Yatesville 
Clem Lello Joins School Board 
Clem Lello Of Dupont Is The Newest Member Of The Pittston Area School Board.

Adi At A Glance 
Company: American Dream International, (adi), Division Street, Kingston.

Tuesday, January 11, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A QUICK WORDS: WOLF, CABLE FIRM WILL
MEET 





WOLF, &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 cable firm will meet &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Session scheduled for &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Feb. 2 is prompted by a programming dispute that could affect 28,000 local
cable TV subscribers &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By JIM VAN NOSTRAND &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Times Leader Staff Writer &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 WILKES-BARRE -- Service Electric Cable Co. and WOLF-TV tentatively have
agreed to a public meeting Feb. 2 regarding a dispute about programming for
28,000 local cable subscribers. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A time and place haven't been decided, said executives from both companies. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The major issue is "syndicated exclusivity," which gives WOLF-TV, Channel
38, a FOX network affiliate, exclusive rights in the Wilkes-Barre area market
to programs such as "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Full House" that it
buys from major syndicates. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If those programs are offered by competitors on local cable systems,
federal law allows WOLF-TV to demand the programs be blacked out. Service
Electric carries two to nine such shows a day on WPIX-TV, Channel 11, out of
New York. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Service Electric has threatened to drop WOLF-TV from its cable dial on Feb.
11. By law, however, WOLF-TV can force the cable company to black out the
programs in question anyway. That means viewers dependent on cable signals
wouldn't be able to watch the shows on any channel. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "In that scenario, everybody loses," said WOLF-TV General Manager Peter
Kilcullen. "And that's what they're proposing to do." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Pegasus Communications of Radnor, Pa. -- WOLF-TV's owner -- would prefer to
negotiate privately, Kilcullen said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 WOLF-TV made a deal in 1990 with many cable systems in the area, foregoing
its exclusivity rights for two years in exchange for being placed at channel
position 5 -- near the other major networks, Kilcullen said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For two years after those contracts expired, WOLF-TV operated without a
formal agreement, Kilcullen said. But now the station has decided to move
forward and enforce those rights, citing a "considerable" loss of revenue. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Service Electric President Edward Walson said he called for the public
meeting because he believes cable customers wouldn't have as many programming
choices. One of the benefits of cable is that it allows viewers to see
favorite programs on different dial positions on different days and times. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 WPIX-TV runs nine shows a day Monday through Friday, two on Saturday and
seven on Sunday, which would have to be deleted because of WOLF-TV's
exclusivity rights, Walson said. The New York station has been carried since
the 1950s. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It doesn't hurt me, it hurts the cable subscriber," said Walson, whose
headquarters are in Mahanoy City. "I don't live in Wilkes-Barre." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Federal law also prohibits Service Electric from negotiating with any other
Fox affiliate for the programming carried by WOLF-TV, Walson said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Federal Communications Commission is prohibited by the 1992 Cable Act
from taking part in negotiations between local television stations and cable
operators, said Richard Kalb, a senior FCC attorney in Washington, D.C. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Times Leader staff writer Mark E. Jones contributed to this story.

Wolf, Cable Firm Will Meet Session Scheduled For Feb. 2 Is Prompted By A Programming Dispute That Could Affect 28,000 Local