TELEVISION - April 21, 1993

Interactive TV: Viewers in nine cities including Los Angeles may get to experiment with two-way television--to be called TV Answer--on PBS channels early next year. The interactive programming, which is subject to licensing by the Federal Communications Commission, is expected to start with short shows that would appear between regularly scheduled programs. Viewers would need a special set-top receiver (which would cost about $500) to play along. Using a remote control device, the viewer would respond to multiple-choice questions on the screen by moving an arrow to an appropriate box. A children’s show on dinosaurs, for example, might be accompanied by the question, “Did any dinosaurs fly?” or a nutrition program would ask, “Which is the lowest fat food--spaghetti, pizza or hot dogs?”