The Black Entertainment Channel (BET) will soon be added to the current list of cable channels in DeKalb.

The addition of BET to Warner Cable, 1430 Sycamore Rd., has been in the making since last September, when about 130 people signed a petition to have BET added to the existing cable package.

think this is a good idea for information and entertainment,” said Dr. Admasu Zike director of Black Studies. “There is not much entertainment for black students, faculty and staff in DeKalb.”

Along with BET, there will be 23 other new channels added, including Turner Network Television (TNT).

“At this time, due to the upgrade being in the preliminary stages, I cannot tell what channels will be added in addition to BET and TNT,” said Andy Bast of Warner Cable.

According to the new Warner franchise agreement signed in May, the current 36 channel system will be expanded to 60 channels. This expansion can take up to 30 months to complete due to extensive wiring that needs to be done.

“We will be progressing through the community phase by phase,” said Bast. “Once we get to certain communities, we will switch them over to the new system, which will include the new channels.”

“The upgrade is in the preliminary stages,” said Bast. “Currently, we are in the pre-engineering stage which means we are assessing the current 200 miles of cable to see what work needs to be done.”