SUPER BOWL XXII : NOTES : NO PRETTY PICTURE : Cable Problem in Parts of Santa Monica Means Viewers Don’t Have a Super Day

Many residents and several establishments promoting Super Bowl parties lost their picture for the first half of Sunday’s game when the picture went out in parts of Santa Monica, a problem that had existed for several days but apparently went uncorrected by Century Cable.

The exact breakdown? Nobody seemed to be sure. Customers contacted Sunday said they were unable to get in touch with Century Cable to find out--or at least get a response--and no company representative was available for comment.

How many people were without a picture for the first half, including the pivotal second quarter, when the Washington Redskins took control of the game, is also unclear. Two cable companies serve the area, and some Santa Monica bars said patrons saw the game without interruption.

The Beach Club was not one of those, however.

“I don’t want to be graphic, but you can imagine what people were saying,” said Gregg Patterson, general manager of The Beach Club, where about 50 people were left to rely on a radio and a very fuzzy TV picture until halftime.

Patterson, among others, could only imagine what was being done to correct the problem. He couldn’t get anyone at Century Cable to talk with him, he said, and that was as much of an irritant as actually missing much of the game.

“The response by Century Cable was not very good,” he said. “I’ve been trying for three days to get in touch with them, because this is not just something that happened today. . . . No one there seems to be accountable.”

When a reporter called one of the after-hour help lines given by Century Cable to its customers, he was given limited options: Call back Monday, or leave a message and someone will return the call Monday. When the reporter pressed to talk with a supervisor regarding the problem, a representative of the company’s answering service hung up on him.

One Santa Monica resident, who declined to give her name, said the cable had been out in her house since Saturday night. The end result--the restoration of the picture--was a long time in coming.

For his part, Patterson said he will consider spending an estimated $4,000 for a satellite dish and scrambler to bypass the cable company in the future. This, after The Beach Club expected 150 to 200 people but ended up with far fewer after many customers called ahead.

“At least we won’t be held hostage on another day like this,” he said.