NCTA's Battle of the Bands

(New Orleans) NCTA is in the early stages of planning a battle of the bands fundraiser that will allow cable to “give back” to New Orleans, show chief Barbara York said Wed. Instead of paying a professional entertainer, the Cable Show’s closing night party would feature cable industry musical talent, NCTA’s Mark Bell said. The idea is in the “very early stages,” Bell and York said. — NCTA also is urging cable companies to give back in other ways like teching up schools, painting buildings or building playgrounds, York said. There’s also the possibility of a book drive. Companies are being urged to come up with their own ideas, too. For example, The Sportsman Channel has volunteered to support a local soup kitchen with excess meat donated by hunters, York said.