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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1995-01-11, Page 3IN THF. NF.W.S Lo�alcable TV owners feel the heat from national controversy 'The people think we're Rogers,' says Don Stinson at Ex-Cen Cablevision, which added only four new channels this January HOLMESVILLE - Local cable operators are feeling some of the heat directed at Canadian cable giants, particularly Rogers, over new channels and billing practises. However, Don Stinson, secretary - treasurer and part owner of Ex-Cen Cablevision points out that some of that anger may be misdirected. Un- like Rogers' introduction of seven new specialty channels at an addi- tional $4 or so per month, Ex-Cen is adding just two new specialty channels, and replacing the Amer- ican country music station with a Canadian station. The cost is $1.00 per month, plus 60¢ per month for CBC Newsworld, plus taxes. Stinson said the receptionist at Ex -Cep's Holmesville office would likely claim nearly ever subscriber had called with concerns or com- plaints. "This last two weeks...you can't hardly set the receiver down," said Stinson. As for Newsworld, Stinson said he would have preferred making it a specialty channel, part of the ex- tended basic package, which now costs $5.20 per month in Exeter ($5.98 in Huron Park and Central- ia). But the CRTC requires it to be part of basic service, hence the 60¢ increase to basic cable's $16.15 charge ($17.50 in Centralia). Nev- ertheless, Stinson said subscribers have been generally pleased with CBC's all -news channel, and he calls it a good addition to the line- up. Rogers has perhaps drawn the most fire for its so-called "negative option" billing, in which the ex- tended basic customer is auto- matically billed the extra $4 per month for the new channels, unless they say otherwise. But turning down the extra channels also means losing some old favourites like TSN, A&E, or Much Music. Rog- ers announced last week thaf its choice of introducing the new chan- nels was a mistake. "I have had it put to me that were doing negative option," said Stin- son, but insists that Ex-Cen, and its Goderich/Clinton partner Blue - water Cable, are only responding to rising costs and new government regulations. The cost to the cable company to carry TSN is going up 5.4 percent in 1995, said Stinson, and Much Music is going up 275 percent. Be- cause those channel providers bill Ex-Cen "as if everyone in the sys- tem took it", Stinson said there is Cable TV in Exeter: what's new? ValNeWCotintry Network !,3 replaces American CMO FOX DIS NW WTOL Upstart U.S. network cones to Canada Discovery Channel, Canadian nature programs CBC's Newsworld joins basic cable lineuip Toledo CBS station replaces channel 2 Detroit e increase: 'B cable goes front: •$18.57 to $19.26 in Exeter •$20.13 to $20.82 in Huron Park/Centralia Extended basic: •$22.62 to $24.46 in Exeter •$24.96 to $26.80 in Huron Park/Centralia (taxes included) no choice but to pass the rising costs along. "There was an increase coming in that package anyway," said Stin- son. The other, and more pressing problem, is the issue of Canadian content in the cable TV lineup. Be- fore January, cable operators were allowed two U.S. stations for every Canadian channel. As of 1995, the Canadian Radio Tele- communications Commission now requires one Canadian channel for every U.S. channel. To put four Canadian and four U.S. stations in the extended basic package, the New Country Net- work (NCN) replaced the American Country Music Television, and the Discovery nature channel was add- ed to balance the FOX channel. "All we've done is bring our- selves within the regulations," said Stinson. The need for adding the upstart PDX network to the lineup may not be apparent during the current hia- tus in NHL hockey. But since that network lured the American NHL coverage away from CBS, fans would have been demanding that channel. Viewers who liked the American Country Music Television may be disappointed that they can't get it back, at any cost. To eliminate competition to the new Calgary- tiased NCN, the CRTC ordered that CMT be taken off cable systems entirely. "As of January 1, it was illegal for us to carry it," said Stinson, but expects few country music fans will have complaints about the new station, with its higher Canadian content. The basic cable lineup has also been rearranged, with the only ma - Times -Advocate, January 11, 1995 Paige 3 331a417 EX -CEN EXTENDED I3AS l OISCRET 1 ONARY cM1(L 15 NEU COUNTRY.. CHN*Elr .161 CHfI1EL 17 CHNI(L 18 FOX kOCH. !EW YORK. CHANNEL 19 R l E I— CHANIEL 20 MUCHPIUSIC 1 CH 22 CHANNEL 21 TSN (DISCOVERY TINE 01:29:20 TEMP K,. A. With only a couple of new channels to meet CRTC regulations, and a rate increase tied to ris- ing costs, local cable operators hope they will not be drawn into the furor surrounding the ma- jor changes made by Canada's cable TV giants. jor changes being the addition of Newsworld, and the replacement of the Detroit CBS station with the Toledo CBS station. Remaining in Ex-Cen's extended basic package will be Arts and En- tertainment, The Nashville Net- work, Cable News Network, The Sports Network, and Much Music. Because Rogers, which serves part of London, has been offering a NTarger number of American chan- nels on its extended cable service, they have had to add a larger num- ber of Canadian channels. Local subscribers however, will not be seeing, at least for the time being, Bravo! - a performing arts channel, the Women's Television Network, Showcase, the Life Network, or RDI - a French language CBC news channel. The fact that a Rogers brochure mysteriously showed up in some Exeter mailboxes hasn't helped Ex- Cen's position that they are very different from the cable TV giant. "Oh, that did cause a furor," said Stinson. "The people think we're Rogers." Stinson is hoping that local sub- scribers, as well as those in Gode- rich and Clinton, will come to re- alize that the Rogers channel lineup, and their price increases, don't apply to them, the furor will die down. He hopes that with only four major channel changes, and a smaller rate increase, subscribers will accept the new lineup without abandoning extended basic pro- gramming, as some in other centres are threatening to do. Stinson also holds out the prom- ise of more reliable service for the future as well. The installation of fibre optic cable from Holmesville to Dashwood, which will eventual- ly be extended to Exeter directly, should help eliminate the frequent cable service breaks caused by mi- nor power outages last summer. But the future of cable television has Stinson puzzled. The addition and cost of a few neW channels has ' produced a...nation-wide uproiirr. What will the future bring? "They talk about this 150 - channel, or 300 -channel universe that's supposed to be coming. How are we going to do that when we add six or seven channels now and there's such a hue and cry?" won- ders Stinson. "People want what they have now." Grand Bend councillor questions village's ability to remove snow GRAND BEND - Snow may be fun to play in but it's expensive and very time consuming to move. Southwestern Ontario got hit with its hardest snowfall of the sea- son last week, and one councillor in Grand Bend questioned how quick- ly the local staff was getting it re- moved. "We had snow accumulation Thursday and Friday and we were until today (Monday) getting it cleared," said Bob Mann during Monday night's council meeting. What prompted the query about snow removal was a letter from the 4 Grand Bend and Arca Medical Centre, asking the village's as- sistance in helping remove snow from their sidewalk. Apparently they have a private contractor doing the removal but are 'unhappy with the work being done and have asked the village to do the job and perhaps bill them through further taxes. "This is really difficult because they have a private contractor do- ing it. They're unsatisfied, they had somebody fall who had to go to the hospital," said mayor Cam Ivey. During the winter, Grand Bend Drainage project requested in Hay Property owners asked council to extend a drain northeast of Dashwood ZURICH - Hay Township council took the first step in launching a new drainage project in the township last Tuesday by accepting a pe- tition to extend the Cann Municipal Drain. The petition asked that the drain be extended to Lot 9, Concession 9, northeast of Dashwood, and further. Council has passed the re- quest onto their engineers to prepare a preliminary report. Reeve Murray Keys said the cost of the project will not be known until much later, until a draft report is presented to council. How- ever, the entire cost would be .assessed to individual landowners deemed to benefit from the project. "We haven't even had the on-site meeting yet," said Keys, and ac- knowledged the draft report "might not even get done this year". The required notification periods, and appeal periods made drain- age projects lengthy procedures, noted Keys. Also at last Tuesday's meeting,.council passed a bylaw to approve long-term financing for a paving project completed last spring, the paving of the roadways in the St. Joseph Shores II subdivision. The $70,000 approximate cost of the project will be assessed to the in- dividual property owners in the subdivision. has one of its public works em- ployees on call ready to come in and do the snow removal during heavy accumulation like last week. "It's difficult for us. If we take on something private, something else suffers," said Ivey. Although Ivey did point out ihat the Medical Centre is a major com- ponent, of the community, it was decided not to have the village staff do the work there. "Are we liable if we take on the responsibility of sanding and ploughing?," asked councillor Bar- bara Wheeldon. Ivey said "yes" the village was liable if they did it. Mann said that the village's re- sponsibility to snow removal was not being met and wanted to know what the standards were. "Perhaps we're going to have to find out what work you think should be done," said Ivey. Mann said that Governor's Road should have been ploughed out bet- ter because of the dangers of not being able to reach building in case of fires. Ivey quickly pointed out to him that there are no fire hydrants on that road anyway for the fire de- partment to utilize. Come in and Check out our BEST SELLER NOVELS '1 424 Main St. Exeter 235-1331 The Middlesex Progressive Conservative Association Nomination Convention The Executive of the Middlesex Progressive Conservative Association hereby gives notice and Invites alt eligible members to choose a candidate to contest the next Provincial General Election. Medway Nigh School Thursday, January 28, 7:45 p.m. Regiatratlon from 6:30 p.m. Current members and Honorary officers are eligible to vote for the nominee of their choice. New or lapsed memberships should be registered with the Registrar by midnight, Sunday, January 15, 1995. REGISTRAR Dwayne Rickard, RR #1 Mossley, Ont. NOL IVO Phone 269-3910 L�i1✓�1�rr-r�r��r✓ri11 ✓.rr�✓.rrr✓�.rr✓✓✓-�✓C Local band on TV Positively Stompin' on air Saturday LONDON - Exeter area performers Positively Stompin' will he on the airwaves Saturday evening. Baton Broadcasting stations CFPL and CKNX will feature the hand as part of the Carol Baker Show, airing at 7 p.m. Saturday evening. RIRISIR SEASON IS HERE Your "Room Statement" from Revenue Canada should have arrived in the mail. If you need clarification ori its contents we will be happy to assist you. RRSP LOANS Available at Prime Rates RRIF'S also available Each RRSP & RRIF contract is insured individually for up to $60,000.00 CLINTON COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION 48 Ontario Street 118 Main Street North CLINTON 482-3487 EXETER 235-0840 OPEN: MON. to THURS. 9:00 a.m. -5:00 .m. PRI. 9:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.