Paget BUSINESS OUTLOOK Wednesday April j Lights camera action Halton Cable channels in on growing market By BRIAN MicLEOD Herald Stair Television is now an Intricate part of Canadian life for many and Halton Cable Systems Is doing Its best to moke sure Its customers can receive as many channels as possl ble Halton Cable Systems moved into what was an old pool hall on Highway IS in Acton In 1681 from their Armstrong Avenue location In Georgetown and the move has a productive one With full time employees Italian Cable Systems serves more than subscribers said General Manager John Thats a per saturation rate cable company has the highest saturation rate In the area at per cent but residents there can only receive one channel without cable said Mr Of that per cent more than cent subscribe pay television Halloa Cable Syitemi General Manager John I left and longtime worker John OUMer check out tome of the newest equipment now at company Hal ion table Urn a ax per cent saturation rate the market will of how cable tak ing pay television at well Herald Blue box program to help us recycle Some time this fall little blue boxes should be dotting the ends of driveways In neighborhoods throughout Halton Hills The town will be Instituting the blue box program In Hills by the fall said Town Engineer Bob Austin Ten thousand houses in Hills will have the boxes delivered to them for recycling when the pro gram gets underway The blue boxes alone will cost the town about The Provincial government will up tab for another r the boxes When the blue box program gets underway in Halton Hills all he municipalities In will be us ing Ihe program Milton which started up the blue box program last year has had good success with the blue box program When the boxes arrive at the doorsteps the town will deliver them residents can fill them with newspaper tin cans and clear plastic containers and put them out at ihe end of the driveway with Iheir Right now the town docs have a recycling program In place but there are no blue box containers and town workers are picking up the material When the boxes are distributed a private company will be picking up the materials for recycling in he said The Value Package offer in traduced by Cable has really helped the pay TV market pick up in the area served by the company Milton Hills and the rounding areas can now pick up six pay TV channels for only a month The company lowered the price from per month for the package by automatically beaming ihe channels to all cable subscribers at reduced price Those who dldn t want the chan nels had to cancel the offer The offer worked Now almost all of those who are hooked up to cable pick up pay television as well That offer was just one of a series of moves in the past few years In an effort to Improve the level of vice The growth of Halton Cable Systems can best be measured by Ihe extended service it offers In late 1B67 Cable went on the air with only one full time employee John who is still with the firm as the operations manager of feting ten channels Within a year they introduced the Community Channel The firm has expanded with the technology over the past two decades to the point where it of era channels Cable Systems is currently adding new technology to its broad casting system and within two years Mr hopes to increase the capacity of the system to GO television Is one ex ample of how Halton Cable Systems was ahead of the pack In offering service Six years after in eluded the channel the CRTC made the service mandatory for all com muni lies over 3000 said Mr De- Jong The Community Channel employs two full time people and several hobbyists who volunteer their time to the channel said Mr De- Jong Many of them use the channel to gain experience and some have gone into broadcasting he said Cable Systems is also at tempting to step up the service to rural areas of North Halton said Mr But thats expensive It costs about a mile to install a cable line Houses on the First Line and Sideroad were among the rural areas to pick up service last year said Mr Many people view cable television as part of their dally lives he said Now people call to see if cable Is available before buying a house said Mr DeJong The firm Is looking forward to the proposed expansion of Acton and Georgetown South so they can their company Anyone about buying a bouse In one of those areas need not worry about cable Cable Systems plans to have the service lines in place before anyone even moves In said Mr DeJong BARRAGERS CLEANERS At Your Service We Are Local We Can Serve You Better Weekly Service We Rent Industrial Uniforms Coveralls Shop Coats Pants Shirts Wiper Cloths Mats CALL NOW 8772279 Street CLEANERS Georgetown Georgetown Aniwering Service which technology available for answering now upended and changed and name to All Call Communication Company A Dean ttryKn pnoto The message specialists Just what the doctor ordered is All Call Communications ByBBIANMscLEOD Herald Staff For many people who cant always be near a telephone waiting for im messages the Georgetown Answering Service Is just what the doctor ordered Doctors are understandably one of main users of the local service now its expanding to increase service area to Brampton Bramalea Milton and AJ Dean purchased answering service In midIBM Now Mr Dean along with his daughter Carol run the day days a year answering ser vice out of their new location on MID Street When Mr Dean a former sales manager for a plastics company took over the firm It had just ac counts Now its up to 170 and the firm has Invested recently in renovations and new Glenayre Canadian Computer equip ment has opened up the door for more expansion As or April I The Georgetown Answering Service changed its name to All Call Communications Serving Brampton Bramalea Milton and Halton Hills But Mr Dean doesnt want the firm to get too big Efficient answering services bold about 500 clients at the maximum to maintain personal contacts said Mr Dean The nine people who work at the allow for two people to work during days and evenings and one night person The service broke even financially for the first time last June said Mr Dean Slowly over the years weve built it up The new equipment replaces the old switchboerd system which Bell Cans da 1 phasing out The new computer equipment is state of the art technology said Mr Dean Were probably the smallest outfit in Canada with this technology Its the most efficient equipment the bank can buy The new system is completely paperless Mr Dean explained AU messages from whos calling to what time and who received the call are recorded In the computer The new technology allows for other unique services as well If you have a bad memory Call offers a reminder service All you have to do Is call the service and tell them about a special date an an niversary for example and It will automatically register on the com puter screen when that date comes up and service will call you with a reminder With almost 200 accounts and almost 200 ways to answer the phone the new computers make it easy When a number is dialed and it comes through the service the com outer automatically displays the name of the person or business call on the screen Other services Include a voice mailbox and an extensive paging system said Mr Dean All Call Communications Is the ex clusive agent for Page Canada which supplies pagers with voice tone numeric or alphanumeric tacts Some pagers can range far as Windsor to Ottawa said Mr Dean The firm also offers a residential service so someone will always answer be phone if a house is empty and residents are on vacation Georgetown was a tough market because of its size said Mr Dean Now with capabilities of expanding he hopes his new base on Mill Street will lead to better service in a bigger coverage area A unique Victorian Country Inn a very special place for truly memorable gettogethers Allow us to help plan your business meetings staff parties or special dinners Whether its lunch dinner or Sun day brunch you can be assured of the ultimate in cuisine service and ambience The Term htta Inn RESERVATIONS 8731904 KING STREET TERRA COTTA ONTARIO Coo J i