Cablefax The Magazine May 2022 - 60

MEDIA
RIGHTS
MAGICIAN
Burke
Magnus
UNITING
STATES
Todd Schurz
President & CEO
Schurz Communications
Years at Current Organization: 33
First Job in the Industry: Intern
Bucket List: Travel is high on my bucket list, so I am
hoping for successful resolutions to COVID-19 and global
conflicts.
In expanding his company's overall footprint, Schurz seeks
opportunities to support its mission of uniting people through
communication services. In December 2021, Schurz Communications
announced its acquisition of Ohio-based Knoxville
Telephone Company (NKTelco), bringing its regional broadband
operations to a sixth state. As part of the deal, SCI also received
a 4.5% investment in Ohio communications company Com Net.
Between broadband and managed cloud service companies,
Schurz now boasts a presence in over a dozen states, plus
Germany, Great Britain and Romania.
Q&A
What's your Wordle strategy? First word should
have lots of vowels; audio and adieu are my
personal choices.
How will inflation impact the media and broadband
space? We will see changes in consumer
behavior because necessities (groceries, gas)
cost more. Payroll increases will be more in 2022 than we have
seen in many years.
Band I'd go see live: Rolling Stones
What will it take to see a seismic shift away from linear television
for sports? If you look back two decades, our incremental
shifts actually look fairly seismic. When the platforms owned
by the leagues/NCAA approach linear television revenues (not
audience), then you will see the seismic shift.
What childhood memento have you kept? Baseball signed by
Willie Mays
What household chore could you win a gold medal in? Organizing
bookshelves ■
46
President, Programming
& Original Content
ESPN
Years at Current Organization: 27
First Job in the Industry: Intern, CBS Sports &
programming assistant, ESPN
Bucket List: See the Knicks win the NBA Finals in person
Sports media rights have been increasingly contentious as
networks and services vie heatedly for agreements. Magnus
helped negotiate and finalize long-term deals for ESPN with the
NHL, NFL ( " Monday Night Football " and a Wild Card Playoff game),
MLB, Wimbledon and several collegiate conferences. He's helped
ESPN through a transformative era of sports broadcasts with an
emphasis on multiplatform distribution, and he steered direct-toconsumer
component ESPN+, giving the network flexibility with its
live and on-demand offerings.
Band I'd go see live: Too many to name
Which character are you in " Encanto " ? Luisa
Madrigal
Your YouTube rabbit hole? Grateful Dead concert
videos
Q&A
My prediction for NFTs: They will hold little value 10 years from
now
What childhood memento have you kept? Sports Illustrated
collection
Favorite dish that I can also make myself: Chicken parm
What household chore could you win a gold medal in? Vacuuming ■
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60
May 2022
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Cablefax The Magazine May 2022

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