Quick change for Continental

U S West Media Group will not only re-christen Continental Cablevision under the MediaOne name but likely will change the name of the multiple systems operator's Highway1 cable modem service, an industry expert confirmed last week.

U S West has acknowledged that it will announce a new name for Continental on May 13 but has remained tight-lipped about what that name will be. MediaOne is one of several options being considered, a spokeswoman said.

However, an industry source close to Continental said U S West will extend the name of its Atlanta-area cable system to all of Continental's systems, as well as any systems that the company may acquire from a settlement with Time Warner.

"They're taking the cable out of the company and putting a new face on it," the source said. "The whole idea of the name MediaOne is that they're going to give you everything-voice, data and video-under one name.

Continental had been interested in a new name even before it was acquired by U S West last spring, spending several hundred thousand dollars two years ago on consultants and focus groups, he said. The result was "Continental Communications," but the U S West buyout put the renaming plans on hold.