Conference noted::equitation

    If you are considering or already have a satellite dish, the best way
    to find out when the horse events are on is to subscribe to 
    "Satellite TV Week". It's got a sports section at the back which has 
    a category for each sport. Of course, within each sport heading the
    shows are listed by day of the week and time. It's the only satellite
    TV listing which sorts the listings by sport.
    
    The horse stuff can be found under "Equestrian", "Variety" (Includes
    shows like ABC's Wide World and SPorts and CBC's Sports Weekend, etc) and 
    "Horse Racing". Look at the horse racing listings even if you're not 
    interested in racing! They frequently mis-file horse shows under racing. 
    This week, for example, they had a re-run of the Volvo World Cup 
    showjumping listed under racing. Also lots of the magazine format horse 
    shows(like the QH show "America's Horse") are REGULARLY listed there 
    because they sometimes cover racing events of SOME kind whether its' QH 
    sprints or endurance rides.

    Orbit also has subcategories in the sports listings for shows and
    racing.  I haven't gotten one in quite a while but ON-SAT used to list
    events but not in separate groupings.
    
    Note that many of the regional sports channels do not list their
    programming, so it pays to channel hop on weekends if nothing else is
    on.
    

I've had a couple mail conversations w/ people about satellites since 
starting this topic. It seems that many people share the same
misconception that I had before I really looked into a satellite dish.

I used to think that I could install a satellite and then call up the 
local cable company and get all the stuff that the cable company offers
including local network/independent stations.

What you can get via satellite is different than what you get from an 
antenna or local cable companies. First of all, you probably can't get 
your local network affiliates. You can't get 4,5,7 out of Boston, period. 

All the network stations are scambled and as far as I know you only have the 
choice of NY, Atlanta or Denver. You have to pay for them and all the
premium stuff like ESPN, DISCOVERY, HBO, TNN, etc. There are also so-called 
"super  stations" which are independents from Boston(i.e. 38 and 56), NY, 
Chicago, Atlanta, Texas, LA...all over the place. They carry pro-sports like 
baseball and football as well as re-runs and movies. You have to pay for super 
stations.

But, there are lots of unscrambled(free) channels on satellite. For example,
there are 5 PBS satellite channels which are unscrambled. The Learning Channel 
is also  unscrambled. There are 11 versions of the Sports Channel (SCNE plus 
10 others like SCNY, SCLA, etc) which are free. The Midwest Sports Channel is
scambled and requires a subscription. Some of the NBC programming is 
available on the "Ku" band in unscrambled mode but not everything. 

There are a LOT of various packagers on satellite programming. Each of them 
puts together packages of programs in various sizes. Most also offer "ala 
carte" subscriptions so you can buy just the services you want.

If you want a lot of info on what's available, go to a satellite dealer. 
They'll have fliers on programming services and lots of them also give away
complimentary copies of Satellite TV Week. This is a "TV Guide" for 
satellite. In the middle of each week's issue, there is a 2 page chart of
the satellites and their services. The table there also tells what's scrambled 
and what ain't. For example, unscrambled stuff has the format "Satellite / 
Channel" while the scrambled stuff is listed as "Satellite . Channel"

If you're living in or moving to "the boonies", you may get good reception
for the local stations w/ an antenna(depending on where you are).When we 
were in NH, we lived about 40 miles west of Nashua; 6 miles out of a small 
town; at the end of a mile long dead-end road which had only 3 houses 
on it. The boonies...or as we say here in the NW "the tullies"

With a big antenna, a rotor and a $30 signal amplifier, we got ALL the Boston 
stations, Hannover NH(31), Manchester NH, NH PBS, VT PBS, Maine channels 
6 & 8, RI channels 10 & 12( or was it 13?) and channel 3 from Burlington VT!
The Burlington & Maine stations were a bit grainy or snowy but everything 
else came in pretty well.

John

Well, let's try this again. I entered this earlier through windows notes
but somehow it got lost!

There are BIG changes in store for Sports Channel, especially on satellite.
First of all, 9 of the remaining Sports Channel stations were on a satellite
that is going out of service. So they are jumping all across the sky to find 
new homes.

Most importantly, Sports Channel has been a big time money loser since it was 
created. The LA station went off the air on Jan 1 because it just couldn't
get enough subscribers to make it worthwhile!

NBC(which owns Sports Channel) has struck a deal to merge Sports Channel
with Prime Sports Network. Prime Sports is another money losing enterprise.
The theory is that combined they might be better competition for ESPN.

The merger means two things: Format changes and access changes. The current
expectation is that most of the college sports would move to Prime and leave
Sports Channel as more of a pro sports and sports news source. 

Access changes might mean subscription price increases for cable viewers 
but it will DEFINITELY cost satellite users some money. They expect to 
start a 2 tier satellite subscription for Sports Channel by April 1. The 
basic service is supposed to include access to Sports Channel America and 
all regional Sports Channel stations BUT certain events(like pro team 
sports) will be blacked out. For additional money, you will be able to view 
the pro team sports for YOUR region. This means that you will not be able 
to get pro sports from other regions like you could before.

It is unclear what these changes mean for equine coverage on Sports Channel.
They have had several 3 day events, lots of showjumping events in places
from Spruce meadows to Ireland and TONS of racing from around the US. Prime 
and its affiliates(Primte Ticket, MSG, SUN NESN, etc) have also had 
substantial equestrian coverage but NEVER the same events as Sports Channel. 
I hope this means that they will keep the number of equestrian events high 
on both networks.

I do know that I will only be able to get half the regional Sports Channel 
stations because they are moving to a satellite which is over the horizon from 
me. I suspect that East coast satellite users will not be able to get the
regional stations that I will get (Pacific, Florida, Chicago and Ohio) 
because they will be on the Western most satellite used by US broadcasters.

These changes mean I won't be able to get NY racing on a daily basis. That
and the loss of the LA regional channel means that I can no longer get the
racing from the two most important centers of racing in the US! I don't mind 
paying for Sports Channel at all. I always figured it was just a matter of 
time until it was a subscription service on satellite. But, I DO mind having
to pay for 10 channels and only get half of them! Especially, when the ones
I can't get have events on them that I can't get elsewhere!

John

    In the reply about SportsChannel changing locations and going to
    subscription status, I was moaning about losing Santa Anita racing
    when SportsChannel Los Angeles went off the air.
    
    Well, it's still available if you want to look for it! A couple weeks
    ago, The Blood Horse had several articles about simulcasting and 
    broadcasting of races. In the article about Santa Anita, the track
    officials were moaning and groaning about the heavy January rains
    ruining the "sunshine and warmth" image they like to put out on the 
    Galaxy 6 satellite.
    
    So, I flipped around on G6 and found the Santa Anita racing feed. It's
    in the clear and is on at 8 PM Pacific(11 Eastern) 7 days a week(5 days 
    racing & 2 days talk shows). The only problem is that they aren't on
    the same channel every night so you have to be there to locate it by
    channel flipping. The good news is that they put up a logo saying
    "Standby for Santa Anita" about 10 minutes before showtime UNLESS there
    is another show using the channel in the time slot preceding theirs.
    
    So far, I have found the Santa Anita racing feed on transponder
    channels 9, 10, 12, 20, 21 and 22.

    For those with a satelitte receiver and an interest in horses:
    
    	1. Channel America has moved to the AS satellite. It carries "The 
    Horse Show" a 30 minute magazine format show hosted by an endurance
    rider. It's not scrambled and airs on Sundays. I don't think it's on
    every week so check your listing. They have varied content. Some weeks
    it's interesting and others it's OK.
    
    	2. Racing feeds from the UK are coming! I think they're being
    coordinated by Meadowlands. The races are going to be fed LIVE to US
    tracks to allow wagering. The feeds will be in the clear so you can
    pick them up. The first few will come from Newmarket THIS WEEK and
    includes one of their clasic races! I forget which one. Maybe the 2,0000
    Guineas?
    
    	Thurs	10 AM Eastern	Galaxy 2 transponder 10
    	Fri	10:05 AM Eastern   Galaxy 2 transponder 4
    	Sat	9 AM Eastern   Galaxy 2 transponder 10
    
    Alas, the G2 satellite provides only marginal reception at our house.
    So, I don't know whether I'll get to see the races live or not.
    
    If you can't get G2 and you'd like to see these races, tune in to the
    SportsChannel Chicago TB racing shows on Thurs-Sat on F1-13. I don't 
    usually watch them but I tuned in this weekend to watch up the National 
    Jockey Club Hnadicap. They announced the schedule I gave above and said 
    they'd include the UK races on their regular results show. Unfortunately, 
    simulcast races are frequently edited for length so don't be surprised 
    to just get the stretch run.
    
    Oh yeah, SportsChannel's still in the clear. In the last week of March,
    they admitted that they were bickering among the franchise owners about
    rates, etc and that they would go scrambled by May 1(rather than April
    1) but said they'd announce subscription rates and scramble dates 
    beforehand. Well, I just got my Satellite TV Week for May 8th and there's 
    STILL no announcement from SportsChannel! Of course, they didn't say
    May 1 1993 ;-)

    John,
    
    I know that we here in the UK don't have the easiest currency to
    understand, but I think you'll find that the title of our classic race
    is 2,000 guineas (not 2,0000).  
    This is one item that appears not to have been hit by inflation  :-)
    
    Judy

    Hi Judy,
    
    I guess I needed more coffee before my typing is close to normal. Yes,
    I meant the 2,000 Guineas not 2,0000(whatever that is! ;-) I also meant
    Horse not Hosre in the title line! Sure wish I had taken typing class
    in high school.
    
    So, is it the 2,000 Guineas this week or one of your other classics. I
    can rarely remember the timing of the English classics because they're
    spread over the entire season. I'm fairly sure that the Derby is
    in early June and the St Leger is in September, so I guessed that it's
    the 2,000 Guineas this week. 

    John,
    
    You're correct in that the 2,000 guineas is running on Saturday.
    As I'm not too well up on the racing news, it looks as if I
    can rely on you to give a report.
    
    Amazing stuff this technology  :-}
    
    Judy
    
    P.S. I hope that this race does actually start, unlike the Grand
    National, which was abandoned after two false starts.

    For those who have been anxiously awaiting the news of what the heck
    SportsChannel is doing about encryption on the satellite stations:
    
    They will encrypt beginning June 1 1993 (Only 2 months later than they
    originally said but...) and they will NOT be selling their service
    through the usual programming service houses. You can only subscribe by
    calling 1-800-883 7787.
    
    The basic package costs $75 per year or $7.50 per month and lets the
    subscriber watch all the SportsChannel affiliates that you can receive.
    That last bit annoys me. I can't receive the satellite on which half
    the affiliates are located but I have to pay full price anyway!
    
    Like many(or even MOST) people with satellite dishes, I am not eligible
    to get any pro team sports through SportsChannel because I do not live
    in a region which has both pro sports teams and a SportsChannel
    affiliate. So, I don't know the cost to get regional team sports on top
    of the basic package.
    
    John

    How does one type a huge belly laugh in notes? I got one today when I
    called SportsChannel as I had been told to do when I called the other
    week in response to their ad.
    
    I called and asked if they were ready to take subscriptions yet. I was
    told that the contractual negotiations had become very difficult and
    that they don't know when or even IF they are going to scramble at this
    point!
    
    I asked what happened to the June 1st scramble that they had told me
    about last time. I was told that they would not be scrambling that
    soon. The rep went on to say that they would make on air announcements
    of when they were going to scramble and that the announcements would
    be placed well ahead of time so folks had time to subscribe.
    
    She also said there was a very real possibility that they would not
    scramble at all which would be better for everybody except
    SportsChannel.
    
    This whole debacle has been very entertaining to say the least!

    In case you care but hadn't noticed yet, SportsChannel has started
    scrambling it transmissions. They started on Sunday(Aug 1) and all
    channels will be scrambled by 1 Sep.
    
    Contrary to what they had told me when I called in response to their
    ads back in May, there were no on-air announcements. There was however
    a small ad in my Satellite TV Week so they did give some warning.
    
    Also contrary to what they told me earlier, the subscriptions are being
    handled by SSN(Satellite Sports Network) and cost $120 per year. There is 
    no 2-tier pricing for pro-team regions versus hinterlands. All pro-team 
    sports are blacked out if you're not in the regional viewing area of 
    the particular SportsChannel affiliate.

    Just 2 words to the wise here. One about the SportsChannel package and
    the other about their distributor's (Satellite Sports Network or SSN)
    refund policy.
    
    You'll see SSN advertising the SportsChannel package. You may call up
    for information. They'll tell you all the SportsChannel stations that
    you'll get with the package. What they and their ads do NOT say is that 
    SportsChannel America is not part of the SportsChannel package!
    
    When SportsChannel started scrambling, I subscribed and have been happily
    watching equestrian events on SportsChannel America...until last night.
    I got home and tried to tune in a competition. It was scrambled and
    said I had no subscription for the service.
    
    Naturally, I called the SportsChannel distributor(i.e. SSN) to find
    out what's going on. They don't know! They said that SportsChannel
    America is NOT part of the package and that they never claimed it was.
    On the other hand, they never said outloud that it *WASN'T* part of the
    package either! 
    
    They also said that SportsChannel America has been *free* the last 6
    weeks and that the scramble just started last night. Actually, I think
    this is part of the preparation for the demise of SportsChannel
    America. Or rather, its conversion to an all sports *news* station
    which will be a separate service and about as interesting as watching
    paint dry(IMHO).
    
    The other thing I found out is that they have a unique refund policy.
    You get a 2 week trial period when you subscribe through SSN directly. 
    If you cancel within those 2 weeks, you get a full refund. If you 
    cancel after the 2 weeks but before 6 months, you get a 50% refund.
    
    That refund policy might make it worth subscribing through SSN directly
    for the *first* year rather than through a program packaging service. 
    The packaging services usually have a no refund policy on annual 
    subscriptions. 
    
    So, if you're thinking about subscribing to either SportsChannel or the 
    SSN package(they also carry some good eqestrian events & racing) but 
    aren't sure about it, you might want to consider buying the *first*
    year's service directly from SSN even though it will cost you $20 more
    *each* for the 2 networks(SSN & SportsChannel). 
    
    But at least that way, if you decide you don't want it, you can get some 
    or all your money back. Since the packaging services now have both the SSN
    package(Prime Sports Network and its affiliates) and the SportsChannel
    package, you can save $40 a year on subscriptions through the services.
        
    John

    In reply .5, I mentioned that Santa Anita broadcast a daily show on
    racing on the G-6 satellite. G-6 has been replaced by G-7 at the same
    location. 
    
    The Santa Anita publicity coordinator told me that all Santa Anita
    meetings will now be broadcast on G-7 at 8 PM Pacific time. She also
    said that at the beginning of each broadcast, they would tell us where
    they will be the next night and that on Sundays they will be
    broadcasting on channel 10 of G-7.
    
    Santa Anita has 2 meetings each year:
    	1. The Oak Tree meeting from early October through late November.
    
    	2. The winter meeting which always begins on Dec 26 and lasts until 
    	   late April
    
    The other tracks in Southern CA also broadcast on satellite but I think
    they are only on subscription stations. The Santa Anita broadcasts are
    free and are not scrambled.