CABLE TV SUBSCRIBERS TO GET 5 PERCENT RATE HIKE

Cable television subscribers in Cape Girardeau and Jackson next month will see a 5 percent rate increase for basic and expanded basic service.

TCI Cablevision of Missouri Inc. announced the rate hikes Monday.

TCI General Manager Roger Harms said basic service rates will increase from $10.50 to $11.02. With the expanded basic option, cable TV rates will increase from $20.30 to $21.31.

Harms said in a statement released Monday that the rate hike is needed to meet rising programming, maintenance and service costs.

"We have made every effort to control costs, but we face increases in telephone service, taxes and many other operating expenses like any other business," he said. "We also feel it's important to pay our local employees more, so that they too may keep up with inflation.

"This adjustment also is a reflection of some of our hidden cable TV costs."

Harms said that cable TV viewers continue to expect expanded programming. He said the networks that provide the programming also are increasing fees.

"The reality of our business is that when the cable networks acquire new popular programs, they must pass on some of the expense to cable operators like us," he added. "Unfortunately, that's when we have to raise our subscription rates as well."

Cable programming fees have increased more than 30 percent in the past four years, Harms said, and now constitute 20-30 percent of a customer's monthly bill.

He said the cable company last year re-tiered its programming to allow customers to subscribe for only those programs they know they'll watch.

Expanded basic includes additional programming not offered in the less expensive basic package, such as ESPN, the Discovery Channel, CNN and TNT.

Harms said that TCI has added four new channels to its programming lineup in the past year, including an all-comedy channel, Cinemax premium movie channel, a sports network and Encore, which shows movies from the 1960s, '70s, and '80s.

TCI serves about 13,000 customers in Cape Girardeau County, Cape Girardeau and Jackson.