News
Today, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) took the wraps off most of its schedule and featured speakers for The Cable Show '08, which is slated for May 18-20 in New Orleans.
While there is a pre-show Tru2way Developers Conference (story here) on May 17, The Cable Show will officially kickoff the following day with a general session hosted by convention co-chairs Debra Lee, chairman and CEO of BET Holdings, and Rocco Commisso, chairman and CEO of Mediacom Communications, as well as with a state-of-the-industry keynote speech by NCTA President and CEO Kyle McSlarrow.
Following the opening general session, a panel entitled "Generation Next: What's Now and What's New in Broadband Media" will feature former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman William Kennard as moderator, as well as a panel that includes Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts.
The opening general session on May 19, "Bit by Bit: Convergence Creates the Future," will be moderated by Lee and will include Time Warner Cable President and CEO Glenn Britt on the panel.
The May 20 general session will focus on advertising, and it will be produced in conjunction with the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau (CAB). "Getting Engaged: Advertising's Quest to Connect" will feature a keynote address by Deborah Wahl Meyer, VP and CMO of The New Chrysler. Meyer's remarks will be followed by a panel that includes Cox Communications President Pat Esser.
In addition to the three general sessions, the NCTA announced six plenary sessions, which feature panels of senior executives and are designed to address "big-picture" issues – advertising, business operations, the international marketplace, monetizing the digital platform, sports programming and video-on-demand (VOD).
The NCTA originally planned to be in New Orleans for its annual show in 2006, but it moved the show to Atlanta after Hurricane Katrina. This year's show will include several events, such as rebuilding schools, which the NCTA and other cable industry groups have planned in order to help residents of New Orleans.
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