Priscilla Murphy's blog
Time-Warner, its relationship with the town of Chapel Hill, and cable TV agreements are the subject of two CH Herald stories this morning.
1. "Time Warner Cable, town to break ties March 31" Daniel Goldberg: "Time Warner Cable has notified the town that a local franchise agreement between
the two entities will be terminated effective March 31 . . . [Under] the Video Service Competition Act ... all cable franchise
agreements instituted after Jan. 1, 2007, will be licensed by the N.C. secretary
of state and agreements like the one between Time Warner and the town of Chapel
Hill could be terminated if a competing cable provider were authorized to offer
services in the same area." http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/orange/10-1124138.cfm (regis. needed)
2. "Town opposed cable service legislation" Daniel Goldberg - a history of town opposition to the legislation. http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/orange/10-1124120.cfm (regis. needed).
Anyone else get the all-call email calling for help for the owners of The Barbecue Joint? They've been caught short by the economic collapse as they try to move from Weaver Dairy to Elliott Road. They offer $1000 shares to be credited against future meals, catering, etc. I'm very fond of their food, used them for an "office party" once, and hope they will not disappear from the Chapel Hill scene, whatever happens.
Was there a major basketball game this weekend? Did it mean heavier use of Horace Williams Airport? This graph from flightaware.com covers the most recent weeks' air traffic per hour.
This is old news for most people, but thought it might be interesting to see it represented this way. Still convinced that this airport will remain open indefinitely - because the RDU project may be suspended indefinitely, because funding for CN continues to be a major issue, and because even if closing it might save the University (and taxpayers) some money, users will never allow closure. Not as long as UNC is in the running for March Madness, anyway.
Forewarned that setting up my two non-cabled analog televisions to receive digital signals will be "fiddly" and probably doomed, I've now got the converter instructions spread out in my kitchen, only to learn they presume that I either have a large outdoor antenna or cable service to the room.
If I had cable service to the room, I wouldn't need a converter, would I? (It also says that trying to sync the remote with the TV should be abandoned "after 150 trials" - must have been written by someone with hugely more patience than I have).
All this brings me back to two abiding irritants: the national FCC giveaway to the big media companies and our local thralldom to Time-Warner.
The FCC giveaway probably doesn't qualify as a local issue for OP purposes, although the general loss of media local-ness is pertinent and - to put it mildly - regrettable. Our relation to Time-Warner is definitely local, since - at least in theory - the contract with them was locally considered, approved, and re-approved (?).
Two opening volleys for 2009 on the airport controversy appeared in the CH Herald and the CH News respectively this Sunday.
An article by Neil Offen in the CHH ("National pilots group pushes for new airport") leads with: "A national pilots and aircraft owners group plans
to meet with UNC system President Erskine Bowles early this year to
push for the creation of a new airport in Orange County."
Link: http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/orange/10-1061492.cfm?
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