Cable One said Tuesday that long-time senior vice president and chief sales and marketing officer Jerry McKenna will retire at the end of the year.
McKenna, one of the most well-liked and respected executives in the cable industry, has spent about 19 years at Cable One, the Phoenix-based cable operator with about 700,000 customers. No replacement has been selected as yet.
McKenna joined Cable One in 1994 as Vice President-Strategic Marketing. For the past five years he has served as Senior Vice President-Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, responsible for marketing strategy and all sales activity throughout Cable One, as well as negotiating and managing programming contracts for the company. During his tenure, McKenna led the team that successfully launched digital cable TV, high speed Internet, phone service, and most recently business sales.
“Jerry McKenna has contributed mightily to Cable One's unique success story,” said Cable One CEO Tom Might in a statement. “As every other mid-sized cable operator exited the business, only Cable One successfully developed a strategy for staying in business profitably without millions of subscribers. With Jerry at the marketing helm, Cable One's annual revenue has grown from $180 million to $800 million. His wise and calm leadership will be missed in all areas.”
Prior to joining Cable One, McKenna was with RJR Nabisco for 18 years, where he served in several senior marketing positions including Vice President-Sales Promotion.
“I have enjoyed my 19 years at Cable One. I’ve been privileged to work with a very capable and forward thinking management team and a great group of committed associates,” McKenna said in a statement. “We have a talented group of associates in Sales, Marketing, and Programming, which enables me to retire knowing that the company is positioned for continued success.”
McKenna said that he and his wife plan to spend more time with their four grandkids and traveling.
“We really enjoy traveling to new places and have several trips planned. I also plan to do some serious fly fishing,” McKenna said.
