European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 28, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wlyma Western to moves behind Iron curtain by Drusilla Menaker associated press ight entrepreneurs with a handmade transmitter a satellite dish and a Broom closet studio have broken the government monopoly on television in the East bloc. Quot you might say we be made a Little mess a said Marek Mlynarczyk with a smile. Mlynarczyk is the general manager of Echo to in wroclaw Poland general manager of the first private commercial television station in Eastern Europe. The idea is television that a More fun said Mlynarczyk. He described polish to As Quot too serious. A lot of Guys sitting in armchairs telling something blah blah  Quot it should be closer to life. Everything that state owned to does no to do a added program coordinator Marek Hamera. Quot there was a very tight information  Echo to has been broadcasting six hours of programming nightly since feb. 6, much of it music videos and movies More or less pirated from satellite transmissions. Quot nobody believed that we would do it Quot said Mlynarczyk who thinks that is the Only reason his group got permission from the government. During decades of communist control two government run television channels offered a Dull diet of propaganda laced news cheap to make interview programs and cheap to buy american reruns and brazilian soap operas spiced with the occasional polish film. Nevertheless poles Are hooked on to and Mlynarczyk says they Are turned on and tuned in to Echo to. Approximate estimates a Poland does no to have a ratings system a put the number of viewers at 200,000 for the station which can Only be picked up within 30 Kilometres 18 Miles of wroclaw an Industrial City 345 Kilometres 207 Miles Southwest of Warsaw. Some viewers need a special Antenna but most can receive the station s transmissions at no Cost without adjusting their sets. The broadcasts begin at 6 . From two tiny rooms atop a student dormitory. Virtually All the equipment fits on a table three televisions a couple of video cassette recorders a personal computer and a special effects mixer. The set for the five minute news program is three Steps away in the other Corner with a logo backdrop Cut from paper. Echo to s eight shareholders have invested about $50,000 in equipment to Start the station and in an affiliated video company. They say that they have More orders for advertising time than they can accommodate. Most of the programming is from mtg the . Cable music video Channel and other satellite dispersed stations. Mlynarczyk said he has a Quot verbal agreement Quot with the satellite distributor but he is uncomfortable with the informal arrangement and Hopes to continue discussions. But the Start up Enterprise is of limited interest to Western television companies. Quot they have no Money so it will be quite some time before it approaches a meaningful Market Quot said Colin Avi head of Mca television International in he United state s. Quot some companies have taken Abc one of the most american television series a the wonder years a with Josh Saviano left and Fred Savage is being marketed to an official polish television station. The approach of giving them a show and then sharing in advertising Revenue. But there Isnit much advertising because there Isnit much in the Way of consumer  conduit internationale films of the United states has offered the wonder years and the soap opera Santa Barbara to Channel 2 a the second state owned polish television station. Meanwhile poles have also put on pressure for changes in government to. Television a the communications medium that one polish parliamentarian said Quot lied the most Quot before Solidarity came to Power a has changed. The evening news program has been revamped and gone Are some of the announcers most associated with the communists and a third of the directors. A Law restructuring control of the airwaves is being drafted in parliament. While these changes Are under Way for Standard airwave channels the . Company Chase enterprises is installing television Cable lines in Poland and Hungary. Headed by polish born David Chase who survived four world War ii concentration Camps before escaping the Media company recently signed a Deal giving it 70 percent of the polish Cable television franchise with 30 percent under control by a government consortium. Quot in All likelihood there will not be an immediate Gold mine a conceded Arnold Chase David a son. Quot there Are still problems to be overcome and there Are still changes going on but the changes Are for the  he estimated the Cost for cabling Poland at $900 million. The company last week also entered into a similar Cable agreement with Hungary estimated to Cost about $250 million. Hungarians also Are trying to break the government monopoly on non satellite to. The Mai news Agency recently said 80 applications have been filed to establish private radio and television stations. But the hungarian government already has said there should Only be three to channels two of which already Are used by government television. In Bulgaria the administration of state radio and state television was split up this month after the political opposition in Bulgaria complained about news coverage. Soviet television has had a few experimental broadcasts of american programming and russian Media experts predict there will someday be a Market for american shows in their country. For now the Effort to establish Western television in the soviet Union involves co productions a american and West european Cash in Exchange for Low Cost soviet Talent and studios. For example film roman an american animation studio has signed an agreement with the soviets establishing a studio outside Moscow. Wednesday March 28, 1990 the stars and stripes a a a Page 13