Mediacom: Melton resigns

On Nov. 20, Stan Melton, government and community relations manager for Mediacom, retired after 24 years in the cable industry. He began with Telecable in January 1980.

Melton's career followed the route of company sell-offs, he said. Telecable sold out to TCI; TCI sold out to AT&T Broadband; AT&T sold out to Mediacom in July 2001. He was in his last position for about 1 1/2 years, he added.

Retirement was prompted by his mother's health and the decision to devote more time to caring for both his parents, Melton said.

Melton said channel expansion from the 25 available when he began his career to the more than 200 available now, as well as the variety of technological innovations and heightened customer service within the cable industry, all indicate "major improvements over the years."

Melton was unaware of any successor to his position.

"It's a big loss for the Mediacom family there, I've got to tell you," said Bill Copeland, area operations manager for Springfield's Mediacom office, who heard of Melton's decision late last week.

"I think Stan was a fixture in the community, not just in the cable office here," Copeland said. Regarding Melton's tenure with Mediacom, he added, "The big joke around here was that he came with the building."