Cable System May Lose Its Franchise : Hearing Planned to Air Complaints Against Century's Operations

By ASHLEY DUNN

Oct. 7, 1989 12 AM PT

Times Staff Writer

After years of customer complaints about substandard picture quality and poor customer service, Century Southwest Cable Television Co.--the second largest cable company in the city--is facing the possibility of having its franchise revoked.

The Los Angeles Telecommunications Commission, which regulates the city’s 14 cable franchises, called Friday for a public hearing Dec. 5 so residents can air their complaints about Century’s service.

Commissioners called for the hearing as the first step in a process that could lead to revoking Century’s franchise. Actual revocation, an unprecedented action in the city, eventually would require action by the City Council.

Threat of Revocation

Public hearings have been held in the past to air complaints about cable service. But officials in the city’s telecommunications system have taken a more serious approach by 1aising the possibility of revocation.

“It’s not a paper threat, the sanction is there and it’s very serious. But it’s in their power to avoid it,” said Commissioner Tracy A. Westen. “No smart company would let it get that far.”

“ A la the movie ‘Network,’ people are mad as hell and they’re not going to take it anymore,” said Susan Herman, general manager of the Department of Telecommunications. “They’ve got a decrepit system and they have got to get their act together.”

The litany of complaints from many of the system’s 107,000 subscribers includes system blackouts, blurry pictures, high subscription rates, abusive customer service representatives and phone lines that always seem to be busy, many subscribers and city officials said.

While those complaints are leveled at every cable company at one time or another, Century has consistently placed near the top, if not the top, in the number of complaints, according to city statistics.

‘The Worst Overall’

“I rate them the worst overall,” said Commissioner Harvey Bookstein. “They had the attitude that they don’t have a contract they have to honor.”

The decision to hold a public hearing upset Century officials, who said they are being unfairly criticized for problems they inherited from the former owners of the system, Group W Cable.

“I don’t deny that there are people who are upset, but we are doing the best we can,” said William J. Rosendahl, Century’s vice president for corporate affairs. “Our system is 20 years old. What can you do?”

Rosendahl called the public hearing a “PR stunt” for “grandstanding” politicians, adding that if anything, the company should be applauded for its efforts to rebuild the system--a $50-million project that he expects to be completed in 1991--two years ahead of the schedule ordered by the city.

“This is the largest urban rebuild in the nation,” he said. “People are going to get state of the art. They’re going to see an improvement.”

Century Southwest, a subsidiary of Century Communications Corp. of New Canaan, Conn., acquired its Los Angeles cable franchise in 1987 as part of a five-company consortium that bought Group W Cable for $2.1 billion from Westinghouse Electric Corp.

1,400 Miles

The mammoth system of aerial cables, satellite dishes and electronic control centers, extends nearly 1,400 miles through Pacific Palisades, Westwood, Bel-Air, Griffith Park, Eagle Rock and El Sereno.

In the three years that Century has owned the system, it has become one of the most reviled cable companies in the city, based on the number of complaints from subscribers.

Century logged 448 complaints or inquiries from subscribers during the first six months of this year, according to city statistics. The next worst was Continental Cablevision of California Inc. and its affiliate, Continental Cablevision of South Central Los Angeles Inc., which received 416 complaints with 13,000 more subscribers. Continental is the largest cable company in the city with about 120,000 subscribers, according to city figures.

Century has had major system problems during some major events, such as this year’s Super Bowl and the National Basketball Assn.’s finals at the Forum this summer, but company officials say that was the work of saboteurs.

While no one is sure who is cutting the lines, Rosendahl did not rule out disgruntled customers.

L.A.’s Oldest System

One of the major causes of Century’s problems is the age of its system, the oldest in Los Angeles.

The deterioration of cables has caused blurry images, annoying streaks and jittery pictures in some areas. Century’s system is the only one in the city that fails to meet video quality standards outlined in its franchise agreement, according to the city.

Mike Friedman, a Century subscriber in Silver Lake, is one of many who has lived for months with substandard reception--in his case, a series of diagonal streaks across the picture when he tunes in some channels.

The poor quality is all the more upsetting to Friedman because he has invested more than $13,000 in a state-of-the-art audio and video system. “I agonize a lot,” he said.

Other subscribers complain about the difficulty in reaching the company when they have service or billing problems.

“You can call for hours and not get them,” said Alan Riese, another Silver Lake subscriber. “I no longer call, because you always get a busy signal.”

Rosendahl sympathized with the upset customers, but said the company has made significant improvement over the last three years.

A new office was opened in Santa Monica to help handle customer service on the Westside. Rosendahl estimated that 85% of subscribers are getting same-day or next-day service on repair calls.

He said the company also has begun training all of its 150 service representatives in how to deal with customer problems.

125 Miles Installed

A major improvement will come when the company finishes rebuilding its cable system, Rosendahl said. Only about 125 miles of new cable has been installed, but the company expects to finish the 1,400-mile job by 1991.

Rosendahl said the rebuilding project not only will provide better picture quality, but also will expand the system from 32 to 60 channels.

Commissioner Bookstein agreed that Century is making progress. He said if nothing else, the public hearing will help Century understand its subscribers’ complaints.

“I think it’s going to help, and honestly, I think it will make the other companies pay attention as well,” Bookstein said.

CABLE TELEVISION FRANCHISES IN LOS ANGELES

Area A: West Valley Cablevision

Subscribers: 76,642

Complaints: 122

Area B: King Videocable

Subscribers: 26,874

Complaints: 32

Area C: United Cable

Subscribers: 52,731

Complaints: 228

Area D: Falcon Cablevision