Latest from Next TV in Ralph-roberts

Roast of Vice’s Smith Shows Different Side of Media Bad Boy

MCN Staff — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 13:00:00 +0000

NEW YORK — It wasn’t high art, but as roasts go, the one for Vice Media founder and CEO Shane Smith during a fundraiser for the Center for Communications Nov. 18 briefly showed a different side of the notorious media bad boy, who was given the Center’s Frank Stanton Award for Excellence in Communication.

Stanton was president of CBS from 1946 to 1971, overseeing the network’s Golden Age for journalists like Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather. Roasts are notoriously di_ cult to do, and not every joke hit its mark — there were a lot about Smith’s weight and prodigious appetites: he reportedly spent $300,000 on a single dinner with friends in Las Vegas during the International CES in January.

But amid the Sex Pistols intro music (Smith’s favorite band) and the steady stream of F-bombs — even from so-called staid TV executives — former Viacom CEO and current Vice board member Tom Freston offered a peek at a side of Smith most don’t see.

Freston got one of the biggest laughs, reading a list of “poignant” late-night texts he supposedly received from Smith. Examples: “You calm down, you Minnesota dust climber!” and “Cross your balls, we’re going in!”

But Freston also read one that Smith sent to him on Nov. 13, while Freston, HBO chief Richard Plepler (also a presenter) and Time Warner Inc. chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes were having dinner in Paris (they were there for a U2 concert that was later canceled) mere blocks away from the terrorist attacks that night.

“Before we knew what was really going on, I heard a ping and I reached for my iPhone and read this message: ‘F**k dude, get out of there. Come home to me and be safe,’ ” Freston said. “That’s sort of Shane; he’s on all the time.”

— Mike Farrell

Comcast’s Alchin Shares a Coming Out Story at Film Screening

The LGBT community was out in force Nov. 23 for a special Washington, D.C., premiere screening of Comcast’s Focus Features film unit’s The Danish Girl, about Lili Elbe, the first recipient of sexual reassignment surgery.

In attendance were cast members and filmmakers, including director Tom Hooper and co-star Alicia Vikander. Star Eddie Redmayne, who plays Elbe and who won the Best Actor Oscar for Focus’s The Theory of Everything last year, was out of the country, but made apologies via video.

Also on hand at the Burke Theater at the U.S. Navy Memorial were Emmy winner Jeffrey Tambor and Bradley Whitford of Amazon Studios’s Transgender. Tambor also is familiar for a recent DirecTV ad campaign savaging large cable companies.

Introducing Hooper before the film was John Alchin, former co-chief financial officer of Comcast, who noted that the fact he is gay warranted a front-page story in a Philadelphia newspaper two decades ago. He said the reaction from Comcast’s Brian Roberts was, “good,” with him saying Alchin had made the company proud. Alchin said that when he told Brian’s father, Ralph, about his son’s comment, the late Comcast co-founder replied that he wasn’t surprised, as he had taught Brian everything he knew.

Alchin talked about the LGBT community’s progress toward “recognition, equality and inclusion.” But he suggested the fight continues, pointing to Houston, where an anti-discrimination ordinance was recently defeated.

“We still have lots more work to do,” Alchin said.

He also talked about Comcast’s “dedication to featuring diverse and independent voices on film and television” and pointed out that Comcast carries more than 160 independent networks.

Comcast has repeatedly been cited as among the best places to work for LGBT employees by the Human Rights Campaign.

— John Eggerton

The (Bow) Ties That Bind

MCN Staff — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 12:00:00 +0000

Ralph Roberts, the late Comcast co-founder, was famed for his sporty bow ties. So it was no surprise that the sartorial exclamation point would wind up becoming something of a viral statement for the company following his death last month at age 95.

Comcast spokesman John Demming said thousands of employees across the country sported bow ties beginning not long after his death, including for an internal memorial service and celebration on June 25 that was broadcast to employees and included pictures, remembrances and remarks by Roberts’s son Brian Roberts, the company’s chairman and CEO.

Demming said that the viral bow tie salute included technicians wearing ties on service calls. And it was not confined to ties, with bow-tie earrings and necklaces and bracelets also making appearances among the staffers. No word on whether bow-tie pasta was served at Ralph’s Café, which is the name of the employee cafeteria at the company’s Philadelphia headquarters.

Demming, who tweeted his own bow-tied selfie on June 25, called the employee celebration “amazing” and “a wonderful day for a wonderful man.”

— John Eggerton

How Cox’s Hart, Family Became World Cup Stars

How did Kevin Hart, the Cox Communications chief technology officer, and his daughters end up becoming iconic fans of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team’s victory in the recent Women’s World Cup?

It starts with their love of soccer, Cox officials said after the team’s Twitter account (@ussoccer_ wnt) tweeted this photo of a pumped-up Hart and his 12- and 9-year-old daughters.

Hart was a four-year starter, captain and most valuable player on Tulsa’s Division 1 Soccer Team, Cox communications ace Todd Smith tells The Wire. He was also first-team All America for the Midwest region, and his team set a NCAA D1 record for most consecutive home wins, at 39 in a row.

This year, he coached his daughters to two Disney 3v3 National Soccer Tournament Championships in January and took them both to the Women’s World Cup final game in Vancouver, Canada, on July 5 (won by the U.S. team, 5-2, over Japan). While there, the Harts gave their best “Go USA” pose at a promotional photo booth and the team, understandably, endorsed it with a tweet.

In Susan Eid’s Name, Efforts to Raise Funds to Combat Cancer

DirecTV’s former top government and legal affairs executive, Susan Eid, who died on Nov. 27 after a battle with cancer, was remembered at the New England Cable & Telecommunications Association annual convention in Newport, R.I., as a smart, funny, gracious and graceful woman who was not afraid of a fight.

Now, her sister Cindy is taking up her battle, trying to raise $2 million for cancer research.

Eid got her start in cable 25 years ago with Continental Cablevision. She later oversaw Media One Group’s Washington, D.C., office and served as senior public policy adviser to George W. Bush-era Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell. She joined Hughes Electronics (DirecTV’s former parent) in 2004 and led its Washington efforts as senior vice president of government and regulatory affairs.

In a brief tribute to Eid, NECTA convention committee chairman and Comcast senior vice president, government & regulatory relations Mark Reilly said that while she probably wouldn’t have wanted the attention, she remained optimistic throughout her battle with cancer, supporting Massachusetts General Hospital’s cancer research financially and volunteering for experimental treatments. He said Eid also donated her own tissue to Mass General’s research efforts after her death, which has helped researchers learn new ways to more effectively battle Susan’s type of cancer.

“Cindy is now going to take on Susan’s fight from here,” Reilly said.

Donations can be made in Susan’s name online or by mail by putting “Susan Eid” on the memo line and writing to: Massachusetts General Hospital, Breast Cancer Research, 100 Cambridge St., Suite 1300, Boston, MA 02114.

— Mike Farrell

Industry Execs Mourn Ralph Roberts

Mike Farrell — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 16:30:00 +0000

They say the true mark of a person is the friends they make along the way and the legacy they leave behind after they're gone. If that is the case, then Ralph Roberts has truly led a blessed life.

Roberts died Thursday in Philadelphia from natural causes at 95, leaving a wife of 70 years and children who have modeled their lives after a man whose friends and colleagues describe him as a person of grace, integrity, honesty and vision. Roberts may have been a successful businessman – the company he founded with just 1,200 customers in Mississippi in 1963 has grown today into the largest cable and telecom company in the country with about 22 million video customers – but his greatest legacy may be the friends he has made and the people he has helped over what has been an amazing life.

While he hasn’t been involved in day-to-day operations for years – his son Brian became CEO in 2002 and added chairman in 2006 – his imprint remains on Comcast and the cable industry as a whole. Comments from top industry executives who have known and worked with Ralph Roberts for years have been flooding in since the news of his passing broke this morning. Here are some examples.

"Ralph Roberts was one-of-a-kind; a consummate gentleman, businessman, father, husband; friend to all who knew him. Most of all, I will miss the smile, the bow tie, and the gentle sense of humor."

-- Liberty Media chairman John Malone

“Our thoughts are with his wife Suzanne, Brian and the Roberts family. Ralph Roberts forged a path of innovation for our industry and dedicated so much of his life to building its future. We celebrate his entrepreneurial and humble spirit.”

-- Cox Communications CEO Patrick Esser

“Ralph Roberts was a giant not only in cable and entertainment but also in the modern history of American business. We had the honor of working with him for nearly half a century and came to admire his many personal qualities including his devotion to his family and his enduring commitment to the company he founded and built. He was our friend, we will miss him dearly. We extend our deepest sympathies to the Roberts family and the many thousands of people who had the good fortune of knowing and working with Ralph Roberts.”

-- Cablevision Systems chairman Charles Dolan and CEO James Dolan and the Dolan family

"Ralph Roberts had the foresight to recognize the potential of cable and the work ethic to bring his vision to life, but what truly set him apart were his integrity, his gentlemanly manner and the value he placed on giving back to the industry and the community. All of us are better off for having had Ralph in our midst. Our hearts are with those he loved so much: his family, his friends and of course his Comcast 'family .'"

-- SCTE president and CEO Mark Dzurban

“Ralph Roberts was a pioneer, a visionary and a role model. He exemplified the value of working hard and treating others with kindness and respect. His influence has extended far beyond Comcast and Cable. His life’s work, and the legacy he leaves, helped shape the way consumers use content today and how they communicate with one another. On behalf of everyone at Time Warner Cable, I send our sympathy and love to Ralph’s family and to everyone at Comcast.”

-- Time Warner Cable chairman and CEO Rob Marcus

“NCTA is deeply saddened by the passing of Ralph Roberts, one of our country's greatest business pioneers and a man who truly embodied the American dream. He built much of the cable industry with his own hands, taking a small nascent service offering consumers greater television choices and building it into one of the most significant industries in the country today. Ralph's impact will live on forever.

"Ralph was a man of grace. He showed us that you can succeed, while remaining warm, kind and generous to others. His impact on the lives of friends, colleagues and family are his greatest legacy. Our prayers and deepest sympathies go to his wife Suzanne, son Brian and the entire Roberts family."

-- NCTA President and CEO Michael Powell

“With unmatched skill and devotion, Ralph Roberts was a business legend who took tiny Comcast from its humble start in Tupelo, Miss., and turned it into one of the most important media companies in the United States in just a few decades.

“Amid a digital revolution that disrupted and confused so many in the business world, Ralph Roberts saw the future clearly and encouraged Comcast to become a broadband and technology innovator benefiting industry and consumers here and around the world. At heart, Mr. Roberts was an entrepreneur like so many of our members, and we will miss his passion for our industry.

“This is a sad day, but we appreciate and will remember what Mr. Roberts did throughout his legendary career to encourage us all. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Roberts family at this sorrowful moment.”

-- American Cable Association president Matt Polka

"Ralph was a true cable industry pioneer and Philadelphia gentleman. His contributions to the development and continued success of the cable industry are numerous, and his legacy will endure for generations to come. Our thoughts are with the Roberts family and the entire Comcast organization."

-- Charter Communications CEO Tom Rutledge

"Ralph Roberts is a great American success story. We have many fond memories of Ralph and greatly appreciate his company’s support for C-SPAN and Ralph’s overall commitment to civic involvement and public service."

-- C-SPAN Executive Chairman Brian Lamb

"Ralph Roberts was so much more than a fellow cable entrepreneur. His dapper elegance, humility, and kind demeanor belied the man of steel, tough negotiator, risk-taker and visionary who, during his lifespan, propelled Comcast from a small rural cable operator to a global leadership position in our business. Not only does he leave behind a loving extended family, but he also leaves the Comcast family with the knowledge and pride that his legacy will live on under the excellent leadership of his son Brian."

-- Mediacom Communications chairman and CEO Rocco Commisso