Cablefax The Magazine - June 2018 - 41

REGIONALS
Your social media platform of choice? Twitter
Favorite short-form content? Tweets
What product or service could you not live
without? Within the industry: Xfinity Voice
Remote. Outside the industry: Waze.
What's the first thing you read in the morning?
My calendar
Last show I binged not on my network(s):
" Travelers " (On Netflix)
Favorite podcast: " This American Life " (National
Public Radio)
YA GOTTA BELIEVE
MAN OF THE YEAR
Favorite short-form content? I use YouTube
to learn about things I am working on. I am not
currently locked into any channels or podcasts.
I am a big fan of audio books to use my windshield
time more effectively.
Jeff Ross
President
Armstrong Utilities
Years in Cable: 31
(including 7 in Telecom)
Education: AS/BS Electrical Engineering Technology,
Penn State/Northeastern University;
MBA, Clark University
Steve Raab
President
SNY
Years in Cable: 19
Education: BA, Brown University; MBA, Harvard
Business School
It may not have been a great year for The New
York Mets last season, but no one can say
the season and other sports weren't covered
extremely well. Sports enthusiast Raab and his
SNY team opened its state-of-the-art studio
facility in NYC last year where he and more
than 150 employees batted 1000, bringing
top sports content and coverage to subscribers.
Last year, Raab commanded the inaugural
Future Filmmakers Festival. Top prizes went to
" The Last Chapter. "
If I ever get elected President, my first executive
order will be...to construct subway lines
from Manhattan to LaGuardia and JFK.
Your social media platform of choice? Twitter.
Sometimes funny, sometimes informative.
What does the future look like for skinny
bundles and flexible packaging? Not going to
be as inexpensive (as some people think) when
you add it all up.
Last show I binged not on my network(s):
" Breaking Bad " (and " Better Call Saul " )
Favorite podcast: " The Daily, " from The New
York Times
If you could have a superpower, what would
it be and why? Teleportation (That's easy. My
son and I debate that question all the time).
Cablefax: The Magazine
Not only did Armstrong experience double-digit
improvement in operating income and both top
line and bottom line growth over the last year, but
it also made advances on the humanitarian front.
Ross accepted on behalf of Armstrong the 2017
Veteran Employer of the Year Award for its charitable
efforts, which included raising eight service
dogs to qualifying vets. In his acceptance speech,
he acknowledged the vital contributions from both
the community and Armstrong employees.
The biggest innovation in media/broadband
over the last year? Widespread consumer gig
speed internet!
If you wrote a " Black Mirror " episode, what
dark side of technology would you explore
and why? Don't watch the show, but I am told that I
should. I am fascinated by the amount of privacy we
have given up as a society through the use of social
media, web browsing and " free " apps that track our
every move. It would be something along those lines.
Favorite restaurant: Off the Hook in Warrendale,
PA. Fresh fish flown in daily!
Best advice your mom or dad ever gave you?
Mom: " You can do anything you put your mind
to. " Dad: " Lead by example; and, Do the things
others don't want to do. "
Worst advice your mom or dad ever gave
you? " Turn that music down! "
An area where media/broadband could use
improvement? I think we get a bad rap as an
industry. We need to better channel the good
things we do for our customers and communities.
Your social media platform of choice? I am
more of a taker than a giver in this regard. I'm
on Facebook for family, Twitter for news and
entertainment, and LinkedIn for work.
Bitcoin - pro or con? Don't know yet, but find
it very interesting.
June 2018
What would be the name of the reality show
based on your company? The Whirlwind!
What product or service could you not live
without? My iPad for sure! Thank you Steve Jobs!
What does the future look like for skinny
bundles and flexible packaging? After price,
the next largest objection to our video product
is packaging. Consumers want more choice.
We have " Skinny Bundles. " We call them Choice
Packages, but are limited by our programming
agreements in how they are implemented. I
remain hopeful that someday we, as an industry,
will be able to crack this nut. OTT and direct-toconsumer
models are starting to provide some
new options for consumers, yet it is a very fragmented
experience. It would be nice if we could
be proactive on this subject, instead of reactive.
Any programmers reading this that want to try
something new, please give us a call!
Last show I binged not on my network(s):
" Narcos " . I am currently binging " The Office " for a
second time. Michael Scott is so wrong he is right.
If you could have a superpower, what would it
be and why? Power to Heal. Do I need to explain?
PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM
Jim Samaha
Regional SVP,
Freedom Region
Comcast Cable
Years in Cable: 25
Education: BS, Engineering,
Cornell University; MBA, NYU
Stern School of Business
The Freedom Region was a perfect choice when
Comcast was looking for an area to first unveil
its new wireless service Xfinity Mobile a year
ago given its proximity to Comcast headquarters
and its 19 operating Xfinity stores. And Samaha,
given his experience and background as both an
engineer and MBA degree holder, was the clear
choice to oversee the launch. Under his guidance,
the Freedom Region continues to excel in production
knowledge, store design and process plans.
The biggest innovation in media/broadband
over the last year? Xfinity Mobile
What product or service could you not live
without? X1 Voice Remote
What's the first thing you read in the
morning? Flipboard
cablefaxmag.com
41
http://www.cablefaxmag.com
Cablefax The Magazine - June 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cablefax The Magazine - June 2018
