From Door-to-Door to Industry Pioneer: David Kline’s Transformative Journey
By E.B. Moss
Some executives knock on opportunity’s door. David Kline door-knocked to sell cable TV, and it led to him opening doors to an entire industry.
Kline went from college to selling cable subscriptions door-to-door in 1980 for Warner Cable in Houston. Each pitch sharpened his positioning of an industry he would help transform. After retiring some 45 years later in May 2025, ultimately rising to EVP of Charter and President of Spectrum Reach, Kline leaves a legacy of innovation, spanning traditional television to the streaming revolution.
“It seems like yesterday I was knocking on doors and dreaming of being a cable executive,” Kline reflects. “I always believed that if you can dream it, you can do it in this industry. It sounds trite, but it’s true.”
That dream carried him through pivotal media roles, learning the affiliate rep side at Showtime to managing Sportschannel Ohio (now FanDuel Sports Network Ohio), where he applied his ability to think differently. For instance, Kline went beyond the usual cable-only rights pursued by other regional sports networks at the time and acquired all television rights for the Cincinnati Reds. That inclination to champion bold ideas became his trademark throughout a 15-year run as President and COO of Cablevision Media Sales, followed by leadership roles at Visible World (now FreeWheel), then Ensequence.
When Kline joined Charter in 2015, he found his ultimate canvas for innovation. Under his leadership, Spectrum Reach evolved into a nearly $2 billion advertising powerhouse, pioneering linear household addressability, interactive TV applications at scale and data-infused media campaigns using automation and multi-screen deterministic attribution.
Kline acknowledges that tech today has made it easier than ever to reach people at the right moment with the right message, reflecting on how addressable advertising has advanced since his early days—when a single commercial during a hit show like “M*A*S*H” could reach most of America. He leveraged that tech well, such as with his most recent focus on deploying programmatic advertising across political ads in the 2024 election cycle, and Spectrum Reach’s groundbreaking alliance with Amazon Ads—making them the first MVPD local advertising reseller for the streaming giant.
Having served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Blockgraph and on boards for Ampersand, Comscore and the Video Advertising Bureau, Kline’s relationships extend beyond his own organization to influence industry-wide standards and practices.
For Jason Brown, Spectrum Reach’s former Chief Revenue Officer who succeeded Kline as EVP, their relationship has been a welcome one. “I have been fortunate to work with David these past couple of years leading up to his retirement. He has been a generous mentor, not only sharing his business insights and broad industry perspective, but his very on-brand New York-style humor,” Brown says. “He leaves an impressive legacy of advertising firsts and industry innovation from which we will build. On behalf of all of us at Spectrum Reach, we wish him a fantastic and well-deserved next chapter.”
Kline himself says, “I am truly humbled by this honor. As I reflect on my career, it feels like yesterday that I was knocking on doors in Houston, selling cable subscriptions. I’ve had the privilege of spending my entire career in an industry I love, alongside some amazing people, and to take an active part in its incredible evolution. As I move into retirement, I am filled with the wonderful memories and experiences I’ve had.”
But, as he prepares for retirement, Kline’s not closing doors—he’s opening new ones. His future plans include continued board service, more tennis and golf, nonprofit work and family time, even remaining connected to the industry where his insights shaped television advertising’s future.
Fast Fax
- Professionally: David was instrumental in the launch of household addressable advertising and interactive advertising at scale via RFI components.
- Personally: David is a huge classic rock fan and actually attended the iconic 1973 Summer Jam concert at Watkins Glen, NY, featuring the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers and the Band.
- He plays a mean game of tennis (a 5.0 player during his Ohio State days).