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St. Joseph, Mo., operator depends on tight hometown bonds in the Show Me State
Not every cable system is owned by a mega-giant, nor does every cable customer live in a major market. With consolidation now a matter of course in the cable industry, tiny St. Joseph Cablevision (SJC) is an anomaly, and of course, selling local cable advertising is a different business than it is in large urban areas.
Independently owned by the same family that launched it in 1965, SJC is nestled in an agricultural area 50 miles north of Kansas City in northwest Missouri. St. Joseph is home to 26,000 subscribers in the nation's No. 201 DMA.
Building personal relationships are paramount in a small town--especially one that has a sluggish economy. B&C contributor Steve Raddock talked with Nancy Black, general manager of the sales arm of SJC's business, about local cable ad realities in a small market.
I understand St. Joseph's economy is still fairly stagnant. How does that translate in the cable business?
We had been consistently growing until the past couple of years,...