Patrick McLaughlin
In January, PennWell (Nashua, NH) published the premier issue of Cable Foreman, a monthly magazine focusing on the outside physical infrastructure between telecommunications companies` central offices and end-users.
Alan Ventura, Cable Foreman`s associate publisher, explains the industry needs that the publication meets, saying that throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s, large telecommunications companies and other service providers concentrated on installing new, high-capacity hybrid fiber/coaxial cable and fiber-optic cable in their outside plants. Some of these providers deferred maintenance of their older, copper-based plants in anticipation of replacing them with newer products and technologies.
However, the economics of current high-bandwidth demand and the expansion of services that could be offered over existing copper have resulted in a surge of plant rehabilitation, rather than removal of existing cable. Today, outside-plant networks are being built with fiber and upgraded copper infrastructures. This construction creates a demand for outside-plant products and services.
Also, because there has been an influx of new service providers--such as cable-TV companies, competitive access providers, and some utilities--and a significant number of new hires in established companies, the number of professionals building these new systems has grown.
Ventura says that Cable Foreman meets the needs of the professionals who both build and rehabilitate this outside infrastructure. The publication addresses their information needs and considers the implications of the work these professionals are doing, he says.
George Miller, the magazine`s editorial director, says the publication provides information on outside infrastructure products and processes that will lead to efficiencies in new construction, rehabilitation, and network repair, and focuses on high-level procedural information, emphasizing the peer-level view that the cable foreman must possess. Miller says the magazine also emphasizes products--what they do and how they do it--as well as information about costs and results.
The editorial offerings within the magazine include case histories of repair projects that proved to be effective in the field, of new outside-plant installations, and of products and processes used in successful plant rehabilitations; features and news stories linking technology trends and design issues; detailed product specifications and development trends based on outside-plant applications; product and service offerings; features on communicating on-site problems and solutions; and information on when and where to find training, exhibitions, and tutorials.
Ventura says the magazine`s name pinpoints a key player in the outside-plant industry. "We`re honing in on the cable foreman, who is the central figure controlling the construction and rehabilitation process," he states. The cable foreman`s job is to translate engineering concepts into practical installation procedures, and to complete the job accurately, cost-effectively, and expediently.
As the primary link among all departments--line assignment, central office, engineering, purchasing, and administration--the cable foreman is the lead person on the job site and is responsible for installation, testing, record-keeping, and design changes as a project progresses. Such a key role in work-change requests translates into a high level of purchase influence, Ventura says.
For subscription information, call Gloria Adams at (603) 891-9479. For more information on advertising in Cable Foreman, call Alan Ventura at (603) 891-9318.