NCC Taps Schaefer as COO

National Cable Communications last week chose Greg Schaefer - an executive with extensive experience at broadcast-TV rep firms - as its chief operating officer, a post that had been vacant since John Sawhill's retirement last year.

Sawhill, who also came from a broadcast-sales background, retired last December.

Earlier in his five-year stint with NCC, Sawhill was its CEO - a post assumed two and one-half years ago by Tom Olson, who had been CEO at Katz Media Group, one of the rep firm's partners.

Schaefer, who will report to Olson, will oversee the largest spot-cable sales rep firm's spot-sales, technology and operations divisions.

NCC, which now has more than 400 employees, is jointly owned by Katz Media (its managing partner), AT&T Broadband, Comcast Corp., Cox Communications Inc. and Time Warner Cable.