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Show FINANCIAL BUBBLE BURSTS Television Service Interruption Results in Quick Remedial Action With confusion and uncertainty as to the future of television services in Cedar City and Iron County reach- ing a point where it became necessary to discontinue ser-, vice last week end, steps have finally been taken to bring i order out of seeming chaos, and it now appears that a def-I def-I inite program of development of the service will be worked out. As is well known, booster television service has been developed and provided through the efforts of John Row-berry Row-berry and associates, with a great deal of expense miu work involved with very little chance for remuneration. jSome financial help has been given, but an entirely Inadequate I amount to continue the service. Mr. Rowberry finally reached a point where he felt he could not continue to stand the expense, and when tubes needed replacing last week end, he disconnected I the facilities and announced that he could continue no longer. I Assuming that the city and county planned to take over the system to finance and. operate, I large numbers of people have ' purchased television sets and an-tenas an-tenas and were alarmed and dls. ' pleased when the service wns discontinued last week end. Unity Needed With this situation developing It was agreed by all concerned, that some definite stand needed to be taken by the city and county coun-ty and by groups interested, par-ticularly par-ticularly the dealers and service men who have been selling and Installing sets. As a result a I meeting was called Monday evening eve-ning and plans formulated to J solve the problem. Represented ;at the meeting were city and j county officials, and a group of Interested businessmen. I Following discussion of the ! problem It was decided that a i committee of seven members, two to be named by the county, two by Cedar City, two by the Iron I County School Board and one 1 from Parowan City, to work out details of operation, to secure I funds for the program and to ! maintain the system now in use, j shou'd be appointed. The City and County have agreed to provide funds for exrVimen-tal exrVimen-tal and englnerlns purpores, so that permanent TV service can 1 be provided by these taxing units i as soon as the Federal Communication Commu-nication Commission makes a final ruling on booster type operations. op-erations. Expenditures Noted Mr. Rowberry agreed to put the system Into cperatlon as of Wednesday Wed-nesday night and contlnut to operate op-erate it until the committee will assume full responsibility. Mr. Rowberry slated that a total to-tal of $7,985.25 has be?n expend-ed expend-ed on equipment and facilities In the development program, not! Including the time of many Individuals, In-dividuals, gasoline used in cars' and trucks driving to and from' the site of station or for use of such cars. The union at the Iron mines, he says, has put some $1500 Into the venture, which leaves a total of $6,485.25 expended expend-ed by the pioneers of the program, pro-gram, principally Rowberry himself. him-self. As soon as the committee is completed the group will assume full responsibility for the operation opera-tion of the system until the city or county or some other permanent perman-ent organization takes over. Under Un-der this plan no one will be permitted per-mitted to experiment, adjust or "tinker" with the booster systom without specific authorization and instruction from the com mittee, in the past any member' of the group working to develop a booster system for the area, has been free to experiment with the equipment at any time, ad-Just, ad-Just, switch from one signal to another, at any time. Now with hundreds of sets Installed some system of definite schedule and control should be worked out, . The committee will announce details of plans for operation and financing as soon as It Is organized or-ganized and the details can he formulated. In the meantime Rowberry will continue to p-q-vide service as he hus been doing do-ing for months. |