ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, December 9, 1995 TAG: 9512110076
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: SUFFOLK
SOURCE: Associated Press
Some children channel-surfing for such kiddie shows as "Ducktales" and "Rugrats" ended up watching a little televised sex instead, and their parents aren't happy about it.
Mayor S. Chris Jones said he fielded several complaints from parents whose children came across the ``Spice'' channel's adult programming when they tried to tune in to cartoons.
The revealing scenes apparently were fuzzy, but clear enough to upset residents who hadn't asked the cable company to direct the pay-per-view programming into their homes.
``To me, this is almost solicitation of pornography,'' Jones said at this week's City Council meeting. ``It happened Saturday morning when children are playing with the television.''
It was the second time this year that Suffolk residents criticized Falcon Cable for allowing the adult programming to go to customers who did not request it. Last spring, an installation problem sent the new channel to all customers. The mistake was corrected in minutes.
Last week's mix-up was worse, city officials said, because it happened at a time when parents believe it's safe to let their children take over the remote controls. And it lasted for hours.
``I don't think there's any excuse for it,'' Jones said. ``I've been getting more calls about the cable service than I do for city services.''
Falcon officials said the problem was caused by old converter boxes; officials said they are in the process of replacing them. The company received more than a dozen complaints about the blunder.
``I'm just as tired of this as you,'' Jack Edwards, Falcon's regional manager, told the council.
Edwards said he is considering canceling the ``Spice'' channel entirely.
``I've already notified the corporate office,'' Edwards said. ``Anytime the City Council tells me to take it off, I will.''
LENGTH: Short : 44 linesby CNB