After two recent closures, the German-language satellite radio offering available on the Astra satellite system (19.2 degrees East) is set to gain an additional participant: Virus, the youth radio planned by Radio DRS, the German-language affiliate of Swiss public broadcaster SRG, has started test transmissions using the ADR system (Astra Digital Radio). On ADR carrier 7.56 MHz of transponder 55 (10.803 GHz H), owned by Swiss pay-TV channel Teleclub, a continuously repeated one hour tape with nonstop music and jingles can be heard. Radio-text for ADR receivers is available. Virus will launch its regular service on 20 November.

On 1 October, two channels closed: Techno and house music radio Evosonic was removed from the analogue subcarriers 7.38/7.56 MHz of Deutsches SportFernsehen’s transponder 21 (11.523 GHz H). Star*Sat Gold left the ADR subcarrier 7.38 MHz on transponder 64 (10.936 GHz V) due to differences with transponder owner TM3.