MSN, PRODIGY JOINING MOVEMENT TOWARD ON-LINE `CHANNELS'.

Byline: Joe Kilsheimer The Orlando Sentinel 

If there is one constant in cyberspace, it's change. And there's been a lot of it lately.

Two of the nation's largest on-line services both announced last week that they were reinventing themselves. Microsoft Network and Prodigy officials said they were retuning their systems to be based on the same standards as the World Wide Web.

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean you will be able to get into either service if you are surfing the Web through an Internet service provider.

Both MSN and Prodigy will let you access their service from the Internet, but you will have to subscribe - and pay the monthly fees - to get in.

Of all the changes planned by MSN and Prodigy, here's the one I find most intriguing: Both are switching to a concept of using ``channels'' to designate what's available.

The growing use of channels, already adopted by AOL, can only mean one thing: Web surfers have had it with those funny Internet addresses.

If you're a faithful reader of this column, you know we usually end with a list of addresses that go something like: http://www.blah.blah.blah

That will one day be a thing of the past.

Instead, you will just direct your Web browser to the Blah, Blah, Blah channel.

Other changes planned by MSN and Prodigy are significant not only for them, the third and fourth largest on-line services, but also for market leader America Online. If these changes catch on, it could place significant pressure on AOL.

Prodigy kicked off its new service Oct. 21. MSN's is scheduled to start Nov. 8. CompuServe has announced it will undergo some revamping too, but has yet to set a date.

If you are a subscriber of either Prodigy or MSN, the first change you will notice is what shows up on your screen. From now on, everything within both services will be encased within a Web browser. You'll navigate by pointing and clicking on hypertext and with the ``back'' and ``forward'' buttons.

Until this point, navigating on Prodigy required using what were known as ``jump'' words to move through the system. MSN had a system that was not very intuitive.

The change will mean fewer hiccups on your screen when you decide to go surfing the Internet. There won't be any delays while you launch a separate Web browser. By the way, the browser of choice for both services will be Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

The next thing you'll likely notice is the price. Both companies have decided to adopt what has become the standard pricing plan for Internet service: $19.95 a month for unlimited access. Previously, Prodigy charged $9.95 a month for five hours and $2.95 for every extra hour. MSN charged $4.95 for three hours and $2.50 for every extra hour.

That's a big change. AOL charges $19.95 a month for 20 hours of service, although most of its subscribers pay $9.95 a month for five hours and $2.95 per every hour thereafter.

There has been no specific response from AOL yet, although the chief executive officer, Steve Case, did say recently that the company constantly experiments with pricing in an effort to offer the most value to subscribers.

But the biggest changes are in what you can do on-line. Both companies are coming up with loads of new content intended to keep you entertained. Here's a rundown:

MSN. A near total revamp of content is in store for MSN's 1.6 million subscribers.

MSN will collect all of its programming choices in an area called OnStage, which will be divided into six ``channels.'' Each of the channels will open up with a series of ``Fall '96 shows,'' or Web sites.

MSN 1, for example, will contain the MSNBC Web site, a companion to the 24-hour news service by the same name. MSN 2, will contain several entertainment-oriented sites, such as Star Trek: The Continuum and Entertainment Tonight Online.

MSN 3 will be oriented toward history, science and the arts with Web sites such as Slate - edited by commentator Michael Kinsley - and Mungo Park, an on-line travelogue site.

The other channels will be divided along topics like health and fitness, fashion and teen entertainment.

MSN's Web address: http://www.msn.com

Prodigy plans to build on some of the changes it has already made to its service. For example, it is beefing up its offerings to various ``Interest Groups'' that offer subscribers pointers to various sites on the Internet.

It also plans to expand its Chat Soup Web site, which has become a prime way to keep track of on-line celebrity chats.

Prodigy's Web address: http://www.prodigy.com