masthead INTRODUCTION
editorial
executive editor, CableFAX Daily
Michael Grebb, 301.354.1790
mgrebb@accessintel.com
michael_grebb
editor-in-chief, CableFAX Daily
Amy Maclean, 301.354.1760
amaclean@accessintel.com
associate editor, CableFAX Daily
Chad Heiges, 301.354.1828
cheiges@accessintel.com
Use the Force!
asst. vp, editorial director
Seth K. Arenstein, 301.354.1782
sarenstein@accessintel.com
industry consultant
Paul Maxwell, maxfax@mediabiz.com
writers
Seth Arenstein, Michael Grebb, Chad
Heiges, Amy Maclean, Cathy Applefeld
Olson
design/production
senior graphic designer
Vince Lim
301.354.1680, vlim@accessintel.com
Joanne Moran
301.354.1442, jmoran@accessintel.com
senior art director
Mark Cavich
301.354.1679, mcavich@accessintel.com
senior production manager
Joann M. Fato
advertising/business
vice president & group publisher
Diane Schwartz
212.621.4964
dschwartz@accessintel.com
Debbie Vodenos, publisher
301.602.5729
DVodenos@accessintel.com
Erica Gottlieb, account manager
212.621.4612
egottlieb@accessintel.com
reprints
client services, 800.777.5006
marketing
marketing manager
Doreen Price
301.354.1793, dprice@accessintel.com
A long, long time ago at a cheap Italian restaurant near CableFAX’s headquar-ters… Paul Maxwell and I were talking about the resurgence of John Malone
and the irony that his “Darth Vader” moniker might now be applied to the
very cable industry with which he plans to compete using Direc TV as a Death
Star. It just seemed right to make Malone the number one 100 pick this year.
Of course, I ended up taking the Star Wars analogy a bit too far by adopting it
as a theme for the entire top 5 players on the list. But cut me some slack: I was
seven years old when the first Star Wars came out and still have all my action
figures. Also remember that it’s the 30th anniversary of the culture-changing
phenomenon that George Lucas created (let’s just all try to forget about that
1978 holiday TV special and move on). But Kyle McSlarrow as Obi-Wan?
Anne Sweeney as Princess Leia? Isn't that a bit of a stretch? Sure, but this stuff
is supposed to be fun, right?
Other than the Star Wars-ification of the Top Five, the list is pretty traditional
this year. No sections. No crazy themes. We just wanted to make our best attempt
to rank the most influential people in cable—whether their competencies covered
distribution, programming, technology or something else entirely. As always,
there’s no real science to this. There’s no right or wrong way to rank such a multi-talented group of Type-A overachievers. And we simply can’t get everyone we
would like on the list. We just do our best. But in the end, I make the final decisions and therefore deserve any ire you want to throw my way. But if you get too
angry, I will accuse you of succumbing to the Dark Side. Be a Jedi, not a Sith… ok?
Meanwhile, I was heartened by the participation we received this year from
our heavy hitters. They answered our occasionally goofy questionnaires (with
occasionally goofy answers). Many sent in candid shots of themselves. And of
course, they continued to impress us all with their continued ability to prosper
despite massive competition. Whether it’s MSOs facing off with the telcos
and DBS guys, or programmers thriving despite a glut of content choices for
consumers, cable continues to grow. And even as Wall Street’s nasty mood of
the last few months beats down cable shares on every front, the industry keeps
moving forward.
On a final note, I want to thank the PR folks who were so helpful in rounding up questionnaires and photos, and generally making sure that nothing
fell through the cracks. If we had to track down these busy Masters of the
Universe on our own, we would be in serious trouble. With that, I bid you all
farewell. And until next year… (I’ve always wanted to sign off a column this
way)… May the Force be with you.
circulation
circulation manager, Sarah Garwood
corporate
ceo Donald A. Pazour
cfo Ed Pinedo
evp, hr & administration Macy L. Fecto
divisional president Paul McPherson
vp, production Michael Kraus
vp, circulation Sylvia Sierra
svp, chief tech officer Robert Paciorek
BONUS ALERT: Because space is so tight in this book, the editors had
to make some severe edits. Please go to www.cablefax.com to see more
complete write-ups and full answers to the questionnaires. These are sure
to provide nuggets to help break the ice the next time you run into one of
these important folks.
sales and editorial offices
CableFAX Magazine
301.354.2000, Fax 301.738.8453
www.cablefax.com
PLEASE NOTE: Keep in mind that we asked our programming execs to list
their favorite shows that are NOT on their networks. That's why it appears
that so many programmers covet shows on other networks.
