Deutsche Welle adds digital transmission to North America via AMC-1

As of 15 September 2002, Deutsche Welle (DW) will deliver its TV and radio programs to cable headends and rebroadcasting stations in North and Middle America through a digital C-band channel on AMC-1. Satellite communications provider SES AMERICOM and DW signed a corresponding agreement.
For a smooth transition DW's signal will be distributed on both AMC-1 digital and analog for at least four weeks, with the termination of analog broadcats on September 14.

"DW-TV makes the move to AMC-1 digital to better serve our partner stations in North America with clear, high quality digital broadcasts. The move completes DW's digital transition which began with the launch of PAS-9 in 1997 as well as the launch earlier this year of our new digital subscription channel German TV. With this change to digital on AMC-1, DW-TV is now truly a digital player in North America", says DW Director General, Erik Bettermann.

Deutsche Welle is Germany's international broadcasting service offering German as well as foreign language TV and radio programs. "At the Heart of Europe" - With this message DW-TV broadcasts its 24-hour information program in German, English and Spanish from studios in Berlin. The German international television service is available via satellite to some 128 million households around the world. DW-TV has a clearly recognizable profile as a news and information channel. The publicly funded institution in Germany is one of the five largest international broadcasting services in the world.

About SES AMERICOM
With over twenty-five years' experience, SES AMERICOM, Inc. is recognized as a pioneer and leading provider of global satellite communications services currently providing capacity on 16 spacecraft capable of serving the Americas, Europe, the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean Regions, and Asia. As a member of the SES GLOBAL family, AMERICOM is able to provide end-to-end telecommunications solutions to any region in the world. SES AMERICOM's key customers include ABC Radio Networks, AT&T Alascom, British Telecom, Deutsche Welle, Discovery, Fox, TV Guide/Gemstar, Gannett, Verestar, Merlin, NBC, The New York Times, NHK, PaxNet, PBS, TELE Greenland, TV Europa, TimeWarner/Turner Broadcasting, and Viacom.

In November 2001, SES AMERICOM was combined with SES ASTRA to form a new premier global satellite company, SES GLOBAL, S.A. The new company has a fleet of 29 satellites and can deliver broadband satellite services to more than 90% of the world's population. In addition, SES GLOBAL's strategic partnerships and participation in AsiaSat, NSAB, Star One, AMERICOM Asia-Pacific and Nahuelsat combine to give entertainment, telecommunications, Internet, news and enterprise customers access to a fleet of 42 satellites.

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Reception data:
Position: 103° West
Transponder: 2
Frequency: 3.740 GHz
Polarization: vertical
Symbolrate: 29.270 Msymbols/s
FEC: 7/8
Video Standard: NTSC
Video Compression: MPEG-2/DVB
Audio Compression (TV Sound): MPEG-1/Layer 2 & AC3
Audio Compression (Radio): MPEG-1/Layer 2
Modulation: QPSK
Radio Channels: DW 1 (German)
DW 2 (English)
DW 7 (French and various other languages)

July 2002
118/02