Troy Cablevision is a family-owned and operated business that has been bringing cable television to the city of Troy for more than 20 years.

Work began on Troy Cablevision in 1985 by Harold Freeman, and the first customer was set up in 1986. Over the years the company has expanded from its original offering of 55 channels to today’s offering of 68 basic analog cable channels and 155 available channels on digital cable with 25 pay-per-views.

In 1989, Troy Cablevision turned the camera on the city of Troy when Freeman’s son, James &uot;Boggie&uot; Freeman, started Channel 52 to broadcast local origination.

&uot;They started Channel 52 as a way to broadcast local events, and it was a good way to set us apart from our competition,&uot; said June Freeman, Director of Cable and Internet sales.

Channel 52 has recorded some historic events in the history of Troy and Pike County, including in 1991 when they sent a three man camera crew to Rock Hill, South Carolina, to capture the Troy Dixie Boys winning the Dixie Boys World Series. Channel 52 was also one of the first media outlets to get aerial footage of the flood in Elba.

The company’s next big step was into the world of the Internet, when they began offering cable modems in January 2000. They have now expanded their Internet offerings to include direct fiber optic connections. Matt Booth, Marketing Director, said that the Internet and cable television &uot;was a perfect match.&uot;

&uot;The perfect median for the Internet is through fiber optics and coaxial cable,&uot; Booth said.

Currently, they have 1,000 customers signed up for their Internet services. In addition to cable modems and direct fiber optic connections, Troy Cablevision also offers: Local Area Network Services, Video Surveillance, Web Hosting, Computer Sales and Service, Network Equipment, Banner Advertising, Virtual Private Networks, E-mail Service, Web Development, Pagers and Consulting.

&uot;Even though Troy Cablevision has grown over the years, we have remained a family-oriented business,&uot; said June Freeman.

After the loss of Boggie Freeman in August 1997 and Harold Freeman in August 1998, Harold’s oldest son, Dick Freeman, was named as General Manager.

&uot;Dick has really done a lot to expand Troy Cablevision,&uot; June Freeman said.

She said Harold and Dick have a lot of business similarities in that they both have a great foresight for technology. The difference being Harold liked to do things himself and Dick hires the necessary staff to get it done quickly. Three of Harold’s grandchildren also work at Troy Cable: Chris and Conley Freeman and Ashlee Henderson.

Troy Cablevision is located on South Brundidge Street. They can be reached at 566-3310 and on-line at www.troycable.net.