Cox Communications will undertake a companywide reorganization to streamline operations, a plan that is to include combining Arizona and Las Vegas systems and pairing up Louisiana with Florida/Georgia in 2012 to leave the MSO with seven operating clusters, the company confirmed Friday.
Light Reading Cable reported on the changes Friday, citing internal memos the publication obtained. A Cox spokesman said the report was accurate.
Earlier this year Cox consolidated from 11 operating regions to nine, expanding the role of senior vice president Jill Campbell to oversee the company's entire field system.
In a statement, Cox said: "The organizational changes are part of an ongoing evolution of our business to ensure Cox remains competitive, efficient and effective in serving our customers. We began consolidating systems several years ago and have continued to regionalize and centralize functions and processes as appropriate. The work to consolidate these two systems will begin later next year followed by operational and personnel changes as necessary. The impact will be invisible to our customers and the communities we serve."
Last week, Cox president Patrick Esser sent a letter to executives saying that the company needed to do a better job unifying its operations by eliminating redundant functions, Light Reading Cable reported.
In one of the bigger changes, Cox will eliminate wireless as a standalone group. The company will combine wireless and technology groups under chief technology officer Kevin Hart, while wireless marketing and retail will integrated into Cox's marketing organization under chief marketing officer Mark Greatrex. Wireless customer care will move under senior vice president of customer operations Kimberly Edmonds.
In addition, Cox in the fourth quarter of 2011 will initiate a project dubbed "nGO," for "next-generation operations," which will involve centralizing the reporting of its regional system operations centers to Cox's Atlanta-based technology organization under Hart.
Starting in the first quarter of 2012, Cox will centralize the revenue responsibility of marketing under Greatrex and sales under a yet-to-be-hired senior vice president of sales reporting to chief operating officer Leo Brennan, while retaining local sales and marketing groups.
Also, the operations of Cox Business will be centralized under senior vice president Phil Meeks, while ad-sales unit Cox Media will report to senior vice president Bill Farina.
