Madison, Wisc. (1-1-97) -- On Monday, December 30, 1996, TCI swapped the channel positions of a dozen networks without any advance notice. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, TCI said this was necessary because of their decision to retain WGN (which they planned to drop, but kept because of overwhelming protests).

TCI's claim that this shuffling was necessary didn't sit too well with me. Why would 12 channels need to be flip-flopped to accommodate one? After a little analysis, it seems to make even less sense.

Of those 12 channels, eight switches seem completely unjustified. If you examine the list below, you'll see that each of these networks just switches spots with another on the list -- none were added or removed.

• Channel 50 became AMC (was fX)
• Channel 24 became fX (was USA)
• Channel 51 became USA (was Fox News)
• Channel 34 became Fox News (was CNBC)
• Channel 36 became CNBC (was Weather)
• Channel 49 became Weather (was Encore Plus)
• Channel 52 became Encore Plus (was PBS)
• Channel 23 became PBS (was AMC)

And WGN didn't even move -- it's still channel 13!

It's difficult for me to recall the last positive experience I've had with TCI. Maybe it was when they waived the $3 late fee I got because I didn't call in every month to tell them my credit card number. I didn't realize TCI couldn't handle this on their own.

So when I called yesterday to pay my January bill, after about 14 minutes on hold I asked the customer service rep if they were issuing credits for the unannounced changes. She said, "You're kidding, right?" I told her that those changes caused my VCR to tape the middle of a movie on AMC instead of "Mission: Impossible" (which happens to be my favorite show). She then offered a $1 credit.

That's fine. The amount isn't too important -- it's the principle. I believe TCI execs show very little respect for their customers and that was my small way of expressing dissatisfaction. (It should be noted that my experiences with rank and file TCI employees have been positive -- it's the TCI decision-makers who seem not to care that much about subscribers.)

Anyway, I then called Pat Simms at the Wisconsin State Journal to discuss some projects we're working on. I mentioned my experience and she asked if she could put it in her column. She sure didn't waste any time -- it was in today's paper.

- Dave Friedman <dave@fun2play.com>

Note: According to information in TCI's own literature, these recent unannounced changes even violate their own policies. Excerpt from Important Notices to Our Customers, dated 12/96:

"We also may rearrange, delete, add to or otherwise change the service provided on our Basic Service or other levels of service. If the change affects you, we will provide you notice of the change and its effective date."

- Dennis Hribar, Madison

P.S. How do I know all this? At the time these decisions were made, I was part of the four-person committee which formulated the lineup changes based on the corporate guidelines given to us by the interim general manager, John McNeel. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I finalized the changes with McNeel and contacted the newspaper that Friday to place the public notice, as required by the FCC.

As a committee, we expressed to McNeel our concern with the removal of WGN from the Madison market, but once TCI's corporate office has made a decision, it is extremely difficult for managers at the local level to affect a change. As a footnote, three of the four members on the committee (myself included) were part of the December layoffs.

If you know of anyone that is looking for a person with thirteen years of management experience in telecommunications, put them in touch. I will also do consulting work on cable related issues.

Note from me to Dennis: I was looking over your description of channels 50-53. Currently channel 52 is Encore Multiplex (not ESPN) and channel 53 is BET (not MTV). Am I missing something?

Dennis Responds: It is a little confusing. In November of 96, the original programming changes were to place ESPN on channel 52 and MTV on channel 53. The outcry over WGN obviously caused a last-minute change in plans. Why they chose to put Plex and BET on those channels I can't tell you, since that decision was made after I was gone. The original decision to place AMC and USA in the migrated product tier (MPT) remained.

When I threw out the question of ESPN and MTV being on 52 and 53, it was simply that, a question based on my knowledge of the original structure and the reasoning behind the MPT, which would allow cable operators to recover the programming costs for these channels. A cable operator can only recover the cost up to a certain point based on formulas established by the FCC.

Once that threshold is reached, adding additional programming to the expanded basic tier does not make economic sense since the cost of the additional programming cannot be passed on to the customer through a rate increase. The MPT allows a cable operator to place high cost programming in a separate tier and gives the customer a choice to pay extra for additional programming.

As a sidelight, the MPT will only contain digital programming which can be compressed. Once these signals are compressed, a device will be required in the customer's home to decompress the signal back to analog so that your television set can produce a picture. I know that Plex and BET are being broadcast off their satellite transponders in a digital format. This may be one of the reasons they were chosen for the MPT.

Dave Becker wrote a front page story in the Wisconsin State Journal's December 31 issue about TCI's unannounced channel changes. I spoke with him about my web page on January 6.

For the record, this article originally appeared as one column -- I rearranged it on the computer. None of the content was altered.

The full chart contains details on more than 40 communities. However, due to the time commitment required, I have decided to discontinue updating the chart.

View the full chart.

Location	Provider	Date Last Updated	Monthly Cost	# of Channels Listed	Cost Per Channel Listed	Special Notes	A&E	AMC	Animal Planet	BET	Bravo	Cartoon Network	Classic Sports	CMT	CNBC	CNN	CNNfn	CNN Headline News	CNNI	CNNSI	Comedy Central	Court TV	C-SPAN	C-SPAN 2	Discovery	Disney	E!	Ecology Channel	Encore Multiplex	ESPN	ESPN 2	ESPNews	EWTN	Faith & Values	Family	FiT TV	Food Network	Fox News	FX	Game Show Network	Golf Channel	Great American Country	History	Home & Garden TV	Home Shopping Network	Indepedent Film Channel	International Channel	KTLA	Lifetime	MSNBC	MTV	MTV 2	MuchMusic	NET	Nickelodeon	Nostalgia Television	QVC	Regional Sports Channel	Sci-Fi	TBN	TCM	Telemundo	TLC	TNN	TNT	Travel Channel	TV Land	Univision	USA	VH1	Weather	WGN	WPIX	WSBK	WTBS	WWOR	Z Music
Cedar Falls, IA	TCI	1-20-97	$21.50	45	$0.48	*Shares channel space with other networks (counts as half of a channel in # of channels listed). **Requires additional hardware purchase (satellite dish). ##Also includes 31 commercial-free music channels.	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES		YES	YES	YES		YES			YES	YES	YES	YES	YES		YES		YES	YES	YES			YES	YES			YES	YES		YES		YES	YES	YES				YES	YES	YES				YES	YES	YES		YES		YES		YES	YES	YES	YES	YES		YES	YES	YES	YES			YES
Anywhere, USA	The Dish Network	5-31-97	$25.00**	49##	$0.51		YES		YES	YES		YES		YES	YES	YES	*	YES	*		YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES			YES	YES	YES	YES		YES		YES			YES			YES	YES	YES			YES	YES		YES	YES		YES	YES		YES	YES	YES	YES	YES		YES	YES	YES	YES	YES		YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Cedar Falls, IA	CFU	1-20-97	$21.00	41	$0.51		YES	YES		YES	YES	YES		YES	YES	YES	*	YES	*		YES		YES	YES	YES		YES			YES	YES	YES		YES	YES		YES				YES		YES	YES	YES				YES		YES				YES	YES	YES		YES		YES		YES	YES	YES	YES			YES	YES	YES	YES			YES
Monterey, CA	TCI	2-22-97	$24.95	20.5	$1.22		YES	YES		YES	*				*	YES		YES					YES	*	YES					YES					YES			YES											YES		YES				YES		YES					YES		YES	YES			YES	YES

To the best of my knowledge the information in the chart is accurate (as of the dates listed).

I sent the following letter to John Malone, President and CEO of TCI, on January 22, 1997. I told him I would include his response here as soon as I got it.

Dear Mr. Malone,

I've compiled information about cable tv service in various communities.

It seems the TCI customers in Cedar Falls, Iowa receive more than twice as many channels as those who live in Monterey, California. Yet, Monterey subscribers pay more. Why?

Sincerely,
Dave Friedman

After checking into the various issues surrounding dish vs. cable systems, I decided to take the plunge and purchased a system from The Dish Network.

For those who may wonder what factors influenced my decision, here is a detailed report:

Things I like about the Dish Network:

• Channel Selection -- Basic service includes nearly every channel I'm interested in, as well as 31 commercial-free music-only channels (no picture -- like radio).
• On-Screen Guide -- Scroll through all the programs that are on and select one to view. If it's not on yet, the system asks if you want a reminder or if you want the VCR to record it.
• Custom Channel Lists -- In addition to scrolling through all the channels, you can have up to four custom lists. I use them for different types of programs. One has news/learning channels. Another has movie channels. Another has music channels. That way, if I'm in the mood for entertainment, I don't have to scroll through the channels I'm not interested in. (This feature is actually so different people in a household can each have their own lists.)
• Information Bar -- When channel surfing, a translucent bar at the top of the screen displays the current date and time, the network, the current program, and the time left until the end of that program.
• Browsing Feature -- Without changing the channel, you can view the shows (by program title) that are currently on other channels. If you find something you like, you can then switch to it.
• Theme Lists -- You can scroll through lists of upcoming programs by theme, such as sporting events, family programs, and educational programs.
• Detailed Information -- The info button brings up detailed information about the currently selected program. This usually includes the names of the stars, the plot, a star rating (for quality), and the year originally aired. Movies also include their rating and any extreme content (violence, langauge, nudity, etc.).

Things I don't like:

• No Local Programs -- In order to receive any local networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, PBS), you must connect an antenna. Subscribers in most major cities are now able to receive local stations for an additional fee.
• Cannot Record One Program and Watch Another -- Unless you purchase a deluxe system and a second receiver, the dish system can only decompress one channel at a time. This also applies to watching different programs on multiple TVs, and using the picture-in-picture feature on many sets. One advantage of receiving the local channels through an antenna is that it is possible to record a program from the dish and watch a program from the antenna at the same time.

If you have any questions about my setup, feel free to contact me at dave@fun2play.com.

Related Links:

• FCC Cable Fact Sheets
• TCI (Now AT&T Cable Services)
• The Dish Network
• DirecTV
• Cable World
• Jim Kube's Utilities Suck Site
• The Hovanis Family's TCI Horror Story
• Brandon Johnson's TCI Horror Story

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