MCTV, a small cable operator based in Massillon, Ohio, said it has agreed to purchase tiny Bellaire Television Cable Co., another small operator in the state.

Bellare was founded in 1965 by Richard (Dick) Nowak and serves several hundred residents in Belmont County, Ohio. Terms of the deal, expected to close April 1, were not disclosed.

“Dick is one of the original ‘cable cowboys’ who undertook the massive task of building cable TV systems to bring cable television – and later Internet – to small-town, rural America back in the 1950’s and 60’s,” MCTV president Katherine Gessner said in a press release. “We are honored that he has entrusted us to continue the legacy he built. MCTV is excited for the opportunity to continue to serve his customers.”

MCTV, which was also founded in 1965, has primarily served communities in Stark and Wayne counties. In 2018, MCTV acquired systems serving four communities across the state.

“We have experience successfully managing Internet, cable TV and Phone networks in small and rural communities,” Gessner continued. “Bellaire and the surrounding areas are an excellent match to our expertise and exciting addition to MCTV.”

MCTV said it has been working with Bellaire over the past few months to improve the reliability of the system, including increasing Internet speeds to most customers. Other improvements will be made in the coming months. 

CHICAGO — Bridging the digital divide in small rural communities is still a top priority and one that can help operators drive sales growth even as video customers dwindle, a panel of top small cable CEOs said at The Independent Show’s Opening General Session.

“Providing that local connection, and not just driving the content of those customers, [is critical],” said Buckeye Broadband president and general manager Geoff Shook at the session titled Hot Topics, Cool Leaders. “Owning that relationship from the edge of the end user’s device all the way through the businesses.”

MCTV president Katherine Gessner added that just providing the service isn’t enough for success. Education is a key part of the puzzle.

Gessner told the audience that in MCTV’s initial moves to convert some newly acquired customers from fairly antiquated systems to fiber-to-the home, they were reluctant to switch, even though converting meant they would get data speeds four times faster than their old DSL service.

“They didn’t understand what you could do with it [higher speeds],” Gessner said. “We found out there was a waiting list for DSL. They didn’t want to switch because they were scared that if our service didn’t work they couldn’t go back.”

For Schurz Communications, president and CEO Todd Schurz said one solution has been to partner with other providers in building out broadband networks. Schurz is currently working with local governments, using some state grants in Vermont and Minnesota, working with telephone co-ops in Iowa, electric co-ops in Minnesota, and Native American nations in Minnesota and Arizona.

“What we have found, all of these are structured differently, there’s no one model that fits everything,” Schurz said. “But it’s something that everybody realizes they need to do.”

“If you can go to some of these local entities and say, ‘You don’t have to build a digital headend, you don’t have to worry about all of that infrastructure, and you can put your resources into upgrading the local network, and we will then take the handoff,’ that seems to work pretty well,” he said.

As the industry moves closer toward 5G wireless services, smaller operators are helping to lead the way. At Shentel, executive VP and chief operating officer David Heimbach said that while his company is moving forward on wireline initiatives like DOCSIS
3.1 — which should be completed by the end of the year — they are also making inroads with 5G.

Heimbach said Shentel is currently trialing a 5G service, but there is still plenty of time before that service becomes essential. Of the 5 billion discrete wireless customers worldwide, he said, only one-third are on a 4G network and only 15% of mobile customers are expected to have 5G by 2025.

“This has a long tail on it,” Heimbach said.

But small operators are forging ahead, building out their networks and providing state-of-the-art service to customers, largely funded by their own coffers.

Gessner said that although MCTV did look into obtaining federal grants to build its fiber network, it didn’t make sense in the long run. MCTV began overbuilding its network with fiber to the home in 2014 or 2015 and last year began acquiring a few small properties near its traditional territory. The upgrades have resulted in strong broadband growth, she said.

“We shut off the analog plant in the first system in November and went from 0% internet penetration to about 20% in about seven months,” Gessner said. “It really opened our eyes to the need for rural broadband.” 

MCTV said it has named Katherine Gessner president, taking the helm of the Massillon, Ohio-based cable operator after her father Robert Gessner retired on April 13.

Katherine Gessner represents the third generation of her family to lead MCTV, founded in 1965 by her late grandfather Richard (Dick) Gessner as Massillon Cable TV. The company changed its name to MCTV in 2013. 

Robert Gessner, who has been a prominent figure in the industry for decades, joined MCTV in 1979 to manage the introduction of satellite services. His duties expanded over the years to include oversight of all operations at the cable company and he was named president in 2002.

Related: The Cable Center: Oral Histories: Richard and Robert Gessner 

“Katherine, without a doubt, will continue to take MCTV to new heights in the industry,” Robert Gessner said in a press release. “She has already made an impact and is being recognized as an influential leader in the cable and Internet industry.”

Katherine joined MCTV in 2013 as the sales and marketing manager and has held several roles at MCTV — most recently vice president of strategic planning and policy — before being named president. She has an MBA from the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver and a background in management, business and strategic planning.

“I am endlessly grateful to have had the opportunity to work with and learn from my dad,” Katherine Gessner said in a press release. “He is generous with his wisdom and perspective and will continue to be an inspiration. It is humbling to step into his role and exciting to continue to build a bright future with such an incredible team. And don’t worry, my dad will continue to be a part of the MCTV family and surrounding communities, even during retirement.”

MCTV provides cable TV, phone, high-speed internet, security, TV advertising and dedicated fiber connection services to more than 50,000 homes and businesses in Stark, Wayne, Summit, Holmes, Tuscarawas, Jefferson and Columbiana counties in Ohio.  

“After 40 years driving the company forward, I have decided this is the right time for me personally and for the company, to transition to the next generation of leadership,” Robert Gessner said in the release. “I have seen enormous change in the telecommunications industry. I like to tell people that I am old, linear and analog and it is time for my highly-qualified, young, digital and distributive daughter Katherine to take the lead.”

Robert Gessner will remain active in the industry -- he is currently chairman of industry lobbying group America’s Communications Association (ACA) -- and has been recognized by local, state and national organizations for cable industry leadership, policy advocacy, community and economic development, and technology advances.

“Retiring now provides MCTV the best opportunity for our growing momentum to continue,” Gessner said. “I trust that with Katherine as the leader, MCTV and the MCTV family will continue turning my dreams, my father’s dreams and the Gessner family dreams into reality. It has been both my honor and privilege working with our team to create incredible memories and touch the lives of so many of our customers and community members.”