ACC Bestows TWC's East, Suddenlink's Cunningham With Achievement Awards

Veteran Communicators Will Be Honored At ACC Forum In Denver

MCN Staff -- Multichannel News, 10/15/2009 12:37:43 PM

Time Warner Cable's Ellen East and Suddenlink Communications' Maryce Cunningham are the winners of the Association of Cable Communicators sixth annual achievement awards.
The Cable Communications Achievement Award recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions within cable communications and to ACC.
The awards will be presented to Cunningham, mid South regional manager of community and government relations, at Suddenlink, and East, executive vice president and chief communications officer, at Time Warner Cable, on Oct. 27 in the Colorado Convention Center in Denver during ACC's Forum 2009 conference, "Communicating Cable 3.0: People, Products & Value."
A communications professional with 25 years experience in the cable and telecommunications industry, Cunningham works closely with Louisiana and Arkansas cable systems to promote and publicize their activities; to assist in their relations with franchise authorities and local press; and to position them as the broadband leaders in their areas. She also monitors the activities of the local and state governments and maintains company dealings with the federal, state, and local elected officials. Moreover, the veteran created, produces, and hosts Suddenlink's Community Connections TV, a locally produced, community service TV program that offers elected officials and community leaders a forum to address and inform their constituents.
For her part, East provides TWC with strategic counsel on companywide public relations, corporate communications and industry affairs. She oversees a staff responsible for national media relations, issues management, product communication, public policy communication, employee and leadership communication, community relations and corporate philanthropy. To ensure the company's 47,000 employees are informed and engaged as the operator faces unprecedented competition during this economic downturn, she and her team launched a new intranet site, Channel You. She has also championed an increased focus on digital communications, recognizing the unprecedented influence of blogs, social media and other digital tools.
"This year's Cable Communications Achievement Award winners, Maryce Cunningham and Ellen East, are outstanding leaders who believe and understand that tactical and highly focused communications and public affairs campaigns are critical components to achieving their respective company's strategic objectives and can provide financial dividends as well," said ACC executive director Steve Jones in a statement. "Their experience, community involvement and never ending drive to succeed, have helped advance the role of cable communicators within their companies and the industry."