Time Warner to take over cable TV services in Moorpark
By Sylvie Belmond

belmond@theacorn.com

Adelphia cable was recently bought out in part by Time Warner Cable, Inc., which will manage local service in Moorpark.

“Moorpark is one of the current Adelphia systems to become a Time Warner Cable service area at the closing of our agreement to purchase Adelphia,” said Keith Cocozza, spokesperson for Time Warner Cable, Inc.

The transaction, in which Adelphia’s assets are sold to Time Warner and Comcast, is not expected to become official, or close, until the first half of 2006, said Paul Jacobson, spokesperson for Adelphia.

The change of hands should not affect the remaining 14 years of the city’s 15-year contract with Adelphia, said Hugh Riley, assistant city manager.

Last week, the Moorpark City Council hired a professional consulting firm to review the request for the transfer of the city’s cable television system franchise responsibilities to Time Warner and to conduct franchise compliance and fee audits.

This request only applies to the 75 percent market share of the Moorpark system owned by Adelphia.

The remaining 25 percent share is owned by Comcast, that bought the interest several years ago from Century-TCI California, a company that served many communities in Southern California. City officials didn’t know about the Comcast transaction because cable companies are not required to get the city’s approval when the transaction pertains to 25 percent or less of the system.

Adelphia has operated cable systems in Southern California under the Adelphia name in which Comcast is a 25 percent owner. Adelphia, being the larger owner, has managed or ran the systems, Jacobson said.

Until the deal between Time Warner and Adelphia is official, Adelphia will continue to operate independently as a standalone company and customers are not expected to see a change in service. “The watchword is continuity and no major changes are expected because of the pending sale,” Jacobson said.

Later this year, transition teams will be put in place to make sure customers experience a smooth transition when the deal becomes official. Any rate changes will not be caused by the pending sale but will reflect the normal course of business and the higher costs cable companies face for programming, benefits, fuel, franchise fees and so forth, Jacobson said.

Once Time Warner takes over next year, the name of the cable company and monthly bills will change. It will be the new owners’ prerogative to make changes and improvements to service that they see fit in accordance with the local franchise agreement.

“I can’t speak for Time Warner, but it’s a fair assumption to say that the changeover, when it does happen, will be smooth and relatively unnoticeable for most customers,” Jacobson said.

E-mail addresses for Adelphia’s Internet customers may change at some point, but that issue is further in the future.

Adelphia also serves Agoura, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and unincorporated portions of Ventura County and the same scenario applies to those communities as well, Jacobson said.