TCI SWITCHES TO FALCON CABLE TODAY

Changes will be subtle today as Falcon Cable TV completes acquisition of TCI Cablevision of Missouri and assumes day-to-day management of the company.

Telephone receptionists at the local office will answer calls "Falcon TV."

October payments must be payable to Falcon instead of TCI. But channel lineups and cable service for TCI customers in Cape Girardeau and Jackson will remain the same, and personnel won't change.

"We hope to make this change as seamless as possible for all of our customers," said Roger Harms, regional manager. "Customers will be receiving information by mail regarding the change in name and are welcome to call us with any questions they may have."

A year and a half ago, the sale of TCI to Falcon was announced. A new entity, Falcon Communications L.P. was formed. TCI owns 47 percent of the company and Falcon owns 53 percent.

Only three TCI franchises in Missouri were affected by the new partnership: Cape Girardeau-Jackson, Nevada-Clinton and Knob Knoster.

Harms said people seem aware of the change but not concerned. "This is the day the name changes," he said. "But a lot of businesses are doing that, banks and hospitals."

In the next couple months, people will see new trucks, new logos. The signs at the local office will change. Programming could change in the future but no immediate changes are in store, Harms said.

"The reason we are doing this is to be more competitive and serve customers more competitive," Harms said.

Falcon is one of the nation's largest cable operators, serving more than 1 million customers in over 900 communities in 22 states.

Information about Falcon can be found on the World Wide Web. At the Website, customers can check their cable bill balance, subscribe to premium channels, like HBO, or order a Pay Per View movie.

www.falconcable.com.