Comcast To Carry More than 100 HD Nets in Puget Sound

July 20, 2009 by

After Announcing 31 HD Channels Eight Weeks Ago, the Rolling Launch of 33 Additional Today, Comcast to Offer Total of 101 HD’s

LYNNWOOD, WA (July 20, 2009) – Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSK, CMCSA), the nation’s leading provider of entertainment, information and communications, today announced that it is launching 33 new HD networks and five standard definition networks to areas around Western Washington starting tomorrow (see complete list of networks and channel numbers below). The launch includes popular channels like CBUT HD, ESPNU HD, MTV HD, VH1 HD, MSNBC HD among others. After the community-by-community launch which is slated to be complete at the end of the year, Comcast will offer a total of 101 HD channels in Western Washington.

In May, Comcast announced the launch of 31 new HD networks, also launching on a rolling basis. The 31 HD channels announced in May are 50 percent launched in Washington State; some areas will receive both HD channel upgrades at once, adding 64 new HD networks.

Earlier this year, Comcast began a digital migration called “The World of More,” offering digital upgrades to Basic Cable customers to migrate from analog to digital, and converting channels 30 and above to a digitally delivered format. Comcast’s digital upgrade reclaimed analog bandwidth to allow the company to provide more products and services to customers, such as faster Internet speeds, more channels and more ON DEMAND content. Comcast continues its digital migration across Western Washington through the end of the year while also launching the new HD networks.

“We’ve heard from customers that they can’t get enough HD programming, so we’re excited to exponentially increase our offering of those networks and give even more value to our customers as part of our digital upgrade,” said Tom Pierce, Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Washington State. “These channel launches are about delivering on Comcast’s promise to customers that by converting to digital, we would offer more of the products and services they want, right away. This is just the beginning as we roll out ‘The World of More.’”

Beginning tomorrow, the new programming will be available to residential homes and businesses in the following communities:

Everett, Brier, Clearview, Lynnwood, Mill Creek, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, Black Diamond, Covington, Enumclaw, Maple Valley, Pacific, Bonney Lake, Buckley, Carbonado, Eatonville, Graham, Orting, Roy, South Prairie, Wilkeson, Algona, Auburn, Burien, Federal Way, Kent, SeaTac, Tukwila,, Edgewood, Fort Lewis, McChord AFB, Parkland, Puyallup, Sumner, Vashon Island, Arlington, Beverly Lane, Goldbar, Granite Falls, Lake Stevens, Marysville, Monroe, Silver Lake, Snohomish,, Startup, Sultan, Woodscreek, Centralia, Chehalis, Lacey, Lewis County, Mason County, Olympia,, Rainier, Rochester, Shelton, Tenino, Thurston County, Tumwater and Yelm.

Comcast expects to make the new programming available to the remainder of its Washington service area, including Seattle and Tacoma by the end of this year.

STARTING TOMMORROW, 33 NEW HIGH DEFINITION (HD) NETWORKS BEGIN ROLL-OUT

New Channel Number and Network

588 TMC West HD

589 TMC Xtra West HD

619 CBUT HD

621 ESPNU HD

630 NBA TV HD

631 NHL Network HD

632 Big Ten Network HD

633 CBS College Sports HD

634 Tennis Channel HD

635 Outdoor Channel HD

661 MSNBC HD

686 CMT HD

687 VH1 HD

688 MTV HD

689 BET HD

700 MGM HD

701 TCM HD

703 Hallmark Movie Channel HD

704 Comedy Central HD

705 Tru TV HD

706 The Weather Channel HD

543 HBO2 West HD

544 HBO Signature West HD

545 HBO Family West HD

546 HBO Latino West HD

547 HBO Comedy West HD

548 HBO Zone West HD

564 MoreMax West HD

571 Showtime Too West HD

572 Showtime Showcase West HD

573 Showtime Extreme West HD

440 iNDemand Team HD

Simulcast of select Games from NBA/MLS PPV Sports Packages (ch. 441-450) will be shown.

456 iNDemand Game HD

Simulcast of select Games from NHL/MLB PPV Sports Packages (ch. 457-470) will be shown.

New Standard Definition Channels

400 ESPN U

500 Hallmark Movie Channel

559 HBO Comedy West

550 HBO Zone West

593 TMC Xtra West

HD channels announced in May (currently launching across the state): Encore HD, Starz Kids & Family HD, Starz Comedy HD, Starz Edge HD, Speed HD, ESPNews HD, WE TV HD, Style HD, E! HD, Bravo HD, Lifetime HD, Travel Channel HD, Fox News Channels HD, Fox Business HD, CNN HD, CNBC HD, Spike HD, TBS in HD, Nick HD, Cartoon Network HD, Disney XD HD, Fuse HD, TV One HD, QVC HD, G4 HD, BIO HD, Planet Green HD, AMC HD, LMN HD, IFC HD and InDemand PPV Events HD.

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is the nation’s leading provider of entertainment, information and communication products and services. With 24.1 million cable customers, 15.3 million high-speed Internet customers, and 6.8 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.

Comcast’s content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, ten sports networks operated by Comcast Sports Group and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast’s Internet businesses, including Comcast.net (www.comcast.net). Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, whose major holdings include the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia.

Filed under 2009 News Releases, News Releases Tagged with ,

Comcast Helps ArtsFund Support Arts Groups in King, Pierce Counties

July 19, 2009 by

Despite Tough Economy, ArtsFund Fulfills Base Grant Commitments to Nonprofit Arts Groups

ArtsFund grants total more than $2.2 million

Despite the worst economic climate in decades, ArtsFund (formerly known as the Corporate Council for the Arts) announced it met base-level funding commitments to 41 King and Pierce County nonprofit arts groups and awarded grants to an additional 20 groups on a discretionary basis. In addition, four groups received funding through designated workplace giving. The amount of grants totaled $2,227,027 for 2009.

Comcast donated $15,000 for general arts support in King County and $7,500 to support access to the arts for students in Pierce County. The Pierce County allocations committee of ArtsFund allocated $4,000 to the Tacoma Youth Symphony and $3,500 to the Museum of Glass.

Comcast Senior Vice President Len Rozek serves on the ArtsFund board of directors. Public Relations Director Walter Neary is a member of the Pierce County allocations committee.

The Museum of Glass touches 10s of thousands of students each year at its hot shop and other parts of the museum, as well as through vibrant learning materials provided to local schools. The Tacoma Youth Symphony fields eight full youth symphonies of different ages, as well as other performing groups.

In January, ArtsFund recognized the difficult economic climate likely would result in lower donations and sent a letter to all beneficiary groups, alerting them to the likely reductions.

“Support from nearly every donor is down this year, while the percentage of economically challenged students we serve has increased,” said Andrea Wagner, executive director of long-time beneficiary Giant Magnet (formerly Seattle International Children’s Festival), which received a grant of $10,675. “This situation certainly makes our work more difficult, but it also makes the dollars we get from ArtsFund all the more important. ArtsFund grants are one of our only sources of predictable funding for operating support — funds we put to work immediately toward our mission of inspiring young audiences with the highest quality performing arts programming from around the globe.”

Following is a complete list of ArtsFund grants* for 2009:

2009 ArtsFund Grants

King County Charter Member Grants:

ACT Theatre
$109,318

Henry Art Gallery
76,120

INTIMAN Theatre
93,155

On the Boards
32,716

Pacific Northwest Ballet
224,101

Seattle Art Museum
227,061

Seattle Children’s Theatre
120,784

Seattle Opera
231,438

Seattle Repertory Theatre
155,093

Seattle Symphony
213,526

Village Theatre
100,461

Subtotal
$1,583,773

King County Continuing Member and Member Grants:

5th Avenue Theatre
$44,086

Artist Trust
13,902

ArtsWest Playhouse & Gallery
5,324

Auburn Symphony Orchestra
3,700

Bellevue Arts Museum
6,475

Book-It Repertory Theatre
27,535

Central District Forum for Arts & Ideas
13,651

Early Music Guild
6,845

Earshot Jazz Society of Seattle
8,562

Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum/Hall of Fame
2,500

Giant Magnet (Seattle Internatl Children’s Festival)
10,796

Jack Straw Productions
4,249

Kirkland Arts Center
7,149

Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center
1,000

Nordic Heritage Museum
12,450

Northwest Film Forum
6,945

Northwest Puppet Center
8,779

Pratt Fine Arts Center
10,725

Richard Hugo House
5,750

Seattle Arts & Lectures
15,817

Seattle Baroque Orchestra
3,003

Seattle Chamber Music Society
14,436

Seattle Choral Company
3,900

Seattle Men’s Chorus/Seattle Women’s Chorus
10,419

Seattle Pro Musica
14,234

Seattle Public Theater
3,500

Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra
9,270

Seattle Shakespeare Company
24,798

Seattle Theatre Group
8,330

Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras
16,400

SIFF
9,442

Spectrum Dance Theater
8,453

Taproot Theatre Company
11,089

Three Dollar Bill Cinema
4,900

Town Hall Association
14,389

UW World Series at Meany Hall
13,225

Vashon Allied Arts
6,250

Velocity Dance Center
4,000

Wing Luke Asian Museum
24,354

Subtotal
$420,632

Pierce County Charter Member Grants:

Broadway Center for the Performing Arts
$57,701

Northwest Sinfonietta
10,887

Tacoma Art Museum
72,709

Tacoma Opera
11,415

Tacoma Philharmonic
7,600

Tacoma Symphony
19,115

Tacoma Youth Symphony
20,875

Subtotal
$200,302

Pierce County Continuing Member and Member Grants:

Grand Cinema
$2,855

Lakewood Playhouse
1,785

Museum of Glass
6,450

Tacoma Musical Playhouse
7,783

Subtotal
$18,873

Designated workplace gifts – non-beneficiaries
$3,447

Grand Total 2009 ArtsFund Grants:
$2,227,027*

*includes $78,197 in designated employee giving gifts.

2009 Pierce County Allocations Committee

Claudia Roberts, Chair, Vice President—Pricing

Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Inc.

Jeffrey Brown, President

BCRA

Kim Cacace, First Vice President

BNY Mellon Wealth Management

Sarah Idstrom, Senior Director of Development

Franke Tobey Jones

Karla McLane, Vice President, Commercial Banking

Columbia Bank

Walter Neary, Public Relations Director

Comcast

Dave Parent, Vice President & Manager, Corporate Contributions

KeyBank

Jim Tune, President and CEO

ArtsFund

Karen Vincent, Investor Relations Associate

Weyerhaeuser Company

Natalie Whitcomb, Senior Vice President

Brown and Brown of Washington

Sam Whiting, Community Investor, Primary & Secondary Education and Arts & Culture

The Boeing Company

Filed under 2009 News Releases, News Releases Tagged with , ,

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