United Artists

Promising unobstructed tiers of seats like those at Camden Yards, United Artists cinemas has upgraded its plans for a 14-theater project in east Columbia -- and now intends to build the largest "stadium-seating" complex in the state.The steep rows allow moviegoers to sit 14 to 18 inches higher than those in front of them. They are popping up in new theaters throughout the nation. But only one other movie theater in Maryland has them now, according to industry officials.Completion of the Columbia project is still as much as a year away.

A former employee of Baltimore's cable television franchise i entitled to six years of lost wages because the firm maintained a racially hostile work environment, a city Community Relations Commission hearing examiner has ruled.In a three-page ruling released yesterday, Hearing Examiner M. Bernardine Myles found that United Artists Cable of Baltimore "maintained a racially tense and hostile environmental" through the former employee's immediate supervisor, who often made racially offensive comments to other employees.

Rouse Co. executives have won tentative approval for the 10-screen, 2,350-seat movie theater that United Artists plans to build behind Snowden Square shopping center near Columbia's Village of Owen Brown.The Howard County Board of Appeals voted unanimously Thursday to approve a zoning exception for the 36,770-square-foot complex, and members are expected to sign the decision in several weeks.United Artists plans to build the county's largest cinema complex on 8.9 acres in Gateway Commerce Center on the north side of Robert Fulton Drive off Commerce Center Drive, in the middle of the massive General Electric Appliance Park East complex that closed in 1990.

Tired of incessant radio commercials and talkative disc jockeys? Take heart, music lovers. Cable radio is here.In two weeks, United Artists Cable of Baltimore will launch Digital Music Express (DMX), allowing subscribers to select from 30 channels covering the musical spectrum. As with cable television's movie channels, DMX's music programming will be free of interruption.The Los Angeles-based DMX, which was launched in its first cable market last year, is available to more than 5.5 million cable subscribers across the country, and is expected to reach 9 million subscribers by year's end, the company says.

Have you checked out the new Cartoon Network on cable television, which on Oct. 1 began screening a collection of old series such as "Yogi Bear," "The Jetsons" and "The Flintstones"?How about the Sci-Fi Channel, which launched a week earlier with such oldies as "Lost in Space," "Battlestar Galactica" and "The Twilight Zone," as well as original new programming?Of course you haven't, because no Baltimore region cable systems yet carry the two newest national cable networks. And for viewers in some areas, including Baltimore, Howard and Harford counties, it will be a long time before these services are available.

Cable TV rates of regulated systems in the nation's 25 largest cities have dropped by an average of 6.63 percent since last August, the Federal Communications Commission reported yesterday.According to the FCC, its "informal and preliminary assessment" found that the typical subscriber's monthly bill from those systems dropped by $1.67 in the wake of two rounds of commission-ordered rate rollbacks. Among the 15 systems that felt the full impact of regulation under the 1992 Cable Act, the average bill dropped $4.57, or 16.46 percent -- close to the FCC's target of a 17 percent rollback.

The verdict is in: Sunday's Grey Cup from Vancouver, British Columbia, will not be televised on Channel 2.WMAR-TV had sought to pick up the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.'s feed of the game between the CFLs and the B.C. Lions, but it was blocked from doing so yesterday when ESPN, the United States' broadcast rights holder, stepped in.The game will air live on ESPN2, the year-old all-sports network, which is not a part of the city's United Artists cable system.However, ESPN and United Artists reached agreement earlier this week to place the game feed on Channel 41, which they did two weeks ago for the Eastern Division semifinal.

With the first hurdle cleared in its bid to build a 10-screen, 2,350-seat movie theater in East Columbia, the Rouse Co. turns its attention to the Howard County Board of Appeals, which reviews the project Sept. 12."I can't say we were surprised," said Edward Ely, vice president and director of land sales for the Rouse Co. of last Thursday's 4-0 approval by the Planning Board of a special exception for the project. "In fact, most of the comments we've heard have been favorable."United Artists, the world's largest movie chain, plans to build a 36,770-square-feet movie complex on 8.9 acres of Rouse Co. land it plans to buy in Gateway Commerce Center near the Village of Owen Brown.

It appears for now that city residents who don't have tickets to Saturday's CFL playoff game between Baltimore and Toronto at Memorial Stadium may have to wait for highlights on the late news to get any televised pictures of the contest.That's because all CFL playoff games, including Saturday's, will air on ESPN2, which is unavailable on the city's cable system, which is operated by United Artists.Josh Krulewitz, an ESPN2 publicist, said the network would be amenable to allowing United Artists to carry the game telecast on a local access channel, but added that as of yet, ESPN2 officials haven't received a call.

New positions* Allegheny Power System Inc., the parent of Potomac Edison, announced that Alan J. Noia has been elected president and chief operating officer for it and Allegheny Power Service Corp.Cochran, Stephenson & Donkervoet, Baltimore architects and interior designers, appointed Timothy S. Elliott as a vice president and Douglas J. Strout as an associate of the firm.* United Artists Cable of Baltimore named Coles B. Ruff general manager.* Comcast Cablevision named Bill Sievers director of customer service for Maryland and Delaware and Paul Chiamulera director of marketing.