THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Monday, July 1, 1996                  TAG: 9607010032
SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 
                                            LENGTH:   26 lines

NO SECRET: DON'T FORGET THE NEW CODE

Long-distance calls to and within Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore and portions of several western Tidewater counties can now use either 757 or 804 as the area code.

Today was to officially mark the beginning of a seven-month grace period, but phone companies actually completed the dual-code setup last week.

The new 757 code will become mandatory Feb. 1, 1997, for long-distance calls to numbers in the new code area.

Cities and counties affected are: Accomack, Chesapeake, Franklin, Hampton, Isle of Wight, James City, Newport News, Norfolk, Northampton, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg and York. New Kent, Prince George, Southampton, Surry and Sussex counties will be partly in 757 and partly in 804. MEMO: Code switch tip: If you have a cellular phone, contact your

service provider to have the phone reprogrammed to 757. Unlike

``landline'' phones, cellular phones won't automatically make the

transition to the new code.

KEYWORDS: AREA CODE TELEPHONE by CNB