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GUEST SPEAKERS AND PANELS
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PANEL DISCUSSION:
“State of the Industry”
Sponsored by ION Media Networks
Come hear industry experts address the
issues facing cable operators today:
- Tweeting, Facebook,
and other social media – Necessary and
cutting edge or trendy and ultimately
irrelevant?
- “Free” Antenna TV –
With retransmission and licensing fees,
what is the future of over-the-air TV?
- Broadband and Video –
match made in heaven or something else
entirely?
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OUR PANELISTS: |
John
D. “Dave” Thomas
Partner, Hogan &
Hartson, LLP
John D. “Dave” Thomas has a
national practice in the telecommunications
and broadband communications industries. He
is experienced in a wide range of
regulatory, litigation, and transactional
matters, and handles a variety of
commercial, regulatory, and litigation
matters involving competitive wireless and
wireline telecommunications providers,
broadcasters, and satellite communications
companies. He also has published works on a
variety of domestic and international
industry issues, including new technology
deployment and spectrum use and allocation.
Mr. Thomas will serve as panel moderator. |
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Steve Effros
President,
Effros Communications
Steve Effros launched his consulting
company, Effros Communications, in July
1999, after 23-years as the head of the
Cable Telecommunications Association (CATA),
one of the major national trade associations
for the cable television industry. Steve
helped found the organization in 1976 to
represent the legal and public policy
positions of small and mid-sized cable
operators. As President of Effros
Communications, and through his own law
offices, Stephen R. Effros, PC, Steve has
been retained as a consultant to major cable
and Internet companies on strategic
analysis, planning and communications
issues. He speaks on telecommunications
issues nationwide and overseas, and writes a
weekly commentary for CableFax Daily, one of
the leading cable television trade
publications. He has been on the teaching
faculty of the Practicing Law Institute (PLI)
for the past ten years, and is an Adjunct
Professor at George Mason University. |
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JOHN
LAWSON
Executive Vice President, ION Media Networks
In
his role at ION Media Networks, John Lawson
is driving policy strategy for restructuring
and re-launching the nation's largest
broadcast network for the digital
environment. He is leading initiatives in
distribution of programming, including new
digital networks focused on children and
wellness, and advocating new regulatory
policies that would increase minority
ownership of media. Lawson is pursuing
business development around digital
television, including new content alliances
and ION's deployment of a commercial mobile
video service in 2009. He is also a major
participant in broadcaster efforts for the
successful transition to digital television. |
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Lawson came to ION from the Association of
Public Television Stations (APTS) in
Washington, DC, where he was president and
CEO. Over his seven years at APTS, Lawson
secured federal funding, policy support, and
business alliances that ensured the
successful digital conversion of public
television and the expansion of its services
to the American public.
Mr. Lawson served on the FCC’s Commercial
Mobile Service Alert Advisory Committee, the
FCC's Media Security and Reliability
Council, and the board of the National
Coalition for Technology in Education and
Training. He earned BA and MA degrees in
International Studies from the University of
South Carolina. |
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Patricia Parks Thompson
Public Affairs Specialist for Cox
Communications
Patricia Parks Thompson is the Public
Affairs Specialist for Cox Communications, a
position she has held since 2006. In this
position, she serves as Cox’s local market
spokesperson and manages local media
relations; oversees the public affairs
budget and community relations tactics for
the six parish Acadiana region; and provides
internal and external communications and
special events support to projects across
Cox Louisiana’s 17-parish service area.
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In addition to her public, community and
traditional media relations
responsibilities, Thompson also directs the
promotion and protection of the Cox brand
through the use of social media. She launched and populated
www.innovatelafayette.com, Cox’s competitive
Web site; created Cox Greater Louisiana’s
Facebook page; uses Twitter for product
launches; monitors Web sites and blogs and
respond accordingly on behalf of Cox; and
tracks the effectiveness of social media by
using Google Analytics. She is nationally
recognized as a leader among Cox Government
and Public Affairs departments and serves on
Cox Communication’s National Social Media
Task Force.
Prior to joining Cox, Thompson served as
Events Coordinator and Fundraiser for the
Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce. Prior
to the Chamber, she was the Community
Relations Director for the Performing Arts
Society of Acadiana (PASA).
Mrs. Thompson received a bachelor’s degree
in public relations from the University of
Louisiana at Lafayette. She was a member of
Class XXI of Leadership Lafayette and was
named in 2007 as one of the “Top 20 Under
40” by the Lafayette Daily Advertiser. She
is a member of the Public Relations Society
of America and the Association of Cable
Communicators.
An active member of her community, Thompson
serves as an executive board member for the
Acadiana Center for the Arts and The705:
Acadiana’s Emerging Leaders, for which she
is a charter member. She also serves on the
Programming Committee for Leadership
Lafayette, as well as the Innovation, Public
Policy and Education committees for the
Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce. She
is a former board member of the Acadiana
Advertising Federation, the Kiwanis Club of
Acadiana and a volunteer for Rebuilding
Together Acadiana, Festival International de
Louisiane, and Miles Perret Cancer Services.
A native of Grand Prairie, she is married to
Mark Thompson. They make their home in
Lafayette with their family dog, Paisley,
and cat, Patch. Since they just married in
November 2009, it’s too early to discuss
kids. |
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Philip Waterman,
Jr.
Vice President/General
Manager
WGNO ABC26 & WNOL NOLA38
Philip C. Waterman, Jr. is Vice President
and General Manager of Tribune Television
New Orleans which includes WGNO ABC 26, and
the CW affiliate, WNOL-TV. He was previously
Group Vice President of Communications
Corporation of America / White Knight
Broadcasting, overseeing 11 TV stations.
Phil was General Manager of 4 stations in
the group: WVLA NBC33, WGMB FOX44, WBRL CW21
and an independent, KZUP-TV. He is also Vice
Chairman of Television for the Louisiana
Association of Broadcasters. |
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Phil had a successful career
in television sales before entering station
management. He was Director of Sales of 2
Clear Channel TV stations (FOX & UPN) in
Jacksonville, Local Sales Manager for FOX
Television Stations, Inc. in Chicago and
Washington DC, and Manager of National Spot
Sales for CBS Television Stations, Inc. in
Chicago and Boston. Phil worked as an
Account Executive for CBS National Spot in
Dallas and New York, and sold locally in
Dallas and Roswell, NM. He was also
president of two companies that he created,
AdMax, Inc., an unwired television network,
and the Cogan Company, a television sales &
marketing consulting firm.
Phil is married and the father of two
children. |
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PANEL DISCUSSION:
“State of the Industry”
Sponsored by ION Media Networks |
Refund
Policy
If
cancellation occurs prior to January 29,
2010, a refund of half the amount of total
registration will be given. No refunds will
be given after January 29 for any reason.
Sorry, no refunds on sponsorships. |
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