By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON, Maine — Subscribers of Polaris Cable who are fans of WABI television, Channel 5, will have to look elsewhere for the network.
Cathy Donovan, general manager of Polaris Cable, informed the Houlton Town Council March 25 that the channel would be dropped from its lineup. “There is a sad story for Channel 5,” Donovan said. “They have been a good channel for us for a long, long time. We sent a letter to all cable subscribers in the Houlton area.”
At one time, WABI and WAGM had common ownership, she said, which is why Polaris Cable offered the channel.
“The signal is very expensive to operate,” she said.
In a letter to customers, Donovan elaborated on the reasons.
“Every year this signal has been more technically challenging to deliver, and expensive to maintain the microwave equipment at multiple mountain top relays from Bangor to Houlton,” she stated. “Today, due to equipment failure, we are sad to say, we are no longer able to deliver WABI-TV.”
Since 2010, Polaris Cable has been providing the signal at a high cost to the company. The signal is one of the few analog channels left, and the cost to either bring the network up to digital standards or to make repairs to the current system was cost prohibitive, Donovan said.
WABI will be replaced with the CW Network, which is the fifth largest broadcast network behind ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox. The network’s lineup includes shows such as “Supernatural,” “Arrow,” “90210,” “Hart of Dixie,” and “America’s Next Top Model,” as well as numerous children’s shows.
In the next few weeks, CW will be found on channel 5 for basic signal and channel 405 for HD.
In addition, a $2.50 rate increase will go into affect April 1.
“Every cable channel you view has an expense associated with it, that goes directly back to the people we are purchasing the program from,” Donovan said. “Typical contracts run about five years. If we are lucky enough to get only a 5 percent increase, we negotiated really hard.”
Donovan said sports channels — such as ESPN or NESN — are among the most expensive to offer cable subscribers.
The fee for basic package will now be $56.25. A limited package, which features less channels, increased just $1 to $24.50. An HD tier is available for $76.25.
Some councilors expressed disappointment over the loss of WABI and the addition of CW.
“Is there some concerns with your company on the loss of WABI and jumping ship to somewhere else?” asked council chairman Paul Cleary. “CW is a terrible channel, but that’s just my opinion.
Cleary said it would have been better if the company had given an advance notice that the network was going to be taken away, rather than dropping it so quickly.
Polaris and the town of Houlton have had a contractual agreement to provide television service for the past 10 years. Councilors and Donovan met in executive session following the regular meeting to discus contract negotiations.
