We celebrate the 20th anniversary CableFAX’s Mission
of CableFAX Daily with pride, free- CableFAX is cable’s town crier—it
ly acknowledging its role as the best informs, gossips and entertains. e
source of daily news about cable, editorial mission, as Paul conceived it, is
even if it might seem that we’re simple: “Cable first and foremost. News
breaking our arm to pat ourselves about the industry, for the industry, by
on the back. the industry.”
Yet nearly all of us in the media—trade And, it can’t be stressed enough,
and consumer—have been part of at least delivering that news succinctly. “I think
one project that flamed out. So when the Daily is best thought of as a briefing
something works, continues to be a valuable sheet,” says CableFAX editorial director
editorial product and has a bright future, Seth Arenstein. Adds the Daily’s editor-
we have to salute it. We also must be thank- in-chief Amy Maclean, “We’re proud that
ful for the loyalty of our readers and the many executives say it’s their first read.
e ort of the editors and reporters who have We aim to keep it that way.”
produced this trusted daily for two decades. Arenstein began editing the Daily in the
We’ll admit that CableFAX Daily is late ’90s, and it was his goal to cram in as
showing its age in one area: its name. What much news as possible, keeping the write-the hell is a“FAX”? Maybe one of the old- ups down to the level of a haiku.
timers around here knows. Anyway, a name “Of course, I had to get used to
change was briefly considered not long ago, writing short,” Seth says. “I remember
but why bother? e name “CableFAX the first item I wrote for the Daily. I
Daily” is synonymous with timely reporting thought I had written it tight. My first
and sharp writing, not to mention extreme draft was more than 300 words, but
brevity and low-key levity. CABLE COWBOY: CableFAX Daily in those days the entire news hole was
It started as a daily newsletter that was founder Paul Maxwell (in cowboy hat, about 800 words, so it was way too big.”
actually faxed to subscribers, and now is read top) and with BlueHighways TV’s Stan How long did it take Arenstein to learn
as a PDF e-mailed to subscribers. From the Hitchcock (center) and Frank Auman, to write short? “After 12 years, I’m still
beginning it challenged the trade rags’ weekly says the Daily’s mission remains the learning,” he says.
news cycle. In that sense it anticipated the same: “Taking cable’s pulse and e publication also is known for
pressure so-called 24/7 Web news reporting reflecting it in the coverage.” analysis and just a bit of attitude, often
(and Web news cannibalization) would exert pro-cable but not always. “We tell the
on traditional news media. So when the that Multi was another of Paul’s ideas, truth, pleasant or not,” says CableFAX
Web media age hit full force, the Daily was that one coming in 1980.) Daily executive editor Michael Grebb.
more than ready. CableFAX— 20 years ago, “ Well, we were stumped,” Paul says. “Our readers expect no less.”
and today—is nimble enough to cover the “But way back in the Multi days I had It also took awhile for Arenstein, who
most important cable news as it occurs. And, created a show daily that was simply trained as a Pentagon and White House
unlike most blogs and me-too sites, it reports short news bits—cheaper to produce, reporter, to get accustomed to cover-
that news straight from the source. but just as expensive in which to adver- ing cable’s births, marriages, parties and
tise. So I was musing about that when human-interest items. “Now with the
Levine took out a fax with some com- Internet, everyone is writing these types
ments on it. Voila! Try a daily ‘fax’ news of stories and in an informal style. I guess
digest and charge—like cable networks we were blogging long before the word
(duh)—for both ads and subs.” had been invented.”
is format was simultaneously of its As Arenstein points out, CableFAX
time (the faxing element) and ahead of it anticipated blogs in its editorial style,
(the daily news briefs and original report- so in that sense it’s right in step with
ing), and found a receptive audience of the times. “I’m not sure it matters what
busy cable industry executives. age we are in,” says Seth. “ The Daily
In 1993, Paul sold CableFAX Daily to has a niche, providing news, commen-
PBI Media (now Access Intelligence), but tary, color and gossip in a brief and
its style of reporting endured—having entertaining way. I see no reason why
Paul remain with CableFAX as a colum- it should change its basic mission if it’s
nist may have something to do with this. still working after 20 years.”
Noodling at Boccolino’s
As many readers know, CableFAX Daily
is the brainchild of Paul Maxwell. In
1989, Paul was CEO of Summit Media,
which published Communications Technology, among other things.
One day, Paul and Communications
Technology publisher Paul Levine were
sitting at Boccolino’s, an Italian restaurant in Cherry Creek, Colo., lamenting
that they couldn’t directly compete with
Multichannel News because of the prohibitive cost of producing a daily newsmagazine. (It should probably be noted here
