were trying to get in before and reach the Busy Signal now is a good time to dial two two seven six thousand. If you'd like to join our discussion about direct satellite broadcasting 2276 thousand in the Twin Cities area, and in other parts of Minnesota, the toll-free number is 1-866-560-4440 Hand, of course, if you're listening in one of the surrounding states in the Dakotas or Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan or in Ontario, by all means call us directly in the Twin Cities at area code 612 2276 thousand. Next caller is standing by go ahead. You're on the air. Hello, Bob. Yes. I wonder if you could elaborate just a minute on some of the employment opportunities that you mentioned that might be available in the future with Hubbard broadcasting and other DBS companies what kinds of academic and professional backgrounds are you looking for? (00:26:45) Well, I presume that you know, we would want the Scholastic background and various fields and let me just describe. What is I see the opportunities for example, every Broadcasting Company has Financial people so they would need accounting and business practices. Every system has news people. Obviously, they would we would not journalism scholastically and in actual experience. There are sales opportunities. There are engineering opportunities camerman technicians tape operators and so forth. There are sales opportunities. So in there's a whole number of various fields that are all Incorporated in a single broadcast operation all Them will be available in this market once we get (00:27:31) going. Okay, and what date do you expect to begin hiring and getting your Personnel together and I wondered also if there's an address or phone number which we could use to to apply. (00:27:44) Well, we really won't start adding staff until after the license is issued We Believe are going to get a license but until the course, we actually get it where we can't be a hundred percent sure. I would suggest that you watch the papers and the airwaves and you'll hear when the FCC is acted in that point. We will start to gather information to gradually build our staff up over the next three years to are (00:28:05) date. Thank you very much. Thank you. I have a hunter or you're going to be flooded with resumes before long. (00:28:12) Well, we hope so we're going to need a lot of people we (00:28:14) have another listener with a question. Go ahead. You're on the air. Okay, I'd like you to reconstruct a little bit of satellite history for me. You mentioned the date 1976. Hmm, and I can remember watching satellite broadcast some time when I still lived with my folks, which was some time before 1968 and we To watch someone in France singing live in Green Bay, Wisconsin by way of satellite. So could you kind of explain what the events were there? (00:28:51) All right. Yes, I can. I believe what I referred to in 76 was the first what might be termed the commercial use of the satellites by networks and individual satellite suppliers. Like the Bob will company or Hughes Sports Network prior to that satellites have been mostly government control through intelsat and so forth and we're really not available commercially, but they did pick up various events around the world of satellite history itself was par prior to 76 going back into those days of echo satellites where they were just, you know, bounce signals off the satellite and didn't actually transfer transmit themselves, but you're right you did see satellite pictures prior to that. I was referring to actually the first commercial use of (00:29:34) satellite. Well since you were in the broadcast business, At the time I was born can you kind of put a date on that evening that we all watched what was going on in Europe live? (00:30:08) I'm afraid I can't because there have been so many events that I really haven't got it sorted out what that event might have been that you're referring to. (00:30:16) Okay. Thanks a lot. All right, thanks for calling. I'll take our next listening now. Go ahead please you're on the air. Hello. My question involves the quality of the television signal and my friends in Germany have been telling me for a long time about two systems in Europe that now are of a higher quality than our own system here because they waited long enough for their color television to to choose a system that was going to be better than the American market and the what I've heard is that there are three systems in Europe. The third one is a French design one which is similar to ours and then there are two newer ones one is very recent and all three are accessible from a set with with the most sophisticated system with converters. And now the question is whether or not the new satellite transmission. I would try and encourage the use of the newest technology which has better resolution and a better color signal and whether that would of course create a new market for a new type of Television, which although expensive would satisfy the urge of people who wanted to see a really high-quality television image and and of course, hopefully that new set would also be able to convert back to network standard to pick up regular television signals. (00:31:39) Well, I think you're referring probably primarily to the number of lines and a TV picture. The American Standard currently is 525 lines HDTV high-definition television would go to 1125 lines. So it would be a much sharper picture. The problem is I mentioned earlier is that there are no sets available today to or no converters. I should say for that kind of a signal to the current set. So all assets would become obsolete. I believe that As the technology grows and is developed that the engineers as smart as they are and they are just so far ahead of the rest of the world and some of this development. I think they will certainly come up with ways to modify that type of a picture into a current set so that everybody doesn't have to run out and buy a new television set all only I'm sure we'll have that but we feel that it has to be phased in over a period of (00:32:29) time. Well the satellites the three satellites that you're talking about launching have the capability to transmit 1100 lines. (00:32:36) Ultimately. Yes, they would okay and also they'll be transmitting and stereo right up right away. (00:32:41) Okay. Thank you. Thank you for calling we have another listener with a question. Go ahead and you're on the air. Yes. I had mentioned that this system was possible because you were able to have great advance in power capability believe you mentioned 250 Watts. What's the power source is going to be the solar-powered is it fuel cell or is it going to be nuclear power similar to what the military satellites use? (00:33:08) Be (00:33:08) solar-powered. Okay. Thank you. All right simple question to answer and the quick one will take another listener. Go ahead. You're on the air. I have an old set a 1962 that's been going beautifully all these years can that new system be used on (00:33:23) that? Yes, it can your the converter and antenna will mesh with it (00:33:28) perfectly. Okay, the second part get an excellent picture, but the print is always hard to read now, and I'm curious about the news format that you mentioned. Is this the system where you throw a whole page on TV and the person sits there and tries to read it, or will it be much as it is now is the individuals giving us Snippets of news around the (00:33:48) world. Basically, it'll be live presentation of news similar to what you're seeing today. The other type of news is a service that could be added. If we elected to we have not planned to do that this point though. There are companies that may be doing that type of news also ours will be the more traditional manner. Thank you. (00:34:08) Five minutes before one o'clock. Bob Frandsen is with us. The vice president of u.s. Satellite Broadcasting Company, which is getting involved. As soon as the government allows with direct satellite broadcast two television sets in people's homes, and we have more listeners with questions. Go ahead. You're next. I took on it one gentleman. Wondered when that early to Tulsa our communication. Was that hearings call sing from Europe. It was the summer of 62 good for you number that because it was a transmission of winged victory from the Louvre in Paris. And the reason it sticks firmly in my mind is we had flown we had been at the move two days before then and flown home on our only vacation to Europe and two days later were watching it on TV. It was pretty Eerie. (00:34:52) Well, that's one of them later (00:34:53) remembered second comment to the last Lady if she's going to make the capital investment of a rooftop receiver of quality and put in the put in the effort to do it. It would probably be a good idea to have a reasonable quality TV set up the same (00:35:06) time. I think you're right. But I think the also the question was that would it work with our current setting and it definitely would work. It just depends on how strong the set is ultimately. (00:35:15) Okay good enough. Thank you the were with black and white to on it. Oh, yeah. Sure. Okay. Let's take our next listener. Go ahead. You're on the air. Yes. I have a question on the possibilities of interference with signal available with the service like say you had your dish up on the roof and then next door comes in a 30-story condominium unit. Is there any problem with things like that? (00:35:41) I suppose it's always possible. It would depend on the Direction. All of the satellites are to the south of here. So if you have a clear view to the South and there's nothing in front of you then you're all right, if somebody if your antennas facing south and somebody put a big building up in front of you. Yes, I think he would have a problem you might have to arrange to have it on top of the building (00:36:01) then. Okay. Thank you very much. We have more lines opened on the Twin Cities area 2276. And is the telephone number if you'd like to ask Bob friends in a question about this new television technology 2276 thousand in the Twin Cities area. And in other parts of Minnesota toll-free, 1-800 6-5 29700 next listener. Go ahead. I'd like to ask mr. Franzen whether he believes that television has contributed to the advancement of society in any significant way and if so, could you name one or two? (00:36:41) Well, I think it's as contribute. Yes significantly in the distribution of information news alone. I think this country in this world is so far ahead of our fathers and our forefathers that we see things today and learn things today that were impossible prior to television. (00:37:00) We have another listener with a question. Go ahead you're on the air. Yeah. I would like to know exactly what Equipment I would need in order to link up with a satellite. I understand I'll need a dish antenna with a salt exposure don't have a cable from that antenna going to the set. But is there anything else that I would (00:37:21) need? Yes, you'll need a converter to convert the signal into usable signal for your set. And with that will come a channel selector and all of that will be in that package price of approximately (00:37:32) $200. And how big would this be on the set (00:37:36) the just a small little box on top of the set cigar box or narrower course, but you know three or four inches high by 12 inches long, ultimately a lot of this will be probably built in the set. Once they get going to (00:37:54) and this would have like a 35 Channel click stop (00:37:57) on it. Right right. (00:37:59) Thank you very much. Thank you. And of course none of this will be available for about three years at least. (00:38:04) Well, that's right. I they may start marketing the Two things say a year or so prior to this and preparation but are dates for most of these as we now know it would be about three years. Maybe somebody will get up faster. But that's the general (00:38:17) expectation. Okay, next listener has a question. Go ahead. You're on the air. Hi, good afternoon. I just kind of tuned in so maybe this has already been addressed. So pardon me if it has I wonder how is that this direct broadcast? I'd like, how's it going to make money? Will the will generate significant Revenue through the viewers buying the boxes or is the box and outright purchase, or is it a rental kind of a (00:38:41) fare? Well, in our case, we will generate revenues through the sale of advertising some more as most broadcasting stations and it works do today. Some will be a pay service like Comsat and they will rent you a decoder because their signal will be scrambled. (00:38:56) You're not real concerned with the with the person that has sufficient technical knowledge to build their own (00:39:03) receiver and their own signal off your sound on our case. We're loving. (00:39:07) Oh, yeah. Okay. Well that is more the merrier. (00:39:10) Thank you. The more the merrier. (00:39:11) Thank you. Thank you for calling we have another listener. Go ahead. You're next. Yes. Thank you. I've got a different type of question. This is the coming thing and I'd like to know who is the parent company for this (00:39:20) Hubbard broadcasting and broadcasting the how can a (00:39:24) person get in on this? Does this company have stock or something like that to go up man could invest? (00:39:29) Well, it's it looks as though there will be stock in the future where the financing is not been announced or finalized at this point. But I think there's a good chance that stock will be available to the public and it will be announced at the time that it's completed. Thank you very much. You're welcome. (00:39:48) Somebody has an idea for making money on a different way. Don't I hope so. All right. We have another listener with a comment. Go ahead. You're next. Yes. I was just wondering how the transmission system would differ from the one that 4 P HB o-- presently. (00:40:05) Well in a sense it's not that much different except the for HBO least one of the Twin Cities is I know it's microwave from the IDS building to various homes and this in a sense uses some of the same type of thing. It's beamed from the satellite directly to the home. So you pick it up on that Dish receiver (00:40:27) for any winners. It would want to put up one of big antennas know and that they could get the satellite picture probably get the same thing to then wouldn't (00:40:34) they? It's you got a big antenna. Yes, you could (00:40:36) put out of the big dish that you see (00:40:39) but you don't need that for DBS. You only need a small 27 or 30 inch dish so it's very small and that's why it's (00:40:45) inexpensive. And then another question I had is what Sarah what's happening on Carriage with the allocated channels of 23 and 29 here are allocated or supposed to stations on here before it TV towers went down here some years ago and that and never heard anything about anyone going on here with (00:41:04) it. Both of them have been awarded licenses and I think they're both going on the are reasonably soon. I haven't heard an exact date personally, but my understanding that they'll be on the air and the relatively near future. (00:41:18) Okay supposed to go with an 18 months to the time that they get the okay on the license. (00:41:23) Well, sometimes there are circumstances that allow them a longer time if they've had equipment problems or things like that. Okay. I got extensions. (00:41:31) All right. Thanks for calling. This might be a good time to ask you if you think that direct satellite broadcasting and in cable television will be able to co-exist or are they going to be competitors with one forcing the other out conceivably (00:41:45) well will be competitive. I think in the sense that will built be vying for viewers. I don't see cable being put out of business frankly because I think it's another alternate service that many people want to have. Some people however may elect to go strictly to DBS because they would like to get rid of the monthly payments. And if the programming on the DBS systems are sufficient for them, then they might like to do that. The other thing as far as we can ascertain cable will never be able to reach the whole country. It would be too expensive to wire many little cities and particularly the rural areas and the Western areas where there are vast stretches of land between homes. It's just impossible to wire. So those homes will never get cable as far as we can tell at this point, but they can get DBS immediately. And in that way we feel TBS will have a much larger home base and cable ever be able to achieve (00:42:44) more listeners with questions about this new technology. Go ahead. You're next. I'm sure you're aware of the morality behind the pay television the dishes that people sometimes will set up in the city to avoid having to pay for the cable system. Are we going to have that same problem with this or is it going to be sort of an open market? So that those of us who are technically inclined could put up our own our own Edition design our own converters. (00:43:19) Well, I think you can put up your own dishes design your own converters to pick up signals such as we will be broadcasting which are free over-the-air programming channels. If it comes to picking up a pay system without paying then I think you have the same problem because you are trespassing somebody's private property that they expect to get paid for and should get paid for. (00:43:44) Okay. So this system then is considered to be just a free open air of that. The Airways are free type of (00:43:50) millar's are but actually the Airways aren't free if you fight yes. Buddy has a paid product (00:43:55) that I paid for. I realize I don't have my own dish because I don't believe that I can do (00:44:00) that. Right but in our case and in many of the other systems, we want you to pick it up and it's free and as we say the more the merrier, (00:44:07) okay now I'm super thanks. Thank you, 15 minutes before one o'clock Bob friends in is with us and we're talking about satellite direct satellite to home television, and we have another listener of the question. Go ahead. Oh, mr. Bob Franzen. Hmm. I think this be very enhancing if he would put your wonderful singing voice on like you saying that the Gay 90's, (00:44:30) who is this? Is this a load of guard? (00:44:33) How'd you get nice are from your I'll thank you. Thank you. Let me encourage people to keep their radios turned down when they call tool because we get that get that ringing which is called feedback. It's all take our next listener. Go ahead. You're on the air. I have questioned two part question actually. Programming how does mr. Franzen think direct broadcast satellite is going to affect the network programming which also depends upon advertising and audiences and the z4c new sources of programming to fill DBS needs because with the demand on programming by cable and videocassette Recorders and over the air broadcasting, it seems to me that there's going to be a lot of opportunities for reception but doesn't seem to be any expanding productivity. For programs in this country. (00:45:40) Well, we think there will be a lot of expansion for productivity. Now, there's another National Source in fact several National sources of our company alone in there undoubtedly will be some others through the other companies. It's one more Avenue that creative people can use to develop programming and various types and have a better Assurance. Perhaps they'll hit the air as for the advertising the other networks. Yes will be competitive and Will it's up to us to get our share of audience so that we are a viable entity for an advertising medium. And if our programming is poor then we may fail so it really hinges on the programming (00:46:20) like to have your own programming production Center here in the Twin Cities. (00:46:25) We will do some production here. We will also plan to have a production facility in Tampa and probably one in Albuquerque and we will of course utilize production centers in London and Hollywood and Canada or wherever Quality programming is produced today. We will certainly work with those people to develop programming that we think will get the the audience's that we need and something that the audience of the want to tune in again. I would just like to add here a minute. I think getting back to programming. I've said that repeatedly that our success and the success of any network or station depends on the programming that people want and you see a lot of talk today about many types of cable networks and they are coming on the air right and left and they are limited Carly by the size of the cable universe, but I saw a program schedule that so-called network is going to start in soon and seven o'clock Monday through Friday were going to the programming was cooking with microwave and then from 7 to 9. It was super Bingo and from 9 to 9:30 with Peter Lupus Body Shop. All right, that's somebody's idea of a program schedule people will watch well. If there are correct. They will be successful. They're incorrect. They probably will (00:47:36) not be. In order to fill the need for programming you've got to be Innovative and a good guesser and the (00:47:46) oh, absolutely and hopefully at your your judgment is correct and what the public wants to see? (00:47:53) Okay. Thank you for calling. We'll take our next listening now. Go ahead. You're on the air. Yes. I'd like to know whether it will be possible to receive DBS transmissions in Canada north of the Border (00:48:02) probably to a little bit just around the Border all of the DBS signals are shaped to stay within the Border. Obviously, it's not that scientific but they're called Footprints of the signal and each country is by agreement asked to put it signals only within the borders. However, there is leakage. I watch the Canadian satellite on the DBS band with the New York not too long ago. So there is leakage as that's quite far South of the Border, but basically they're designed to stay within the country's border so that Isn't slopping over into other people's (00:48:40) territories. Well right on Montreal. Would that be (00:48:43) likely? Not likely, but certainly as possible. It's also possible that by getting a larger dish than the standard DBS dish that you could then pick up those satellites as well. Thank you very much (00:48:57) 10 minutes before the hour. I guess Bob friends and vice president of u.s. Satellite Broadcasting Company and we have time for some more calls. Go ahead. You're next. I was wondering about the future of major networks with the Advent of the satellite broadcasting. NBC CBS, I was wondering what their future is. (00:49:19) Well, I think their future is as good as their programming again RCA America, which is the parent company of NBC is one of the applicants for DBS. CBS is applied for DBS ABC has not however, there are DBS channels available for lease as I mentioned through the common carriers. So I think they are aware of it and they will probably use it or not use it as they see fit for their own needs. (00:49:43) Thank you. We'll take another listener now. Go ahead. You're on the air. Hello. Yes. That's You children's programming. (00:50:02) Yes. We are. In fact, we have extensive plans for some educational programming as well as Children's Entertainment type (00:50:09) programming. Well, I just thought that was one area that was needed a little more creativity more. (00:50:16) Well, I think you're right (00:50:18) the race. I'm glad to hear that. Thank you. All right, we have more lines open in the Twin Cities area 2276 thousand is the phone number two two seven six thousand and we have time for a few more calls. So if we have sparked your curiosity why we have time for your question, I wonder if we now, you know, of course that the economy nationally as well as in this area is in a slump right now to what extent does recovery of the economy play in your plans here can a Slowdown in the economy hurt your (00:50:51) plans. It could to a degree that you know, advertising budgets may be cut back but it would not slow or development other words. We will we have to get out there and be competitive and try to get our share of the dollars for Advertising based on our programming so it will not stall us as far as going ahead to complete the Okay. Well, (00:51:12) we do indeed have more listeners now with questions. In fact, the phones are full. So we'll try to get as many as we can in the next seven minutes. Go ahead. You're next. Mr. Fenton. I have you made any plans to be able to transmit data across the country on perhaps some of the sidebands of your Broadcasting channel. (00:51:33) We have talked about it. We have not made any specific plans. I think those plans may depend on how many of the other companies do that as their sole business if it gets overcrowded may not to be part of our plan. Our main thrust will be entertainment and news and then specialized programming. (00:51:53) Let's take our next listener. Go ahead. You're on the air living in a rural area very often your cable is limited to those which there's a lot of interest for and as a result you're lacking in cultural programs and also the possibility of maybe a Spanish program like that SI n is our the 35 stations are there plans to go into several cultural programs and maybe one of the Spanish programs. (00:52:20) Well again, I can't speak for the other channels because their programming plans are rather shrouded is ours are because we don't want to tip off the competition too far ahead of time and find that they've beaten us to the punch and certain areas. There will be opportunity obviously to do that. Now whether any of the individual companies will go to that degree. I don't know at this point, but there are plenty of opportunities on the 30 or 35 channels. That will be broadcasting. (00:52:48) All right. Next listeners. Go ahead. You're on the air if I may be a little confused. One of my questions is of the several companies that you say will be putting up satellites and for broadcast will the viewer need to retain their dish to receive different programs. (00:53:05) That's a very good question. We hope not are our company's proposed that the satellites be grouped sort of like an antenna Farm in the sky concept like the antennas are grouped in the Twin Cities so that you can get them all with out moving your dish. We've asked the FCC to mandate that so to speak but we don't know for sure where that's going to happen. If they don't do it. The satellites might be scattered though. Again, we're going to try once the licenses are issued to talk to the other programmers to see if we can't voluntarily if nothing else group the satellite. So people can pick them all up on a single antenna. (00:53:41) Do you have any indication what their feelings are about that? It would seem to be to everybody's advantage to keep them in one (00:53:45) area several have agreed to do that others seem to be at this point a little bit trying to go off on their own aren't really don't seem to be concerned about A little difficult to tell at this time, but I think for the benefit of all the DBS companies as well as the viewers the satellite should be grouped in the same orbital Arc. So that the person living in any time zone can get them all without having to move the antenna if you had to put rotors on the antenna to move them with ADD considerably to the cost as well. (00:54:12) Sure. We have more listeners with questions. We'll see how many we can fit in go ahead. You're next. Yes. I would like to know if the company your guest is working for is going to be manufacturing the satellite or are they going to go with other companies to buy, you know parts of the satellites or who's basically who's making the satellites? (00:54:35) All right. There are five companies who manufacture satellites are see a Ford Aerospace TR W GE and Hughes aircraft. So we will work with one of those companies. We have not selected the manufacturer. Yep. We will work with one of those five. Companies to manufacture the satellite and will begin to do that. We've talked with all them now will actually settle on one probably shortly after we get our license. (00:55:02) Thank you for calling. We have another listener. Go ahead. You're on the air. Hi. I'm calling from Minneapolis and I was wondering I've heard some technical problems with being able to Uplink that atmospheric lie in this area where there's fairly heavy clouds during parts of the year that the that 14 or 16 gigahertz signal can't go through the clouds. Where do you plan the transmit your signal up from (00:55:27) that has not yet been determined. We are thinking of this area. It's possible that the Uplink itself aside from the staff and so forth might have to be moved somewhat farther west whether it be in Western Minnesota or even as far west as South Dakota. We're not sure yet those final surveys will be made once we select the manufacturer of the (00:55:47) satellite. Okay. Thanks for calling will take another listener. You're on the air. Hi. Well, some of those stations be similar to the HBO or will they be mostly like those NBC and ABC or independent stations? (00:56:02) Well, there will be probably one that I know for sure and probably several others. That would be like HBO Comsat company has said that they will transmit pay TV with movies on one channel and other things in another channel. So that sense would be similar to (00:56:17) HBO. Okay. Thanks. We have another caller will take take you next you're on the air. (00:56:30) It depends on I would guess the distance you are from the trees. If you can get the right angle with the dish you might be able to receive the signals fine. If the tree is right on top of your where your dish is. It might cause a problem for you. You might have to raise the dish higher. (00:56:47) All right, thanks for calling. I think we have just about run out of time, but I want to ask one final question Bob transition and that again is kind of on the technology of all this we've had people wondering about interference from various things will people be bothered by airplane flutter or other things like that that sometimes affect normal broadcasting. (00:57:07) No not in this case. The only thing that might affect it in a few Areas of the country would be rain if you get very heavy rain and such as the Miami area, but the plan is to have enough signal there. So that would be a slight only a slight variation that there's enough signal strength that there would be it from time to time possibility of a little signal degradation due to rain otherwise, it should be clear and sharp at all (00:57:32) times. The quality of the transmission should be about as good as what we're now getting on regular television and on cable (00:57:38) even better in some cases. I think depending on where you live (00:57:41) and all of this we can expect to see about three or four years after the license is Iran right? Very interesting. Thank you much. Thank you for having me Bob Frandsen vice president of u.s. Satellite Broadcasting Company one of the firms in the country, which is interested in developing. This direct satellite broadcasting technology u.s. Satellite Broadcasting Company is an arm of Hubbard broadcasting which of course holds the KSTP stations in the twins.