LETTERS: TCI CUSTOMER QUESTIONS SURVEY THAT LED TO CHANEL SWITCH

To the editor:

I am writing this letter as a private citizen who is also chairman of the Cape Girardeau Cable Committee. I must first say that any comments I make may have the benefit of my experience on the cable committee but are not intended as statements of that committee or as statements of the city of Cape Girardeau. I am writing concerning a recent decision of the local franchisee, TCI, to change its programming.

In the most recent billing that TCI is sending out, there was an insert regarding their determination that TCT in Marion was a local broadcast station which had to be carried on the system, and that TCI was going to drop the Faith & Value/VISN channel and replace it with TCT.

As I have long and loudly proclaimed, TCI is free under both the old Cable ACt and the new legislation to put whatever it wants to on our cable system, subject to the "must carry" rules. However, part of that insert indicated that TCI had conducted a survey to determine which stations the customers might opt for. In essence, the insert makes it appear that the customers were being given an option about what they wanted to replace. In checking further with Roger Harms, who was good enough to give me some of the information requested, the only thing that was provided to the people who were surveyed, and I was not given the information as to the numbers, was they were given the option of putting TCT on by replacing either Faith & Values or Lifetime.

I have two problems with that insert, because I believe it was misleading to the consumers of the Cape Girardeau area:

First of all, the insert makes it appear that a great number were surveyed, and I don't think they were. We don't have anything in terms of statistics or what kind of a sample was used so that we know if it accurately reflected the Cape system.

Secondly, the insert makes it appear that the customers were given a number of options, and in fact they were just given what the system wanted to opt out on. Now that's certainly TCI's right, but I don't think they're entitled to represent that the customers were given the option.

I would strongly urge any cable consumer who is unhappy with this move, speaking as one private citizen to another, to either call or write TCI and ask that they do the following:

1. Do a "real" survey by asking every customers or including a survey in every customer's bill asking them as to whether or not they would like to replace the VISN channel or Lifetime, if that's the only options they're going to give.

2. I would secondly recommend every consumer, because they're free to ask as consumers, that TCI consider dropping the Prevue Channel and keeping all of the current broadcasting and just adding TCT to that channel.

As I said, the franchisee does not have to do anything as far as the city is concerned with what programing they put on other than must carry stations. However, I believe when the franchise opens the door by making it appear that they're offering or trying to solicit information from their consumers, that the consumers have a right to let TCI know what they want. I also think it's important that the customers understand what actually was happening so that they are not misled as to the circumstances.

MICHAEL H. MAGUIRE

Cape Girardeau