European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 6, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 b the stars and stripes saturday june 6, 1992more housing areas get Cable tv46 channels pay programs May soon be available by Kevin Dougherty Kaiserslautern Bureau rams te1n a Germany a military family housing units in the Kaiserslautern and Baum older areas Are getting an improved Cable television system that potentially could offer subscribers 46 channels. The installation of the enhanced system is part of a master plan by tvs the Cable subsidiary of the German Bunde Spost Tele Kom to offer Cable television to 50,000 family housing units by the end of 1994. That number could approach 100,000 if All . Army Barracks and air Force dormitories Are included. A we want everything we can get because it is a Quality of life Issue for us a said maj. Bruce e. Lewis jr., a Ramstein a spokesman. In addition tvs expects to finalize a Deal next month with a Texas firm for a pay to Channel that would offer recently released movies films that have exhausted the theater circuit said Eckhard Dohm the company a president. Dohm estimated the monthly fee for Basic Cable service at 36 Marks pay to would Cost 10 to 12 Marks he said. The enhanced Cable system is currently being installed in the vog Cloch housing area in Kaiserslautern and in apartments and Barracks in the Baum older Community. Heidelberg Karlsruhe and the rest of the Kaiserslautern area which includes Ramstein and Lan Stuhl will be getting the system soon Dohm said. Vog Cloch and Baum older arc scheduled to be finished by september Ramstein by the end of the year. In select areas such As Lan Stuhl Cable service will be extended to Large off base leased housing areas. Tvs has already provided More than 10,000 Cable to connections to housing areas in Berlin Pitburg a Mannheim Simbach a Span Dahlem a and Patch Barracks in Stuttgart. So far tvs has about 2,500 customers. Those bases Are not expected to get the enhanced system until after 1994, said Tom Halbert the broadcast officer for . Air forces in Europe Pitburg and Sembach have a 10-Channei system the rest have 36 channels. Tvs which is moving its Headquarters from Trier Germany to the Kaiserslautern area initially is offering seven English language channels an can bbl world service mtg lifestyle either eur sport or screw sport and super Channel a general entertainment outlet. Bases will also have Access to a Community Channel and a commander Access Channel which will offer 6-month-old arts programs. The mix May include one or two Spanish language programs. The Community Channel which is currently being tested in Mannheim would allow local commanders and other base officials to advertise special events club meetings and other base happenings. Eventually a news release could appear on inc Channel As soon As 30 minutes after it was transmitted by fax machine Halbert said. Furthermore the Channel could be used for example to sell a car or to seek a pet Dohm said. Tvs is adapting its system to accommodate military customers who have television sets that were built to the american Standard. The change is necessary because 65 to 70 percent of its potential subscribers have sets that normally would be incompatible. Those with Multi system television sets would Nave the ability to pick up seven German stations including Adf Ard and local channels. Advances in digital technology could within the next couple of years enable tvs to offer several Cable channels that Are popular in the United states Halbert said. The family Channel Turner broadcasting system Disney and 20th Century Fox Are All interested in tapping into the overseas military Market he added. The company is covering the installation costs at family housing units but not at Barracks and dormitories Halbert said. The company can justify the former but not the latter because a local Community is More Likely to use military family housing units than Barracks and dormitories in the event an installation closes. The Cost for each Cable connection is about 650 Marks but Halbert said that Price could probably be negotiated Down to about 300 Marks for Barracks and dormitories. A a it a costing Tele Kom. But they Are planning to recover their costs by subscriber fees a he said. Dohm is shooting for a 60 percent subscriber rate. Based on a february 1991 estimate tvs is projecting to spend 80.5 million Marks on the project which includes capital maintenance and program acquisition costs. Army plans to return disputed ammo depot by de Reavis Start writer Heidelberg Germany a the . Army Europe has decided to return to the German government an ammunition depot located in a Forest that has Long been a source of dispute Between the army and local citizens. Gen. Crosbie e. Saint Usa eur commander recently announced the army would return the depot no later than oct. I a spokeswoman for Saint s command said monday. The depot is located in the Lampert Heim Forest and has been a source of irritation Between the army and local germans in the area for 20 years. The army uses part of the Forest As a training area. The Forest a 240-Square-mile area without lakes or streams has been used 1?49c for ,1 unit a raining since a the return of the depot is a step in the right direction. But we want the entire area returned a said Herman Wun Merlc a spokesman for i Arnheim mayor Norbert Hofmann. I Arnheim is situated on the Southeast Side of the Forest a a we re worried about the ecology being destroyed by military exercises there a Wunderle said. A in addition we think military exercises Are outdated in Light of the changing geopolitical situation in Europe. A we have nothing against the americans Wunderle said a we would t want the German army moving in Here either. A a we want to demilitarized the area a he said. A a we be been in the forefront of mobilizing political and environmental forces for having the entire area  the army has no immediate plans to cease training in the Forest the spokeswoman said because a Lampert Heim is still needed to support usar eur training. The spokes Orhan confirmed reports that German state and Federal officials had contacted Saint about an Early return of the ammunition depot. Quot the City of Viem Heim has asked for the return of the entire area but 1 cannot confirm that state or Federal officials have Ever requested anything but the return of the ammunition depot a the spokeswoman said. Special Champion Sheri Kay ferry has a Bug for 5-year-old Matthew at the Rinish line of the obstacle course during the German american special olympics. The games were held Friday on the sports Field at the Edwards housing area in Frankfurt. More than 1,000 athletes from 22 area schools were cheered on by nearly 1,000 adult volunteers. Appliances to be sold in Aschaffenbur in offi elms announced Anapha Cisale Efrom 9 a a t d a it a err of end re pub a of do  be for Sale Els so a St to Quot it Taylor Barracks 0ntyt and be removed by noon of Day of the Sale