Cox customers should be on the lookout for a makeover to the cable provider's oft-derided DVR and On Demand system. The change streamlines the interface, cuts down on loading times and adds features.
The upgrade is a boon to Cox customers, who have had to suffer 30 seconds or more when they pulled up the On Demand service, only to have to slog through the poorly designed menu system.
I stopped by Tucson's Cox headquarters last week to watch a demo of the new system. The DVR software now backtracks a few seconds after you stop fast-forwarding, allowing you to make sure you've skipped through all the commercials. It seemed similar to the system offered by Cox's competitor, Comcast, but the Cox setup offers something Comcast lacks: A handy tool that lets you skip ahead in 15-minute increments.
The update is rolling out to DVR boxes automatically over the next 10 weeks.
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Elsewhere in cable land, Comcast announced Xfinity.com, a website that lets customers remotely program DVRs from up to three computers.
The site also lets you watch TV online in a system that works just like Comcast's On Demand service, allowing you to peruse a variety of shows you can watch for free or pay to rent.
If you have an iPhone, you can download an Xfinity app that lets you program your DVR while driving. Meaning you'll have to find another time to send text messages.
Just kidding, of course. Kids: Don't manipulate electronics while driving.
Where magazine hits town
Morris Visitor Publications, a travel-guide maker that publishes biannual brochurelike Where magazine in 42 other places, such as Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Phoenix, has launched a Tucson edition.
The guide, which highlights dining options and tourist attractions around town, hit print Oct. 15. You can find them in hotels and businesses throughout the city. Where magazine will print 75,000 copies of the guide per edition.
Morris' Phoenix staff handled most of the Tucson edition, along with one local employee.
KOLD holds lottery monopoly
I wondered why KOLD newscasts are the only ones on which lottery numbers ever pop up, so asked news director Michelle Germano. She said the station outbid its competitors for the distinction of becoming the official lottery station.
"All other stations," Germano said, "can air the numbers after a certain period of time from airing on our station."
Johnjay and Rich prevail
Another ratings book, another Johnjay and Rich radio victory. In the latest Arbitron ratings, the KRQQ (93.7-FM) show - which is broadcast out of Phoenix - dominates the competition in the prized age 25-to-54 demographic. The show has an 11.5 share, meaning 11.5 percent of listeners in the demographic were tuned into the show.
"Max, Shannon and Porkchop" (KIIM, 99.5-FM) edged out "The Bobby Rich Morning Mix" (KMXZ, 94.9-FM) for second place, 9.3 to 9.2. "Los Hijos de la Mañana" (KCMT, 102.1-FM) placed fourth with a 6.7, and KHYT, 107.5-FM's Tim Tyler rounded out the top 5 with a 6.3.
KLPX 96.1-FM's "The Frank Show" garnered sixth place with a 5.9 rating in its first ratings book since the move from KFMA 92.1-FM, which shifted to a music-heavy format and slumped to a 3.5 share, down from 6.4 last ratings book.
Contact reporter Phil Villarreal at 573-4130 or pvillarreal@azstarnet.com
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