CTAM Summit 2009: If You Plan to Visit: The Cable Center
Denver Facility Celebrates Industry's Legacy, Present
by KC Neel -- Multichannel News, 10/24/2009 7:54:06 PM
Denver — Click here fore more coverage of CTAM Summit 2009
There is plenty here to keep cable executives busy this week, but it's worth your while to carve out some time to visit The Cable Center.
The Cable Center, adjacent to the University of Denver, is offering tours twice daily during Cable Connection-Fall.
Located adjacent to the University
of Denver, The Cable Center is not
only a repository of the past, it is also part of the cutting edge of what the
industry is today and what it can be in the future.
Although The Cable Center dropped the word "museum" from its name several years ago, the facility does boast an extensive collection of historic memorabilia about the industry and its development over the past 60 years. At the same time, the center and its myriad programs use and promote state-of-the-art technology to advance its mission and tell cable's story.
The Cable Center is offering tours twice daily this week. Executives are urging people to call and sign up for a tour, but walk-ins are welcome as well.
The tour is split between information about the center and the history of the cable television industry.
Just about every room and exhibit has a name attached to it: Daniels Great Hall (for Bill Daniels); George J. Barco and Yolanda G. Barco Library; Rogers Amphitheater (Ted Rogers); Hauser Oral and Video History Collection (Gustave Hauser), among many others. The extensive offerings owe their existence to the institution's ongoing fund-raising efforts. The Cable Center's various endowments totaled $26,730,046 at the end of 2008.
Upon entering the main lobby, known as the Daniels Great Hall, visitors are greeted by a 24-by-15-foot wall of 44 TV monitors showcasing various programs offered today.
The Barco Library contains a number of special collections. The center is digitizing its extensive photo library and is preparing to put many of those photos on its Web site, CEO Larry Satkowiak said. Online visitors will soon be able to view low-resolution photos and buy high-res photos for reprint.
One of the most asked-about objects in the library is a bronze sculpture of a man reading a book, relaxed, with one foot propped up on a table. The statue, called Life Through a Window, was donated by Bev Harms of Communications Equity Associates and is dedicated to people in the cable industry who have passed away before their prime; it was created in memory of her son, Mike, who was killed in a car accident.
Mike sold cable subscriptions door-to-door when he was in high school, and in college he had an internship with HBO.
The light above the statue is on at night, allowing students to see the subject "studying" as they pass by the back of the building. It gets a lot of second looks, Satkowiak said.
The Hendricks Cable Telecommunications Heritage History exhibit (John Hendricks), also located in the Barco Library, provides visitors with an interactive digital experience featuring highlights from cable's storied past. The exhibit includes video vignettes on a broad range of topics, including cable's history, industry icons, programming and regulation.
The Media Center, located off the main hall, features three stations showcasing aspects of the industry's program offerings: news and technology, commerce, and entertainment. Some 40 TV monitors play two- to three-minute information reels on each topic.
When the Media Center was created eight years ago, the DVD players for each TV monitor cost $600 and frequently broke down, Satkowiak said. But technological advancements have allowed the Cable Center to replace these units for about $40 apiece, reviving the Media Center's relevance.
Although the Media Center is in a transitional phase, it will be open during Cable Connections week. Satkowiak declined to spill the beans on the ongoing plans to rejuvenate the Media Center.
The second floor of the Center features several displays, including an exhibit showcasing Cable Pioneers, The Loyal Order of the 704 Technology Exhibit and the Cable Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame exhibit was unveiled in 2008 and includes photos and synopses of past winners' contributions to the cable industry.
The Loyal Order of the 704 is a group of cable engineers who meet regularly to mingle and discuss cable issues. The group, which has donated generously to the Cable Center in the past, is named after the Jerrold 704 Field System Monitor, a bulky piece of equipment that operators had to lug up a telephone pole to monitor signal strength in the early days of the business. One of the original models is prominently displayed within the exhibit.
Last year, the Center also built the Hub Lounge, a place where visitors can unwind, watch TV or surf the Web. The atmosphere is hip but relaxing. It is sponsored by the myriad state cable associations around the country.
The second floor is also home to the Distance Learning studio and headend. The studio is used by University of Denver students participating in the Distant Learning program sponsored by C-SPAN and cable legend Amos Hostetter.
The lower level highlights the technological evolution of the industry. Amplifiers, converters, cameras and all other sorts of equipment are cataloged in the large room.
Satkowiak's favorite piece of equipment is a wall of weather dials, an old weather vane and a camera that operators used to create a "weather channel" before The Weather Channel was even a glimmer in the eyes of John Coleman and Frank Batten.
"Operators would take this panel of dials, weather vane and camera and put it on top of their building. The dials would indicate weather patterns determined by the weather vane, and the camera would pan from one dial to the other," Satkowiak explained.
Other technological marvels include the coffee-can amplifier. In the early days of the industry, operators often found it was easier or necessary to build their own equipment to deliver signals to consumers. The coffee-can amplifier was one such device. Operators would slice open a coffee can, insert the electronics inside, close it back up and put it on the pole.
The coffee-can amp at The Cable Center was finally retired in the early 1990s, Satkowiak said.Cable Center Library Seeks Donations
05/12/2008The Cable Center: Leaner, but Flourishing
10/24/2009O'Brien to Leave Cable Center
12/20/2002Honoring the Past, Looking Ahead
10/24/2009Services for David Willis Set For Wednesday
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