Roger Keating

Time Warner Cable Inc. forced out its chief cable guy in Southern California on Wednesday, but you may not want to throw that help number away just yet. Roger Keating, head of Time Warner's regional office since 2003, was done in by an avalanche of complaints about Internet and e-mail outages, TV channel lineup changes and pressure to sign up for digital service. Customers were most annoyed by maddeningly long -- and sometimes futile -- waits to reach a human by phone.

Roger Keating, who will become head of Southern California's largest cable system if Time Warner Inc.'s proposed acquisition of Adelphia Communications Corp. is completed, promised Monday that the transaction would mean improved customer service and more advanced offerings throughout the region.