United Cable

In an effort to prod action, Baltimore officials have notified the city's cable company that it is in violation of its franchise agreement for failing to wire 550 homes in South Baltimore.The notification, delivered last week to officials of United Artists Cable of Baltimore, follows two years of futile efforts to get the company to wire a 14-square-block area just south of Federal Hill, according to a city cable official."We've exhausted every effort we can think of to get it done. This seems to be our only option at this point," Joyce Jefferson Daniels, director of the Mayor's Office of Cable and Communication, said last night.

The 1992 Cable TV Act, intended by Congress to reduce cable television rates, has left area cable television subscribers generally confused and angered by changes in services and rates, judging from dozens of responses telephoned to SUNDIAL, The Sun's information service.The majority of callers responding last Thursday and Friday to a request for comments expressed concerns about rate changes, service deficiencies and uncertainty about what broadcast stations may continue to be carried on cable systems.

Two men have been arrested in Wednesday's holdup of the United Cable office in East Baltimore in which a gunman wearing a company uniform took $15,467, police said.Ralph Remey, 33, an employee of the cable company who lives in the 400 block of E. Fayette St., and Reese Green Jr., 26, of the 3800 block of Ravenwood Ave., were arrested Thursday, police said.Police allege that Mr. Green went to the cable company's office, in the 2500 block of Kirk Ave., about 7:20 p.m. dressed in Mr. Remey's uniform and carrying his identification card.

Public hearing set about cable TVThe Annapolis City Council's Economic Matters Committee has scheduled a public hearing at 7:30 p.m. today on two cable television issues.Members will discuss a proposed city ordinance to allow cable customers to buy, rather than rent, cable TV remote control units and converter boxes from cable companies.The committee also will discuss the quality of services provided by TCI Cablevision of Annapolis, formerly United Cable Television. The franchise agreement between TCI and the city expires on April 19, 1994.

A supervisor at United Cable of Baltimore motivated his sales staff by telling them "black people would buy cable before they put food and bread on the table," according to testimony yesterday in a discrimination hearing for a former United sales representative.The comments by the supervisor, who is white, contributed to racial tension that permeated the sales force, said Louis Beverly, a former United salesman who is accusing the city's cable television franchisee of racial discrimination.

After years of planning, Baltimore's public access cable channel could become a reality next month.The Board of Estimates took the first step toward that goal yesterday by approving a four-year agreement between the city and the Baltimore Cable Access Corp., as well as $388,000 in funding for the operation, which will be housed at Coppin State College.The $388,000 -- which will go toward hiring an executive director, purchasing equipment and paying for the operation in the coming year -- came from a $1.1 million access grant that the city required of United Cable of Baltimore as part of its 1984 contract with the cable franchisee.

Lights! Camera! Action!The new production facilities of United Artists in Baltimore opens for business today, more than a year and $2.5 million after the project was begun by the city's sole cable operator.The state-of-the-art facility at the company's Kirk Avenue headquarters features a soundproof, full-service television production studio, post-production and editing rooms and a 16-channel audio system.And, oh yes, there's also a dressing room for stars and would-be stars of the home-grown productions that will be filmed there, known within the cable industry as "local origination programming."

A locally produced two-hour comedy special to benefit Maryland's homeless will air tomorrow night at 8 on 18 state cable systems from Allegany to Worcester counties."

"The match made in heaven" may have been hell for United Cable subscribers in Baltimore City, but the rest of the World Wrestling Federation's Summer Slam pay-per-view show from Madison Square Garden last night was a winner for the good guys.Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior beat back the challenge of Sgt. Slaughter, Col. Mustafa and Gen. Adnan (with Hulk bringing back guest referee Sid Justice for an ovation).Legion of Doom took the tag team belt away from the Nasty Boys. Big Boss Man sent The Mountie to jail for the night in their law-and-order match.

"The match made in heaven" may have been hell for United Cable subscribers in Baltimore City, but the rest of the World Wrestling Federation's Summer Slam pay-per-view show from Madison Square Garden last night was a winner for the good guys.Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior beat back the challenge of Sgt. Slaughter, Col. Mustafa and Gen. Adnan (with Hulk bringing back guest referee Sid Justice for an ovation).Legion of Doom took the tag team belt away from the Nasty Boys. Big Boss Man sent The Mountie to jail for the night in their law-and-order match.