CABLE NEWS & NOTES: TCI IMPLEMENTS PRICE INCREASE

          TCI will raise cable rates almost 7% this year, "part
     of another industrywide wave of price increases," according
     to Paul Farhi of the WASHINGTON POST.  Monthly bills for 11
     million of TCI's 14 million subscribers "will increase an
     average of about $1.72 starting in June."  Farhi: "The
     pricing trends seem to indicate that cable companies aren't
     worried about driving away their customers, despite the
     emerging threat to cable's dominance from direct-broadcast
     satellite TV services" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/14).  TCI
     President Leo Hindery said that 60% of the increases are due
     to higher programming costs (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 3/14).
          CABLEVISION ALTERS SPORTS TIER: Cablevision in New York
     City will move its sports programming from premium channels
     to its basic package, "reducing rates by as much as $6 a
     month."  Cablevision spokesperson John Hamill: "There's such
     a tremendous interest in sports in this town, it was time to
     do this here" (Jon Elsen, N.Y. POST, 3/14).