Cablefax The Magazine - July 2012 - 29

2012 Top Ops Awards
INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL EXECUTIVE
OF THE YEAR
Steven Cochran
President/CFO, WOW!
What does the lead fi nancial
executive at a cable company
have to contend with? If you're
WideOpenWest's president and
CFO Steven Cochran, the list
ranges from fi eld operations to
call center management to human
resources. But while Cochran's
responsibilities are broad-and he credits expert colleagues
for their critical technical and organizational support-he's
most at ease in his role working with investors and the banking
community. In that position, Cochran can apply his signifi
cant fi nancial expertise toward a goal of keeping WOW!'s
business healthy, and on a path for future growth.
" Steven's results speak for themselves, " says Brendan P.
Scollans, a partner at Avista Capital, one of WOW!'s investors.
" Over six years we have owned WOW!, the company
has almost tripled EBITDA, completed two highly synergistic
acquisitions, and delivered unparalleled recognition for
customer satisfaction. The north of 100 percent annualized
return on our investment that we have enjoyed has been
pretty nice too. "
Because WOW! is a cable overbuilder, the company has
always faced more competition than the average MSO.
WideOpenWest has at least three service provider competitors
in each of its markets, and sometimes four. But while
that may have been a hurdle for the company in the past,
Cochran believes it now leaves WOW! well-positioned to
face competitive challenges that are rising up across the
cable industry; challenges like how to build out new revenue
streams even as margins are dropping in the video business.
For
example, Cochran has been keeping an eye on the
business services market. Stronger margins make commercial
services an attractive play for WOW!, and the company has
been steadily building out its own offerings in the space for
some time. Beyond organic growth, however, Cochran also
saw an acquisition opportunity for WOW!. He's currently working
on closing the fi nances to acquire Knology, the GeorgiaCableFAX:
The Magazine
July 2012
based cable operator. That deal will help push WOW! beyond
the small-business market, and into the enterprise.
" [Commercial services] are only four percent of the revenues
for WOW!, and so we see that as a pretty signifi cant opportunity
moving forward, " says Cochran. " Twenty percent of overall
revenue, we think, is kind of a nice landing spot. "
Cochran has a lot on his plate, but he's quick to point out
that he's having plenty of fun at WideOpenWest as well. In
particular, he praises CEO Colleen Abdoulah, with a side note
that she's something of a prankster at the offi ce. " With a CEO
like Colleen, you kind of can't help but have a good time, "
laughs Cochran. " She provides us all with a great opportunity
to be ourselves and do our jobs, and do it in a way that's fun...
There's no one who enjoys pranks like Colleen does. "
As for what's ahead, Cochran has two near-term goals:
He wants to continue to look for smaller acquisition opportunities,
probably in the southeastern part of the United
States, and he wants to continue expanding WOW!'s footprint
by edging out to new communities. On the whole, he's
pretty enthusiastic about the next few years. " We're in such
a great industry. It seems like every time you assess what's
the next thing to come along, there are one or two things
that come and provide excitement for the next twelve, eighteen,
twenty four months, " he says. ✴
- Mari Silbey
Fast Facts
✦ WOW! has been named a best place to work in Indiana for
two years running.
✦ Cochran describes himself as a family guy, sports fan and
candy fiend.
✦ Cochran's colleague and VP of Programming Peter Smith
says, " Steven, while serious about his work, is also a
person with a ready laugh, a great sense of humor, and a
genuine compassion for others. "
cablefaxmag.com
29
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Cablefax The Magazine - July 2012

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