This year's Western Show, the cable industry's second largest trade show, will be its last.
The California Cable & Telecommunications Association, which has sponsored the show for the past 36 years cited industry consolidation and rising costs as the primary reasons for ending the annual show, to be held in Anaheim, Calif., Dec. 2-5.
The association said it made its announcement now to focus attention on making the final event a success. "Given the strong support for the final show from senior leaders at the MSO's , we expect that programmers and equipment suppliers will find compelling reasons to likewise embrace the show and be in Anaheim with their cable customers," said Spencer Kaitz, president and general counsel for the CCTA.
For years, the Western Show, which had recently called itself "Broadband Plus," had gained a reputation as a showcase for new cable technology and programming, second only to the annual NCTA show in June. Changing market conditions, however, were among the main reasons for the show's demise, according to cable analyst Gary Arlen, president of Arlen Communications in Bethesda, MD.
"The Western Show had been a financial bonanza for many years, but changing market conditions forced the CCTA staff to spend too much time [on the show], maybe neglecting the local and regional lobbying needs of its membership¾a vital, but often overlooked factor in association management," Arlen said.
"Consolidation of MSOs has also hurt," Arlen added. "For awhile the show attracted foreign delegations, especially from Latin America, but that has dwindled with economic woes. With only a handful of big U.S. MSOs remaining, I've said for years that any of these conventions could be held on the C-SPAN bus, which would be big enough for the eight or nine companies who hold all the cable dollars."
