Cable Equipment

The city's troubled cable television division would continue to operate on a smaller scale next year under a proposal to fund coverage of City Council meetings and about half a dozen community events. City administrators last month recommended eliminating the cable division from the 1991-92 budget because the Placentia Unified School District may be unable to finance its portion of the $120,000 operating cost.

The City Council approved a $20.7-million budget for next year that trims the city's cable television programming to coverage of only government meetings and special events. Council members voted 4 to 1 Tuesday in favor of the budget, which also includes adding an environmental coordinator and a drug education officer. "This is a wholehearted, honest attempt to get the most of of our buck," said Councilman John O. Tynes. The budget calls for a 10.5% increase in spending.

In an effort to gauge what residents want in their cable communication services in the 21st century, Ventura will conduct telephone surveys and hold eight workshops starting in September. Any recommendations from the workshops will be incorporated into the city's 15-year franchise renewal contract with its two cable providers, Century Cable and Avenue TV Cable. The contract renewal process takes about 18 months, said Debbie Solomon, the city's community services manager.

Alhambra-based Ortel Corp. on Wednesday reduced sales expectations for its cable-television equipment for the current fourth quarter and the fiscal 1998 first quarter. Ortel, which also manufactures telecommunications equipment, blamed the weaker outlook on a "recent slowing of domestic orders" in its "core broad-band business" or cable-TV equipment. "Order rates for repeaters and other new product introductions are not at a pace to fully offset the domestic broad-band weakness," W.H.

AT&T Corp. said it suspended purchases of Antec Corp. and CommScope Inc. equipment used to upgrade its cable-television systems for phone service to reduce its stockpile of gear through the rest of this year. Shares of Duluth, Ga.-based Antec and Hickory, N.C.-based CommScope each tumbled more than 20%. Other makers of cable-TV equipment that supply AT&T, such as Scientific-Atlanta Inc., also declined.

Moorpark residents may soon be able to watch meetings of the local school board on cable television. The City Council has approved allowing the board of the Moorpark Unified School District to meet at the Community Center, where cable television equipment was recently installed. Meetings of the Planning Commission and City Council are already televised from the center's Apricot Room.

Pico Products Inc., a Lake View Terrace manufacturer of cable-television equipment, said it is being sued by its former president and vice chairman, Bernard K. Hitchcock, over alleged breach of contract, fraud and wrongful termination. The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeks more than $2 million in damages. Pico has denied the allegations.

Cisco Systems Inc. said Tuesday that it has signed a contract with US West Inc.'s MediaOne cable TV unit to sell existing equipment and develop new gear to let consumers access the Internet using cable modems. The companies did not disclose the value of the contract. MediaOne, one of the largest U.S. cable companies, will spend several million dollars for Cisco computer-networking equipment so it can expand the Internet-related services it offers subscribers.

As cable television and telephone companies race to develop their much-heralded interactive television networks, a fierce battle has broken out among electronics companies that hope to supply the billions of dollars' worth of TV-top boxes that will be needed to make the networks a reality.

Pico Products Inc., a Lake View Terrace manufacturer of cable-television equipment, announced that it had settled all litigation with Bernard K. Hitchcock, its former president who sued the company twice after being fired two years ago. Under terms of the settlement, Pico paid Hitchcock $250,000 for emotional suffering and distress. While denying any liability, Chairman Everett T.