Cablevision

New positionsComcast Cablevision appoints Alexander, Ortman and TraskComcast Cablevision announced the following appointments for its Baltimore metropolitan systems: Michael R. Alexander, area director of business operations; Michael V. Ortman, area director of marketing; and Richard M. Trask Jr., director of technology.Alexander, an MBA graduate of the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia, will oversee the daily business operations for the company's Baltimore metropolitan area.

LAS VEGAS -- Fight fans vented their anger after having to spend close to $50 for pay-per-view telecasts to witness Mike Tyson dispatch Peter McNeeley, Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon in less than three rounds, so they have been offered a money-back guarantee for tonight's heavyweight match against Evander Holyfield.Cablevision, operating out of New York, will charge only $9.95 per round, up to a maximum of $49.75 for five rounds or more.The cable industry views this as a strong marketing tool to recruit a greater base of fight fans, but the idea of rebates does not sit well with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and rival television executives.

Comcast Cablevision is raising its rates for the second time this year, with a 10.6 percent boost in standard service that the company blamed mostly on the cost of adding new channels to its programming lineup.The increase will take effect Nov. 1 and will raise the price of Comcast's full standard service to $30.22 a month from $27.33 in areas where Comcast has installed its upgraded fiber-optic based system, said Jaye Gamble, area vice president for Comcast's Maryland operations.The increase will affect all of Baltimore County and most of Harford and Howard counties.

New positionsUniversal Trading appoints Weingard vice presidentUniversal Trading Technologies Corp., a Columbia-based subsidiary of Ashton Technology Group, has appointed Fred S. Weingard executive vice president of technology and advanced programs. Weingard joined UTTC from the consulting firm of Booz-Allen & Hamilton. A nationally recognized expert and published author in the field of neural networks, he holds two patents in the field and has advanced degrees in nuclear engineering and computer sciences from Cornell and George Washington universities, respectively.

Howard County Councilman C. Vernon Gray lashed out yesterday at council Administrator Chris Emery, accusing him of the "rankest kind of insubordination" for supposedly leaking information to a reporter about a questionable fund-raising effort by Gray.The loud, six-minute outburst was a strikingly public moment in a long-running feud between Gray, an east Columbia Democrat, and the council's Republican majority, which appointed Emery.An article in Sunday's editions of The Sun detailed letters sent by Gray asking 50 companies -- including at least one that the council regulates, Comcast Cablevision -- for $1,000 donations to finance his campaign to head the National Association of Counties (NACO)

Baltimore is getting another chance to bask in a national spotlight, but it's a small one that many area residents will not be able to see.The year-old cable television network fX is originating two of its daily programs, "Breakfast Time" and "Personal fX: The Collectibles Show," from Baltimore today through Thursday and from other Maryland locations on Friday. "Personal fX" offers residents a chance to have potential treasures evaluated in a live appraisal session Wednesday in Fells Point Plaza.

Crosby marketing firm to relocate in JuneCrosby Communications recently purchased a major office building in West Annapolis and plans to move its operations there in June.The marketing and public relations firm will move from its 3,100-square-foot building to a 5,000-square-foot facility.Nautical company to cater to businessesNautical Destinations, a company specializing in yacht charters and special events, has opened in Annapolis.The company caters to businesses and other organizations that want a nautical flavor for their events.

Greyhound questions bankruptcyGreyhound Lines Inc. yesterday questioned the validity of an attempt to force the bus company into involuntary bankruptcy reorganization.Late Wednesday, a group saying it represented some 25 percent of Greyhound's $98.9 million in bonds filed a petition in federal bankruptcy court in Dallas. They asked a judge to force the only national bus company into Chapter 11 reorganization, and sent Greyhound a letter saying it must immediately pay off its bonds.Greyhound questioned the validity of the bankruptcy petition yesterday, saying none of the signers were formally registered as bondholders.

Cellular deal unravelsThree key players in the rapidly expanding field of wireless communications yesterday called off plans to build a cellular telephone network that would have reached about 95 percent of jTC the U.S. population.Nextel Communications Inc., which provides mobile radio services; long-distance carrier MCI Communications Corp.; and Comcast Corp., a cable TV and cellular phone company, issued a statement saying they broke off plans to provide a nationwide wireless communications system.