To Be Honored During Cable Hall of Fame Celebration Held at the
Grand Hyatt Washington
DENVER (Jan. 4, 2017) – The Cable Center announced today that Frank M. Drendel, chair of the board and founder of CommScope, Inc., has been named the 2017 Bresnan Ethics in Business Award recipient. The award honors the late William J. Bresnan, founder and chairman of Bresnan Communications and longtime chairman of the board of The Cable Center. Drendel will be presented the industry accolade at the 20th annual Cable Hall of Fame celebration, April 26 at the Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, D.C.
“It is a true honor to be named this year’s Bresnan Ethics in Business Award recipient,” said Drendel. “Bill served as the best example of what ethics in business should be, and it is with great appreciation that I am being recognized with this award in his honor.”
“Frank has spent his entire career as a visionary leader and mentor in the cable television industry,” said Nick Davatzes, chief executive officer emeritus, A+E Networks, and chairman of the Bresnan Award selection committee. “He exemplifies ethics in business, and we are thrilled to present him this year’s Bresnan Ethics in Business Award.”
Drendel served as CommScope’s chief executive officer from his founding of the company in 1976 until its acquisition by The Carlyle Group in January 2011. He has served as chairman since 2011.
While at CommScope, Drendel also served as a director of GI Delaware, a subsidiary of General Instrument Corporation, and its predecessors from 1987 to 1992, a director of General Instrument Corporation from 1992 until 1997, and a director of NextLevel Systems, Inc. (which was renamed General Instrument Corporation) from 1997 until January 2000. Before founding of the company, Drendel held various positions within the Comm/Scope division of Superior Continental from 1971 to 1976.
Drendel is a director of the Internet and Television Association (NCTA) and the SCTE Executive Council. He previously served on the board of Sprint Nextel Corporation, Nextel Communications, Inc., Tyco International, Ltd., The Cable Center and C-SPAN.
Drendel has also received numerous prestigious honors for his contributions to the industry, including induction into the Cable Hall of Fame; an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development; and various NCTA awards. Other accolades include the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest civilian award given by the State of North Carolina; and the 2013 North Carolina Technology Association Outstanding Achievement Award.
Drendel graduated from Northern Illinois University in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing.
“Frank served as an invaluable member of our board and served as vice chairman for seven years. We are so pleased to honor him as this year’s Bresnan Ethics in Business Award honoree,” said Jana L. Henthorn, president and CEO, The Cable Center. “His dedication and steady guidance over the years has been instrumental to The Cable Center and to our entire industry.”
The Bresnan Ethics in Business award was created to honor outstanding men and women in the cable industry who best exemplify Bill Bresnan’s longstanding commitment to ethics in business. Awardees represent the ideals upheld by Bill Bresnan, including continually demonstrating ethical leadership qualities, doing what’s right in the face of adversity, even when it is unpopular, incorporating doing what’s right in everyday life, and demonstrating societal, community and philanthropic engagement.
The 20th annual Cable Hall of Fame will be held April 26, 2017, at the Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, DC. Since 1998, 121 men and women have been inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame. For more information on the celebration, visit www.cablehalloffame.com, or call 720-502-7500.
About The Cable Center
Based in Denver, Colorado, The Cable Center is a nonprofit organization serving the media and telecommunications industry. The Cable Center is the home of the Cable Hall of Fame, recognizing individuals for their outstanding contributions to the industry, and of the Barco Library, the world’s largest collection of cable-related information and resources. Visit us at www.cablecenter.org, www.twitter.com/TheCableCenter and www.facebook.com/TheCableCenter for more information.
About The Cable Hall of Fame Celebration
The industry’s best networking event, the Cable Hall of Fame honors those in media who have made a lasting contribution to the advancement of the industry. The official Cable Hall of Fame hashtag is #cablehof. For more information, visit www.cablehalloffame.com or call 720-502-7500.
