Bud Tibshrany of Time Warner Cable

MidlandsBiz:
The General Assembly recently passed a resolution honoring your service to the local community.  What was your reaction?

Bud Tibshrany:
I was surprised and honored.  The author of the resolution, Representative John Scott, has been a good friend of mine dating back to the time when he served on Richland County Council.

MidlandsBiz:
What has been your philosophy on community involvement?

Bud Tibshrany:
It all relates to service – customer service, community service – and dates back to the time I was a teenager working in my father’s family grocery store in Shandon.  He taught me that the customer and your fellow man always must be respected and treated professionally.  Everyone needs to give back to the community to make it a better place.  I’ve enjoyed my association with numerous organizations in town and I will continue to serve after my retirement.

MidlandsBiz:
What are plans for retirement?

Bud Tibshrany:
I have no blockbuster plans.  I will continue with my association with the Salvation Army, the Columbia Community Relations Council and with the USC Mass Communications Partnership and so forth.  I will also continue to be associated with the cable industry on various boards including the SC Cable TV Association.

I will have a little more time to spend with my grandsons and also golf.

After 43 years, there is going to be a period of adjustment, a decompression period so to speak.  I certainly have mixed emotions about it.  It was a tough decision to make, but I am sure it was the right one.

It’s been a rewarding career.

MidlandsBiz:
43 years in the same industry – you realize that doesn’t happen much anymore.

Bud Tibshrany:
I’m a survivor, I guess.  It’s been an interesting journey to say the least.  I started with Cosmos Cablevision, the parent company of WIS TV where I was a cameraman during my days at USC.  After a stint in the Navy, I returned to Cosmos and joined their cable television division in 1964.  At that time, the cable industry was nothing much more than a glorified master antenna service. We would construct 400-600 feet towers with gigantic antennas and then we would run cable from them much in the same way we do now.  There was nothing unique about cable TV programming – it was strictly broadcast stations from distant cities that filled a void that existed in small rural communities.  In fact, the name of the national cable TV trade association was the National Community Antenna Television Association.  Our competitors in those days were the rooftop antenna manufacturers.

I can remember the time in 1953 when our family bought our first TV set which was a black and white Admiral TV set.  We had a big antenna on the roof and had to have a converter box sitting on the TV if we wanted to watch UHF stations.  Needless to say, we have come a long way.

MidlandsBiz:
What leaders have influenced your career?

Bud Tibshrany:
My business style is modeled after my father’s style.  I am also very grateful to the late president of Cosmos Broadcasting, Richard Shafto, who instilled leadership qualities in all of his management team, and in fact all of his employees.

Leadership is also a process of osmosis.  You learn from various situations, different sources, reading and interacting with quality people and being associated with people you respect.

MidlandsBiz:
What are the milestone developments that you have seen in the industry?

Bud Tibshrany:
Well, certainly the launch of the first TV satellite.  That enabled cable companies to provide unique programming to customers.  Also, the introduction of fiber optic technology has revolutionized the cable industry, resulting in the deployment of advanced services such as Road Runner high-speed Internet access, Digital Phone, Start-Over and many more. 

MidlandsBiz:
What trends are we going to see in the industry?

Bud Tibshrany:
You are going to see more on demand channels.  That is very popular with our customers because it allows them to watch programs whenever they want.

You are also going to see the cable companies get into the cell phone business and more interactive cable services.  

And bundling.  Time Warner Cable (TWC) has the Triple Play Package including cable, high-speed Internet and Digital Phone service at a discounted price.  Digital phone service is doing really well for us, particularly for those who don’t use their cell phones for long distance calls.  We offer long distance calls to anywhere in the US, Canada, or Puerto Rico at a fixed rate. 

Road Runner continues to grow dramatically.  The JD Power Company previously reported that Road Runner was number one in terms of customer satisfaction.

MidlandsBiz:
How important is customer satisfaction to TWC?

Bud Tibshrany:
Customer service is at the top of the priority list at Time Warner Cable.  We have a comprehensive training department that works with new employees before they interact with customers, and also existing employees.  We are constantly rolling out new products and services.  Our customer service representatives (CSRs) have to be knowledgeable, and at the same time, display courtesy and professionalism.  For quality control purposes,  we monitor incoming calls at our new state-of-the-art Call Center.  We pride ourselves on customer satisfaction.

MidlandsBiz:
What challenges does TWC face in this increasingly competitive landscape?

Bud Tibshrany:
We certainly face formidable competition from the satellite companies.  We know the phone companies are getting into the video business and we certainly compete with them for high-speed Internet and phone service.  We think this competition is healthy and good for the consumer.

We are well positioned because we have the technology to roll out advanced services.  TWC has been a leader throughout the country, and indeed the world, when it comes to cable technology.  We are excited about the future.

MidlandsBiz:
What is your favorite part about Columbia and this region?

Bud Tibshrany:
Columbia is growing rapidly, but it is still a nice small, home town for me.  I was born here, graduated from Dreher High School (we just had our 50th reunion a few weeks ago), and graduated from USC.  It’s a wonderful community and a great place to raise a family.  The Innovista project will make a major change to the local economy. We’ve got to continue to have good leadership within our local governments if this community is going to move forward.