HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Report - February 2, 1993CITY COUNCIL MEETING
February 3, 1993
REPORT ON CABLE TELEVISION RATE ADJUSTMENTS
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City Manager Peterson presented the following report.
Existing law provides that cable television companies
advise local
agencies 30 days in adtance of the
implementation
of rate adjustments. King Videocable
Company has met
this requirement by notifying the City an
January 27, 1993
of a scheduled rate adjustment to be
effective March
1, 1993. Unfortunately, the notice was not
received until
after the deadline for preparation of the
agenda for the
regular meeting of Wednesday, February 3,
1993. However,
the company has mailed notices of this
scheduled rate
adjustment to all subscribers, and these
notices should
reach all customers within the next day or
two.
Deanna Enright, King Videocable, was in attendance and
presented a brief report to the City Council regarding the
rate adjustments.
"This ... is notification to the City of Lodi of our planned
rate adjustment and channel line-up changes for our
franchise area.
Effective March 1, 1993, King Videocable will be changing
rates as follows:
• basic service will decrease from $16.50 to $14.00
" basic plus service will increase from $4.00 to $7.95
• additional outsets will increase from $3.50 to $4.25 each
Customers with basic and basic plus service will see a
total increase of $1.45. However basic service will be
available at a more economical rate. As a reminder, basic
plus service is comprised of ESPN, CNN, Discovery, and many
more popular cable channels.
These changes in our price structure are the result of
several factors. With respect to the increase, despite our
efforts to hold down controllable costs, programming as
well as other uncontrc'-lable costs continue to increase.
Concerning the decrease in our basic service rate,
effective March 1, 1993, we will be changing our channel
alignment. This reconfiguration enables us to make basic
service available at a more economical rate. Unfortunately
it also means that the home shopping channel will be moved
out of the basic service. Customers with both basic and
basic plus will have no change in the total number of
channels received.
A major reason for these changes in channel position is to
comply with the Cable Television Conctumer Protection and
Competition Act of 1992. It is clear that the act intends
for customers to receive an economically p= -:^Pd entry level
of service.
CYTr COUNCIL BESTING
February 3, 1993
We at- King videocable continue our efforts to remain
competitive in the video entertainment market by providing
the best value for the entertainment dollar through
Programming selection, the installation of an ,improved
communication system to better respond toMqustomer needs,
}'. and by keeping changes in rates to a minimuu."
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MEMORANDUM
TO:. The Honorable Mayor and
Members of the City Council
FROM: City Manager
DATE: February 2, 1993
SUBJ: Cable Television Rate Adjustments
Jennifer Perrin
City Clerk
Existing law provides that cable television companiee'&dvis 0, 1 ocal
agencies 30 days in advance of ' the implementation t;of
rate
adjustments. King Videocable Company has met this reqiiremeat . by."
notifying the City on January 27, 1993 of a scheduled: -'rate
adjustment to be effective march 1, 1993. (see 'ExhilAit-,A)
Unfortunately, the notice was not received until after the*'de'adl , a
for preparation of the agenda for the regular meeting of, Wid"S.&Y''i
February 3, 1993. However, the company has mailed notices:'of this
scheduled rate adjustment to all subscribers, and these notices
should reach all customers within the next day or two.
This rate adjustment will be included under "Communications" on the
agenda for the regular meeting of February 3, 1993. King
Videocable Company has been asked to have a representative at this
City Council meeting to comment on this matter and answer questions.
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1521S. Stockton Street
King Videocable ComparryLodl. California 95240
2091369.7451
January 27, 1993 An Affiliate o1 King Broadcasting Company
Tom Peterson, City Manager
City of Lodi
221 West Pine Street
Lodi CA 95240
Dear Tom:
This letter is notification to the city of Lodi of our planned rate
adjustment and channel line-up changes for our franchise area.
Effective March 1, 1993, King Videocable will be changing rates as
follows: *basic service will decrease from $16.50 to $14.00
*basic plus service will increase from $4.00 to $7.95
*additional outlets will increase from $3.50 to $4.25 each
Customers with basic and basic plus service will see a total increase of
$1.45. However basic service will be available at a more economical
rate. As a reminder, basic plus service is comprised of ESPN, CNN,
Discovery, and many more popular cable channels.
These changes in our price structure are the result of several factors.
With respect to the increase, despite our efforts to hold down
Ccontrollable costs, programming as well as other uncontrollable costs
continue to increase. Concerning the decrease in our basic service rate,
effective March 1, 1993, we will be changing our channel alignment. This
reconfiguration enables us to make basic service available at a more
economical rate. Unfortunately it also means that the home shopping
channel will be moved out of the basic service. Customers with both basic
and basic plus will have no change in the total number of channels
received. Please refer to the attached schedule for a complete
description of basic and basic plus service.
A major reason for these changes in channel position is to comply with the
Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992. It is
clear that the act intends for customers to receive an economically priced
entry level of service.
We at King Videocable continue our efforts to remain competitive in the
video entertainment market by providing the best value for the
entertainment dollar through programming selection, the installation of an
improved communication system to better respond to customer needs, and by
keeping changes in rates to a minimum.
Please call me if you have any questions on this or any other matter
concerning King Videocable.
S'ncerely,
Deanna Enright
General Manager
KLOG VIDEOCABLE COMPANY - LG
RATE SCHEDULE EFFECTIVE MARCH 1, 1993
A. INSTALLATION
basic installation, first outlet
additional outlets, each
relocation of existing outlet, each
non-standard installation -
unusual construction requirements
or cable drop over 150•
old rate
60.00
35.00
35.00
new rate
change
60.00
n/c
35.00
n/c
35.00
n/c
time and materials
B. MONTHLY SERVICE
BASIC SERVICE (16 channels)
16.50
14.00
- 2.50
BASIC PLUS (21 channels)
4.00
7.95
3.95
FULL SERVICE (37 channels)
20.50
21.95
1.45
additional outlets, each
3.50
4.25
.75
ADDITIONAL SERVICES
1 premium service
11.00
11.00
n/c
2 premium services
16.50
18.50
n/c
3 premium services
25.00
25.0C
n/c
4 premium services
31.00
31.00
n/c
5 premium services
37.00
37.00
n/c
DIGITAL MUSIC EXPRESS (DMX) (includes DJ remote/tuner)
11.95
new
C. OTHER FEES AND RENTALS
processing fee to change packages
10.00
10.00
n/c
remote control converter rental - monthly
3.50
3.50
n/c
TV Guide (includes state sales tax)
3.00
3.50
.50
late charge (accounts 30 days past due)
5.00
5.00
n/c
trip charges may be assessed for problems not
related
to cable TV service (VCR hookups, fine tuning TV, etc.)
35.00
n/c
A/B switch purchase
10.00
10.00
n/c
D. BULK/COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTS
APARTMENTS
less than 50 units /unit
13.00
13.85
.85
50 and more units /unit
10.25
10.95
.70
MOTELS /unit
8.50
9.00
.50
Other lower rates may be available for special promotions or existing
agreements.
� King Videocable Company
February 1993 I
Dear Valued Customer:
King Videocable Company Is committed to providing .
you with the best cable television service at the lowest:
possible price. This newsletter covers several Items
that i believe are Important for you to understand with
respect to our operations here at King Videocable Com-
pany. I hope you find this communication both helpful f
and Informative. I
First of all. effective March 1. 1993, King Videocable will
be changing Its rates as follows:
e The Basic Service will decrease from $16.50 to $14.00
and.
e The Basic Plus Service will increase from $4.00 to
57.95.
e The fee for an Additional Outlet will Increase from
$3.50 to 54.25.
e TV Guide will increase from $3.00 to 53.50.
If you subscribe to both Basic and Basic Plus Service,
the total Increase In your ball will be $1.45. As a
reminder, the Basic Plus Service is comprised of cable
channels including ESPN. CNN, Discovery and many
other popular channels.
These changes in our price structure are the result of
several factors. With respect to the Increases, despite
our efforts to hold down controllable costs, programm-
Ing as well as other uncontrollable costs continue to in.
;tease. Concerning the decrease in our Basic Service
rate, effective March 1, 1993, we will be changing our
channel alignment. Due to this reconfiguration, our
Basic Service line-up will be 16 channels Instead of the
present 18. If you subscribe to both Basic and Basic
Plus services, there will be no change In the total
number of channels you receive. Please refer to the new
channel line-up displayed page 3 of this newsletter for a
complete depiction of Basic and Basic Plus services.
A major reason for these changes In channel position Is
to comply with the Cable Television Consumer Protec•
tion and Competition Act of 1992. The Act mandates
that customers with our most basic level of service be
able to access premium programming such as HBO.
Showtime. or the Disney Channel without purchasing
any other levels or tiers of service. Given the
technological architecture of our cable system we are
req -!Dred to relocate channels to comply with the law.
Because this change reduces the number of channels
for our Basic subscribers, we have reduced the monthly
rate.
We at King Videocable continue our efforts to remain
competitive In the video entertainment market by pro-
viding the best value for your entertainment dollar
through programming selection, the installation of an
improved communication system to better respond to
customer needs, and by keeping changes in rates to a
minimum.
Thank you very much for your patronage.
Inceroly,
Deanna Enright
General Manager
Contents
RateIncrease Notice ..............................1
Our Customer Service Pledge ....... --.... 2
Hours of Operation ................................ 1
Available Services and Charges .NNNN..N 3
ChannelLine -Up ....................................... 3
Customer Service Operations
-- Office Location and Phone Number —
Our Business Office location is:
King Videocable Company
1521 South Stockton Street
Lodi, California 95240
Our Business Phone number is:
(209) 369.7451
— Hours of Business —
Our Customer Service Center at the above
address will be open and accessible to
customers as follows:
Monday through Friday
9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Summary of Rates and Services
The list of services we offer as well as corresponding -
rates and charges is located on page 3. Should you have
any questions about our rates, please contact our office
at 369.7451.
0".
ICKING
Videocable Company page 2
Our Pledg a of Service To You
You are our customer. You want top quality cable service. We're determined to give you that
quality. In fact, we want you to know the high standards we have set for ourselves and we want
to hear from you it we are not reaching our goals. So much so that we have adopted, and are
publishing, a Pledge of Cutomer Service. King Videocable Company hereby pledges to work
toward ensuring that every customer receives service meeting the following standards:
At Your Service
24 Hours a Day
• Our service telephones will
operate 24 hours a day.
• Emergency repair technicians
will be'avallable to respond to area
or neighborhood outages 24 hours a
day.
• We staff our offices 45 hours a
week
Customer Convenience
and Information
I e New customers will receive a
customer education package listing
Information abouts our cable televi-
slor, services. For example, they will
be told about an A!8 Switch and will
have the option to purchase one and
have It Installed for free at the time
of Initial cable Installation. Existing
customers can also purchase an
AIS Switch package and have It In-
stalled for our published service
charge.
• All customers will be given a
specific four (4) hour block of time
(morning or afternoon) within which
they can be assured we will arrive at
their home for a service call or the
Installation of cable.
• All regular Installations will be
performed within 9 working days of
our receiving the order and the
customer will be able to review our
installation check Ilst to verify that
all work has been completed and
that all relevant operating pro-
-duras have been explained.
Customers will receive at least
30 days notice of any channel
realignments. channel deletion(s),
or rate changes that are within our
control.
Repairs
When You Reed Them
s We will respond to your repair re-
quests within 24 hours and will at-
tempt to make the repair within 48
hours, or at most within one week,
unless i1 Is a very unusual situation.
• Under normal circumstances,
and provided that the service call In-
volves equipment owned by us, we
do not charge for repairs.
• Under normal operating condi-
tions, and during our business
hours, customers telephoning our
office will receive a busy signal no
more than 3% of the time; and at
least 90% of the time calls will be
answered on average within 30
seconds or approximately four
rings.
If you move or for other reasons
discontinue service, return all of our
equipment and are due a refund, we
will mail a refund check within 45
days.
It's Easy To Spot
Our Employees
You will be able to recognize our
employees or. In some Instances
contract associates. by their King
Videocable Company Identllcallon
Badges. Neither our employees nor
our contractors will ever object to
you telephoning our office to con-
firm that Installers or service technl-
clans are calling on you as King
Videocable reprasentalives Addl.
tionally, all of our vehicles are clear-
ly marked with the King Videocable
logo.
Billing Policies
You will receive your regular cable
bill In the mall once a month and
you will have at least 15 days to
return payment. It you have a quer
tion about any Item on your bill.
please call us. We'll be glad to ex-
plain our charges and Issue you s
credit If we have billed you Incor-
rectly.
We will not assess any late fees un-
til a bill is delinquent nor will we ter-
minate your service for non payment
until we send you of least one notice
that your bill is past due.
We Want To Know
If We Can Help You
King Videocable Company Is proud
of this Pledge of Service. It you have
a question or concern about your
service or your bill and you are not
satisfied with an answer you've
been glven, we want you to be sure
to speak to a Supervisor or the
General Manager.
0N
ECKING
Videocable Company page 3
Summary of Services and Rates
INSTALLATIONS
Installation, First Outlet ........................ $60.00
Additional Outlets, each ........................ $35.00
Relocation of Existing Outlet, each ..... $35.00
Non -Standard Installation •
. ........................
MONTHLY SERVICE
Basic Service ..........................................
$14.00
Basic Plus Service ..................................
$ 7.95
Basic and Basic Plus together ..............
$21.95
Additional Outlets, each ........................
$ 4.25
1 Premium Service ..................................
$11.00
2 Premium Services ................................
$18.50
3 Premium Services ................................
$25.00
4 Premium Services ................................
$31.00
5 Premium Services ................................
$37.00
Digital Music_Express (DMX) .................
$11.95
OT4ER FEES AND RENTALS
Processing for Change in Packages .... $10.00
Remote Control Converter (monthly) ... $ 3.50
TVGuide .................................................. $ 3.50
Late Charges ........................................... $ 5.00
Trip Charges for Service Calls
not related to cable service ............... $35.00
AID Switch Purchase .............................. $10.00
'Cost is based upon time and materials.
CABLE CHANNEL GUiDE
Effectil" Match t. 1993
TO VIEW
SERVICE
CABLE
ESN
ESPN
CHANNEL
19
KCSO (Unlvislon)•
2
CNN
KING 3 (Lodi Programs)
3
31
KRBK (Ind.)
4
TBS
TBS Superstation
5
6
KV1E (PBS)
8
3
KCRA (NBC)
7
40
KTXL (FOX)
8
10
KXTV (CBS)
9
58
KSCH (ind.)
10
36
KICU (ind.)
11
13
KOVR (ABC)
12
CSP
C -SPAN 1
13
*D:S
THE DISNEY CHANNEL
14
*SHO
SHOWTIME
15
*MAX
CINEMAX V
16
*HBO
HOME BOX OFFICE
17
*TMC
THE MOVIE CHANNEL
20
4
KRON (NBC)
21
2
KTVU (FOX)
22
CSP
C -SPAN 11
23
7
KGO (ABC)
24
HSN
Home Shopping Network
28
ESN
ESPN
29
USA
The USA Network
30
CNN
Cable News Network
31
TNT
Turner Network Television
32
NIK
Nickelodeon
33
TNN
The Nashville Network
34
A&E
Arts & Entertainment
35
LIF
Lifetime
36
MTV
MTV: Music Television
37
NOS
The Nostalgia Network
38
FAM
The Family Channel
39
CNN
CNN Headline News
40
DSC
The Discovery Channel
41
VH1
Video Hits One
42
COM
Comedy Central
43
TWC
The Weather Channel
44
TTC
The Travel Channel
45
QVC
Home Shopping
46
ViSNIACTS
47
AMC
American Movie Classics
48
Basic Service Basic Plus
Service
Premium Channel