Re: Comcast/AT&T Cable TV 3 Dumps Local Newscasts

["Kevin Vahey" <k-vahey@attbi.com>]

Att3 will also be shuttered I was just told programming will be done 
from Trenton




On Thu, 30 Jan 2003 4:48PM -0500, Mark Watson wrote:
>     Just heard on WCAP's "Afternoon Live" show with Gary Francis that
> Comcast has eliminated it's Massachusetts local newscasts broadcast on 
> AT &
> T Cable 3 (Lowell area, Cape Cod and Fall River area) as of today and 
> all
> news staff has been fired.The employees apparently had no clue this 
> was
> happening, they were hard at work putting tonight's newscast together 
> when
> they were called together and told to pack up and leave. Gary didn't 
> have
> much luck getting someone from AT & T or Comcast to say much about 
> this. He
> did get a faxed press release emphasizing Comcast's commitment to 
> local
> programming and it's customers and occasionally they review programming 
> to
> better serve their viewers, but it doesn't even mention the axing of 
> the
> local news. The news staffers that were let go today have supposedly 
> been
> told not to speak to any other media (TV, radio, or newspapers) 
> regarding
> this issue. Cutting local news programming doesn't better serve 
> viewers
> IMHO. Of course, our cable rates just went up again and soon AT & T 
> e-mail
> users will have to change our e-mail addresses again (what a pain it 
> was the
> last time!!).
>
>     Here in the Lowell area, the nightly local news has been on the air 
> over
> 20 years. In fact, Lowell area news director Sue Bennett has been with 
> the
> newscast 20 years, through the Colony Communications, Media One and AT 
> &T
> regimes. Many of the anchors, reporters and behind the scenes staff 
> that
> have worked the newscast over the years have moved on to such markets 
> as
> Boston, Springfield MA, Texas, Manchester NH, among others. A great 
> training
> ground for many on and off air folks.
>
>     I also wonder if Comcast's "commitment" to local programming and  
> it's
> viewers means that it's coverage of AHL hockey, college sports, weekly
> candlepin bowling and several other locally produced entertainment
> programming will be next to go.
>
> Mark Watson