Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, November 1, 1993 TAG: 9311030398
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Melanie S. Hatter
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But HBO subscribers will get a free bonus: A second movie channel.
Cox subscribers can now get - for an additional cost - Home Team Sports, Country Music Television, BRAVO, The Travel Channel and the Sci-Fi Channel on channels 48 through 52.
Home Box Office 2 offers different movies than HBO. It will air on channel 56 and is free to HBO subscribers.
Cox says the new channels are the result of a customer survey done this summer by Cox Cable. The top pick of that survey was the American Movie Channel which was added Sept. 1. But the company also negotiated with channel suppliers to get others that ranked high in the survey.
Each channel is priced at $1.95 per month, or all five can be purchased as a package for $4.25 monthly. But customers who want to add the new channels will need to rent an addressable converter, like those used for pay-per-view shows, and a remote control - an additional $2 per month (if you don`t already have one).
The new channels are only available to about 15,000 of Cox's 52,000 subscribers, those in the 24018 postal zip code and part of 24015. Cox Cable is hoping to expand that number to 20,000 by year's end, according to Bill Sledd, marketing manager at Cox Cable.
The company is upgrading the cable system using a fiber-optic and laser system to increase the total channel capacity from 38 to 62. The job will cost more than $12 million and is scheduled to be finished by June.
These channels offer customers a variety of programming to suit different tastes - from sports events to science fiction to cultural activities.
BRAVO, channel 50, will feature "A Tribute to Leonard Bernstein" throughout the month. Award-winning conductor Marin Alsop leads the 50-piece Concordia. Recorded live at Lincoln Center in 1991, the chamber orchestra performs the American musical legend's greatest pieces,including highlights from the Broadway musical "On The Town."
Until January, the channel will be filled with infomercials during the day. Movies will start at 8 p.m. After the first of the year, the channel will switch to 24 -hour programming, Sledd said.
In November, BRAVO also presents double features from the best of Alfred Hitchcock. First, "The Man Who Knew Too Much" with Peter Lorre is paired with the definitive espionage saga "The 39 Steps." "Sabotage" is paired with the Oscar-nominated film "Foreign Correspondent" in which Joel McCrea is an American reporter caught up in the cloak-and-dagger world of European politics.
The Sci-Fi Channel, channel 52, features original, never-before-seen science fiction movies and series and memorable sci-fi classics, such as "Space 1999," "Dark Shadows," "Battlestar Galactica" and "Star Trek."
Country Music Television, channel 49, plays the top 100 contemporary country music videos 24 hours a day interspersed with interviews with country music artists.
Home Team Sports, Channel 48, offers national and regional sports events including Orioles baseball games, NASCAR and Indy car racing, and more than 400 college events.
The Travel Channel, Channel 51 - owned by Landmark Communications - offers ideas for vacations, including family travel, romantic getaways, adventure and sports trips, and culinary excursions. Celebrity hosts include Christopher Reeve, Burt Wolf and Tracy Austin.
Information about the new service is available from Cox Cable at 344-4637.
In other TV news, "Today Show" weatherman Willard Scott is coming to the Salem Civic Center on Nov. 12.
Scott will feature the Junior League of Roanoke Valley's annual "Stocked Market" holiday gift bazaar on his weathercasts between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. and the public is encouraged to attend the telecast. The "Stocked Market" runs from Nov. 12 to 14 and exhibits items including food, jewelry and toys from across the country.
WSLS (Channel 10), Roanoke's NBC affiliate, coordinated Scott's appearance.
Memo: ***CORRECTION***