Corporate Foes to Co-Chair NCTA Confab
August 17, 2006 4:09 PM
Remember several years ago when Cox Communications and ESPN took their dispute over rate hikes straight to Washington, D.C., in a very public and ugly forum?
One cable wag who reminded me about that imbroglio—which the NCTA was mortified about—found it humorous and odd that the trade association has just named George Bodenheimer, who is co-chairman of Disney Media Networks and president of both ESPN and ABC Sports (talk about title bloat), and Cox Communications President Pat Esser as co-chairs of the association’s annual convention.
That same wag also took a jab at the convention’s new name, The Cable Show. “How retro is that,” he asks, pointing out that years ago the association changed its name to the National Cable & Telecommunications Association to reflect the industry’s expansion into Internet and phone.
And here’s a Paskowski prediction: Don’t expect to see any general sessions on the state of programmer/operator relations, or everyone will wind up back in the Beltway pointing fingers, arguing why cable prices are so high. Hopefully what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, where the newly christened Cable Show convenes May 7-9, 2007.
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Comments (5)
The cable wag!
Posted by Liana Hawes | August 17, 2006 4:29 PM
this a response per Marianne
Posted by Liana Hawes | August 17, 2006 4:29 PM
Yes it looks as though "cable" is back in now. Traditionally our industry has not been very successful with consumers when naming and referring to its products and services; why should anyone expect us to do better in how we refer to our own business? One now-extinct MSO of yore (NOT TCI, by the way) pushed the term "broadband" to the point of new-ageish obnoxiousness. Sometimes simpler is better - even if it's a little "retro". Now that the cable operators are widley known for selling more than video, perhaps people are ready accept a broader meaning of the term. Everything old is new again!!
Posted by Lela Cocoros | August 17, 2006 5:04 PM
Marianne,
Great blog.
Bob D.
Posted by R DeAngelis | August 17, 2006 5:42 PM
Yo Lela,
Are you saying "cable" is retro chic? You've been in this biz longer than me, and maybe "cable" is a better word than "national" which says nothing. Now that cable is where it is, how about the "triple play" or moving forward "foreplay," a little pun on words. But I jest. Thanks for your always valuable insight.
m
Posted by Marianne Paskowski | August 17, 2006 6:12 PM