Comcast Media Center Boosts HITS Lineup, Sales Team

Headend In The Sky Adds the Industry’s Newest Networks; Allison Olien and Craig Wilmes join Sales Team

Denver, CO, Aug 2, 2004 –Comcast Media Center’s (CMC) participation at the 2004 NCTC show, currently underway in Orlando, marks the 10th year in operation for its HITS (Headend In The Sky) platform, which serves a number of NCTC members. The CMC has added more than half-a-dozen digital TV networks to its lineup since last year’s NCTC Conference. Moreover, operators visiting the HITS booth at NCTC will recognize the latest additions to its affiliate sales team: seasoned cable veterans Allison Olien and Craig Wilmes.

“NCTC is a great forum for hearing from many of our HITS Affiliates and we’re very pleased to have Allison and Craig, who have worked with the NCTC membership for the past several years, on hand to talk about our most recent developments and to discuss ways that we can continue to efficiently and effectively meet their needs through our centralized solutions,” stated Gary Traver, the CMC’s Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Among the developments designed to boost a local cable operator’s competitive advantage are the additions of many of the industry’s newest cable programming networks, including Anime Network (HITS 14), Blackbelt TV (HITS 6), CSTV: College Sports Television (HITS 14), and TV One (HITS 14). Other recent additions to the HITS lineup include Daystar (HITS 13), Starz Kids (HITS 15), TVG Network (HITS 6), VH1 Mega Hits (HITS 14) and the west coast feeds for Bravo (HITS 4) and HGTV (HITS 4).

The new members of the HITS’ affiliate sales team, Allison Olien and Craig Wilmes, joined the company as Sales Managers in June. Together with Natalie Kesler, they are focused on meeting the needs of more than 300 MSO affiliates by providing support for the existing HITS platform and introducing the newest, innovative offerings from HITS, the leader in providing digital television services and solutions to cable television industry.

Allison Olien comes to the CMC’s HITS sales team from TV Guide, where she served as the Director of Affiliate Sales for its eight-state Rocky Mountain region. A Colorado native, Olien graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Organizational Management and Marketing. She also currently serves as the Public Relations & Communications Director for CTAM of the Rocky Mountains.

Before joining the HITS sales team in June, Craig Wilmes served as the Director of Affiliate Sales for TechTV’s Western Region. Also a Colorado native, Wilmes graduated from Colorado State University, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Human Sciences. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for CTAM of the Rocky Mountains and one of its former presidents.

Contact information and a complete list of the digital TV and audio networks available via HITS may be viewed at the CMC’s web site: http://www.comcastmediacenter.com/

About Comcast Media Center
Comcast Media Center (CMC), a business unit of Comcast Cable, provides a total content management solution through its “one source –multiple delivery platforms” capabilities. Its Content Delivery Network offers global transmission via satellite and terrestrial fiber optics, VOD and streaming distribution capabilities. CMC’s Content Management Network offers broadcast quality studio, mobile and post production services, origination services for linear TV networks and live events, HDTV production and origination and quality control and media management services, including encoding and storage. Its Affiliate Services Network includes the HITS (Headend In The Sky) digital platform, founded in 1994, which delivers 150 digital services to more than 2,000 cable system headends. More information is available at: http://www.comcastmediacenter.com/

Headquartered in Philadelphia, Comcast Cable is a division of Comcast Corporation, a developer, manager and operator of broadband cable networks and provider of programming content. With a presence in 22 of the top 25 United States markets, Comcast is one of the leading communications, media and entertainment companies in the world. Providing basic cable, Digital Cable, high-speed Internet and telephone services, Comcast is the company to look to first for the communications products and services that connect people to what’s important in their lives. The company’s 59,000 employees serve more than 21 million customers.