Twin Lakes will be sending a letter to cable operator Charter Communications about the dropping of two Chicago channels from the local channel lineup.
The draft of a letter to be sent Tuesday to Charter says in part:
As a border community, many resident of Twiin Lakes associate themselves with the Chicago area, preferring to view Chicago news and sports. In addition, many of our residents commute south into Illinois to work, which only adds to this affinity for Chicago. The loss of these stations, which provide specialized programming directly releated to the Chicago area that is different from the programming offered by the Milwaukee stations, is a significant disappointment to our board and residents.”
The village has been notified that WBBM, the Chicago CBS affiliate, will be eliminated as of March 9. WTTW, Chicago’s public television station, also has been cut.
Cox pointed out that WTTW also has been cut from Time-Warner’s local line-up. Time-Warner serves much of the rest of the county.
Village administrator David Cox pointed out efforts about eight years ago successfully reversed a cable company decision to drop all Chicago stations from the local line-up.
Village Board members at Monday’s meeting were in favor of sending the letter.
“I don’t know if it’s going to do any good, but other towns have done it…” said Trustee Thomas Connolly.
We have recently droped all Charter service for reasons such as this and continuing to escalate prices. If Charter does not listen to your requests there are other TV access options. Maybe they will listen to their bottom line.
Years ago when I first moved to Trevor from Antioch I put two antennas on top of my house. One pointed toward Milwaukee and the other toward Chicago. After many years they became dirty and in disrepair. I inquired to the local cable company{ Time Warner} as to what was their minimum package and was told the least expensive one was what they called “Antenna Service”. It was every channel that I could expect to recieve from a home antenna but with perfect clarity. I agreed and was pleasently suprised when I also recieved the weather channel and about 15 others that were what you might call basic fare. I think that the state should require cable companys to offer a package of channels that you would reasonably expect to receive if you had an antenna on your home. It could be sectioned by county as that seems to be both a large enough and small enough area to be easily controlled and governed. I’m not saying that it should be free, just that it should be offered. I can’t imagine that the cable companys don’t have the technology to do this. I thought that is what I had for all these years. Now they have taken away what I was sold. And what about channel 10/36? Why do I have both? Isn’t that duplicate programing? What ever happened to ” Give the customer what they want and they will pay whatever you ask for it.” If they are going to raise my rates, then atleast give me what I want.