XN000022-1973-11-30 — Page 9

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Friday, November 30, 1973

TELEVISION TRANSMISSION TESTS

The Telecommunications Authority today thanked those members

of the public who have telephoned in reports of reception oonditions

in their area during the period when Rediffusion Television, the licensee

for the second broadcast television service, has been carrying out test

transmissions on channel 23 from their main transmitter at Temple Hill,

The Telephone Reporting centre, which was organised to record

viewer's comments, has been in operation each evening for the past

twelve days and details have been examined in conjunction with the other

engineering checks which have been taking place.

The present assessment of the situation is that the new service

from the first of the main transmitters is satisfactory and that Rediffusion

Television will be in a position to introduce their Chinese Language

broadcasts as from tomorrow (Saturday). The English language service is

expected to be available to viewers in April, 1974.

The Telecommunications Authority has emphasized two points:

First, because Rediffusion broadcasts are initially restricted

to a main transmitter only, satisfactory reception of the new service

will be, most probably, in those areas which already receive a good signal

from Television Broadcasts main transmitters on channels 21 and 25, that

is generally in the harbour area. Rediffusion's service should, therefore,

initially reach between 60 per cent and 70 per cent of television viewers.

The subsidiary transmitters serving the outlying districts will be brought

into service during the next few months and further announcements will be

made as each of these comes into operation.

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