Ramsey Resident - 1985 - May/June

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~- r ~~ } ~"- )t I ~ ~ ~ t . t . f . .. " L ~ 1 1 , ; .. r ~ \ ':7 r I- I' ~ ~ i' I ( j );' .~. .!i; , ~!I; . I W' jJ ! Ii I' f.:: 1 i. t~t , I' ;P' :. ~ , ~) I I' r I; ., Ie . L \1, " I:. 0 ,,: t .. - Quad Cities Cable . ~ Communic.ations Commission For the past several months, articles have appeared in both the Minneapolis and St. Paul papers, along with articles in our local papers, discussing how cable operators are re- questing, and in many cases, winning major franchise con- nections from city officials in attempts to make systems viable. Obvious questions from uninformed sources usually range from: are these scalebacks the r\'lsult of "bait ,and switch" tactics, overopti- mistic cable operators, or un- realistic expectations of cable by all parties involved? In this issue of Tri-City News, an at- tempt will be made to put the Quad Cities' situation in per- spective to the nations' overall urban cable market in compar- ing our negotiated results with Group W Cable. . Over the past few years the cable industry aggressively pursued big city franchises,' only to find that the urban cable market wasn't what many thought it would be. Penetration for the most part is lagging behind industry ex- pectations, usually well below the anticipated 55 percent and, in the case of the Quad Cities, only 30 percent. Pay-to- basic ratios that were expec't- ed to reach 2-to-1 or 3-to-1 have hovered closer to 1.5-to-1. Construction costs escalated . far beyond expectations and plant mileage predictions were drastically in error, resulting in construction schedules that proved hard to meet. Tri-City Newsletter Editorial Policy Official newsletter of the cities of Andover, Anoka and Ramsey. VOLUME 1 NUMBER 2 Tri-City Newsletter copywrite 1985 by cities of Andover, Anoka and Ramsey, 55303, is ,published bi- monthly by Bergeron/and Associates, Incorporated, 12 Bridge Square, Suite 14, Anoka, Minnesota 55303. Applica. tion to mail at third class postage rates is pending at Anoka, MN 55303. Single copy price: FREE. Inquiries to (612) 427-1660. No part of this newsletter may be reo produced without written permission. This newsletter is read arid obtained with the understanding that the infor- mation presented is from many varied sources from which there can be no warranty or responSibility to the pub- lisher as to accuracy or completeness. Editorial policy prohibits any and all political advertising which includes statements from candidates for public office and endorsement for public of- . fices; political party statements and endorsements; statements by any par. ticipating organization on controver. sial policy or public issue; and per- sonal opinions. The cities of Andover, Anoka and Ramsey reserve the right to determine what editorial or advertising copy may appear in this newsletter. This in- cludes the right to edit or delete ar- ticles that are of a nature not consis. tent with the purpose of the newslet- ter or those which do not adhere to the editorial policies established within this statement. As a result of these and other factors, many urban operators have gone back to city authorities to ask for fran- chise concessions, 'in many cases winning relief from fran- chise requirements drawn up only a few years before. Poten- tial cost savings from these hard-won concessions can run as high as 25 to 35 percent of combined capital expenses and operating costs. One of the biggest problems has been the poor perform- ance of multipay (the combina- tion of several pay-TV ser- vices, HBO/SHOWTIME) in ur- ban markets compared with companies' expectations. Our Commission initially saw pro- jections_in this market of two and a half or three pay units at $10.95 per basic subscriber. However, in our market, Group W is achieving more at a 1.8-to-1 ratio. Multipay pene- trations were doing better at the time tt)8 proposals were submitted. People have since gotten a little disenchanted with multipay. Others theorize that maybe some customers are using videocassette re- corders (VCR's). Where they used to have maybe two or three pay services, they're now taking one service and supplementing it with a rental cassette. Also, VCR's were priced at approximately 1,300 dollars When the proposals were received. They now can be purchased for 300 some dollars. Another factor contributing to the shortfall between ex- pectations and reality is that many companies' business plan, including Group W's, relied on revenue from pay- per-view and other auxiliary services, such as at-home banking, shopping and remote meter reading. As Group W ex- plains it, that hasn't turned out to be much o'f a business nor will it for the foreseeable future. And, to make long negotia- tions longer and even more complex, there is a pervadin'g attitude across the country to deregulate this ,regulated in- dustry. Aided by FCC rulings and court decisions that Summer Sports Clinics The Community Education Department is .sponsoring a number of sport clinics for grades 4-12. These clinics are open to all residents of Anoka- Hennepin School District. The following clinics will be offer- ed on these dates and loca- tions below: Soccer Clinic - Blaine Senior High, Session I June 10:21, . Session II July 15-26, grades K-3, 4-6, 7-9, fee K-3 $15, 4-9 $35. Volleyball Clinics - Fred Moore Junior High, June All general inquiries or editorial con. tributions should be mailed to: Jane Mortenson Editor.in-Chief Tri-City Newsletter 12 Bridge Square Anoka, MN 55303 427.1660 IN ANDOVER: Melanie Deluca Community School Coord/ Crooked lake Community School 2939 Bunker lake Blvd. NW Andover, MN 55304 757.5800. IN ANOKA: Mark Nagel Administrative Assistant Anoka City Hall Anoka, MN 55303 421.6630, ext. 145 IN RAMSEY: Sylvia Frolik Tri-City News Coordinator Ramsey Municipal Center' 15153 Nowthen Blvd. NW . Ramsey, MN 55303 427.1410 All editorial copy must be submitted on or before the first Friday of each month preceeding publication. PUBLICATION SCHEDULE: May, July, September, November, January, March. ADVERTISING: All advertising inquiries should be submitted to: Bergeron and Associates, Inc. 12 Bridge Square, Suite 14 Anoka, MN 55303 (612) 427.1660 '24-28, grades 5-9, fee $22. Football Clinic - Anoka Senior High, July 22-26, grades 4-9, fee $22. . Debate & Speech - Coon Rapids Senior High, June 10-14, grades 7-12, fee $20. Gymnastic Clinic - Blaine Senior High, June 10-July 20, grades 6-12, fee $40. Summer Volleyball League - Fred Moore Junior High - July 2-25; grades 9-12, fee $15. Summer Tennis League : Anoka Senior High, June 17- July 12, grades 7-12, fee $16. Summer Conditioning & Weight Training - Anoka Senior High, June 10-July 19, grades 7-12, fee $22. Basketball Clinic - Fred Moore Junior High, June 17-21, grades 4-9, fee $22. Girls Basketball Clinic - Fred Moore Junior High, June 10-14, grades 4-9, fee $22. More information is avail- able at Fred Moore Junior High Community Education office or by calling 421-5110. undermind the authority of municipalities, the cable in- dustry also negotiated a major federal deregulation act that Congress enacted in October 1984. The act was signed into law by the President in January 1985. In reaction, the Quad Cities Cable Commission has made important adjustments to these realities. The Commis- sion has allowed the cabl\'l company to cut some ex- penses where it made sense. However, the Commission 'also demanded that Group W'o tighten its own belt and con- centrate on marketing and customer service. As Chair- man Dan Hartman of Champlin has put it, "We understand the blue sky has fallen, but the purpose and integrity of the franchise ordinance must re- main intact." If you have questions or pro- blems concerning Group W Cable TV service, please con- tact Mr. Terry O'Connell, Quad Cities Cable Commission Ad- ministrator, at Anoka City Hall, 421-6630, ext. 117. - _..~ ~ Hit-a-Thonto Benefit Cancer Society Rita Nelson, Fridley, is chairperson of Anoka County H it-A-Thon for American Cancer Society, Anoka County Unit. The weeks of May 15 to July 1 are designated "Hit-A- Thon Times" in Minnesota. Mrs. Nelson says, "Hit-A- Thon is a special way boys and girls ages 9-14 can help chil- dren and adults with cancer." Friends and neighbors of the player are asked to make a pledge to the Cancer Society for each time the young athlete reaches base either on a hit or a walk. Any two week period during the May 15 to Ju- ly 1 time can be selected." . The monies raised will be used by the Cancer Society for research, prevention and treat- ment. Any organized team is eligi- ble to participate. Information is going out to league direc- tors throughout the county. If you've been missed or would like more information call Rita Nelson at 572-8166 or 925-2722 and please welcome the ball- players when they contact you. ACCAPVolunteer Progr~m The Anoka County Com- munity Action Program's Vol- unteer Program is looking for people to fill the following volunteer positions: Clerical Aide Volunteer Management . Committee Member (requires prior/current ACCAP Volun- teer experience) Public Speaker Health Assessment Inter- viewer Marketing Manager Senior Befrienders Just a reminder that there are currently senior befriend- ers available to serve your area. Senior Befrienders can provide personal support to --- - other seniors who an~ lonely, depressed, grieving a loss, facing changes, needin_g gen- eral support, or wanting some- one to talk to. Call Jo Ellen Christiansen at 784-2443, ext. 41 for more in- formation about volunteer op- portunities or to request a be- friender.