Honoring the Past, Looking Ahead
by K.C. Neel -- Multichannel News, 10/12/2008 6:00:00 PM MT
When the Cable Center broke ground on its shiny new headquarters on the University of Denver campus in 2001 as an independent and non-profit institution, it was determined that the Center be more than just a dusty, old monument to the past.
The Cable Center, rather, has focused on the industry's storied past, as well as its colorful and smart pioneers, and it provides training and information to the educational community, the cable industry and the public. To be sure, it's taken a while for the Center to reach its stride, but now that it has, things are running rather smoothly, according to Cable Center CEO Larry Satkowiak.
The Center is certainly a repository of the industry's past, but it's also firmly focused on the future. Satkowiak admitted that the original vision of the Center might have been a tad “too ambitious at first.” The Cable Center needed to ask itself what was important to the cable industry, not what was important to the Cable Center, Satkowiak said.
Cable Center chairman Michael Willner, who also serves as Insight Communications' CEO and is being inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame this year, was one of those executives who was unclear about what the Cable Center was supposed to be. That is until a couple of years ago, when the previous board decided to redefine the Center's mission and hired Satkowiak.
“As part of a larger contribution, it's a good idea to understand the history of the industry,” Willner said. “But I felt the Center needed to also focus on things that actively contribute to the industry today. It's important to offer educational services to people. For instance, I'd like to see us tackle the advantages of customer service and go beyond rates and basic customer service standards against not only ourselves, but other industries as well. We can't be all things to all people. We want to do a few things, and do them well for both the industry and the country.”
Today, the Cable Center offers course training on accounting and finance for operations managers, cable business fundamentals, critical skills for operations managers, customer experience management and cable technology essentials.
The Center also focuses on college students with its distance learning program and Maverick speaker series, which places various industry leaders in front of students at a number of colleges and universities. For example, Jennifer Caserta, executive vice president and general manager of IFC spoke to Hunter College students on Sept. 25. Similarly, A&E Television Networks' CEO emeritus Nick Davatzes and senior vice president of production services Bill Harris are scheduled to speak to St. John's University students on Oct. 21. Several other events are scheduled throughout the year.
Cable leaders will convene in Denver on Oct. 16 to pay homage to six of their brethren for their exceptional contributions to the industry as part of the Cable Center's 11th Hall of Fame celebration. In addition to Willner, those being honored this year include Geoerge Bodenheimer, president of ESPN/ABC Sports and co-chairman of Disney Media Networks; Richard Green, CEO of CableLabs; Ray Joslin, founder and former president of Hearst Entertainment & Syndication; Susan Packard, president of brand outreach for Scripps Networks; and Hub Schlafly, former president of TelePrompTer.
Moreover, the Cable Center will introduce a new, permanent Hall of Fame exhibit on the second floor of its headquarters. While the Center has always stored and even displayed cable industry memorabilia, oral histories and technology-centric equipment, this is the first permanent exhibit for the Cable Center.
“The Hall of Fame reminds me of the value of the relationships we have built between the programmers and the operators over the years,” said Packard, who also serves as a member of the executive committee of the Cable Center board. “This business was built on relationships and the Hall of Fame is a testament to that.”
Packard believes that as the industry grows, it needs to provide an institutional and historical perspective to workers who are new to the industry and the Hall of Fame and Cable Center fills those niches.
“As a programmer, I want to make sure the people I hire understand how the content they are creating gets onto the TV screen and Internet,” Packard said. “They need to know how the industry grows up so they understand where it is going. I am honored to be recognized by my peers.”
To be sure, the cable industry is made of some very colorful and interesting personalities, said Bob Miron, chairman and CEO of Advance/Newhouse Communications and vice chairman of the Cable Center. The emphasis on entrepreneurship helped the industry really take off and in many meaningful ways.
“It'd be shame to lose that history,” he said. “I am a bridge between the past and future, and at this point there aren't many of us left. The Cable Hall of Fame is no different than going to Cooperstown [N.Y.] to see the Baseball Hall of Fame. We didn't have performers, per se, but the cable industry did have a lot to do with shaping America and our influence around the world has had a significant impact. You don't see it as much with companies today, but at one point most cable companies were driven by real personalities and it was the sheer will of those personalities that built this industry. They took risks and they took the industry where it is today. We need to remember that.”
The Hall of Fame honorees serve as role models and inspiration for college students wanting to get into the cable business, as well as people already employed within the industry, Satkowiak said.
“The Hall of Fame exhibit will help people understand how the pioneers of this business made the industry what it is today,” he said. “They represent the best of American business. Over 100,000 people visit the Cable Center each year. This exhibit is the perfect vehicle for delivering that message.”
The Cable Center created this year a Hall of Fame Honorary Committee, which will be headed by Rainbow Media Holdings president and CEO Josh Sapan. The committee is made up of 13 industry veterans who will serve as official ambassadors during the Hall of Fame event being held Oct. 16.
“I'm honored to serve as the chair of the Cable Hall of Fame Honoree Committee,” Sapan said in a prepared statement. “This opportunity offers me and my fellow committee members the chance to put forth a meaningful effort on behalf of The Cable Center. I look forward to working closely with my esteemed committee fellows to develop a successful Cable Hall of Fame event.”
Celebrating 10 Years of Honoring Excellence
10/07/2007Staying True to the Mission
10/07/2007Cable Center Names Six To Hall Of Fame
04/15/2008'A Nice Guy Who Finished First’
10/05/2007Putting Non-Profit Skills to the Test
10/05/2007
