TV & VIDEO - May 19, 1987

The monthly Dial magazine, viewing guide for 1.13 million public-television subscribers in 13 cities, may go out of business by September if individual stations cannot come to agreement on publishing costs, Barbara Goen, public information director for KCET Channel 28 in Los Angeles, said Monday. Goen said that East-West Network Inc.--which began publishing the financially troubled magazine in 1980--is expected to present its final offer to the stations on Friday. Problems cropped up earlier this year when East-West notified the PBS stations that it would raise its yearly subscription from $3 to $4, Goen said. Many stations, including KCET, found this unacceptable. WTTW Channel 11 in Chicago and WEDU Channel 3 in Tampa already have decided to end their contracts with the New York-based East-West Network. “While no decision has finally and irrevocably been made, we are definitely exploring alternatives,” Goen said, including an alternative program guide for subscribers.