CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS COMPLETES CABLE TV UPGRADES

Charter Communications has switched to its new control center at 630 Industrial Park on Corporate Circle and is offering 14 more cable television channels.

The switch was made at midnight Tuesday, said Roger Harms, general manager for Charter Communications Cable TV in Cape Girardeau.

From the center, Charter processes signals from satellites, local television stations and other sources to transmit to cable subscribers.

Charter now carries 64 channels on its expanded basic offering, and changes have been made to the channel lineup.

Channel 33 is no longer Fox Sports. It has been moved to 45, and channel 33 is being held for WQWQ at Paducah, Ky., which Harms said the company hopes to add soon.

WQWQ is operated by Steven B. Engles, president of Engles Communications Inc. of Santa Barbara, Calif., and former owner of KBSI-TV in Cape Girardeau.

Channel lineup changes are reflected in today's Southeast Missourian TV listings on Page 12B. The listings include basic and expanded basic channels but not digital channels.

"We think subscribers will be pleased with our new look," said Harms. "We're giving them several of the channels they've been requesting, including digital."

Charter Communications announced the changes last year. About half of the city subscribers received the new channels immediately, but others had to wait for the system upgrades. Crews laying new fiber optic lines worked through the first week of May to complete the upgrades.

"We're hopeful that subscribers will bear with us," said Harms, explaining the company could experience glitches with new equipment for a while.

Customers have a choice of programming: basic, which includes more than 20 channels, including network channels and access to four premium channels; expanded basic with premium-channel access; and digital programing.