At Deadline …

Cable World, March 12, 2001

* Charter Communications was awarded the right to transfer its franchise to operate systems with about 5,000 customers in Santa Cruz County by a Federal judge in California's Northern District. The ruling caps a two-year dispute with local officials, who denied the transfer shortly after Paul Allen acquired Charter. "We are especially pleased with the court's scholarly decision, which upholds the right of cable companies to be free of arbitrary or unreasonable interference by local government," said Curtis S. Shaw, SVP/general counsel and secretary for Charter.

* Liberty Media Group has held discussions with cable operator NTL about combining broadband and content services in Europe, according to the Financial Times. The pan-European move would add NTL's 3.7 million customers to Liberty's 20 million subscribers.

* Court TV will unveil to advertisers this week plans for a $140 million, two-year investment in programming. Its marketing budget is up 25% this year. The network's criminal justice documentaries will run as The System three nights a week. Specials in development look at the 1971 Attica prison riot, the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Secret Service.

* Doug Herzog was named president of USA Network. Herzog served as president of Fox Broadcasting and president/CEO of Comedy Central. Rob Sorcher has resigned as EVP/GM of USA Network.

* Marc Juris was named EVP/GM of American Movie Classics. Promoted from the position of SVP-original programming, Juris will oversee programming, marketing and public relations for AMC.