MediaOne continued its push toward greater centralization
by establishing a "National Markets Group" in Denver to manage systems that are
not attached to major clusters.
As a result, the MSO will phase out its
Southeast-region-management office in Jacksonville, Fla., and it will oversee the
operations of its Jacksonville systems from Denver, as well as of its systems in Naples,
Fla.; Richmond, Va.; and other markets not yet identified.
MediaOne will open up a new office in Miami to manage its
Pompano and Hialeah, Fla., systems, as well as the south Florida operations that the MSO
expects to acquire from a pending swap with Tele-Communications Inc. for systems in
suburban Chicago.
In a prepared statement, Ron Cooper, executive vice
president of operations for MediaOne, called the moves "a further acknowledgment of
our clustering strategy, as well as an effort to improve the overall management of our
properties."
Bruce Leichtman, director of media and entertainment
strategy for The Yankee Group and a former Continental Cablevision Inc. executive, said
the new National Markets Group personified the MSO's dramatic "turnaround"
from an MSO once known for its decentralized management to the exact opposite.
Leichtman said the strategy was not unexpected for the
company's marketing division, but he was "a little bit surprised" that the
philosophy would extend so deeply into operations. "Isn't it a little difficult
to run operations from 2,000 miles away?" he asked.
The company also announced that H.W. Goodall, Southeast
region senior vice president and a 25-year veteran of the company, will retire at the end
of May.
