CCTA Wavelengths: Issue 5 - Summer 2013

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CCTA Announces the 2013 Technical Training Sessions

Coming to San Juan July 16, 17 and 18 - don't miss out! The CCTA has just released the registration materials for its annual Technical Training, which will take place from 8am to 5pm on three days: Tuesday, July 16; Wednesday, July 17; and Thursday, July 18. This very popular training usually attracts more than 100 installers, technicians, engineers, supervisory staff and managers from the association's Active Members (cable operators) in the Caribbean, Central and South America.

The Technical Training is available at no cost to employees of the association's Active Members. The CCTA will provide the training and daytime meals (breakfast, morning break, lunch and afternoon break) for each participant, but transportation, dinner and hotel expenses are the responsibility of each attendee. For other individuals wishing to attend the training, there will be a reasonable daily fee to cover meal and administrative expenses. For representatives of Associate Members, the daily fee is $100. For representatives of non-member companies, the daily fee is $140.

Associate Director John T. Kurpinski, Sr., has finalized details of the schedule, which will include three full days of training modules presented by experts in cable industry technology and engineering. Companies and organizations providing trainers are Aurora Networks, Choice Cable TV, CommScope, Incospec Communications, PPC, Tarpon Communications, the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers, and Worldwide Supply. The CCTA Board is very appreciative of these contributions to the association and the industry. Click here for a copy of the schedule.

The 2013 training will take place at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center & Hotel Casino located at 200 Convention Blvd. in San Juan. The hotel has provided a rate of $130 per night, single or double occupancy, plus 11% tax and a $15 hotel fee. There is also a $1.00 per room, per day maid gratuity and $5.00 per person, one-time bellman gratuity. This special rate will be available from July 13 through July 21, based on availability. Click here for Sheraton's dedicated CCTA reservation site, or call the hotel's Central Reservations office at 1-866-932-7269 to reserve a room. You must mention the "2013 CCTA Technical Training" to be eligible for the special rate, which expires on July 5.

If you are interested in attending the 2013 Technical Training, or having your company sponsor a social event, please contact Executive Director Andrea L. Martin via email, or by calling 1-864-836-8954. She can send you full details of the training, plus the pertinent registration forms. Registrations for the training must be made by Friday, July 12.

13 Different Carribbean Charities Receive Grants from CCTA

The Board of Directors of the Caribbean Cable and Telecommunications Association unanimously agreed to award a total of $14,000 to charitable organizations located in the Caribbean through the Community Charities Program. Each individual charity was nominated by a cable system operator that is part of the CCTA. The Community Charities Program, which was established by the CCTA in 1993, has awarded more than $281,000 during its existence.

The missions of all nominees were noteworthy, so the board members decided to award each one a grant. The CCTA originally established the program to give just ten grants per year, but the program has generated so much interest among members that the number of applicants continues to exceed the original number. Twelve nominees will receive $1,000 each, and one nominee will receive $2,000 since it was nominated by two different members. The board took this action at its meeting on May 23, 2013.

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The St. Maarten Soccer Educational Foundation publicly recognized its contributors in 2012, including the CCTA. The organization was nominated by Wireless Telecommunication Network to receive a $1,000 grant through the Community Charities Program in 2012.

The grant recipients and their sponsoring companies are: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bermuda nominated by Bermuda CableVision Ltd.; The West End Center Committee nominated by BVI Cable TV; Sociedad de Educacion y Rehabilitacion de Puerto Rico nominated by Choice Cable TV of Puerto Rico; Queen Louise Home nominated by Innovative Cable TV St. Croix; Nana Baby Children's Home, Inc. nominated by Innovative Cable TV St. Thomas-St. John; Colegio de Educacion Especial y Rehabilitacion Integral nominated by both Liberty Cablevision of Puerto Rico and OneLink Communications; Comfort Bay Senior Citizens' Home nominated by St. Lucia Cablevision (LIME); Victorious Living Foundation nominated by St. Maarten Cable TV; Adopt an Addict Foundation nominated by SETAR; LEAP (The Learning Empowerment Through the Arts Program) nominated by The Cable of St. Kitts; Stichting Hulp-aan-Curacao nominated by T.V. Distribution Systems N.V. of Curacao; Special Olympics Cayman Islands nominated by WestStar TV Limited; and Safe Haven Foundation nominated by Wireless Telecommunication Network of St. Maarten.

Each cable company was sent a check made payable to the nominated charity in the amount of $1,000. Hopefully, the publicity generated by each check presentation will promote the cable operator, the CCTA and the industry throughout the Caribbean. The funding for the Community Charities Program comes mainly from Auction Proceeds and Raffle Ticket Sales at the Annual Meeting. At the 2013 Annual Meeting, the Auction and Raffle generated nearly $14,000 for the program.

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13 Scenes from the 2012 Annual Technical Training Sessions

SAVE THESE DATES:
JANUARY 27-29, 2014!

Mark your calendars now for the CCTA's 2014 Annual Meeting! It will be held at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel & Casino in San Juan, from January 27 to 29. The Board of Directors is in the midst of developing the schedule for the convention, but it will include extended exhibit hall hours and additional time allocated to "Highlights" presentations from our Associate Members.

The CCTA is always open to suggestions for speakers, topics and new activities at the Annual Meeting. So please feel free to send your comments to any member of the Board of Directors or to Executive Director Andrea Martin, at info@cctanet.com.

CCTA Wavelengths: Issue 4 - Winter 2013

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Thanks to All Who Attended the CCTA's 2013 Annual Meeting in Bermuda!

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Who can forget Alan Smith dancing with the Gombeys at the Welcome Cocktail Party, or the incredible tour of Bermuda hosted by the Department of Tourism, or Mike Carrosquilla and Patrick Harrell belting out some great songs at the Farewell Cocktail Party?

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From beginning to end, the CCTA's 2013 Annual Meeting was filled with unforgettable moments and great business opportunities.

Thank you to everyone who attended the Annual Meeting at the Fairmont Southampton. This was the first Annual Meeting on lovely Bermuda, and 301 industry people were on hand to sample the island's world-famous hospitality and participate in three days of networking and educational activities. The attendees represented 160 companies, firms, and organizations from 22 distinct countries and territories.

2013 Annual Meeting Highlights

Exploring the theme of "Caribbean Meets the Future of Cable TV", the Annual Meeting boasted excellent speakers and of-the-moment topics. Keynote Speaker Joe Jensen of Block Communications and Buckeye Cablevision offered one perspective on the evolving platforms of cable operators.

Moderated by Adriana Waterston of Horowitz Associates, a panel of experts representing both cable operators and programmers discussed "Retaining Customers in a Competitive, Multi-platform Media Environment".

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Other sessions explored "Best Practices for Consumer Research in a Competitive Business Environment", "David vs. Goliath Marketing", "Improve Service Quality and Extend Service Offerings with PSIP and SI Metadata", and "Digital Terrestrial Television: Friend or Foe". The CCTA is very grateful to all speakers for sharing their expertise and viewpoints with Annual Meeting participants.

The Exhibit Hall included displays from 87 different companies. The room was buzzing with conversations, as new and returning attendees visited the vendors. The final event of the Annual Meeting was the Auction of items donated by participants, with all proceeds earmarked for the 2013 Community Charities Program. Auctioneer Patrick Harrell of New Frontier Media kept the bidding lively, and at the end of the evening over $13,000 had been raised from raffle ticket sales, auction purchases, and karaoke performances. We thank the generous companies and individuals who donated goods for the Raffle and Auction, and all those who bought tickets and items.

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Special thanks to our sponsors ...

We cannot forget our sponsoring companies, who helped make the 2013 Annual Meeting such a success. Without a doubt, our Platinum Sponsor was Bermuda CableVision, the company that hosted the Annual Meeting and helped plan many of the events. Gold Sponsors were BBC Americas and BBC World News; A + E Networks; and Caribbean Cable Cooperative Ltd. Silver Sponsors were HBO; Scripps Networks Interactive; Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.; TVC Communications; Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC; NBC Universal; and Fox Networks. Bronze sponsors were CommScope; Gone Viral TV; Crown Media Family Networks; MAXXIAN; Incospec Communications; New Frontier Media; TV One; Outdoor Channel; The Weather Channel; and Toner Cable Equipment, Inc.

... and to our Board of Directors and on-site personnel

The Annual Meeting would not have taken place without the hard work and dedication of the CCTA's 2012 Board of Directors, as well as our "loaned" on-site personnel: Zaira Rivera, Joanie Rivera, and Tita Sambolin of Liberty Cablevision of Puerto Rico; Tracey Howes, Marina Inserra, and Silvia Steede of Bermuda CableVision; and Angie Rivero of SETAR.

Congratulations to the newly-elected members of the 2013 Board of Directors:

Chair Beulah Jonis; Vice Chair and Chair-Elect David Burrows; Past Chair Mike Carrosquilla; Directors Bill Ewing, Naji Khoury, Raul Ponson and Terry Roberson; and Associate Directors Patrick Harrell and John T. Kurpinski, Sr. The board will soon start planning this year's activities as well as next year's Annual Meeting.

Annual Meeting List of Attendees

Representatives of CCTA Member companies can request a full list of Annual Meeting attendees, including addresses and phone numbers, by sending an e-mail to Executive Director Andrea L. Martin.

Save the Date for the 13th Annual Multicultural Media for Multicultural America Forum

Representatives of CCTA Member companies can attend the 13th Annual Multicultural Media for Multicultural America Forum on March 14, in New York City for the very special price of $199, thanks to speaker and moderator Adriana Waterston of Horowitz Associates. Click here to register for this one-day seminar, and enter code CCTA2013 to get the special rate.

Download selected presentations from the 2013 Annual Meeting

We are pleased to be able to provide some of the presentations given at the Annual Meeting on the CCTA website or through a link. You can find Serge Francois' "Digital Terrestrial Television: Friend or Foe" under the 2013 Annual Meeting on the CCTA website's Downloads & Forms page. For Adriana Waterston's presentation on "Best Practices for Consumer Research in a Competitive Business Environment", click here to download the presentation as a PDF.

Mark your Calendars now for the 2014 Annual Meeting!

Next year's meeting will take place at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel & Casino from January 27 to 29. We look forward to seeing you there!

CCTA Wavelengths: Issue 3 - Spring 2012

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More About Our Annual Meetings

As mentioned in the first quarterly newsletter of the year, attendance at the 2012 Annual Meeting set a new record of 414 participants. On all levels, the meeting was a success. One of the benefits of being a member of the CCTA is having access to the full list of attendees with contact information. If you are a representative of a CCTA member, either an Active or Associate member company, you may receive a copy of the Excel spreadsheet containing this data. Please contact Executive Director Andrea L. Martin via e-mail at info@cctanet.com requesting the list. Please remember that this privilege is reserved for members only.

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News about the upcoming 2013 Annual Meeting

Many regular attendees of the CCTA's Annual Meetings are already inquiring about the dates and venue for the 2013 meeting. The Board of Directors is pleased to announce that the 2013 Annual Meeting will be held from January 22 to 24 at the Fairmont Southampton Resort on Bermuda. Active Member Bermuda CableVision will be the host system for our first visit to this beautiful island. Based on a theme of the "Caribbean Meets the Future of Cable TV," sessions and speakers will be selected to provide information on the changing landscape of the industry. Suggestions on specific topics and presenters are always welcome, and can be sent to the Executive Director or any member of the Board of Directors. Registration materials will be available by the end of October, but it’s not too early to book travel to Bermuda. The Fairmont Southampton has extended its unbelievably low rate of $185 to three days before and three days after our Annual Meeting. All you need to bring are some colorful Bermuda shorts!

The CCTA's annual training sessions are right around the corner. Recently the Board of Directors approached the Active Members for subject-matter suggestions for the 2012 training sessions, both Technical and Marketing. Responses came from across the Caribbean, and the majority of suggested topics will be covered during the three-day Technical Training and the one-day Marketing Training. Speakers are being identified and schedules are being developed by Associate Director John T. Kurpinski, Sr., of Tarpon Communications and Associate Director Patrick Harrell of New Frontier Media. As soon as full schedules are available, they will be distributed to all Active Members.

One thing is for sure - the 2012 training sessions will be held at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel & Casino in San Juan on August 14, 15 and 16, 2012. The Technical Training modules will take place on all three days, while the Marketing Training presentations will occur on the 16th. A cocktail party for all attendees and presenters of either training session will be held on Wednesday evening, August 15.

The CCTA has provided free annual training to employees of Active Members for many years and the response has always been positive. Bringing information on the current topics in the cable television and telecommunications industries to the region has always been one of the organization’s missions. Although member companies must cover transportation, lodging and evening meal expenses, the CCTA handles the cost of the training sessions and all daytime meals. For representatives of Associate Members or non-members, the training sessions are available for reasonable daily fees.

For the 2012 Technical and Marketing Training Sessions, the Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel has provided a rate of $125 per night, single or double occupancy, plus 11% tax and a $15 hotel fee. There is also a $1.00 per room, per day maid gratuity and $5.00 per person, one-time bellman gratuity. This special rate is available from August 11 through August 19, based on availability. Rooms in the CCTA's block can be reserved by calling the hotel's reservations department at 1-787-993-3500, or by using the Sheraton's dedicated reservations link. The "2012 CCTA Technical and Marketing Training" must be mentioned to receive the special negotiated rate.

For further information on the 2012 training sessions, please contact Executive Director Andrea Martin at info@cctanet.com.

CCTA Awards Grants To 14 Deserving Charities

The Board of Directors of the Caribbean Cable and Telecommunications Association unanimously agreed to award $1,000 each to 14 charitable organizations located in the Caribbean. The grants were made through the Community Charities Program, which was established in 1983. Each individual charity was nominated by a cable system operator that is part of the CCTA. The Community Charities Program has bestowed more than $267,000 during its existence.

The missions of the 14 nominees ranged from programs for orphaned and ill children to assistance with higher education, but each one met the requirements of the Community Charities Program. The board members were impressed with the variety of qualified applications and therefore awarded a grant to each nominee. The CCTA originally established the program to give just 10 grants per year, but the program has generated so much interest among members that the number of applicants continues to exceed the original number. Each nominee will receive $1,000. The board took this action at their meeting on May 31.

The 14 grant recipients and their sponsoring companies are: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bermuda nominated by Bermuda CableVision Ltd.; Anegada Senior Citizens Bus Drive nominated by BVI Cable TV; Harrison College Benevolent Fund nominated by Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation; The Steven Anthony Ayala Rivera Foundation nominated by Choice Cable TV of Puerto Rico; Queen Louise Home nominated by Innovative Cable TV St. Croix; Nana Baby Children's Home, Inc. nominated by Innovative Cable TV St. Thomas-St. John; Colegio de Educacion Especial y Rehabilitacion Integral nominated by Liberty Cablevision of Puerto Rico; National Community Foundation nominated by LIME St. Lucia; Generation New Status STM Drum Band nominated by St. Maarten Cable TV; Clown Dokters Aruba nominated by SETAR; St. Peter's Brownie Club nominated by The Cable of St. Kitts; Siloam nominated by T.V. Distribution Systems N.V.; Special Olympics Cayman Islands nominated by WestStar TV Limited; and St. Maarten Soccer Educational Foundation nominated by Wireless Telecommunication Network.

Each cable company was sent a check made payable to the nominated charity in the amount of $1,000. Hopefully, the publicity generated by each check presentation will promote the cable operator, the CCTA and the industry throughout the Caribbean. The funding for the Community Charities Program comes mainly from Auction proceeds and Raffle Ticket sales at the Annual Meeting.

Congratulations to each grant recipient!