DENVER—The Syndeo Institute at The Cable Center said it has entered into a tentative deal with the University of Denver (DU) to sell its physical building here.
The university approached The Cable Center about purchasing its Denver building, which broke ground in 1999, as part of a long-term campus planning effort, Syndeo Institute said. It described DU’s interest in the building and its surrounding property as an opportunity for its leadership “to evaluate a path aligned with mission, financial discipline and long-term sustainability.”
The Cable Center was founded in 1985 as the National Cable Television Center and Museum, intended to preserve the cable and broadband industry’s institutional memory and legacy, including historical assets such as the Barco Library, the Cable Hall of Fame and industry archives. In 2023, the center rebranded as the Syndeo Institute at The Cable Center, with a focus on leadership development, education and collaboration efforts, such as its Intrapreneurship Academy.
Sale proceeds would go primarily to The Cable Center’s endowment to support long-term sustainability and expand organizational capacity, the Syndeo Institute said.
“As stewards of the organization, we owed it to our stakeholders to evaluate the opportunity and determine the best path forward,” board chairman Michael Willner, CEO of Penthera Partners and former CEO of Insight Communications, said. “This pivotal moment positions The Cable Center to serve the industry with greater reach, flexibility, and scale at a time when the landscape is evolving rapidly.”
The agreement kickstarts a defined due diligence period in which final terms, timing and logistics of the deal will be evaluated, the group said. All mission-serving programs, industry events and commitments of The Cable Center will continue throughout the process.
The Syndeo Institute’s administrative team and library will continue to operate from the building through the end of March, the Center said, with its building rental business operating through the end of June. The Barco Library’s collection will be relocated responsibly, it added, with careful stewardship and long-term preservation as priorities.
“This step strengthens our long-term financial foundation, but it does not change how we operate day to day,” President and CEO Diane Christman said. “This is not unrestricted operating revenue. The Cable Center will remain a lean organization. Placing proceeds into the endowment is about stewardship and long-term sustainability, not replacing philanthropic support. Fundraising remains essential to our work, and we look forward to continuing strong partnerships with the leaders and organizations who help power our mission and serve the industry.”
More updates will be shared as appropriate and as new information is available, The Cable Center said.
