Meet the Class of 2018
By Jim Faircloth
Looking over the 2018 class of inductees into the Cable TV Pioneers, the word that emerges for Jim Faircloth is just that: “class.”
Faircloth, the longtime cable industry operations executive who is Executive Director of the Cable TV Pioneers, says the 25 individuals who will be inducted this autumn in Atlanta represent many of the best qualities of the industry: determination, innovation, commitment to their craft and of course — given that we’re talking about the cable industry here — perseverance.
Faircloth sees the industry’s breadth reflected in the varied disciplines the 2018 Pioneers class represents. The individuals listed below come from just about every corner of the industry: advertising, operations, programming, technology, public relations and other disciplines. The common characteristic is an enduring contribution to the growth of an industry that has always prized the people who make it all work.
“It’s just always been that way,” says Faircloth. “Even during the franchising years, there has always been so much camaraderie and friendship among leaders of this industry.”
Faircloth, a former rock & roll deejay, has no illusions about filling the void left by the June 2018 passing of his good friend, the late Pioneers leader Les Read, whose room-filling baritone voice was a fixture of many a Pioneers dinner. But he says Read’s tradition for welcoming inductees with a sense of pride and admiration — along with a few telling anecdotes — lives on. “Our industry has given so much to the American culture,” Faircloth says. “We’re here to celebrate that.”
With that, we’re privileged to present the Cable Pioneers Class of 2018:
Judi Allen Nielsen
David Baldwin HBO/STARZ
Michael Bates Comcast Corporation
Jeff Baumgartner Multichannel News
Larry Beauchamp Comcast Corporation
Jane Bulman* Comcast Corporation
Craig Cuttner HBO
Chris Ewing CommScope
Hank Fore* Comcast Corporation
Fred Kaiser Alpha Technologies
Holly Leff-Pressman Screen Engine/ASI
Vicki Lins CTAM
Guy McCormick Cox Communications
Glyndell Moore* Storer/Summit Cable
Andy Parrott Altice
Enrique Yamun Robles Megacable
Fred Rogers* Quality RF
Tom Rogers WinView
Arthur Sando Sando Communications
Rob Shema American Cable Association
Tony Speller Comcast Corporation
Curtis Symonds Symonds Synergy Group
Shawn Tylka Cisco
Steve Williams Williams Communications
David Zaslav Discovery Inc.
*Retired
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Jim Faircloth
Executive Director,
Cable TV Pioneers
Jim Faircloth is a veteran of more than 50 years in broadcasting, cable television operations and industry financial consulting. Jim held senior management positions with Storer Broadcasting, Millicom S.A., USA Media Group and HPC Puckett & Company. Jim was named to the Cable TV Pioneers in 1989 and was honored with induction into the Arizona Cable Television Hall of Fame in 1999. He has served on the Pioneers managing Board since 1996, was Chairman of the Board from 2008 – 2011 and was named Executive Director in 2016.
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