On the Vanguard of Cable Leadership
Glenn Britt and Judy McGrath lead the list of NCTA’s 2006 Vanguard Award winners.
By Simon Applebaum
Time Warner Cable’s Glenn Britt and MTV Networks’ Judy McGrath will headline this year’s Vanguard Awards ceremony and reception, April 10, 4:45 p.m., in Hall B1 of The Georgia World Congress Center. britt and mcgrath will receive Distinguished Leadership awards, given yearly to those who have consistently demonstrated the highest level of cable industry leadership. In all, nine executives will receive Vanguards. The awards were started in 1965 to recognize “individuals whose accomplishments merit the recognition of the entire cable industry.” Insight Communications vice chairman and CEO Michael Willner is chairman of this year’s NCTA Vanguard Awards Committee.
THE 2006 HONOREES: DISTINGUISHED LEADERSHIP AWARDS
JUDY McGRATH
CHAIRMAN & CEO
MTV NETWORKS
MTV has gone from a groundbreaking channel in 1981 to a lineup of groundbreaking channels worldwide. McGrath’s motto these days: Digital and diversity rule. On the digital side, MTV Networks is developing original content for mobile devices; concerning diversity, MTV’s launched Logo, Tempo and two MTV World nets for Asian-Americans. McGrath’s innovations extend to some of cable’s best pro-social campaigns, including MTV’s Choose or Lose voter registration drive and VH1’s AIDS awareness/testing projects.
GLENN BRITT
PRESIDENT & CEO
TIME WARNER CABLE
In his five-year run as CEO, Britt has led Time Warner Cable’s transformation of its high-speed Internet and digital telephony products into mainstream consumer services, while launching an interactive TV agenda that has at least one project running at each system, from eBay on TV to Start Over. NCTA is also recognizing Britt for his championing of diversity and for advocating the OCAP standard for ITV as chairman of CableLabs’ board of directors.
CABLE OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
ERIC BROWN
WESTERN DIVISION OPERATIONS SVP
CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS
Under Brown and his passionate leadership, Charter systems in California and along the West Coast have excelled in public outreach. Charter has launched such innovative efforts as “Enough Is Enough,” a local programming marathon to eliminate street gangs in Long Beach. The city was so impressed with “Enough” that it presented Charter with its first-ever community recognition award.
PROGRAMMERS
HENRY SCHLEIFF
CHAIRMAN & CEO
COURT TV
If there were a Vanguard Award for the most press-friendly cable CEO, Schleiff, as affable and reachable as a cable executive gets, would win hands down. Schleiff is known for his advocacy of a more open American justice system, from permitting live coverage of Supreme Court oral arguments to upholding free speech rights for reporters. NCTA is honoring him for his advocacy and for building Court TV into cable’s national home for trials, crime deduction and forensic investigation.
YOUNG LEADERSHIP
KATHRYN FALK
VP, PUBLIC & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
COX NORTHERN VIRGINIA
Falk first demonstrated her leadership skills when, as president of the Virginia Cable TV Association from 1997-2002, she spearheaded well-lauded association projects, including a statewide voter education drive conducted through member operators. Her interpersonal skills have helped burnish Cox’s reputation with legislators in the Washington, D.C., service area, despite competition from DBS and Verizon.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
MIKE LaJOIE
CTO
TIME WARNER CABLE
A key architect of Time Warner’s Full Service Network a decade ago, LaJoie now focuses on a new generation of interactive TV services. Under LaJoie, caller ID on the TV set is going national, and other local ITV efforts will come soon. LaJoie also led Time Warner in the Next Generation Network Architecture initiative, co-organized with Comcast and Cox in 2004.
ASSOCIATES & AFFILIATES
PAUL GLIST
PARTNER
COLE, RAYWID & BRAVERMAN LLP
Glist handles cable’s thorny public policy and technology issues. As legal consultant to NCTA, CableLabs and several MSOs, he’s instrumental in bringing association presentations before Congress and the FCC, and crafts positions for NCTA on proposed legislation and rulemaking. Glist has played a pivotal role in the ongoing plug-and-play negotiations with the consumer electronics industry.
GOVERNMENT & COMMUNITY RELATIONS
ALEXANDER NETCHVOLODOFF
SVP, PUBLIC POLICY
COX ENTERPRISES
Those in the know say Netchvolodoff is as responsible for cable’s reputation with national policy makers as anyone. Netchvolodoff, the former chief of staff to former Sen. John Danforth (R-MO), has earned kudos for the way he builds consensus on the toughest issues.
MARKETING
DAVE WATSON
EVP, OPERATIONS
COMCAST CABLE
The title may say operations, but when Watson gets down to business, he’s all about raising Comcast’s profile through catchy, clutter-breaking marketing. Watson’s “Comcastic” and “That was then, this is Comcast” campaigns are generating positive public buzz. Watson chaired last summer’s CTAM Summit, which set an attendance record right in his company’s Philadelphia backyard.
[Copyright 2006 Access Intelligence, LLC. All rights reserved.]
COPYRIGHT 2006 Access Intelligence, LLC
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
