April 29, 2008

Click! Cable TV to offer 13 additional HD channels on April 30

Click! Cable TV will add 16 new channels to its lineup tomorrow – 13 high-definition and three standard-definition.

“Customers have been clamoring for more HD programming and we’ve delivered,” said Mitch Robinson, Click! Cable TV’s marketing and business operations manager. “To our knowledge, no other cable operator has launched more HD channels on one day ever in Washington. We know our customers will be thrilled.”

The new HD services include A&E, CNN, Discovery, ESPN2, Food Network, Fox News, FX, HGTV, Speed, TBS, TLC, USA and Versus/Golf. Click! will also add three standard-definition channels: Chiller - a channel for horror movie fans, ESPNU – a college sports service with over 550 live games from 25 Division One conferences and RTN – Retro Network featuring classic reruns like Wild, Wild West, Hogan’s Heroes, Quincy and Happy Days.

To support its extensive HD programming, Click! is offering free workshops to familiarize customers with the ease of using HD equipment. “Cable 101: the ABC’s of HD” workshops will take place on April 30 at 3 and 7 p.m. in the Tacoma Public Utilities Auditorium, 3628 S. 35th St. Customers should call (253)502-8900 to reserve a spot for the 7 p.m. class. The 3 p.m. class is full.

About Click! Network
Tacoma Power’s Click! Network is the nation’s largest municipally owned telecommunications system. Click! provides competitive business services, including cable television, high-speed data, Internet and broadband services, in the cities of Tacoma, University Place, Fircrest, Lakewood, Fife and portions of unincorporated Pierce County. For more information, visit www.clickcabletv.com or call 253-502-8900.

April 16, 2008

Click! Network and Rainier Connect join forces to provide high-speed Internet beginning May 1

Click! Network customers will have yet another Internet Service Provider to choose from starting May 1. Rainier Connect will offer residential and business high-speed Internet and other services through Click!.

“Adding a fourth ISP offers area residents and businesses even more choices when shopping for the best deal for high-speed Internet services,” said Mitch Robinson, Click!’s marketing and business operations manager. “Potential customers will benefit from Rainier Connect’s 100-year history in Pierce County and the fact that it’s a family owned business.”

Click! Network is a unique service provider because of the many telecommunication options it provides customers. Telephone and cable companies offer their own Internet and/or voice services, but Click! offers Internet choices through four private companies, which means consumers often pay less.

“We’re eager to expand our service offerings,” said Brian Haynes, Rainier Connect CEO and President. “We’ve provided telephone and data needs to this community since 2001 using Click!’s fiber-optic network and now we’re ready to offer high-speed Internet over cable modem, as well. We plan to expand our service options even more in the future.”

Rainier Connect will have an even greater presence in Tacoma this year when it moves its headquarters into the historic former Pacific Brewing & Malting Company building on South 25th Street between C Street and Jefferson Avenue, which is currently under renovation.

About Click! Network
Tacoma Power’s Click! Network is the nation’s largest municipally owned telecommunications system. Click! provides competitive residential and business services, including cable television, high-speed data, Internet and broadband services, in the cities of Tacoma, University Place, Fircrest, Lakewood, Fife and portions of unincorporated Pierce County. Visit www.clickcabletv.com or call (253) 502-8900 for more information.

About Rainier Connect
Rainier Connect is a family owned telecommunications company of Mashell Telecom, Inc. founded in 1910 in Eatonville. By putting its focus on customers, it has earned a reputation for exceeding expectations and delivering outstanding customer service. Rainier Connect services include cable TV, Internet, telephone and business telephone systems. Rainier Connect customers can expect to receive exceptional personal care that you get only with a local, family-owned company. Visit www.rainierconnect.com for more information or call (253) 683-4200.

Diane Lachel, Click! Network, Govt. & Community Relations Manager, (253) 502-8537

April 16, 2008

Click! 10 Year Reflection

Download the article from the Spring 2008 NATOA Journal Click here

Visit the NATOA website at www.natoa.org

October 11, 2007

Cable 101 workshops on Oct. 16 help you prepare for digital TV deadline

If the federal government’s February 2009 digital television deadline confuses you, join Click! Cable TV experts at 3 or 7 p.m. on Oct. 16 for an informative, fun and free workshop. Learn how Click! will help you answer questions like:

Will my current TV continue to work after the digital deadline?
How will digital TV affect my over-the-air TV stations or cable TV?
How should I prepare for February 17, 2009?

The digital world can be kind of confusing, so we want to help our customers demystify it,” said Mitch Robinson, marketing and business operations manager for Click! Network. “One of the benefits of being the local choice for cable television means Click! experts can answer our customers’ questions in person.”

Seating is limited, so call (253) 502-8900 to reserve your spot.

Learn more about the digital television transition on the Federal Communication Commission’s web site at www.dtv.gov

Tacoma Power’s Click! Network is the nation’s largest municipally owned telecommunications system. Click! provides competitive business services, including cable television, high-speed data, Internet and broadband services, in the cities of Tacoma, University Place, Fircrest, Lakewood, Fife and portions of unincorporated Pierce County. For more information, visit www.clickcabletv.com or call (253) 502-8900.

Diane Lachel, Click! Network, Govt. & Community Relations Manager, (253) 502-8537

October 10, 2007

Click! to show eight Tacoma Film Festival features on video-on-demand

The Grand Cinema, in partnership with Click! Cable TV, announces an exclusive playback arrangement of eight Tacoma Film Festival features on Click!’s video-on-demand.

Films include:

“South 5 – True Grit” – a sequel by Tacoma director Bryan Johnson that includes a cameo appearance by members of the city council
“Ray Hill’s Prison Show” – about cops, courts, jails, and a prison activist
“River Ways”- a perspective about the proposed removal of dams on the Snake River
“Vitruvius Toybox”- an experimental animated film directed by Denis Iannuzzi
“Washington, My School”- about Washington-Hoyt school, past and present
“The Phone Call”- about a man who receives a phone call from himself in the future
“My Eating Team has a Paddling Problem” – about a group of diverse individuals who find an extended family in their dragon boat team
“The Old Son”- about reconciliation in a futuristic world
“All About Haggerty” – a thought-provoking documentary about artist Teddy Haggerty

Click! Cable TV customers can watch the films when they want, free, from Oct. 15 through the end of the year on local video-on-demand.

“The Grand Cinema is proud to further the success of the Tacoma Film Festival by showcasing a few of the films on Click! Cable TV's video-on-demand,” said Philip Cowan, Executive Director of The Grand Cinema. “This is a great opportunity to further our mission to enhance the cultural vitality of our community through the art of film. We are proud of this partnership with Click!”.

“Many of these films are local and for the first time ever on cable television”, said Mitch Robinson, Marketing & Business Operations Manager for Click! Network.

The Tacoma Film Festival culminates with closing night awards at Tacoma’s Landmark Convention Center on Thursday, October 11.

Diane Lachel, Click! Network, Govt. & Community Relations Manager, (253) 502-8537

October 9, 2007

Join Cartoon Network’s popular Scooby Doo at Tacoma Fall & Garden Show Oct. 13

Click! Cable TV and Cartoon Network have teamed up to give families to a chance to meet the classic cartoon character Scooby Doo at the Tacoma Fall & Garden show on Oct. 13. The panicky pooch will greet parents and children at the Click! Cable TV booth between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Cartoon Network, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s ad-supported cable service offer the best in original, acquired and classic animated entertainment for kids and families can be seen on Click! Cable TV’s channel 57.

“It’s great to host a popular TV and film character that appeals to kids and their parents, “ said Mitch Robinson, Marketing and Business Operations Manager for Click! Cable TV. “As many parents as kids will want to stop in to meet Scooby Doo or bring their camera for a photo with the mystery-solving Great Dane.”

For hours and admission prices for the Tacoma Fall & Garden Show, visit www.oloughlintradeshows.com/TFtfhs.htm.

Tacoma Power’s Click! Network is one of the nation’s largest municipally-owned telecommunications system. Click! provides competitive business services, including cable television, high-speed data, Internet and broadband services, in the cities of Tacoma, University Place, Fircrest, Lakewood, Fife and portions of unincorporated Pierce County. For more information, visit www.clickcabletv.com or call 253-502-8900.

Cartoon Network (CartoonNetwork.com), currently seen in 91 million U.S. homes and 160 countries around the world, is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s ad-supported cable service offering the best in original, acquired and classic animated entertainment for kids and families. Overnight from 11 p.m.-6 a.m. (ET, PT), Cartoon Network shares its channel space with Adult Swim, a late-night destination showcasing original and acquired animation for young adults 18-34.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.

Diane Lachel, Click! Network, Govt. & Community Relations Manager, (253) 502-8537

July 16, 2007

Click! Cable TV’s local video-on-demand offers 787 Dreamliner Premiere

The Boeing Company and Click! Cable TV have partnered to make the 787 Dreamliner Premiere available exclusively to Click! cable television customers in the Puget Sound area. More than 100 million people around the world witnessed the debut of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner on July 8, via satellite. Now, Click! Cable TV customers can watch the same program when they want, for free, through August 10 on local video-on-demand.

“We’re excited that Boeing was willing to offer Click! customers this opportunity to view the entire 787 Dreamliner Premiere, exclusively on our local video-on-demand service”, said Mitch Robinson, Marketing & Business Operations Manager for Click! Network. “Boeing has illuminated a global spotlight on the Pacific Northwest and we’re proud to showcase this historic event for our customers who include Boeing employees, partners, retirees and those who are simply curious about the 787 Dreamliner.”

The 787 Dreamliner Premiere runs one hour and is hosted by journalist and best-selling author Tom Brokaw. Brokaw shares the stage with several speakers, including Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Jim McNerney, Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Scott Carson, and 787 Program Vice President and General Manager Mike Bair. The presentation also features a variety of informative videos about the 787 and its official unveiling to a live audience.

The Boeing family stretches far and wide,” said Yvonne Leach, 787 Director of Communications. “We are pleased to provide the opportunity for even more people to experience the premiere of the 787”.

Click! Cable TV’s local video-on-demand is easy to use and allows customers to view what they want, when they want. Customers with a digital receiver can conveniently access hundreds of hours of free local programming. Tacoma Power’s Click! Network is the nation’s largest municipally owned telecommunications system. Click! provides competitive business services, including cable television, high-speed data, Internet and broadband services, in the cities of Tacoma, University Place, Fircrest, Lakewood, Fife and portions of unincorporated Pierce County. For more information, visit www.clickcabletv.com or call 253-502-8900.

Diane Lachel, Click! Network, Govt. & Community Relations Manager, (253) 502-8537

July 11, 2007

Cool off on Wednesday with Click! Cable TV

Sweltering? For those looking for any possible way to cool off during this week’s heat wave, Click! Cable TV is providing a special treat for its customers on Wednesday, July 11.

Customers can tune to “Click! 1” (channel 1 for those with cable receivers or channel 117 for those without a receiver) and cool off by viewing pictures of recent winter snowstorms in the Tacoma area. The pictures will be accompanied by appropriate music and sounds of the season.

“We hope everyone does their best to stay cool and safe in the midst of this heat wave,” said Mitch Robinson, Marketing & Business Operations Manager for Click! Network. “We thought it would help people who are spending time indoors to remember recent snowstorms and know that this heat won’t last forever.”

The photos seen on Click! 1 and 117 are courtesy of Tacoma resident Kevin Freitas, who blogs his commentary and photographs of Tacoma along with others at www.feedtacoma.com.

Diane Lachel, Click! Network, Govt. & Community Relations Manager, (253) 502-8537

March 21, 2007

Click! Network adds WGN, 100 baseball games and PBS Kids Sprout to its line-up

Chicago-based Superstation WGN will debut on cable TV in the Puget Sound region beginning March 30 when Click! Network adds the popular station to its channel line-up. Click! will also add the acclaimed children’s network, PBS Kids Sprout, and make other changes to its channel line-up on March 30.

“WGN has been at the top of our customers’ request list for many years,” said Mitch Robinson, Click! Network marketing and business operations manager. “We’re thrilled to be able to bring over 100 Cubs and White Sox games to our customers. This is the first time Chicago-based WGN will be seen on cable in this market. Even better, it will be great to watch Lou Piniella in his new role as manager of the Cubs.”

In celebration of more baseball games on Click! Network, the public is invited to a “Back to Baseball” event on Friday, March 30, at Tollefson Square, South 17th Street and Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma. Between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., attendees will receive their own Lou Piniella mask, can compete in a base throwing contest and enjoy free hot dogs and popcorn.

Click! will also add PBS Kids Sprout on March 30. Sprout is the first and only 24-hour preschool channel available on television, on demand and on-line for children ages 2 to 5 and their parents and caregivers. Sprout’s TV schedule follows the day of a preschooler from breakfast to bedtime. Daytime programs feature stimulating and upbeat shows designed to get children moving and active, while evening programming includes soothing, relaxing shows to help them gently wind down after a busy day. Sprout features gold-standard shows like Barney & Friends, Sesame Street, Angelina Ballerina and Caillou.

In addition to the new channels, Click! will move BET on Jazz from channel 61 to 296, the City of Tacoma’s government access channel, CityPost (seen in all Click! areas except University Place), from channel 85 to 21; Pierce County’s C-RCC access channel from channel 86 to 22; and Horseracing TV from channel 427 to 435.

Tacoma Power’s Click! Network is the nation’s largest municipally owned telecommunications system. Click! provides competitive cable-based services in the cities of Tacoma, University Place, Fircrest, Lakewood, Fife and soon in unincorporated Pierce County, including cable television, high-speed data, Internet and broadband. For more information, visit www.clickcabletv.com or call 253-502-8900.

Diane Lachel, Government and Community Relations Manager, 253-502-8537