[BC] Comcast Cuts FM Service In Bay Area

[Ron Castro]

I think I remember hearing that FM was at one time available in the North 
Bay Comcast system, but to be honest, I don't know anyone who has ever 
hooked it up and actually used it.  They don't carry any of the local 
stations, so it's pretty useless anyway.

Ron Castro
Chief Technical Officer
Results Radio, LLC


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "BOB MATZNER" <bobmatz at att.net>
To: <broadcast at radiolists.net>
Sent: Monday, May 09, 2005 5:19 PM
Subject: [BC] Comcast Cuts FM Service In Bay Area


> Comcast cuts back on FM service;
> Listeners in 31 North and East Bay communities object to cable company's
> decision
>
> Copyright 2005 The Chronicle Publishing Co.
>
> The San Francisco Chronicle
>
> MAY 9, 2005, MONDAY, FINAL EDITION
>
> Todd Wallack, Chronicle Staff Writer
>
> For decades, Don Schwartz tuned in to local FM radio stations nearly every
> week for hours -- listening to everything from NPR storyteller Garrison
> Keillor to the Grateful Dead.
>
> But Schwartz recently turned on his stereo and heard only silence. Like 
> many
> other area residents, Schwartz relied on Comcast, the Bay Area's largest
> cable TV provider, to provide FM signals because he had trouble picking 
> them
> up over the airwaves. But Comcast abruptly stopped providing the service 
> in
> dozens of local communities three months ago.
>
> "I'm absolutely furious," said Schwartz, an actor and writer who lives in
> Larkspur. "I'm totally lost having no access to FM, which was a huge part 
> of
> my life."
>
> Comcast said it turned off the service in 31 area cities, mostly in the 
> East
> Bay and North Bay, in February to make room on the cable system for other
> offerings, like more high-definition TV channels, expanded 
> video-on-demand,
> faster high-speed Internet service and telephone service.
>
> A spokesman said Comcast found that customers ranked FM radio service near
> the bottom of most-wanted services. Many told The Chronicle they didn't 
> even
> know the service existed.
>
> "We found there was extremely low usage of the FM audio service," said
> company spokesman Andrew Johnson.
>
> Comcast still provides the service in a few dozen cities, like Concord,
> Clayton and Santa Rosa, where it is required to do so under its franchise
> agreement.
>
> But some customers insist the service is essential in other areas, like
> Marin County, where steep hills block many residents from picking up their
> favorite stations over the airwaves.
>
> The Marin Telecommunications Agency, which oversees cable TV in the 
> county,
> received 500 complaints about Comcast's decision to cut off the service.
> Hundreds of people packed an agency board meeting two weeks ago when the
> topic was discussed even though Comcast and its predecessors had done 
> little
> to promote the service through the years.
>
> "People are pretty upset about it," said Assemblyman Joe Nation, D-San
> Rafael. "I think Comcast was surprised at the volume and number of
> complaints."
>
> Several customers said they were even more annoyed because they did not 
> find
> out in advance that the service would be cut off. Comcast said it placed
> notices in local newspapers, but did not notify every customer directly.
>
> Since then, state lawmakers and local officials have tried to pressure
> Comcast to restore the service, but admit their clout is limited. While 
> the
> franchise agreement in Marin County refers to FM service, it doesn't
> explicitly require that Comcast provide it.
>
> And it's just one item on a lengthy list of items the agency hopes to 
> secure
> in a new franchise agreement.
>
> "There's relatively little we can do at this point of time," said Martin
> Nichols, the agency's executive director. "Comcast has pretty much told
> everyone they are not going to restore FM over cable."
>
> Meanwhile, Comcast has offered to work on alternatives, such as building a
> new antenna to better serve the community. A spokeswoman also noted that
> many customers can already listen to radio stations via the Internet or
> their own antenna.
>
> That hasn't satisfied everyone.
>
> "I want it back," said Stewart Miller, a financial consultant in San 
> Rafael,
> who listened to the FM service almost every day. "If they asked me to pay
> some extra money for it, I probably would."
>
> CED Editor's note: A Comcast spokesman said he was not aware of any other
> markets where the MSO had removed the FM service. The FM service offered 
> in
> the Bay Area was a relatively unique offering designed to offer strong FM
> signals despite the region's hilly terrain.
>
>
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