'Telling Cable’s Story’
A Conversation with Lynn Yaeger
By Craig Kuhl -- Multichannel News, 11/11/2007 7:00:00 PM
After 27 years as one of the cable industry’s leading advocates and mentors, Lynn Yaeger will be leaving the industry at year’s end. Multichannel News contributor Craig Kuhl talked with Yaeger about her career, how the industry has changed through the years and what’s next for her personally. An edited transcript follows:
MCN: What has been the most satisfying part of your career?
Lynn Yaeger: First, it was entering an industry that was full of opportunity. The sky was really the limit.
Over time, however, what really stays with me is the people I’ve come in contact with along the way. I’ve had the chance to learn from some of the best people in the industry and formed some wonderful friendships.
This is the most collegial industry I know of, and I believe that is one of the reasons for our success. So, for me it’s all about the people.
MCN: What would you like to be remembered for most?
LY: Well, first, I’m not done, so hopefully there is much more to add to the list. But as far as my cable career, I hope people think I made a contribution, that I was a good team player and that over time I brought some new level of thinking to the game — especially in the public-affairs arena.
When I first entered the industry it had mainly a technical focus. Then came marketing during the “truck chasers” era and public affairs didn’t even register in any corporate office.
My early contribution to cable was using my political experience to develop local franchising strategies and garner favorable votes. After that, we entered the franchise renewal period and it became clear to me that to get a franchise renewal on favorable terms, it helped if the company had a good local image, was liked by its customers and community leaders and was perceived by the media as a responsible local business.
It was a great opportunity back then to establish this new discipline and show our executives how important it was to the future of the business. Public affairs eventually became the heart and soul of the industry, and I feel fortunate to have been a part of making that happen.
MCN: What have been the most significant changes in the cable industry during your career?
LY: There have been so many. I started in cable in the late 1970s and back then no one really knew what cable was, much less its potential.
In the franchising days, we were promising something like 70 channels of television. Then we went to dual cable with upwards of 150 channels. People couldn’t even imagine there could be so many channels, and what seemed like crazy ideas became reality today.
So, to see us offering high definition, [video on demand], high-speed data and telephone is truly amazing. I never could have believed we’d be able to “start over” live TV. It’s been so much fun to be a part of an industry that is so creative, innovative and entrepreneurial.
MCN: What advice would you give to women entering cable?
LY: My first suggestion would be to learn as much as you can about all aspects of the business. While your initial expertise may focus on one function, it is important to reach beyond it, so you don’t get pigeonholed.
I think it is very important to get involved in initiatives and efforts that are critical to your company, even when they don’t necessarily fit your profile.
But your contribution will be limited unless you know the business. Then, I encourage you to raise your hand and volunteer to work on special projects. Believe me, over time your contributions will be noticed. This is important for women, especially those on the operating side, where there are many non-traditional opportunities for career advancement.
MCN: How has your association with Women in Cable Telecommunications helped your career?
LY: Throughout my career, I have been able to participate at different levels in WICT, beginning with attending leadership conferences and graduating to serving on the Board of Directors, the Foundation Board and the Strategic Review Committee.
I have been enriched by those experiences — both personally and professionally. Actually, I was a late bloomer when it came to understanding the value of women’s organizations.
Early on, I was focused on my career and working hard, and the industry was largely an all-male fraternity. So, I didn’t reach out for female mentoring or guidance and instead stubbed my toes and stumbled along the way.
Knowing now how much you can learn from people going through the same things you are and how comforting it is to have that network would have saved a lot of stress. Thankfully, I figured it out and am so grateful for the good friends I have made.
Professionally, my involvement in WICT allowed me to further develop important business skills like leadership, strategic planning and consensus building. Given a chance to rewind my career, I would have gotten more involved with WICT earlier and enjoyed the benefits it offers along the way.
MCN: What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome as a professional in the industry?
LY: Wow, where do I start? With 27-plus years in the industry, I’ve encountered many challenges. I think of retransmission consent, rate regulation, poor public image, customer service problems, outages and so many more. Each had its own set of circumstances and proved to be challenging in different ways.
But I think the biggest challenge has been, and continues to be, telling cable’s story in a way that has real positive impact on the business. As we all know, controversy is usually what makes news. In a young but growing consumer business that is heavily regulated, controversy was more the norm regardless of where it came from. So, it has always been a challenge to get out the good news and manage the bad.
MCN: Now that you are retiring from the cable industry, what’s next for Lynn Yaeger?
LY: What’s next for me initially is no plans. It seems we all live every day with a check list and I’m looking forward to taking it as it comes for awhile. I will continue to advise [Time Warner Cable CEO] Glenn Britt and Time Warner Cable for 2008, mostly on political matters. And my husband and I have a shared interest in community service. We both want to get personally involved in some of the non-profits that we care so much about.
Of course, I have been making a list of things to do once I have the time. Beyond that, I’ll see what happens. I have only excitement about the future and whatever it holds.
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