Cable Programming Pioneer Roger Werner Joins Narrowstep
December 16 2005 - 8:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
LONDON and NEW YORK, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Narrowstep(TM) Inc (OTC:NRWS) (BULLETIN BOARD: NRWS) , the tv on
the internet company, announced Roger Werner has joined Narrowstep
as a Special Advisor. Mr Werner is one of a small group of cable
industry pioneers who has designed, built and managed some of cable
television's most successful networks. Most recently, he founded
the Speedvision (now Fox's "Speed Channel") and Outdoor Life
networks and served as their President and CEO from 1995-2001. Mr
Werner developed these networks in partnership with investors, Cox,
Comcast and ATT (MediaOne). Launched in December 1995, Speedvision
and Outdoor Life achieved profitability as planned in 2001 on
combined revenue of over $100 million. In July of 2001, Mr Werner
and his partners, Cox and ATT, concluded the sale of their network
shareholdings to Fox and Comcast. This deal valued the two networks
at $1.4 billion, making Speedvision and Outdoor Life two of the
largest, most successful programming start-ups in cable television
history. Mr Werner's career in the television programming industry
began in 1979 when he joined the international management firm
McKinsey & Company. From 1980-1982 he served client ESPN in the
formation and implementation of the start-up network's original
strategic and operational plans. He left McKinsey to become ESPN's
Chief Operating Officer in March of 1982. During his six years as
Chief Operating Officer, ESPN became the world's largest and most
profitable cable television network. Also during this period ESPN
grew from $1 million to over $600 million in annual sales, and from
an annual loss of $30 million to profits of approximately $150
million. Between 1982 and 1988, Mr Werner's team pioneered
award-winning SportsCenter news programming, cable's first NFL
coverage, exclusive NASCAR and IndyCar coverage, and international
events such as the America's Cup. ESPN also developed sports
networks in over twenty international markets during this period.
In 1988 Mr Werner briefly served as Executive VP of the ABC
Television Network Group at the request of Thomas Murphy, then
Chairman of Capital Cities ABC Inc. At the end of 1988, Murphy
asked Mr Werner to return to ESPN as CEO, where he stayed until
October 1990. At that time, Mr Werner joined cable pioneer Bill
Daniels, to help him develop his emerging regional sports network
interests. In his five years with Daniels, Mr Werner helped build
the Los Angeles-based Prime Ticket (now Fox Sports West) into
America's largest and most valuable regional cable network. He
simultaneously launched America's first Spanish language sports
network, La Cadena Deportiva (now Fox Sports Americas) and managed
Daniels' partnership interests with TCI in an additional five
regional networks. In August of 1994, he successfully concluded the
sale of the last of these businesses to a Fox/Liberty JV, and began
work on what would become the Speedvision and Outdoor Life
networks. Mr Werner is a former board member of the NCTA and a past
recipient of the CAB's President's Award. He is a graduate of
Trinity College in Hartford, CT (BA 1972), and holds a Masters in
Business Administration from the University of Virginia (1977)
where he was class president and served as a member of the alumni
board. Mr Werner, a father of three, is an instrument rated private
pilot, and remains actively involved in aviation and family related
activities when he's not at work on new television programming and
technology initiatives. "We're delighted to welcome Roger on
board," comments Narrowstep CEO, Iolo Jones. "His experience as a
pioneer in the cable industry will be invaluable as Narrowstep
continues to establish the world's largest network of internet tv
channels." Mr Werner will participate in developing and presenting
business propositions based on internet television to leading media
organizations in North America, working closely with the President
of Narrowstep's American operations, Carolyn Wall. About
Narrowstep(TM) Inc. Narrowstep(TM) Inc. (OTC:NRWS) (BULLETIN BOARD:
NRWS) provides the most comprehensive technology for managing,
protecting, distributing and commercializing video over the
internet -- a market often called TV on IP. This technology can be
used to make content available on mobile devices, wireless devices,
broadband and broadcast services through the company's unique
platform, the Television Operating System -- TelVOS(TM). Content
can then be monetized using built in advertising, sponsorship,
pay-per-view, subscription and ecommerce tools. Narrowstep
currently powers over seventy TV on IP channels and provides
services to clients in the United Kingdom, the United States, and
various other countries throughout the world, including Germany,
Sweden and the Netherlands. To learn more, visit
http://www.narrowstep.com/. Forward-Looking Statement Certain
statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking
statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known
or unknown risks, including those detailed in the Company's filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, uncertainties and
other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or
achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially
different from any future results, performance or achievements
expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers
are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. For further
information on Narrowstep, please contact Iolo Jones, CEO, on +44
(0) 207 731 4242. E-mail: DATASOURCE: Narrowstep(TM) Inc. CONTACT:
Iolo Jones, CEO of Narrowstep(TM) Inc, on +44 (0) 207 731 4242, Web
site: http://www.narrowstep.com/
Copyright