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The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 101

Location:
Los Angeles, California
Issue Date:
Page:
101
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

taing in FROM FLICKS TO FOOTBALL, BALLET TO BALLADS, HERE'S WHAT SUBSCRIPTION TELEVISION OFFERS AND WHAT IT COSTS BY SAL MANNA WHAT A PLEASURE TO AT LAST! WATCH A MOVIE NO COMMERCIALS! WITHOUT NO INTERRUPTIONS! COMMERCIALS! AND NOW FOR THE FIRST TIME ON SUBSCRIPTION TV: 'THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER Ok MADE' The golden era of subscription television has finally begun. After years of promise and expectation, cable and pay television are fulfilling the dreams of their innovators. In the Los Angeles area alone, the top three pay TV companies currently claim more than 300,000 subscribers. There are also more than two million California homes equipped with cable systems. The majority of those homes would receive no television signal whatever if it were not for their cable hook-up.

The three largest subscription television organizations in Southern California are Theta Cable (Z Channel), Se-lecTV and ON TV. No other region in the country can boast of as many choices. The initial impetus for the pay TV boom was the desire to see theatrical films uncut, uncensored and without commercial interruption in the privacy of your own home. Other programming has since been added, including sports and live-entertainment specials. But movies remain the backbone of subscription television.

Films are released by the studios on a nonexclusive basis; in other words, all pay TV stations can buy the same film. Generally, all films are shown during the same week by Theta, SelecTV and ON. Box office disappointments usually will appear on subscription stations about six months after theatrical release Deep" is an example). Mediocre movies take nine months, and hit pictures do not surface for at least a year. Pay TV firms negotiate for each film separately and pay a certain amount (from 10 cents to 55 cents, depending on the film) per subscriber for the right to show the picture.

They also receive option rights to run a film a certain number of times beyond the initial scheduling. While films with all ratings are v. I THINK THISIS Robbery," "California Suite," "Coma," "Goin' South," "F.I.S.T.," "Comes A Horseman," "Interiors," and "The End." Reruns included "Patton," "Deliverance," "The Exorcist" and "Corvette Summer." There was also a Disney film, "The Cat From Outer Space," and a selection of foreign or "art" films, such as "Pardon Mon Affaire," "Wild Strawberries," "La Grande Bourgeoise," "Amar-cord" and "Androcles and the Lion." Important are the times at which films are shown. Usually, Channel 52 switches from commercial broadcasting to subscription broadcasting at 8 p.m. unless a sports special has a starting time of 7:30 p.m.

or earlier. Wednesday-Saturday the programming runs until approximately 2 a.m.; broadcasting on other days usually concludes around midnight. There are three basic starting times: 8, 10 and 11:30 p.m. Since ON repeats films only a few times during the week, a viewer could theoretically miss all screenings of that particular film, even with the staggered starting times. However, Andrew Wald, ON's vice-president in charge of programming, defends this policy by saying that most people do not go to the theater at random but select a film and set aside a specific time to go and view it.

The same, he says, applies to watching a film at home. As indicated earlier, movies are not the only features that fill ON's 35 hours of programming each week. ON has the exclusive rights to telecast live the games of the Dodgers, Angels, Lakers, Kings, Aztecs and Surf; USC sports; races from Santa Anita and Hollywood Park, and boxing from the Forum and the Olympic. During August, for example, two Aztec soccer games, three Dodger games and one Angel contest were broadcast. Entertainment specials have included concerts by Roy Clark, Aretha Franklin, Seals Crofts and Abba.

Other performers shown or scheduled on ON include Barry Manilow, Willie Nelson, Shirley MacLaine, Juliet Prowse and James Taylor. During the summer, ON TV also ran a schedule of Disney movies for children on Saturdays and Sundays, starting either at 5:30 or at 6 p.m. More such weekend programming for children is a possibility. In October, ON will broadcast "Elton John in Russia." The "Centennial" min-iseries is also scheduled for October, following the success of "The Seekers," which was shown in July. Wald predicts there will be increasing amounts of that type of serialized programming.

There may even be some original programming in the works. Wald says that an episodic, adult soap opera (akin to "Mary Hartman, Mary is in the wings. SelecTV SelecTV is operated by American Subscription Television, 8383 Wilshire Beverly Hills. The newest entrant into the market, formed in August, 1978, SelecTV claims more than 30,000 subscribers and says it is adding nearly 300 each day. The numbers to call to become a subscriber or for information are 650-3600 or (714) 739-8800.

COST -SelecTV charges an installation fee of $39.95, a $50 refundable deposit on the equipment, a $6-a-month subscription fee (which includes the decoder rental, the program guide and bonus programming) and a per-picture fee that ranges However, no matter how many times you watch, the maximum monthly viewing charge is $20. There is also a hook-up fee for the CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 MR. SMEDLEY? I'M CALLING FOR LA FONG TERMITE EXTERMINATORS. ONE OF OUR REPRESENTATIVES WILL BE IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD TOMORROW AND, ABSOLUTELY FREE, WE'D LIKE TO. JOHN! LOOK! AT THE WINDOW! fj shown, pornography has been noticeably absent on all channels.

Though there is no censorship, the three systems call it company policy to avoid such films. Generally, what a subscription television station broadcasts is more important to viewers than the cost of its service. Consequently, once the decision has been made to install some form of pay TV, the next step is to determine which system accommodates your personal viewing habits to the greatest degree. So, acquaint yourself with the various programming policies and then take your pick or take them all, as some folks have. ON TV ON TV is a service of National Subscription Television, headquartered at 1139 Grand Central Glendale.

Founded April 1, 1977, ON has more than 200,000 subscribers, by far the most of the top three. It also claims to be growing at the rate of 14,000 customers each month. The number to call to become a subscriber or for information is 956-6688. COST ON charges an installation fee of $39.95 and a $25 refundable security deposit on their equipment, for an initial outlay of about $65. The monthly flat fee is $18.95, for which subscribers are billed.

Each additional outlet costs $5 per month, plus installation. (There is a saving in installation costs if two units are installed on the same day.) ON TV accepts Visa and Master Charge. A monthly program guide is mailed free to all subscribers. ON broadcasts over Channel 52, the most powerful UHF station in the area. From the Channel 52 transmitter atop Mount Wilson, an encoded signal is sent out.

It is picked up by your televi- sion's UHF antenna (ON places such an antenna on your roof to maximize reception) and decoded by a computer mechanism attached to the television set. Four companies do the installations for ON TV: Sears, General Electric, Teledyne and ON's own service people. There is a wait of about 10 days from the initial order to installation. PROGRAMMING ON TV offers 30- 35 different films each month; also offered are entertainment specials and live telecasts of. sports events.

As for films, ON's programming policy is to show each picture two or three times during a seven -day period (each screening at a different time) and an average of five times during a six-month period. ON TV's August lineup included "The Big Fix," "Jaws," "The Great Train.

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About The Los Angeles Times Archive

Pages Available:
7,610,379
Years Available:
1881-2024