Cablefax The Magazine - July 2015 - 18

2015 Top Ops Awards
INDEPENDENT OPERATOR OF THE YEAR
MCTV
Sometimes you just don't notice what's in front of you.
That's what one of our judges said about the selection of this year's
Independent Operator of the Year, MCTV, which arguably has been in
the forefront of independent cable operators for more than 30 years.
As ACA EVP & Chief of Staff Rob Shema says, " I can list 100 projects
that MCTV has led and then shared its knowledge with the industry. "
Indeed, at least two projects, Watch TV Everywhere and SubscriberWise,
are based in MCTV facilities.
More than that, MCTV chief Bob Gessner is the poster child for industry
service, having chaired ACA, NCTC and the Ohio Telecommunications
Association. " Bob has been a true leader as an industry representative
on the local, state and national level, " says ACA chief Matt Polka. NCTA
head Michael Powell adds, " Bob Gessner and his family are the epitome
of cable's entrepreneurial and public service spirit. "
In our defense, it's not like Cablefax hasn't recognized MCTV previously.
We've honored Gessner several times, including naming him
Strategic Thinker of the Year. SubscriberWise has been feted and
years ago we lauded Gessner for an innovative soiree he threw to
celebrate going all digital-amid drinks and food, he hired a crane
to hoist an old TV set high, then let it crash to the ground.
Another reason MCTV and Gessner slip under the radar: While one
of the easiest executives to get on the phone and a pleasure to
speak with, Gessner's among the most unassuming business chiefs
around. Weeks ago we thought we spied him riding the D.C. subway
system. Would a cable CEO with 40K customers eschew a private
car or cab to use public transport? We checked; it was Gessner.
So we try in a phone interview to get Gessner to gloat. Watch TV
Everywhere allows some 200 indie operators to offer nearly 100
networks. Gessner pours cold water on it. We just do the authentication,
he says, comparing MCTV's role to a bouncer at a nightclub
entrance. " As long as your name is on the list, we let you in the
door. " It's your cable operator who does the hard part, he insists.
True, yet it was Gessner's insistence- " harassment, " he says-that
MCTV could host HBO GO, which led to Watch TV Everywhere.
We try to play up SubscriberWise, which MCTV credit chief David
Howe created in 2006 to help assess credit worthiness of new cable
FAST FACT
Fast Fact
uBased in Massillon, OH, MCTV has 40K customers taking
video and data and 20K voice subscribers. It was
one of the fi rst to offer home security.
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cablefaxmag.com
FAMILY AFFAIR: Three generations of Gessners at MCTV; Bob
is top row, middle, wife Nancy and sister Elizabeth flank him; front
row: founders Richard Sr and Susan with granddaughter Katherine;
below the founders with early hires.
subs. A standalone product now, it saves small and mid-size operators
millions in delinquent customers and lost equipment. Gessner is
justly proud, but sloughs off any, er... credit, saying, " It's a separate
entity from MCTV; Dave Howe owns it. " He's right, but as Howe
responds: " MCTV provides offi ce space, a training center, cuttingedge
network operations, engineers and access to cable data...
SubscriberWise would not exist without MCTV. "
What Gessner happily talks up are MCTV's 160 employees- " they
deserve the lion's share of the credit " - and its proactive maintenance.
MCTV's all-digital system allows it to use cable modems to provide
telemetry about its plant. Diving deeply into the data allows MCTV to
spot plant issues and problems in customers' homes before customers
even know something's wrong. MCTV initiates one-third of its customer
visits. " People are fl abbergasted when we call to say we need to fi x
something. Most customers' response is, 'Nothing's wrong.' "
The passing of Ralph Roberts reminds us that his son Brian worked
in various Comcast businesses before leading the company. One of
Gessner's children, Catherine, is doing something similar. " We had an
agreement... she needed to get a masters and work somewhere else
before working here, " he says. She'll be well versed in cable before dad,
61, " seriously cuts back. " Catherine is the third generation of Gessners
in cable, Bob says, thanking his parents, whom he calls " visionaries and
gamblers " for " trusting me " with the business. It was a good bet.
- Seth Arenstein
July 2015
Cablefax: The Magazine
http://www.cablefaxmag.com
Cablefax The Magazine - July 2015

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