The official theme of Forum 2002, this year's Cable Television Public Affairs
Association's conference, which started Sunday at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in
Washington, D.C., is presenting a unified 'message' to a cable system's various
constituencies.
The conference will feature a number of panels and sessions on such
communications challenges as integrating a local system's message to employees,
customers, businesses and politicians; working more effectively with networks;
and 'cause' marketing.
National Cable & Telecommunications Association president and CEO Robert
Sachs will give a keynote speech on the state of the cable industry Tuesday
morning.
Cable News Network's Judy Woodruff will then moderate a session on
'communications and messaging under intense media pressure,' with panelists
including former NCTA spokeswoman Torie Clarke, now at the Pentagon, and Mike
Luftman, the popular corporate spokesman for Time Warner Cable, who recently
said he will retire.
On Tuesday night, the CTPAA hands out its 'Beacon Awards,' which honor
outstanding public-affairs campaigns by local cable systems.
The association will also present its 'President's Award' for public-affairs
leadership to Cablevision Systems Corp. CEO Jim Dolan and VH1 and Country Music
Television president John Sykes.
William McGorry and Larry Oliver, publishing executives with Reed Business
Information -- which publishes Multichannel News -- will receive an
honorary Beacon for supporting cable public-affairs
initiatives.
