OCR Text |
Show 6B Saturday, November The Salt Lake Tribune 3, 19&4 TV Fare: HBO Is Scrambling to End Satellite Eavesdropping and operations for the Disney Channel, because of the number of back- By Ron Wolf r Newspapers Home Box Office is implementing a 10 million plan to protect its pay-Tprogr mming from interception by owners of backyard satellite antennas. The industry giant is installing a highly secure electronic encryp-tio-n Kmght-Ridde- render to system yard dishes that are out there. Schulte, Williams and a spokesman for The Movie Channel said that their companies were studying encryption systems similar to HBOs and planned to take action next year. Such a development could reduce the appeal of the backyard dishes by depriving users of access to some of the most attractive programming. Several years ago, people with satellite dishes in their yards were rare, few TV viewers were prepared to pay thousands of dollars for such a clumsy device just to gain free access to a few more channels of programming As recently as three years ago, the price of a satellite dish easily its transmissions indecipherable by the growing number of eavesdroppers who tune in, free of charge, to its lineup of movies and specials. HBO will begin shipping the necessary electronic equipment in November to the 5,400 cable operators around the country who sell the channel to their subscribers. The conversion to a scrambled signal should be completed nationwide early next year, according to Robert Zitter, vice president of network planning for HBO. When that happens, viewers with their own satellite dishes will lose their ability to receive the chan- satellite signals used to beam programming to cable operators. Zitter said that several years ago HBO planners calculated that the wholesale price of a satellite antenna would fall below $1,000 during 1984 Once that happens, Zitter said, the dishes could become a mass-markproduct, like videocassette recorders, with devastating consequences to pay-Iprogrammers. Williams, of the Disney Channel, said the pay-Tservices also must adopt security measures to protect the business of the cable operators to whom they sell programming. In some cases cable companies are competing against apartment owners who intercept satellite transmissions and resell the service to tenants. The commercial television networks are concerned about the grow ing number of backyard dishes for a different reason, and they are quietly drawing up their own encryption plans The networks use satellites to transmit programs from California studios and remote sports events back to their New York headquarters for later broadcast. These internal feeds are transmitted without com- mercials Satellite eavesdroppers who intercept these feeds reduce the audience for network advertisers and diminish the value of their 'w2uei5ffReuecsS 'MJfMMMUlA ,M,5irr6JRcW nd anniversary sale ends Saturday! could top $10,000. Since then, prices of the antennas have plunged, the amount of TV programming distributed by satellite has multiplied, and eager customers for the dishes have emerged. The antennas are now relatively common. More than 650,000 are in use nationally, according to the Society for Private and Commercial Earth Stations (SPACE), a group that represents manufacturers and suppliers of the devices. The number is growing by about 50,000 per year. The pay-Tindustry clearly is worried about the impact of the eavesdroppers and the lost revenue they represent. Cable-Toperators commonly sell HBO and the other pay services to their customers for a monthly fee of $8 to $10 per channel. Owners of the backyard antennas watch free of charge, however, by intercepting the nel. HBO is the largest of the pay ser- vices, with more than 13.5 million subscribers nationally The company, a subsidiary of Time Inc., also owns Cinemax, which reaches 2 7 million subscribers Once HBO activates its electronic scrambling system, competitors may be forced to follow suit. The program service with the best security system will probably have an advantage in obtaining first rights to Hollywoods blockbuster films Its a safe bet were going to scramble our signal, said Stephen Schulte, a Showtime executive. Its inevitable, said Robert Williams, vice president of production Todays Viewing Local Telei'ision Stations Channel 4, 972-- 1 776 Channel 5, 575-555- 5 MW, K.SL-T- KBYl, Channel 11, (Provo) 1X1 CD C5J CD 378-529- KSTL-TV2- 8 (D Puppy s Greatest Adventures Shirt Tales Utah Geography Superchargers CD CFA Football Boston vs. Pen State Sports Saturday A House for all Seasons CD Pink Panther Superfriends Half a Handy d) Get Along Gang Hour 7 a.m. 33 (D CZ Management NFL Week in CZ) Review Knitting Workshop Russian Language 85 Battlestar 2 CD Saturday Supercade CD Movie Bill Firing Line Movie "Futureworld " Peter CZ) 85 3' jJ 85 Alvin and the Chipmunks Scooby Doo Mysteries Pole Position D' 55 Kid Video i' J) Doctors on Call Matinee at the Bijou (D News News America Works 4 30 p.m. CD Scooby Doo Dungeons and Dragons The New Literacy Aerobics Nancy Drew. Hardy Boys "T' The Littles Pryor's Place Victory Garden Eplosive Plot To Take L.A. On 5 SEE 41 D 7 M 55 College Football Michigan vs Perdue or Wisconsin vs Iowa The American Story Evergreen Farms 35 Superstar 3 30 a m. International Cooking Wall 2 KUTV NEWS with John Stehr and Kathy Brock! 5 4 7 H. 7 35 5 h (ti Wonder Woman Designing Home Interiors Wildlife C3 3, lli 7 n 2 Tubbs Makes Dramatic Attempt To Save Sonny On Miami Vice. 2) WKRP in Cincinnati CD M'A'S'H Let Deal Political Debate Wnd America Congiess We the People He-s Lucy 11 p.m. CD 85 35 S p.m. Two Special Edition This Old House The Do It Yourself Fawlty Towers Classic Theater " Gaslight Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman Benny li) (D 7pm rent Strokes J Hooker 3 CD) (D nM Hill ' Movie Escape to Athena " 11.35 pm. Saturday Nigr Solid Gold Monty Python s Flying Circus Jh Brain, Mind and Behavior 3 Salt Lake Music 12.35 a m TV 1.05 a.m. 3' Tales from the Moo-kt- e Dark Side and Pookie Puttm On the Hits Cl' Faces Ci) News (D National CD 1 10 a m. 1:15 a.m. 1.35 a.m Super-star- s Inc 4 Weekend Report 2 35 a m C3 America s Top Ten 3 05 a.m. 8 Quality Shows Great KUED7. America s Choice 3.35 a m. C3 Moving On Performances CD Movie The Magnificent Seven " Yul Brynner. Eli Wallach This Week in Country Music CD 7 J4W Live e Dift TtANT 10.40 p.m. Faces of the Deep Counted Shjw 6 30 p m s Make A 7 NATURE QJ 1 Adam Smiths Money Wor'd Too Close for Comfort Airwolf 12 30 pm. Be There, Be - Take Sneak Previews T Shop 3, 10:35 p.m. EYEWITNESS NEWS ID Kung-F- Woodwright Pi 14 Woodcarvers 35 Seeing Things AWA Wrestling 85 Midnight Solid Gold with Don Olsen & Margaret Smoot. 55 Big City Comedy Street Week 6 p.m. Noon 1 CD 11:10 p.m. it 3 NEWS with Don Olsen & Margaret Smoot. 11:05 p.m. 85 D Wrestling 11 51EYEWITNESS 33 Utah Geography Star Trek 2) Fame ?' il u News 3) 5.30 p.m. Spiderman Weekend Special Going Bananas Puttm On the Hits This Old House 11am. Grizzly Adams Focus on Society Frugal Gourmet 3 John Stehr and Kathy Brock! HAW TONITE! 10.30 a m. a 10 p.m. WHATS NEW ON HEE Easij200,SoutgMidvaleT56b8481 2 KUTV NEWS with Buck Rogers Mr r1084 UTEPvs BYU Gunsmoke 85 Hunter. 3i 2263 EasT4800 SoWHolladayT274931 Hot Pursuit Finder of Lost Loves Cover Up Austin City Limits BYU Football Hunter Uncovers 2 10 a.m. D CD 5 p.m. 9 30 a m. 5 Roundtable QD (i) Funnies CL 3) BYU Sportsweek MDTV Medical 9 a.m. D 4 p.m. Wild Kingdom CD Show 3 CD Fonda, Blyth Danner 8.30 a.m. Downtown 9 p.m. 3 p.m. Dragon's Lair Understanding 370Mh.W8StjJempleT The Special Magical Mystery Place " " "Sensations Human Behavior Newton s Apple CD Mystery ot the Yellow Rain KUED7 Exclusive! (D Sports World Tony Brown's Journal (D 8 a.m. CD 1 NOVA 2.30 p.m. Turbo Teens Creativity with Moyers CD CD CD Galactica 7:30 a.m. FREE STORESIDE PARKING AT ALL FOUR LOCATIONS ' (2) On the Money 0 Love Boat Mike Hammer CD 2 p.m. Smurfs Mighty Orbots Jim Henson's Muppet Babies Business of 7 539-122- CRIME. Snorks CD 0 581-777- PARTNERS IN 1:30 p.m. (J) 973-300- Clients in 1! Hero 6:30 a.m. CD 0, Greatest American 35 Saturday November 3 6 a.m. MTV, Channel 2, Kl ED, Channel 7, 4 35 a m. Narrow Gauge 30 p m Gimme a BReak 8 pm. 5.05 a m. Movie ' The Living Legend of 5.35 a m. iD Homespun 50.5A gEDWooD RD, IAoO- .- FW 1&AT; io- 2 Carole 8i 5yd Wind Up With 2 17 92 Advertisement -- - S 7 |