Cable entrepreneur Barton dead at age 51

Peter Barton, a cable veteran with more than 20 years experience, died on Sept. 8 after a battle with stomach cancer. He was 51.

Peter entered the world of cable in 1982, and four years later was named president of TCI's Cable Value Network. In 1991, he became president of Liberty Media Corp. He left Liberty in 1997 to start a private investment firm. Peter recently founded the Privacy Foundation at the University of Denver, a watchdog group formed to protect consumer privacy.

Peter was not all about cable. Prior to joining the business sector, he put in a stint as a professional skier and tried his hand in the political arena.

A memorial will be held to celebrate Peter's life on Tuesday, Sept. 17 at the City Lights Pavilion at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Peter is survived by his wife, Laura, and three children, Kate, Jeffrey and Christopher.

He will be inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame Nov. 11.

Sniezko takes technology post at Aurora

Former AT&T Broadband tech bigwig Oleh Sniezko has joined Aurora Networks as its chief technology officer. At his new post, Sniezko will be responsible for Aurora's product development.

He comes to Aurora from AT&T Broadband, where he most recently held the position of vice president of engineering. During his time at AT&T Broadband, Sniezko had a hand in developing the LightWire and Oxiom cable system architectures.

Faust takes CEO reigns at Optinel
Jim Faust has been tapped at the new CEO of Optinel System. The optical communications system provider has turned to Faust to steer the development and expansion of its PLEXiS MFX transport system.

He has held senior management positions at Antec (Arris) Network Technologies, ClearBand, General Instrument and Scientific-Atlanta.

WorldCom hires executives

WorldCom Inc. has appointed Gregory Rayburn as chief restructuring officer and John Dubel as chief financial officer. The men will be tasked with managing WorldCom's reorganization, including negotiating with creditors, evaluating proposals, overseeing financial projections and overseeing the sale of non-core assets.

Rayburn and Dubel will report to WorldCom President and CEO John Sidgmore.

WorldCom filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week. In response to a Wall Street Journal report indicating that the US Department of Justice is considering indicting the company for fraud, WorldCom said it is cooperating with state and federal law enforcement, and is unaware of any intention by authorities to seek an indictment against the company.

"We have been advised the (state and federal law enforcement) authorities are satisfied with WorldCom's cooperation to date," WorldCom spokesman Brad Burns said in a statement.

Speakeasy names Vere Nicoll to board

Cornerstone Ventures, LP founding partner Nevill Vere Nicoll has been appointed to Speakeasy's board of directors. His appointment follows a recently announced $6 million funding package for Speakeasy, led Cornerstone.

Turer changes its name to IVI

Turer Corp. has officially changed its name to IVI Communications Inc. The name change follows Turer's acquisition of Internet Ventures Inc.

IVI acquires and operates independent ISPs in Tier 3 markets.

WorldCom hires executives

WorldCom Inc. has appointed Gregory Rayburn as chief restructuring officer and John Dubel as chief financial officer. The men will be tasked with managing WorldCom's reorganization, including negotiating with creditors, evaluating proposals, overseeing financial projections and overseeing the sale of non-core assets.

Rayburn and Dubel will report to WorldCom President and CEO John Sidgmore.

WorldCom filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week. In response to a Wall Street Journal report indicating that the US Department of Justice is considering indicting the company for fraud, WorldCom said it is cooperating with state and federal law enforcement, and is unaware of any intention by authorities to seek an indictment against the company.

"We have been advised the (state and federal law enforcement) authorities are satisfied with WorldCom's cooperation to date," WorldCom spokesman Brad Burns said in a statement.

Breen's exit hits Motorola

Edward Breen is on the move, but is he going from the frying pan into the fire? Less than a year after taking over as chief operating officer at Motorola Inc., Breen is leaving the company to take up the CEO post at embattled Tyco International Ltd.

Breen was heir-apparent to the Motorola throne when Christopher Galvin decided to step down as the company's chief executive, but he has decided to seize another opportunity. "This is the opportunity of a lifetime," Breen said in a statement. "Tyco and its employees have successfully weathered a very difficult few months, and I am confident that we will put the current issues behind us and begin to forge ahead."

Five weeks ago, then-Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski resigned his post just before he was indicted for allegedly not paying $1 million in sales tax for artwork purchases. The company has been plagued by accounting worries ever since -- according to circulating rumors, a bankruptcy filing could be in the company's future. Nonetheless, Breen is committed to his new task at hand. He plans to develop an action plan that will restore confidence in Tyco with its employees, suppliers, customers and the financial community, he said.

News of Breen's departure sent Motorola shares sliding. The company's stock had shed $1.20, or nearly 10 percent, to $10.98 as of 11:06 a.m. EDT. Meanwhile, Tyco's stock is skyrocketing, up nearly 37 percent to $11.27 as of 11:07 a.m. EDT.

Motorola has wasted no time in naming Breen's successor. Mike Zafirovski, currently executive vice president and president of Motorola’s Personal Communications Sector, will take over as president and chief operating officer when Breen departs on Monday, July 29.

Time Warner Cable puts Denver pullout plans in motion

Denver, once considered the cable capital of the world, will continue to lose its grip on that mantle later this year when Time Warner Cable relocates most of its corporate offices there to Charlotte, N.C. and Herndon, Va.

Time Warner Cable spokesman Mark Harrad confirmed Monday that about 200 of the company’s 300 employees based in the Denver area will be affected, with the majority of those job functions moving to Charlotte, home to one of the MSO’s 39 divisions.

Some engineering functions, including a portion of Time Warner Cable’s network engineering unit, will be moved to Herndon, Va., where the company’s Road Runner division is based, Harrad said, but was not more specific.

Time Warner Cable hopes to complete the relocation by the end of 2002, Harrad said.

The MSO, however, is not moving all of its Denver operations. The MSO’s National Division, a 100-person unit that oversees the operation of smaller, non-clustered cable systems, will stay in the area, Harrad said.

He added that Time Warner Cable is making the move to help the company establish a stronger connection with the MSO’s corporate and divisional operations, realize cost efficiencies and to take advantage of some corporate services tied to existing Time Warner Cable operating systems. Time Warner Cable presently does not own or operate any cable systems in the Denver area.

Still, the move will further erode Denver’s already dwindling base of cable companies and organizations. Following the Time Warner Cable pullout and the expected completion of the AT&T Broadband-Comcast Corp. merger later this year, Denver’s cable ties largely will be limited to Liberty Media, The Cable Center and CableLabs, an industry-wide R&D organization located in Louisville, Colo.

Burke tapped to lead combined AT&T Comcast

Comcast Corp. said Thursday that current Comcast Cable Communications Inc. President Stephen Burke will head up AT&T Comcast -- the cable giant that will be formed via the forthcoming merger of AT&T Broadband and Comcast. Burke will take that slot following the completion of the deal, which is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2002.

“Steve is the perfect person to manage the integration process and help build the combined company in the future,” Comcast Corp. President Brian Roberts said, in a press release.

Comcast also announced its senior management team for the combined cable unit, which will be organized into six divisions, all reporting to Burke: Eastern, Atlantic, Southern, Mid-Western, Mountain and Western.

Burke also named the heads of 26 cable clusters that will reside within the divisions, with each reporting to a division president. The appointments will become effective upon the close of the merger, Comcast said, noting that the company will make additional appointments as the close of the deal approaches. Of the 32 announced field positions announced Thursday, 16 are presently with Comcast and 16 are currently with AT&T Broadband.

The appointments are:
—Mike Doyle, president of the Eastern Division, which will include the following systems and market leaders: Boston/Hartford (David Grain); Philadelphia (Ed Pardini); Western Pennsylvania/Delaware (Rick Germano); North Jersey/Connecticut (Greg Arnold); and South Jersey (Ruth Blank).

—Steve Burch will become president of the Atlantic Division, which will include the following systems and market leaders: Baltimore (Barbara Gehrig); Washington, DC (Jaye Gamble); Pittsburgh (Jeffrey Harshman); and Miami (Ellen Filipiak).

—John Ridall, president of the Southern Division, which will include the following systems and market leaders: Atlanta (Steven White); Jacksonville (Len Falter); West Florida/Tennessee (Bill Conners); and Other Southern States (Len Rozek).

—Dave Scott, president of the Mid-Western Division, which will include the following systems and market leaders: Chicago (Joe Stackhouse); Minneapolis/West Michigan (Tom Unglaub); Detroit (Mike Cleland); and Indiana/Kansas City (Rusty Robertson).

— Trey Smith will become president of the Mountain Division, which will include the following systems and market leaders: Denver (Mary White); Dallas (Paula Trustdorf); Salt Lake City (Gary Boles); Seattle (LeAnn Talbot); Portland (Curt Henninger); and New Mexico/Arizona (Scott Binder).

— Joe Fischer will become president of the Western Division, which will include the following systems and market leaders: Central California (Jeffrey Harkman); San Francisco (Don Schena); and Los Angeles (Debi Picciolo).

Collette gets CEO slot at Ucentric

Broadband software company Ucentric Systems said it has named interactive television veteran Michael Collette as its new CEO.

Before joining Maynard, Mass.-based Ucentric, Collette most recently served as senior vice president of marketing and business development for middleware vendor OpenTV Corp. Before that, he was senior vice president of marketing at ICTV Inc., a developer of iTV platforms and applications for “thin-client” digital set-tops.

Collette is also the founder of The Bandies, an award show that recognizes achievements in new media entertainment and technologies. The third installment of The Bandies was originally slated for this year’s BroadbandPlus-The New Western Show, but is on hiatus for a year due to poor market conditions.

At Ucentric, Collette will likely push the company’s strategy involving software for whole-home entertainment systems that leverage home networking technologies. Most recently, Ucentric and set-top marker Pace Micro Technologies teamed on a networked multiple-TV/multiple-DVR product, and demonstrated the combination at the 2002 National Cable Show in New Orleans. Ucentric also has participated in a number of MSO home networking trials, including pilots with Canada’s Rogers Cable Inc. in the Toronto area and with AT&T Broadband in Boston, Mass. Comcast Corp. also has tested Ucentric’s technology in a lab setting.

Howard joins BigBand Networks

BigBand Networks Inc. has appointed Jamie Howard to the position of chief operating officer. At his new post, Howard will lead BigBand Networks' marketing and sales, customer support and corporate strategy initiatives.

He brings more than 20 years experience in the telecommunications and cable industries to his position as COO. He has held leadership roles at Continental, @Home Benelux, BV and Bazillion.

Optinel appoints Pizii

Optinel Systems Inc. has named Willaim Pizii vice president of operations. Pizii will be responsible for the development and implementation of business processes to support Optinel's product introductions. Optinel provides broadband regional and metro optical transport systems to cable operators.

The Rigas family relinquishes Adelphia control

Succumbing to pressure from the board, the founding family of Adelphia Communications Corp. has handed over control of the cable company and has agreed to transfer more than $1 billion in personal assets to the MSO.

Adelphia's woes came to light in March, when the come revealed Adelphia failed to explain what was securing $2.3 billion in off-balance sheet debt. The company also has been has been under fire for several weeks over a failure to disclose guaranteed loans to the Rigas family. The U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission launched a full-scale investigation in mid-April, and as a result determined that the amount of debt from Rigas-family partnerships the company could be liable for as of Dec. 31, 2001 is $2.5 billion.

As part of the agreement, the Rigas family has surrendered their seats on the board -- John Rigas, and his sons Timothy, Michael and James have resigned as directors of the company.

John Rigas, who founded the company in 1952, will not walk away empty-handed, however. He will receive a severance package of $1.4 million per year for the next three years.

John Rigas resigned his post as chairman and CEO May 15. The following day, his son, Timothy, stepped down as executive vice president and chief financial office, chief accounting office and treasurer. After the resignations, Leonard Tow, who owns 12 percent of Adelphia's outstanding shares of class A common stock, said he intends to exercise certain rights to appoint three members to the MSO's board of directors.

In addition to resigning their posts, the family agreed to contribute cash flow of roughly $567 million from their cable-owned assets. The Rigases also have agreed to place Adelphia shares into a voting trust until all of the family's obligations for loans, advances or borrowing under the co-borrowing agreements are met.

The Nasdaq Stock Market resumed trading of Adelphia (ADLAE) stock yesterday at 12:30 p.m. EDT. At the time of its return, the stock took a beating, dropping $3.07 to $2.06. This morning, however, the stock rebounded slightly, trading up 6 cents at $2.68 as of 11:21 a.m. EDT.

To improve its financial situation, Adelphia announced plans last week to put several of its cable systems up on the block. The systems up for sale serve roughly 2.7 million subscribers in Southern California, Florida, Virginia and the Southeast.

AT&T CFO to exit after Comcast merger
Charles Noski, AT&T Corp.'s chief financial officer, plans to resign after the company spins off AT&T Broadband and completes the unit's merger with Comcast Corp.

A search for a successor is underway. AT&T expects the Comcast deal will close by the end of the year.

Aurora Networks appoints Donovan
Judy Donovan has joined Aurora Networks as vice president of sales. In her new position, Donovan will be responsible for the company's North American sales.

To better serve its Canadian customers, the company has opened a wholly owned subsidiary, dubbed Aurora Networks Canada Inc. Garry O'Neil will manage the operation.

Liberty Livewire appoints Fitzgerald
Adding to his duties as Chairman, William Fitzgerald had been named acting CEO of Liberty Livewire. In his new position, Fitzgerald will take on an expanded roll in the company's day-to-day operations. Liberty Livewire is a subsidiary of Liberty Media Corp., where Fitzgerald serves as senior vice president.

Prior to joining Liberty, Fitzgerald held an executive-level position at AT&T Broadband.

OpenTV appoints Huppertz
Jeffery Huppertz has joined OpenTV as vice president of North American cable. In his new position, Huppertz will be responsible for the company's North American sales initiatives, including building customer relationships, strategic positioning and product planning.

Huppertz joins OpenTV from ClearBand LLC where he was vice president of marketing and business development. He brings 20 years of experience in the cable industry to his OpenTV post.

Cramer joins Siebel Alliance Program
Network inventory and provisioning automation software provider Cramer Systems has joined the Siebel Alliance Program as a software partner. The companies have validated the integration of Cramer's Order Management Adapter for Siebel eCommunications with Siebel's eCommunications 7.

Static 2358 assembles sales team
OpenTV subsidiary Static 2358, which provides interactive channels and programming, has announced a North American sales team. Gabriel Berger moves over to Static from OpenTV, as the company's vice president of sales worldwide, and will report to Static president Joan Gillman. Also coming over from OpenTV is Dena Bradshaw, who will serve as vice president of strategic relations, and Michael Folgner, who was added as Static director of distribution.

ADC names European director
Bolstering its international sales strategy, ADC Telecommunications has appointed Hubert Schanne as vice president-Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), and sales and managing director of Europe.

In that role, Schanne will oversee ADC's sales and business development in those regions, reporting to company Vice President of Global Sales Lyle Chalupsky. Schanne joins ADC after 13 years with Nortel Networks, most recently as vice president, Central and Eastern Europe.

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