The executives overseeing Time Warner Cable’s entry into the Los Angeles market were probably more than ready to turn the page on 2006.
Last month, a channel realignment promised for and promoted to thousands of Time Warner Cable subscribers in West Hollywood didn’t happen. Instead, the switch was rescheduled for Jan. 30.
“We wanted to ensure we were adjusting to better serve customers and had plenty of time to respond to customer needs before proceeding with the next step,” explained Patti Rockenwagner, vice-president of regional communications.
The delay was the latest in a series of missteps by Time Warner as it seeks to integrate former Adelphia and Comcast customers into its system. In July, Time Warner and Comcast bought the bankrupt Adelphia; then the two partners swapped territories, giving Time Warner a nearly complete run on L.A. County cable franchises. In connection with the acquisition, Time Warner launched a marketing campaign promising responsive customer service.
Within days, however, Time Warner announced that it would be dropping the extremely popular NFL Network. The move was a response to the NFL Network’s hardball stance on its price, but Southern California pro football fans weren’t in a sympathetic mood. Satellite rival DirecTV has made hay of Time Warner’s move in a series of newspaper and TV ads.
Things turned even more sour on Oct. 21, when a switchover of servers for 220,000 Comcast Internet customers led to lost e-mail, no Internet access and password glitches. The resulting overload on customer relations caused further delays and confusion.
The channel realignment is planned for the entire TW system and will affect many more customers than the Internet episode; the implementation will occur on a community-by-community basis. After the change, channels above number 100 will be uniform throughout the L.A. market. For example, the Discovery Channel will be channel 210, whether you’re in Agoura Hills or East L.A.
For channels lower than 100, however, the Time Warner system cannot make them uniform because of local needs and legal restrictions. Every municipality has different public, educational and governmental channels, which the cable system must carry. Likewise, access to public cable production facilities and airtime varies by community.
Even with the delays, the channel change will be complete by the end of January, Rockenwagner said. For advertisers, Rockenwagner expects the new system will provide wider coverage while still retaining the local ad zoning that makes cable a favorite for retailers and B2B services.
“With the combination of Comcast and Adelphia with Time Warner, there’s a bigger footprint and only one company to deal with,” she said.
For a number of irritated customers, that’s been part of the problem.
Designs on Radio Dial
Christopher Lowell, host of the popular “It’s Christopher Lowell” on the Discovery Channel, has a new radio show on interior design and home improvement.
The two-hour program, produced at the Museum of Television & Radio in Beverly Hills, will feature listener calls and Lowell’s advice on everything from paint color to furniture placement to party planning. The programming goal is to help people solve “lifestyle problems” while encouraging them to have confidence and to trust their innate creativity.
“After a decade on pre-taped television, for us to be able to pick up the phone and talk one-on-one provides the kind of intimacy that only radio can achieve,” Lowell said.
Lowell brings extensive marketing credentials to the new venture. He has 10 years on TV and five best-selling books. Moreover, his L.A.-based company Christopher Lowell LLC designs, licenses or markets furniture and home products in thousands of retail outlets across the country.
“The Christopher Lowell Radio Show” will debut on 12 affiliate stations. Syndicator Envision Radio Networks handles sales for the show.
News & Notes
There have been two more high-profile resignations from Los Angeles Times newsroom. Rick Wartzman, the editor who oversaw last year’s morphing of the Los Angeles Times Magazine into West, will go to the New America Foundation. Veteran writer and metro reporter John Balzar will become senior vice-president of communications for the Humane Society in Washington, D.C. The announcements follow the departures of Editor Dean Baquet in November and Publisher Jeff Johnson in November. Northridge-based Pharmavite LLC has hired two agencies of record for its main brands. RPA in Santa Monica will handle strategic planning, creative and media buying for the new SoyJoy nutrition bar. The launch campaign, expected early this year, will mark the first use of a video blog concept in advertising featuring stream-of-consciousness monologues by snackers. Meanwhile, Ogilvy & Mather, Los Angeles assumes responsibility for the Nature Made brand of vitamins, worth $20 million in billings. Hispanic agency Grupo Gallegos has won work with Target Inc. on the discount retailer’s Web site. Gallegos, based in Long Beach, was a finalist for the $50 million Wal-Mart Hispanic account, but dropped out a week before announcing the Target win. Pollack PR Marketing Group has re-organized, naming Stefan Pollack president and William Ostedt vice president. Founder Noemi Pollack will continue as chief executive officer. Melissa Goldberg took over last month as the new public relations manager for the Los Angeles Opera. She formerly was manager of communications at UCLA’s Hammer Museum.
Staff reporter Joel Russell can be reached at
[email protected]
, or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 237.
