June 3, 2008

Pipeline Profile: Harold Kinnel

Region 8's New Director

SCTE member since 1991

Title: Director of plant operations, Ritter Communications

Broadband Background: Harold Kinnel is the SCTE's newly elected director for Region 8, representing Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. In his "day job," he is director of plant operations for Ritter Communications.

How did you first get involved in cable and the SCTE?

Cable - In October of 1969, my family's home was destroyed in a fire, and I found myself needing a full time job instead of the part time job I had at S.H. Kress, so I put in some applications, and the local cable company called me in for an interview and hired me on the spot. This was in Blytheville, AR, which is where I have returned after almost 40 years. The company I work for now purchased the Blytheville system in December of 2007, so I have come full circle, after working in North Little Rock, AR; Kansas City; Memphis; Forrest City, AR; and La Place, LA.

SCTE - An engineer with WEHCO Video (Jack Trower) got me involved in SCTE in 1991. At the time he was the Region 8 Director, and at one time was the president of the SCTE. He had already helped form the Razorback Chapter and was trying to re-structure the Tennessee Chapter into the Mid-South Chapter, and he asked for my help. I got involved with the Mid-South Chapter once it was formed and served in most officer positions; then the Razorback Chapter was needing some help, so I moved my affiliation to that chapter and served in several officer positions.

What prompted you to run for a seat on the board?

The aforementioned Jack Trower encouraged me to run several years ago, but I always seemed to be too busy at the time. I thought after things slowed down I might give it a shot, but as everyone knows in this business, it will never slow down. Since I have no family, I made a decision to use my vacation time to invest in my contribution to the Region 8 chapters and help in any way necessary to serve those chapters and members. I also have a lot of encouragement from my current employer Ritter Communications to not just be a board member, but a working board member. The entire company has supported me in this venture.

What do you see as the key issues in your region?

Some of our chapters in Region 8 are not as strong as they once were, and I want to work with each chapter in Region 8 to realize how beneficial SCTE can be if they take advantage of all it has to offer. I want to be someone they know personally and can call me on my cell number at anytime for whatever assistance I can give them. I don't want to be just a name and a title to these members, but a co-worker in the industry that they know.

What do you see as the key issues for the SCTE and the industry as a whole?

Technology is changing so rapidly in this industry so the key issue for SCTE and the Industry is training, training, and more training. Some of the bigger MSOs have their own training material, but the SCTE nationally needs to be sure all MSOs and independents also embrace the efforts that SCTE is making for all technicians as an industry. An improper trained installer or technician can give the industry as a whole a black eye.

Can you share any memorable experiences from your time in the industry?

I have been blessed with many memorable experiences and have had the privilege to work with memorable people. You never think about a bad thing such as a fire being a blessing, but in my case I think it was. I'm proud to be in the cable TV world for almost 40 years.