IN BRIEF

The NCTA last week picked a new chairman, officers and board members at its annual convention.

New chairman is Michael Willner, president of Insight Communications. Vice chairman is Jerald L. Kent, CEO, Charter Communications; secretary is John Rigas, CEO and chairman of Adelphia Communications; treasurer is Brian Roberts, president, Comcast.

In addition to the officers and NCTA President and CEO Robert Sachs, the NCTA executive committee will comprise Decker Anstrom, CEO, The Weather Channel; Matthew Blank, chairman and CEO, Showtime Networks; Joseph Collins, chairman and CEO, Time Warner Cable; Nickolas Davatzes, CEO, A&E Television Networks; James Dolan, CEO, Cablevision Systems; Robert Miron, president, Advance/Newhouse Communications; James Robbins, CEO, Cox Communications; Daniel Somers, CEO, AT&T Broadband.

Elected members of the board: Associate director is John Egan, chairman, ANTEC (re-elected to a two-year term). At-large system directors: Ronald Duncan, CEO, GCI Cable Inc. (newly elected to a three-year term); James D. Pearson, CEO, U.S. Cable Corp. (re-elected to a three-year term). At-large programmer directors: Nickolas Davatzes, CEO, A&E Television; John Hendricks, chairman and CEO, Discovery Communications; Haim Saban, CEO, Saban Entertainment/Fox Family Worldwide (re-elected to a two-year term). At-large directors (newly elected to a two-year term): Geraldine Laybourne, chairman and CEO, Oxygen Media; Maggie Wilderotter, CEO, Wink Communications. Rural/small system operator director (re-elected to a two-year term: Joseph S. Gans III, president and CEO, Gans Multimedia Partnership.