ANAHEIM : Cable Station to Air City Council Sessions

Under a cable TV franchise transfer approved this week, cable subscribers in eastern Anaheim will soon receive a public-access station that will air City Council meetings.

It is uncertain whether rates will change under the agreement, which will allow Jones Spacelink Ltd. to buy Empire Cable.

Jones will join MultiVision in providing the service. MultiVision offers service to most of the city, and Jones will provide cable to residents in the city’s three newest housing developments in Anaheim Hills. Those residents--in the Highlands, Summit and Sycamore Canyon developments--will be able to pick either MultiVision or Jones.

“If (Jones) got a good deal, then prices probably will not be increased,” said Kristine Thalman, intergovernmental relations officer for the city. “The one good thing for those residents is that there’s competition. That’s the only part of the city where there’s competition.”

Empire and MultiVision, which already airs the council meetings, could not reach a joint agreement for the broadcast of council meetings.

Reaching that agreement with Jones was a major component of the deal, officials said. The hookup allowing broadcast of council meetings may also include access to other city events. The service should be in place by December.

Cable companies pay cities a franchise fee--5% of their gross receipts--under federal legislation passed in 1984. In Anaheim, that amounts to about $600,000 annually from MultiVision and about $5,000 from Empire. The city expects to collect about $5,000 annually under the agreement with Jones.