WADSWORTH: Subscribers to Wadsworth Community Television will see a rate increase Jan. 1.
The City Council on Tuesday adopted legislation to increase the rate for basic service to $13.75 monthly from the present $13.15; subscribers in Wadsworth Township will see a jump from the present $14.40 to $15.10. Basic service offers 24 channels.
Enhanced service, which provides all the basic channels plus 49 others, will increase to $46.30 from $43.15; the township enhanced rate will be $50.90, up from $46.95. Digital basic will increase to $57.60 monthly for city subscribers and to $63.30 for those in the township.
Enhanced service plus HD will go up to $53.60 and $58.85, respectively; and, digital basic plus HD, $64.90 and 71.30.
Councilman Dennis Shultz said the rate increase was a pass-on cost. The council was against the increase but it didn’t have a choice, he said.
Service Director Chris Easton noted it was unfortunate that programmers drove the increases because he thought there was a limit to what customers could accept. He acknowledged that it was the programmers who were getting the benefit of the rate increases.
Safety Director Matt Hiscock urged all residents to sign up for the Medina County mass notification system of which Wadsworth is a member.
This system provides alerts through land phones, cell phones and emails of emergencies such as power outages, severe weather, amber alerts and other safety hazards.
To sign up, go to www.wadsworthcity.org and click on “One Call Reaches All.” Hiscock said this is a “vital system” and he wants as many to sign up as possible.