Comcast in Seattle, Spokane and Washington State: community involvement, products and services news
February 11, 2011
At noon today, we’ll be switching out a piece of network equipment that might disable our simplest cable TV boxes. The boxes should be back up soon, but we will stay in touch about any delays. Once the equipment is replaced, everything should be fine; if a box were to freeze, the best solution would be to unplug it for half a minute and then plug it back in.
We’ll also put updates on our Facebook page.
December 28, 2010
Every week we run a list of the most popular movies, children’s programs and music videos for Seattle and the rest of the Washington Comcast market. We measure this by looking at how many households request these programs On Demand.
This list is in for 2010 as a whole. Given the large presence of the military in Washington, it’s no surprise The Hurt Locker was No. 1. It is fascinating that The Hurt Locker was only No. 5 nationwide; in the nation as a whole, and most individual markets, The Blind Side was the most viewed film.
1. The Hurt Locker
2. The Blind Side
3. Sherlock Holmes
4. Robin Hood
5. The Book of Eli
6. Hot Tub Time Machine
7. Shutter Island
8. Couples Retreat
9. Clash of the Titans
10. Iron Man 2
11. Inglourious Basterds
12. The Twilight Saga: New Moon
13. Avatar
14. Grown
15. Get Him to the Greek
16. It’s Complicated
17. Date Night
18. Predators
19. Green Zone
20. The Hangover
Seattle and the rest of Washington differ from the nation as a whole, where these were the top 10 choices for 2010 (I should add, for 2010 so far as 2011 is not quite here yet) You can read more about the popularity of On Demand here.
You could have some fun analyzing the comparison between Washington and the nation. Given that the Twilight saga is set in Washington, I’m surprised the movie was No. 3 nationally and No. 12 here. Any thoughts on why, or any other comments about the results?
November 21, 2010
Reprinted with permission of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Spokane County:
COMCAST FOUNDATION DONATES $25,000 TO MODERNIZE THE BOYS & GIRLS CLUB’S TECHNOLOGY CENTER IN MEAD
The Lisa Stiles-Gyllenhammer Club to Dedicate Comcast Technology Center on Dec. 2
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON – One of the biggest academic obstacles facing youth today is access to technology, and it is a challenge that the Boys & Girls Clubs of Spokane County is facing head-on thanks to a $25,000 Technology Grant from The Comcast Foundation. This critical funding will ensure the Lisa Stiles-Gyllenhammer Club (Mead) is able to provide the most current technological resources and software available to help prepare at-risk youth for the 21st Century.
Opened in April 2010 to immediate success, the Lisa Stiles-Gyllenhammer Club Technology Center currently provides more than 20 life-saving programs designed to help at-risk kids find success both in the classroom and in life. Facing the realization that only two in five households in Mead have a home computer, the Club has taken a proactive approach to helping bridge the technology gap between those with access to resources and those without.
“This generation of youth will not only want, but need, technological skills and knowledge to compete for jobs. We owe it to all youth to make sure they’re prepared for the ever-changing environment of technology,” stated Ken Watts, Comcast General Manager in Spokane. “The Boys & Girls Clubs of Spokane County and their Club Tech program offer a perfect partnership to help bring technology into the lives of thousands of future community leaders.”
Thanks to Comcast’s new year-round partnership, this critical funding will provide daily access for the Lisa Stiles-Gyllenhammer Club members to 22 new computers and digital equipment to ensure they are exposed to a broad range of technological programs, software and advancements such as NetSmartz, an Internet safety program. The Comcast Technology Center will provide instruction on how to use photo/digital arts programs, movie making programs, the Microsoft Suite of programs, typing lessons and the creation of PowerPoint presentations.
“We are thrilled to have Comcast’s support in our on-going efforts to make sure that area youth, especially those that need it most, have every available resource and opportunity to get ahead and become a responsible and contributing member of society,” stated Alise Delzell, Operations Director, Boys & Girls Clubs of Spokane County. “Moving forward, we will have a better platform and resources to help our members expand their dreams and explore a future career in the technology field.”
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Spokane County will dedicate the Comcast Technology Center on Thursday, Dec. 2 at 1 p.m. This event will be held at the Lisa Stiles-Gyllenhammer Club located at 12509 N. Market, Mead 99021 and include presentations by key leadership from both Comcast and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Spokane County. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend. Visit www.bgcspokanecounty.org for additional information.
About Comcast Foundation
The Comcast Foundation was founded by Comcast Corporation in June 1999 to provide charitable support to qualified non-profit organizations. The Foundation primarily invests in programs intended to have a positive, sustainable impact on their communities. The Foundation has three community investment priorities – promoting community service, expanding digital literacy, and building tomorrow’s leaders. Since its inception, the Comcast Foundation has donated more than $77 million to organizations in the communities nationwide that Comcast serves. More information about the Foundation and its programs is available at http://www.comcast.com/community. More information about Comcast in Washington State is available at www.comcastinwashingtonstate.com.
About The Boys & Girls Clubs of Spokane County
Since 2001, The Boys & Girls Clubs of Spokane County has been a part of a nationwide affiliation of local, autonomous organizations dedicated to helping young people of all backgrounds develop the qualities they need to become responsible citizens and leaders. Founded in the philosophies of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Spokane County operates multiple Clubs in order to provide a broad range of programs in five Core Areas: Education and Career Development, Character and Leadership Development, Health and Life Skills, The Arts and Sports, Fitness and Recreation.
November 15, 2010
I admit. I didn’t see a big reason to own an iPad. I always put the iPad in the category of nice to have, but it wasn’t a necessity.
All that changed today.
Today, we launched an XfinityTV app for Apple’s iPad. Neil Smit, the President of Comcast Cable, demonstrated the app at the Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco. You can learn about the app by visiting here.
This is a big deal for a number of reasons. For those of you who are interested in the big picture, this is the beginning of a true mobile television experience that foreshadows a future with no traditional remote control and no cable set top box.
The app allows your iPad, and soon Android phones, to become a super charged combination remote control and set top box. You can search programs, switch channels and manage your DVR. You can also search On Demand programs which makes navigating through the 20,000 On Demand titles a whole lot easier.
This is just the beginning.
Comcast intends to introduce a series of improvements to the Xfinity TV application over the next few months, including giving customers the ability to watch Xfinity TV on their iPads.
For the first time, the full lineup of cable television programs and movies will be fully mobile. Anything a customer can watch on Xfinity TV he or she can watch on an iPad.
Yes, I know that people have been able to watch programming online for years now through various services. But the reality is these services can’t match the number of choices Comcast offers, nor can they provide the convenience of having so many choices in one place.
For example, I can see myself taking the iPad on business trips to watch my favorite programs on HBO while on a layover or in the hotel room. I can picture my teenage daughter choosing from among the thousands of On Demand movies and shows to compensate for the limited offerings at her grandparents house. I know my wife would love catching up on General Hospital while waiting to pick up my daughter from soccer practice.
In other words, I can totally picture myself buying an iPad. Of course, I can also picture myself forgetting where I left the iPad just like I always forget where I left the remote control.
November 11, 2010 1 Comment
Some of the nearly 400 Comcast Veterans and Reservists
Does this country make a bigger deal over Halloween than it does for Veteran’s Day?
I ask that question, because one of our employees who is a veteran told me this morning that he felt like the average citizen makes a bigger deal over Halloween than Veteran’s Day.
We were walking outside the Comcast Arena in Everett, after attending a special recognition breakfast Comcast held for the nearly 400 Veterans and Reservists who work for us here in Washington state.
Comcast had just received the Washington State Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve’s highest honor—the Seven Seals Award. The award was given in recognition of Comcast’s “extraordinary support of their employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve.” (Their news release about the award can be found here)
Len Rozek, Senior VP of Comcast's Washington market, receiving the Seven Seals Award from representatives of the Employer Support of The Guard and Reserve
He was grateful for the fact that Comcast supports its Veterans and Reservists and cared enough to hold an event for people like him, who were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice for their country. But he couldn’t help reflecting that most people probably give more thought to Halloween than they do to Veteran’s Day.
That may be true. But while Halloween may capture our attention, the reality is Veteran’s Day captures our hearts.
Nowhere was that more evident than inside the Comcast Arena this morning. I was struck first by how many people working for Comcast are Veterans and Reservists, especially among the ranks of our cable technicians. In fact, the odds are extremely good that the person coming to your home to install or fix your cable has served in the armed forces.
I also was struck by the sheer emotion of being in a room full of so many people who I knew had sacrificed so much for their country. And how much someone like me, who has never served in the military, has enjoyed the freedoms they’ve fought to protect.
Toward the end of the program, we handed the microphone over to the Veterans and Reservists in the room and let them share whatever was on their mind with the audience. Unsolicited and without any prompting, person after person said how proud they were to work for Comcast. Many of these employees were big, tough technicians, the last people you would picture opening up to a room full of people.
Marine 4th Landing Support Honor Guard
But they did, talking about their experiences coming home from Vietnam, the first gulf war, Iraq, Afghanistan and National Guard duty at home. One young cable technician brought tears to my eyes when he stood on stage and recited the Infantryman’s Creed. To a person, they were grateful to Comcast for being there for them.
As I drove back to work, I couldn’t help but feel proud to work alongside such an amazing group of people.
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