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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Emergency services Will 'GMO effect' shape election? Since You Asked: Town of Asbestos didn't last long Stories from the road Man charged with felony after offering bribe during Shady Cove arrest Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services Man charged with felony after offering bribe during Shady Cove arrest Suspicious propane tank at motel leads to three drug-related arrests Gold mining benefit at The Expo is a fake, officials warn Emergency services Politics and Elections Dotterrer-Bates Senate race goes negative? Election officials fine Richardson for late reporting of rent-free home Phoenix Council race draws a full house Sheriff a no-show at Chamber candidate forum Southern Oregon's Dennis Richardson woos liberal Portland Education SOU's first governing board appointed Showing their peers how it's done McLoughlin middle-schoolers do their part for Weed An open door Ashland High drops homecoming king and queen Environment Deer-killing disease won't taint meat for hunters Marijuana growers are threat to salmon, biologists conclude Green home helps keep life simple Treatment plant scrutinized for algae growth in Rogue River Wild chinook making early splash in Bear Creek State news Nation - World Obituaries Donald E. Nuckles Death Notices Charlotte Louise White (Crenshaw) Death Notices Dolores J. Dysart Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories No. 3 Tornado tunes up for Thurston Eagles get back on track with shutout Bumgarner, Crawford help Giants overpower Pirates Driven to Succeed PREP FOOTBALL STATISTICS Varsity 541 College Sports Arizona likely to key in on Oregon QB Mariota Michigan apologizes for mistakes with QB injury Ducks have chance at payback versus 'Cats Michigan coach under fire over player's health Finding a balance Pro Sports Bumgarner, Crawford help Giants overpower Pirates Djokovic extends China Open winning streak to 21 Lakers' Bryant quickly pushes his pace Nadal dominates in return at China Open Royals steal wild-card thriller from A’s Community Sports Business Latest Stories Harry & David netted $9 million in fiscal 2014 Founders of Downtown ART+SOUND event honored by foundation Umpqua surpasses U.S. Bank in local deposits SBDC series continues with marketing talk Butte Falls is source for new line of glass-bottled water Real Estate News Medford's Pixel Productions moves to new quarters Tenants begin moving into One West Main Purchasers praise Harry & David's turnaround Historic building owners get lessons in restoration Pleasant weather, stable interest rates spurred summer home sales People In Business Transportation Agriculture Purchasers praise Harry & David's turnaround Opinion Latest Our View: Food labeling measure is a reasonable step Letters to the Editor, Oct. 2 George Will: A new case for term limits in Congress Dana Milbank: Yes, 'mistakes were made' Granlund cartoon: Secret of the Secret Service Editorials Our View: Food labeling measure is a reasonable step Our View: 'Negative' is in the eye of the beholder Letters to the Editor, Sept. 29 Our View: Winters continues to be invisible Our View: Holder leaves mixed civil rights legacy Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Oct. 2 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 1 Letters to the Editor, Sept. 30 Letters to the Editor, Sept. 28 Election Letters, Sept. 27 Guest Opinions Is Ashland taking over Jackson County elections? Birds sound the alarm on climate change Manor residents give in many ways Transparency is essential in O&C debate Hazardous fuel treatments vital to protection from severe wildfires Lifestyle Latest stories Tell us a spooky story The Fermentista’s Kitchen A slaw by any other name would be ... cabbage salad Community blog: You gotta see it to believe it The Watercolors are Coming Food The Fermentista’s Kitchen A slaw by any other name would be ... cabbage salad Restaurant Inspections Community blog: Keep salmon succulent by smoking, poaching New festival will celebrate smoked salmon Home and Garden Fall is a good time to plant certain perennials Start now for a bowl of winter sunshine Counting the reasons to keep your eating local Medford gardens to be showcased Saturday Trees aren't always the best companions for plants Health Community blog: Why Texting is Not Talking Community blog: Finding Fun, Not Fear, In Our Senior Years Community blog: Menopause: What's it Good For? Part 2 For the brain, there’s no such thing as over the hill Local health clinics land federal grants to hire medical, dental staff Hiking Biking Faith Religion briefs First Church of Nazarene plans cleanup Religion briefs Religion Briefs Milestones and Achievements Still stifling laughter 40 years after 'Young Frankenstein' New Arrivals Wedding New Arrivals Barbecue will support treatment for stricken skateboarder Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Rogue Valley Symphony opens its 2014-15 season Southern Oregon Pride Festival celebrates diversity Spoons Blues duo releases 'Over the Moon' Music in the Mountains returns to Prospect Theater Randall Theatre presents 'Blithe Spirit' A tribute to a great lyricist 'Mrs. Mannerly' is a matter of manners There's no accounting for poor manners Friends of Jim Giancarlo remember Ashland theater icon Music Rogue Valley Symphony opens its 2014-15 season Blues duo releases 'Over the Moon' Music in the Mountains returns to Prospect The Brothers Reed Sol Seed plays Lounge South Community Events Southern Oregon Pride Festival celebrates diversity Greater Medford Multicultural Fair Volunteers needed for Downtown Art + Sound Medford's Third Fridays Downtown Art + Sound Festival Dining Spoons 'Get Giddy' at Porters Jacksonville's Thai House is everything good Thai should be Ami Sushi serves up Asian dishes Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Our View: Food labeling measure is a reasonable step ... Harry & David netted $9 million in fiscal 2014 ... Suspicious propane tank at motel leads to three drug-related arrests ... Our View: Food labeling measure is a reasonable step ... Harry & David netted $9 million in fiscal 2014 ... Suspicious propane tank at motel leads to three drug-related arrests ... Charter's cable conversion hasn't made fans of all its customers The Charter Communications cable switch to high definition service throughout Jackson County this month was not exactly drawing huzzahs from customers picking up the required digital converter boxes, one for each screen. By JOHN DARLING MailTribune.com By JOHN DARLING Posted Apr. 19, 2014 @ 2:00 am By JOHN DARLING Posted Apr. 19, 2014 @ 2:00 am » Social News The Charter Communications cable switch to high definition service throughout Jackson County this month was not exactly drawing huzzahs from customers picking up the required digital converter boxes, one for each screen. "It's a rip-off of the public," said Harry Tinnin of Medford, emerging Wednesday from the Charter store on Riverside Avenue in Medford. "It's a bunch of B.S. They can put this box where the sun don't shine." Charter is shifting to all-digital television here through the end of April, a move that requires each of the old analog television sets to have a digital converter box. The boxes are free during the first year or two of the promotional period, depending on your service package, but will cost $6.99 a month after that. The upgrade will enable 190 digital channels, almost doubling the present number, which is just over 100, said Charter spokesman Jack Hardy in Vancouver, Wash. It will also deliver a sharper Internet image and offer 12,000 movies on its Video On Demand, all paid for as part of the service package, not pay-per-view. A fourth of them will be HD. "I'm not very happy about it," said Billee Stemple of the Applegate. "After a year I'm going to have to pay for it, this after getting it free forever. We have four TVs, and only two will be working at the end of the month. It's going to be $14 extra per month. I don't need 200 channels. I only use six. ... We never watch movies because I don't appreciate the language in 99 percent of them. We had no say in this change. I can say no and not watch TV." With four televisions, Alvin Brandon of Medford said it would mean $20 a month additional, down the road, forcing him to plan a switch to satellite service. "The fee sucks, but the savings for this coming year is significant," says Brandon, adding that Charter has the best Internet service in the valley and it will be hard to give it up. Forrest Bohall of Jacksonville says, "It's free for a year, and the new benefits grab me, but the $7 a month fee adds up to $84 a year. They nickle-and-dime you and, no, I can't watch 100 channels. It's just more stuff to plug in." Pete Walford of Medford was unfazed by the changes, noting, "It's good. We're in the 21st century here. ... It will take most of the evening to go through the channels to find what I want. The fee is OK with me. I only have one TV." The changeover will not require anyone to come to your house and work on anything, says Hardy. Customers can pick up a self-installation kit for the set-top box at the Charter store — 765 Riverside Ave. — or order them on the Internet or by phone at 888-438-2427. Charter Communications supplies cable TV, Internet and phone service in 29 states in the western, central and southern U.S. and is rolling out HD in all sectors. "By removing outdated analog signals, we regain bandwidth in our network, enabling us to provide more HD channels and open the door to faster Internet speeds and future innovation," said Charter President and CEO Tom Rutledge, in a statement. "This upgrade speaks to the fact that Charter is providing our customers with the very best products at the very best value, and we've invested more than $2 billion in our fiber-rich network to make that happen." The HD changeover will allow the Charter TV signal to play on handheld mobile devices, such as smartphones and iPads, by downloading a free app, says Hardy. Customers should be able to install the new box fairly easily but can call out a Charter technician for $29.99. Present Charter customers should see the 85 new channels now, depending on their service package. There will be no fee increase with the new HD system, he says. The changeover started Monday and should be done in all of Jackson County, except Shady Cove, by the end of April. John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. Email him at [email protected]. By JOHN DARLING MailTribune.com By JOHN DARLING Posted Apr. 19, 2014 @ 2:00 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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