Montreal: French overseas broadcaster RFO 1 is the first non-American foreign tv signal to become available in Canada.

The service was officially launched Nov. 17 at the Montreal Teleport (PMT Studio) by Cancom president Richard Stursberg. Cancom is uplinking RFO 1 via Tele Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, the regional Atlantic Ocean station of Reseau France Outremer.

dth service Star Choice began distribution in Eastern Canada Nov. 18. Cancom says the service is also available to cable and mmds distributors.

An international public broadcaster based in Paris, RFO 1 has provided service to the St-Pierre-et-Miquelon archipelago in the Gulf of St. Lawrence since 1967. It broadcasts 22 hours a day, both original programs as well as programs from TF1, France 2, France 3, arte and La Cinquieme. RFO 1 has a staff of 50. by Leo Rice-Barker