MaxFAX

Yep. See CableFAX’s CableWORLD (01/19 – 01/whatever) for a look at some (some, there a are few others lurking under the radar for one reason or another … like funding, transponders, a business plan, a target niche, programming, all of the above or perhaps to get their act together before issuing a press release) of the channels on the drawing board … And, I can almost hear a collective groan from the couple dozen cable executive gatekeepers: "Channels? New channels? We don’t need no stinkin’ new channels!" Ah, I beg to differ. Any cable operators looked around for those 21 million satellite subscribers? Anybody bothered to ask them, "Why?" Well, one reason might have been (not true everywhere now, but most everyplace still) a better video offering. True, satellite cannot compete for the "bundled" customer. But is that a reason to abandon cable’s base? Oh, I know that the "quote" above isn’t quite accurate … Comcast is moving smartly on minority programming, on sports programming and (I’ll bet soon) a quasi-network; other operators, too. But those are big company moves overlooking the entrepreneurial spark that helped us build this industry. I’m not going to single out one or another (for now) to tout … just that I hope you’ll all give them a fair hearing. (That means: no laughing out loud.) Let’s hope the Top Ten MSOs (including NCTC) take a less jaundiced (and selfish) look at some of the good ideas … and take a gamble. Could be a winner (like their own gambles years ago). Random Notes: