THEVALLEY January 14, 1993
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t (V~I ~ Days of Wme'" Honey: Fun times in Uvermore. [B-3] tltt·~allt.g !tmlb SectionS Thursday THEVALLEY January 14, 1993 .t I Business owners, cable firm battling over 'evel'lt' fees By o.bonh en- rtzaUon 10." aIIJd George f'Janct& nI&'1 people or put them 0\11 of really hadn'l t hO\J~hl about s,." WRltll!l eoYleh, a .Iaa allorne, at ,, Just b~cau$e you have a satellite dish doesn't bUsiness, We're Jusllrylng 10 prl whether there was going 10 be Vtacom's regl<>nal office In Ple~ teel our rlghts:' commerclal fee.' Colton said. "I anton. mean you don't have to pay for programs. .. PLEASANTON - flr.laurant TIlal"s not the OIrSSagt Collor think Ulal If _ had bern able to owoer IJrad Colton Ie f(otng to Pa"per-vlew program. are George F.....aacovich ....ys hr Is rttelvtng from the na \lilt the Rexh Hkkory I'll cud. the -..,.,v_~ court next wttl! for whal he ron ayallable to raolcknUal usenl on a Ilonal lelnt.lon giant He lraeet operalor mlllhi have questlt,rJrd II ~"Iers an Innocenl rnlslake. peHvoent basis U1d can cost up 10 his problems wllh lhe compan: and Ihls all might have been 840. If the ev~nt Is available 10 avoided," Coilon 15 one of six Uvrnnor-e b;\ck 10 a misunderstandIng wlU commercial custoDIer., the salellite dish to capture programs. Frar1cllICovlch declined 10 re Valley and San Ramon Valley a Hoo operator who c:harged hln Cotton dldn'l nnd out unltl a eharge I,bud on the number of teue a IIl1t of the eslabllshmenta busln~s ~plr caught up In a V.. "JuIII because you have a aald· a non-commen:lal rale 10 show I year Ialer thai two Vlacom tnyral" anta In the estabUshmenl, which and denied that the company was pr1~e acom Cablevtslon crackdown on llle dish doean"t mean you don't fighlln his restaurant In Dc gators wer-e In lhe restaurant t.... Is IlUly 10 be cost-prohlbillve for havr to pay for programs." bylngto make a publle ellamplrof cember.1991. re~lved bam. rtstaunanls and 01 her corn Fran nlghl. Hr a IrUtr from lhe ~JIIalter buslntsses. the ofl'enders In ordrr 10 Inllm· merc!."ll rstabllsl'menls showing c1scovtch .a1d, (IoUng that c:u. IUs m:uutger had wanled I, company demandlnll SIIO.OOO In Idate other businesses"' payper·vtew and prePllllm cablt Vlacom u.uaUy I. only ablt 10 tomers ue often Iurrd 1(110 thai walch the nglll, bUI HBO woulcln", nnes, evrnb wllh'lUl paytnll Ihe hl~her olTer IIpedai programs 10 Ita res" belief by companies thaI sell II· "Whal these guys have been lake the reslaurant'. America 1 "Why dldn'l Ihey lell us Ihat ,-ofllmerclal /res re'lullerl denllal customers. Francillcovtch 1r1!a1 desc:ramblers. complalnln~ about. lhal we're Exprellll card. So CoUnn gave hll • nlghl we were doing somdhln, said, and relen commerelal In Vlacom hu rued aull againal alngllng them oul, Is what we've his personal Vi.... c.a.rd to use. "8aslctJly they Wf're showing WTong?'" Collon said, ", lhlnk I qUIrte8 to the lIpeClIIc eftn"apr.. 24 Bay Ana eatabllahmenls, been trytng to avoid," f)'ancl_ "We had aern thla nghl lisle rntr'PI~d" programs they dldn"1 have aulh~ wu I'm nol In busl· moler. SomeUmes, vlewen use a many ofthem In San francisco. vtch said, "We're nol oullo embar- In the salellite magazInes an nusto sleal aIrwaves." Cable tiInIS get Jr'1t tough with bars. f~Y t~at ~on't payIff :;;:a;~~q'~~ Vlacom SUIng San FrandaCO'l SUnJI( District. said hla dient hu been lued by VIlClDm s..rat WIIJ'I to ..... becauI. h. wu watchtngl tape of • some Vl'olators h.~i.ht championship ftpt be- .c $100 0 111e cabt. company I&YI the es· tween Mike Tyson and DoIIown lOr 00 tabllshm.nta Itell the ahow In sev· "Razor" Ruddock. lew hourllftlr , .,.1 wavs_ Che event w...hown ltv. OR By David Milia One 'is to put up • IItelllte dish VllICOm. II.." ....... and IfIb the signa! from the sky, Bovamic:1c laid the blr owner Bay Ar,a Wi' teleVIsion compl1 Another Is to order the event It didn't show the fi,ht live and didn't nits are .Incling I algnal to reltau home at a much cheaper rlt. thin aclftrtlsc he \Vat gains to show it. rantl and bars Ihlt they say Ire the commerciiIprice and then bnng BOYImick added this lnddent hip" showing pay-per.vi~w sporting the convtner box into the bar and pened in Jun. 1991 ana U's the only eY@nts Without payinl for thlm: ~stQurant. timt his ellent hu don. such I Stop. or you mlY tace legll Or, a patron will tape the fight or thing. action. other event It home .nd thIn brin, I SoYamidl said h. doesn't believe "The caR il aimpla. A number of in Ihe tatH: to the establishment watdUns I capt Yiolatu the cable establishments are showinl thea r'~ht oft", the m:uct1 15 ovtr. t.MYi.ion atatute•. Vlaeom. he 'Iid. ti~ht. without paying for them•. In aU in.t~nees. r,anclscOYich stW wanlS $100.000. said Georse francilCCMCh. Ittorney says. tnl e.tabUllhment. are Violat- "My client beUeva he didn't do with Vlaeom cable mmpany. whtch Inl a cabl, television act paaed In anythins wrong." saici Boftrntck. "J strYU Eut Conn COlta and the I984 which prohibits the interc:ep- think Vi,com Is eauntially ttytnllO San Ramon and Uvennore valleys tion 0' eommereial cabI. lignall. stnci a maage, usl", people like ''Thl, nil been I concern for e2 Franc:i.cuvich says Vllcom hu my ellent tocat mlSllp'out.,. ble companies for a long tima now," sent lettera to ban Ina rataurant. GrtlOry the Ilnomey for Franc:ilCOYlch said. in the put. but that hu done Uttle three San Franc:iJcg establllhments The California Cable TellYlslon " til deter thlm. He Slid Vlacom hIlS that lettled out of c.'OUrt. said he be Auociatlon e&ttmates the cable in ".<1.~c.:ided to pt toush not only to pro- Hews the,. are Incidents of cabll dUitry los.. 53 billion nationwide '. 'tf'Ct Its profits but the ,""nuu of pirating, but he dOll.n't believe it it every year to cablt piracy. Abo\lt '" tlie show'. produc:ers Qnd the Inter- costing VI.com a ,real dnl of S300 million of that sa in California. monty. PenY KeeRln, vic. prwlidlnt of estl of plyin, _men, He said Vlacom didn't allow ta· C:Of1)Or&te affai", tor the lUoclarlon. ,. "Peot:'le PlY for these events and taurarus and bin Co .ign up tor Pll)' slid the piracy .110 c:osu cities. It I unfllr to the.e peopl. to allow • per-view eventl until about nine which get franchise fees from cable bar 01' restaurant to Iht:'W It without !!\onm!l 19o. He .ald the lituation outlets based on rrasa rewnu.s. paying." said Yrano.cov;ch. "It's may chlnge now thlt buaineu. "When we lOll menues. 50 do allO untair to promoters Ind fiiht hi'" thll option. the dli..,." ahe said. ers. It roes all the W8y up the food chatn." The problem isn't IImit,d to Cable complnles say th.y Irt Vlacom. fighting bac:Jc. Hcr.nver, own.", of some of the Joe Haber. general manapi' of So far, Vlacom tl tlking the har res:aUrintl involved uy they didn't Tel Clbl..,.mml of Conu. Costa. I shut Iction. Dunne the Pllt .ix Vtotlt. the ndes. Othen .ay the ca. uid his company, which ItrYes months. the company hat filed law- ble company Is tw'ytng to make an much of Central County, hlln't example of them. I suits aglinst 22 restaurantl Ina sued any buIin..... yet. but they ban in the BI)' Area. mOlt of them aill Toomey, owner of PhiUie'l had lent out many lettera to bars in San franostO. The full list of es sPO~1I bar in PI.lllnton, said Via. UId mtaurantl that hlft iIIepl1y tablishments couid nnt ~ obtained com I aCCUlallona are "a lot of mi. !hawn pay-per·vlew ""ntl. Monday. IlJ'key." Toomey Ilid that Dee. 1. Haber said in most lnatanca. the In mo.t case•• Vi.com is ..lUne I99J, a pay·per·vttw baxinl filht buslnessl. have complied. thole for S100.000 rrom each of the de waa .~own On the teleYf.lOIlll at lila that I1lft1"t have had their cable fendantl. bar WIth oNy hal'.a-eloqn patrons .emet shut off. Viacom otticlaJa aay the estab WII~hlns· At $30 • cultomer. lbout Gene Cook. area manapr for l~hmantl an .telUng .Ignals to big what a cabl. finn charJel for a Tel's Walnut Creek office. saJd his spoltins events, mOll:y champion. flrllt. Vlacom would have made company, formerly Unitad AItiItI ship bOXing matcnes. and Ihowtns $180. Cable. hu had few instanca of the eventI to CUllOm..... "II'. not like they're 10lnr to bu.In'..e. plratil1l cable 111"111. ~~ml! (If thp plae.. eharp ad. make thousands of dolla", by hav. The bUllnesses that have been mislion fea while othan do not Ing a fight on lV." .aid Toomey.. Clucht complied when sent I letter. said VIlcom offic:ia1s. Those thai Cook .Iid. don't charp entry fees make money by pm", extra cuROlM'" to COme In, '.\ONDAY JANUARY 11 1993 CABLE: Lawsuits Filed i-i1n 3rilnmco ~~ronlClr From Pare 1 Viacom - which has exclusive llle2al decoders.