Cincinnati residents relying on Time Warner analog cable are finding four fewer channels on their lineup since last August — two of which have been dropped this month.  Residents with digital-ready televisions will find many more missing, albeit temporarily, as of tomorrow.

Time Warner Cable in Cincinnati is moving channels around, including shifting former analog channels to digital and repositioning others in an effort to create additional space for new HD networks on the local cable system.

John Kiesewetter, the Cincinnati Enquirer‘s media blogger noticed the disappearing act last summer when two regional PBS stations — WPTD-TV Dayton and WCVN-TV Covington, Kentucky were dropped from the analog lineup.

This month, two more channels joined those PBS stations on the digital cable tier — Great American Country and Style.

Kiesewetter notes expanded basic customers’ bills remained the same, despite the loss of four channels from their lineup.  Company officials said customers can continue to watch all four channels by upgrading to digital cable for an additional fee, a prospect that bothers Kiesewetter:

Not everyone wants/can afford digital cable, despite all the TWC ads about bundling and locking in rates. The bottom line is if you’re a country music fan, you’ll have to pay more (getting digital cable) to see GAC.

Kiesewetter

“We realize this is unfortunate for GAC fans, but Time Warner Cable has decided to move GAC to Channel 255 to make  room for additional services,” Scott Durand, vice president, marketing for GAC told Kiesewetter. “Fans with only the expanded basic level of service will need to contact Time Warner  Cable to upgrade to digital in order to continue viewing GAC, the country music network that actually plays music.”

In fact, Time Warner Cable is dropping analog channels to make room for additional HD networks, which are digitally compressed and can be delivered in greater numbers than their analog counterparts.  Comcast customers across the country are also familiar with the erosion of analog cable channels in favor of digital for precisely the same reason — freeing up additional space.

But the result is almost always no reduction in rates for analog-only subscribers, despite the shrinking number of channels.

Cincinnati residents with cable-ready digital televisions may find an even smaller lineup waiting for them tomorrow morning.  That’s because Time Warner is shifting most of the local channels to new channel positions, again to make room for new HD networks.  Those with older sets or who use a Time Warner cable box will not notice anything, but those with HD, digital ready sets will need to rescan their channels to allow the TV to map their new channel positions.

[flv width=”640″ height=”380″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/WLWT Cincinnati Time Warner Cable Customers Need to Rescan TVs 3-24-10.flv[/flv]

WLWT-TV Cincinnati educates viewers step-by-step on how to rescan their television sets to pick up local stations’ new channel positions.  (1 minute)

[flv]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/WCPO Cincinnati Time Warner Customers May Have to Rescan TVs 3-23-10.flv[/flv]

WCPO-TV in Cincinnati is also impacted by Time Warner Cable’s changes, and explains exactly who is affected.  (1 minute)