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The Fayetteville Observer, N.C., Live Wire columnJan 04, 2013 (The Fayetteville Observer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Q: I like watching TCM on cable but don't see any real advertisements there. How does the channel pay its way -- A.C., Fayetteville A: It earns money from fees that cable and satellite systems pay to carry its programming. Naturally, you and other subscribers are the ultimate source of these fees. TCM also sells DVDs of some of classic films as well as memorabilia. Ted Turner founded TCM in 1994 to air some of the thousands of classic movies he'd acquired in his 1986 purchase of MGM. Later deals gave the network access to other movie libraries. And it gains access to still other movies through deals that include its sister networks, TBS and TNT. All three are part of Turner Entertainment Networks, which is itself owned by Time Warner. AMC, a key TCM rival, started airing commercials between 1998 and 2002. The ad revenue earned it more than $150 million a year, industry pundit Emanuel Levy wrote at his website in 2008. But AMC had no movie library to draw from. Levy said it was also paying much more than TCM for its movies as well as for the scripted original series it had started airing. Levy said AMC's projected programming expenses in 2008 were $149.4 million compared with $56.7 million for TCM. Q: Does Time Warner have a local number to call to report service outages or other service problems I can't find one. -- E.D., Fayetteville A: Yes. For customers of the cable company in the Fayetteville/Sandhills area, it's 910-864-3935. For live online help or email, go to timewarnercable.com and click on "support." Q: Can you give me the phone numbers of establishments in the Dunn area that crack pecans -- R.N., Fayetteville A: Check with Tart's Pecan Farm in Benson, 919-894-4945, or B&B Pecan Processors of North Carolina in Turkey, 910-533-2229. Q: How can I reach the Rev. Al Sharpton I want a phone number. I can't do this text messaging thing. -- R.S., Fayetteville A: We don't have his phone number. But if you want to request help from his National Action Network, you can call 877-626-5651 or 212-690-3070. Its address is 106 W. 145th St., New York, NY 10039. The nonprofit group focuses on civil rights and social justice issues. Sharpton helped found NAN and is its president. Or write Sharpton in care of MSNBC, where he hosts the nightly political talk show PoliticsNation. The address is 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112. Live Wire seeks to answer questions of general interest and consumer topics within two weeks. Initials are used to identify questioners when names are given. Contact Live Wire via Live Wire's Facebook page, at [email protected] or at 486-3516. ___ (c)2013 The Fayetteville Observer (Fayetteville, N.C.) Visit The Fayetteville Observer (Fayetteville, N.C.) at www.fayobserver.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |