Joseph J. died. Collins, a former executive of HBO, Time Warner Cable and Comcast, who helped reposition cable as much more than just a TV delivery system. He was 81 years old.
A family spokesman said Collins died on Thursday at his home in Weekabaugh, Rhode Island Hollywood Reporter.
Long before broadband became ubiquitous, Collins was among the industry leaders who recognized that networks carrying premium programming could one day power high-speed data and change the way Americans live, work and consume content.
As president of HBO from 1984 to 1988, he helped establish the premium network as a dominant brand in entertainment. He then returned to Time Inc’s American Television and Communications subsidiary, where he rose through the ranks as Chairman and CEO.
He subsequently served as Chairman and CEO of Time Warner Cable from 1989 to 2001, a period that included the integration of ATC into the company in 1992, where he oversaw a period of expansion and technological development that helped lay the foundation for the broadband explosion.
In 2001, he became president of AOL Time Warner Interactive Video, where he pushed early efforts to integrate television and Internet services, and after his retirement was elected as an independent director to Comcast’s board of directors in 2004.
“Joe was instrumental in building the first cable systems, upgrading them to offer hundreds of channels, then video on demand, and finally the broadband broadcast and Internet applications we all use every day now,” Jeff Bewkes, former chairman and CEO of Time Warner, said in a statement.
“His penetrating wit and down-to-earth manner, coupled with his imposing physical stature, could be intimidating at first glance. But all of us who were fortunate enough to work with Joe knew him as a kind, considerate person and one of the most dry-witted people around.”
“Every cable president and network president loved and respected Joe…and none of them agreed.”
Born Joseph Jameson Collins on July 27, 1944, in Troy, New York, he graduated from Brown University in 1966 and received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1972. In between those degrees, he served in the U.S. Navy, reaching the rank of lieutenant and earning the Vietnam Combat Action Bar for his service during the Vietnam War.
While still in graduate school, Collins wrote his thesis on the then-nascent cable industry. He joined ATC in 1972 as marketing director in Orlando and rose steadily through the company, becoming president in 1982.
Collins was widely credited with developing the hybrid fiber coaxial architecture, the technical backbone that would enable high-speed cable Internet across the United States. And none other than the famous “cable cowboy” John Malone told his team: “If you have a heart attack, call Joe Collins.”
He played a role in shaping policy, serving twice as president of the National Telecommunications Association and contributing to the development of the landmark Telecommunications Act of 1996.
Collins was also a founder and chairman of C-SPAN and a board member of TriStar Pictures and TBS, where he played a pivotal role in Turner’s 1996 merger with Time Warner. He received the Cable Industry Outstanding Leadership Award in 1997 and was inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame in 2001.
In later years, Collins acquired and managed shipyards and served as Chairman of Aegis Holdings, a private investment firm. He was an accomplished sailor and often spent time on his boat along the Rhode Island coast. He lived for many years in Darien, Connecticut, dividing his days between Weekabaugh and Jupiter Island, Florida.
Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Maura; His children are Maura, Elizabeth, Joseph Jr. and Catherine. And 11 grandchildren.
The funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. April 13 at St. Pius X Church in Westerly, Rhode Island, with burial to follow in Riverbend Cemetery. Donations in his memory may be made to the Weekapaug Conservation Foundation.
