
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, March 5, 1991                   TAG: 9103050008
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV5   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: M.J. DOUGHERTY CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

NEW, RETURNING BLACKSBURG CABLE CHANNELS

Two channels are returning to Blacksburg Cable and a new channel will be added June 1.

Home Team Sports and Home Shopping Network will once again be available. New to the system will be Bravo.

The additions will fill the 36-channel basic service for Blacksburg Cable's 11,000 customers in Blacksburg and some areas of Montgomery County.

Bravo and Home Team Sports are the first channels to be added as a result of a summer 1990 subscriber survey.

Bravo features cultural programs, foreign films, documentaries, ballet, jazz and symphony performances. It will share channel 22 with the Travel Channel. Neither is a 24-hour service. "It complements arts and entertainment-type programming," said C.K. Allen, marketing director for Blacksburg Cable.

Home Team Sports regional network will be on channel 14 with Baltimore Orioles baseball, Washington Bullets basketball, Washington Capitals hockey and college sports. Home Team Sports is affiliated with Sports Channel America - which televises National Hockey League games.

Home Team Sports was a Blacksburg Cable pay channel until it was dropped three years ago. This time it will be available without extra charge. "There was a lot of interest, so we brought it back on the basic tier," said Allen. "A lot of people have asked about it for a long time."

Home Shopping Network was replaced by JCPenney Shopping Channel 18 months ago. Blacksburg Cable announced plans to bring Home Shopping Network back last summer. It will be on channel 17.

Blacksburg Cable also has plans to add a second pay-per-view movie service on channel 43. Allen said it could be added by June 1.

Results are not yet available from November's customer survey, which asked subscribers which independent station they would prefer - WDCA from Washington, which the system has now, or WGN from Chicago. Allen expects to hear from the corporate offices soon because contract obligations require a decision be made by July.

by CNB