The removal of the Warner Cable System from Cardinal Apartments, 8203 W. Lincoln Highway, has caused several tenants to seek help from the Student Association Tenant Union.

SA Tenant Union Director Sheila McNicholas said several tenants spoke to her about the cable being replaced with a roof antenna without their prior knowledge.

erbert Katz, owner of Cardinal Apts., said, “This is not true. The cable was replaced with a comparable component to help everbody.”

McNicholas said she contacted Katz-Mason Associates, Cardinal Apts. management, about the complaints, but was not recognized as a representative of the Tenant Union.

Katz said, “I have not seen anything in writing from the Tenant Union—I have not even talked to them.”

The antenna was installed to help tenants because there was about a $15 per month service charge for the cable, and next year Warner is raising its service fee, Katz said. The antenna also enables tenants to receive Chicago stations, he said.

If each tenant wants cable, he will have to pay Warner’s charge for their normal services, Katz said.

McNicholas said tenants signed a lease stating there would be a charge of $60 for the cable system which allows channels such as M-TV and Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN).

Without cable, tenants only can receive half the channels made available through cable hook-up and they do not receive UHF channels, McNicholas said.

After tenants paid the $60, the management removed the cable system without informing tenants, McNicholas said.

Katz said he has not heard any complaints from tenants, but if tenants are unhappy with the situation they can get out of their leases. However, he said he does not believe that removing the cable system warrants the breaking of leases.

Letting tenants break the lease is a “unique” quality and there have been situations in the past where tenants have gotten out of the lease, Katz said.

In addition, the antenna will cost tenants an extra $8.30 per month. McNicholas said Katz-Mason gave no indications about reimbursement of the original cable fee.

Katz said there is about an $8 fee in the lease for transmission of the TV signal. Also, if the $60 was in the lease, tenants would have had to pay the fee, but the cable fee is no longer in the lease, he said.