Editor's Note: A Burst of Energy

It’s not unusual when somebody or something fails to deliver on a promise. That’s why a recent trip to The Cable Center at The University of Denver was so enjoyable. Even the weather was good.

There was plenty of praise heaped upon The Center and The Cable Hall of Fame in this magazine’s October 9 issue. The Center’s staff made good on all of it.

In addition to inducting one of the most relevant classes into the Hall of Fame, featuring the most powerful operator (Brian Roberts) and programmer (Judy McGrath), The Center itself was as relevant and vibrant as we’ve ever seen it.

On the eve of the Hall of Fame induction, as the Center was prepping to host the festivities, two of its spacious conference rooms were occupied by board meetings of the ACA and NAMIC, strong evidence that The Center is being run like a business by its peripatetic director, Larry Satkowiak. In fact, The Center’s rent now is covered entirely by income from meetings and functions. For the record, Larry assures us that “we can arrange a very nice deal” for cable operators and programmers wishing to host meetings and events at The Center.

The Center is more than a meeting space, though. And its new mission statement as an educational arm of cable is clearly visible, having recently been painted on a wall of its first-floor lobby. Throughout the magnificent edifice are tributes to cable’s founders and new exhibits, including a room full of cutting-edge cable technology. The educational component is evidenced by classrooms, including one that looks like a TV studio and is the Denver home of C-SPAN’s distance learning class.

Speaking of promises, we said our new www.cable360.net site would enhance your CableWorld experience. Our video tour of The Cable Center [which is posted here] is evidence of that promise. See if you don’t agree that The Cable Center is beginning to take relevant steps.