
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, March 22, 1994                   TAG: 9403220191
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LAS VEGAS                                LENGTH: Short

NOW TALKING TO YOUR TV WON'T BE ODD

Washington television station WJLA will give some viewers an opportunity to talk to their TV sets this spring.

Allbritton Communications' WJLA, an ABC affiliate, said on Monday that it will test out interactive technology developed by EON Corp., based in Reston, Va.

The test will involve ``hundreds of households in Fair Oaks and Reston'' and is part of ongoing trials of EON's interactive system, the company said. Specific programs have not been selected for the trial.

EON uses satellites and radio waves to carry information to little boxes inside the test participants' homes. With a remote control-like device, viewers can call up information such as graphics or statistics that may go with a news story that will appear on their TV screens.

WJLA's cable News Channel 8 also will be part of the test. WJLA is the first broadcaster to sign up to test the service. Other companies have developed interactive services; Videotron in Montreal with 240,000 subscribers is among the largest.

EON and WJLA made the announcement at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas.

by CNB