Long time cable executive Decker Anstrom resigned from Comcast Corp.'s board of directors, replaced by veteran television executive Johnathan Rodgers, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Thursday.
Anstrom is probably best known for leading the National Cable & Telecommunications Association as CEO from 1994 to 1999, one of the most difficult periods for the industry. After leaving NCTA he served as CEO of The Weather Channel, becoming chief operating officer of its then parent, Landmark Communications until the network's sale to NBC Universal in 2008. Anstrom had been a member of Comcast's board of directors since 2001.
According to the SEC filing, Anstrom resigned from the Comcast board on Sept. 20, "in order to satisfy other professional commitments that, among other things, will involve significant foreign travel." The filing did not elaborate.
According to Comcast's proxy statement, Anstrom is head of the U.S. Delegation to the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference, held under the auspices of the International Telecommunication Union, which could explain his travel requirements.
Rodgers, who joined the Comcast board on Sept. 22, had a 45-year career in the media business, including stints as U.S. president of Discovery Communications and finishing up as CEO of African-American network TV One. He retired from TV One, in which Comcast own a small stake, in May.
According to the filing, from Jan.1, 2010 through Aug. 31, 2011, Comcast paid TV One approximately $22.5 million in programming carriage fees, and TV One paid Comcast approximately $2.7 million for transmission and origination services.
