Independent Show: Small Ops in Programming Squeeze Play

Is the TV business still a good business for cable operators? As improbable as the question sounds, that issue kicked off the annual Independent Show here for the nation's small and mid-sized cable operators. Of all the differences between the giants in the cable industry and its smallest members, few issues unify -- or divide -- the two groups more than the rising cost of programming. Cable operators now pay more; small cable operators pay disproportionately more. "Why invest in the video business now?" asked Rich Fickle, president and CEO of the National Cable Television Cooperative on the July 23 opening panel..