Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2002 | 10:51 a.m.
Cox Communications, the dominant cable television provider in Las Vegas, will add 14 premium channels, delete eight and shift 20 to different locations on the dial in a series of sweeping changes that takes effect Nov. 15.
Customers who take an alternative "Digital Gateway" package will see higher bills for their subscriptions because the substitute packages offer a greater number of channels.
As an alternative, Cox said some customers who keep their current level of service would no longer receive two channels of HBO programming and their bills would stay the same.
"We've worked to make our channels more reflective of the unique needs of this diverse community and we're responding to what our customers have asked for," said Steve Schorr, a Cox Communications vice president in Las Vegas.
The Greenspun family, which owns the Las Vegas Sun, has a minority interest in Cox's Las Vegas operation.
The channels that are being added will be offered as digital signals that require a digital television or a special converter box.
Schorr explained that half of the channel deletions will add room on the analog spectrum and most of the channel moves will shift signals so that similar programming will be grouped together. For example, Fox Sports West 2 will be moved from Channel 79 to Channel 50 so that it will be next to Fox Sports West on Channel 49.
In one case, though, Cox is moving a channel so that it will be further away from a similar channel: QVC is changing from Channel 16 to Channel 11.
"We had it (QVC) right next to Home Shopping Network and we were finding that when they were right next to each other, customers were confused and ordering things from the wrong network," Schorr said.
Channels that are being added reflect increased demand by the Asian and Hispanic residents of Las Vegas. Other premium channels being offered come from the Cinemax and Showtime stables.
New channels that will be offered:
The channels that will be deleted on the Cox lineup are HBO2 (55), HBO3 (56), Pay Per View (59 and 84), Cinemax E (230), More Max E (231), ActionMax E (232) and ThrillerMax E (233).
Channel moves scheduled to take place Nov. 15 include WGN, Chicago, from 11 to 16; QVC, from 16 to 11; PaxNet, from 50 to 51; Showtime, from 51 to 78; TMC, from 52 to 79; Cinemax, from 53 to 77; HBO, from 54 to 76; Pay Per View, from 57 and 58 to 74 and 75; and CMT, from 71 to 57.
Also moving are Animal Planet, from 72 to 58; C-Span 1, from 73 to 59; Comedy Central, from 74 to 56; Oxygen, from 75 to 55; Court TV, from 76 to 54; Bravo, from 77 to 53; American Movie Classics, from 78 to 52; Fox Sports World 2 from 79 to 50 and Brigham Young University TV, from 348 to 352.
One channel will be moved off the analog channels and into the digital universe. Game Show Network will change from Channel 68 to Channel 348.
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