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William J. Bresnan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Bresnan began his cable career in 1958 when, at the age of 25, he designed and built his first cable system in Rochester, MN. When that system was acquired by Jack Kent Cooke, Inc. in 1965, Mr. Bresnan joined the Cooke executive team. After a series of transactions, the Cooke holdings were merged with Teleprompter Corporation, then the largest cable company in the U.S. Mr. Bresnan served as President of Teleprompter’s Cable Television Division from 1974 to 1981. In 1981, Westinghouse Electric purchased Teleprompter, and Mr. Bresnan was named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the new company, Group W Cable, Inc. He left Group W Cable and founded Bresnan Communications in 1984.
Throughout his career, Mr. Bresnan has played a leadership role in the cable television industry. He has testified before the FCC and U.S. congressional committees on a wide range of communications and copyright issues. Known as one of the cable industry’s leading contributors to technological advancement, he played a major role in the development of the first domestic satellite transmission as well as the country’s first commercial fiber optic communications system. In 1981, he was the recipient of the National Cable Telecommunications Association’s prestigious Larry Boggs Award (now the Distinguished Vanguard Award for Leadership) for outstanding contributions to the industry. In 1987, and again in 2005, he was honored with the Cable Television Public Affairs Association’s President’s Award. In 1999, his numerous contributions to the industry were acknowledged when he received one of cable’s highest honors, the Walter Kaitz Foundation’s Partnership in Diversity Award. In the spring of 2000, he was inducted into the Cable Television Hall of Fame. In May of 2000, he received the Stanley B. Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Minorities in Communications. In November of 2000, Mr. Bresnan also was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame.
Mr. Bresnan served for over 35 years on the Board of Directors of the National Cable Telecommunications Association. He is currently the Chairman of The Cable Center in Denver, Chairman of the Executive Committee and a member of the Board of Directors of C-SPAN, and a Board member of Cable Television Laboratories, Cable TV Pioneers, and Cable Positive. A supporter of diversity in the workplace, he is also a member of the Board of Directors of The Emma Bowen Foundation, which promotes employment opportunities in media for economically disadvantaged minority students. Previously, he was the Chairman of CablePAC and has served on the Boards of Directors of Cable in the Classroom and the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau. A firm believer in the advancement of women throughout the industry, Bill Bresnan is an honorary lifetime member of Women in Cable and Telecommunications. | 