Closing One Door and Opening Another
As I sit down to type out this issue’s “Preface” I think how lucky I have been to be publishing Broadband Library for 21 years. I am all grown up and so is our industry. I will not rehash my story of how I started in the cable industry in 1979 because I already told you that story in the 20th anniversary issue in fall 2016. But instead, I will tell how my story ends and let me tell you it is truly a happy ending!
By the time you read this I will have just celebrated my 65th birthday, and I know you all keep telling me I don’t look it! I can thank my 94 year old mother, Elaine Brown, for her incredible genes.
During SCTE·ISBE’s 2017 Cable-Tec Expo I attended the annual Cable TV Pioneers dinner. The event was so large that they had to split it into two ballrooms at the Brown Palace in Denver. The cocktail hour was wall to wall people laughing, exchanging stories and catching up on old times. Right then I understood the value of reconnecting with former clients and colleagues, most of whom had retired. And I thought to myself … hey, I think this is a sign. Please understand, I love what I do. But lately I have noticed that my friend “father time” is creeping up on me and there is more I want to accomplish in my personal life. I want to spend more time with my two darling grand-daughters Emily and Blake. Yes… Blake is a girl! But most importantly I want to really live carefree with my lifelong soul mate and husband, David, to whom I have been married for 40 years. You can’t truly enjoy family life when you are working full time, and with a perfectionist like me work can never be part-time.
So after looking around the room at all those familiar faces, I had an “aha” moment. It was time for this cable gal to retire. But how could I shut down Broadband Library and send it to Cable Heaven? My authors bring such incredible content to the publication. How could I let down SCTE·ISBE by taking away one of their best member benefits? A conundrum to say the least.
Another “aha” moment overtook me… I realized the best epilogue possible was the best beginning possible and his name is Jerry Lundwall and he is no stranger to our industry. Jerry has been working beside me as the designer and sales coordinator for Broadband Library for the last four years! Jerry made a name for himself in 1989 when he collaborated with Tom Southwick and Stewart Schley to create CableWorld, one of the most successful cable trade publications! Jerry has worked on design, publishing and marketing projects for more than 28 cable companies. I bet you didn’t know that Jerry and Stewart teamed up to bring you the inaugural issue of this publication in 1996. It would take pages to highlight all the talents of Jerry Lundwall, so I will just say what all my advertisers and authors have known for years… everyone who works with Jerry knows his expertise in producing quality and that is what this publication has been all about for the last 21 years.
The print edition will live on through Jerry, and the brilliance of Ron Hranac who will continue authoring “Primary Source” and editing every article to ensure technical accuracy. All of the other authors have agreed to continue each issue with their quarterly contributions. The new website, broadbandlibrary.com, will continue its efforts to provide the best content on-line by the people who actually work in the industry, sharing their knowledge and expertise to help all SCTE·ISBE members in their quest to be the very best they can be.
How lucky for you… my readers, the publication will not be retiring! Like the Phantom, I will be lurking around and watching this amazing industry evolve even more in the future. Now it is time to end this chapter and my 39-year career in trade publishing. I will still be the favorite librarian to Emily and Blake and hopefully more grand-children to come. Excuse me now while I look through my own home library choosing favorite books to share like Goodnight Moon and Madeline. I will borrow the famous last line of Miss Clavel in Madeline who ends her story like I’m ending mine.
“And she turned out the light—
and closed the door—
and that’s all there is—
there isn’t any more.”
Cathy Wilson, Publisher
A cable industry veteran of 39 years, Cathy is founder and 21 year publisher of Broadband Library, and recipient of the SCTE’s 1998 Chairman’s Award. She holds a B.A. and M.A. from Purdue University and the University of Arizona, respectively. Cathy is a member of the Cable TV Pioneers Class of 2000. She was honored in 2007 by NCTA with the prestigious Vanguard Award and was inducted into the SCTE Hall of Fame in September, 2016. Cathy was recently inducted into the SCTE•ISBE Circle of Eagles for her decades of service and leadership to the Society.
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