DELAY CABLE-TV SURVEY UNTIL CHANGES ARE MADE

The Cape Girardeau City Council will consider a proposal Monday to ask the local cable-television provider to conduct a survey to gauge customer opinion about the system, which also serves Jackson.

The survey could prove useful to the provider, Charter Communications, giving the company valuable information about what its customers like and dislike. However, the key consideration is the timing of the survey.

The city's Cable Television Advisory Board is urging the City Council to authorize the questionnaire. The advisory board developed a 20-question survey covering a number of aspects of cable service. The survey would be mailed to customers with their monthly cable bills.

The suggested survey asks about levels of programming, the public-access channel, customer service and the overall quality of the system and the performance of Charter. Customers also would be asked to list three new channels they would most like to see added as well as three current channels they think should be dropped.

Under it's franchise agreement with Charter, the city can periodically require the company to conduct a customer survey at the company's expense. Roger Harms, the general manager of the local system, had earlier cautioned that surveys come with costs which eventually would be passed on to customers. However, this week Harms said Charter would likely absorb the cost of the survey.

City officials say the primary issue before the council is when -- not if -- it will ask Charter for the survey.

The advisory board is pushing for the survey to be completed by Sept. 15 and the findings reported to the City Council by Oct. 16. Charter, however, would prefer the survey be delayed until sometime in 2001, a move supported by some advisory board members.

Charter already has made a business decision to add 14 additional channels to the local system's expanded basic package. Those upgrades are scheduled to be completed in November. Harms said he has no problems with conducting the survey. However, he feels to do so just before a major system upgrade would yield outdated results and be a waste of time and effort.

Local Charter officials hear frequently from customers about programming choices and feel the planned additions reflect what viewers have been asking for. While cable customers should always have the opportunity for input, the City Council should give them time to review the new channels and form opinions on their choices before moving forward with a survey.