John Walson

One of the first cable operators in the country, 2005 Cable Hall of Fame

John Walson

One of the things that got me interested in going into cable TV in a large way, was the crowd that gathered in front of my store… in 1948. When I first put those three channels on, the street was completely blocked with viewers, people watching the pictures in the window.

John Walson, Sr., was one of the first cable operators in the nation. Mr. Walson was born in Forrest City, Pennsylvania on March 25, 1915. After graduating from Mahanoy Township High School in Pennsylvania, he went to Chicago and entered Loyola University with the intention of becoming a physician. Some time after entering the University, he rekindled his adolescent interest with electricity. Coyne Electrical School was nearby and before long he became an engineering student and abandoned his projected medical education.

His love of electronics led him to obtain a General Electric franchise in 1945, selling appliances in Mahanoy. Around the year 1947, Mr. Walson began selling television sets. It was very difficult, or impossible, to receive the three Philadelphia network stations in Mahanoy City because the town is surrounded by mountains and is located some 86 air miles away. Because of this situation, Mr. Walson erected an antenna tower on top of a nearby mountain so he could take his customers to that location and demonstrate his television receivers. In searching for ways to increase his sales in 1947, Mr. Walson decided to purchase some heavy duty twin-lead army surplus wire, and ran the wire on trees from a nearby mountain to his appliance warehouse. Eventually, the line was extended to Mr. Walson’s appliance store, and several homes along the way were connected to the community antenna system.

In addition to starting the nation’s first community antenna television system in Mahanoy City , Mr. Walson can also claim several other pioneering firsts, including a five channel system using adjacent channels, importation of distant signals using microwave technology, and use of coaxial cable. In the spring of 1979, the 96th Congress of the United States and the National Cable Television Association recognized John Walson as the founder of the cable television industry.

During the last 40 years of his life, Mr. Walson served as a director of the National Cable Television Association, the Pennsylvania Cable Television Association, and numerous other civic organizations. In 1993, he was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame. Mr. Walson passed away on March 28, 1993.

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Gibbs Jones

C5 Emeritus
Owner (Spartanburg)

ARCpoint Labs

Gibbs is a customer experience executive with over 25 years of customer experience leadership and expertise in the design, optimization and implementation of customer contact operations. Gibbs has combined skill in the human and technology side of customer contact operations, including the procurement and installation of ACD equipment, workforce management and CRM systems. He has directed the start-up of multiple customer contact operations, with industry expertise in consumer electronics, communications, retail, manufacturing, financial services, banking, and direct sales.

Gibbs has over ten years experience in the Cable Industry. Most recently Gibbs was the Senior Vice President of Customer Experience for Suddenlink Communications. Gibbs worked with Suddenlink’s six regional senior vice presidents and the managers of its customer-contact call centers in Arizona, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas and West Virginia to measure and improve Customer Satisfaction through transactional and relationship Net Promoter Programs and JD Power Research Studies.

Gibbs was also responsible for the company’s social media strategy where he made sure Suddenlink was active in the major social networking channels and found new ways to improve customer loyalty in this space.

Currently Gibbs owns two ARCpoint Labs locations. ARCpoint is a leader in the B to C and B to B drug and alcohol testing industry. Additionally, Gibbs has a consulting practice that helps companies improve their customer experience.

Gibbs is a Certified Net Promoter® Associate and has been a speaker at various conferences and is frequently called upon to discuss considerations related to measuring and improving the customer experience, exceptional contact center management, and optimizing the employee experience.

 

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