DENVER – The Cable Center announced today that the late Bill Daniels, a cable television pioneer and founder of the Daniels Fund, has been named the 2021 Bresnan Award recipient and Pat Esser, former President and CEO of Cox Communications, has been named the 2022 recipient. The award recognizes the late William J. Bresnan, founder and chairman of Bresnan Communications and longtime chairman of the board of The Cable Center. The award will be presented at the 25th annual Cable Hall of Fame celebration, September 15, 2022, at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City.

Bill Daniels was a born entrepreneur, widely considered one of the great business visionaries of the twentieth century and one of the earliest pioneers in the cable industry. Daniels' company, Daniels & Associates, brokered many of the deals that shaped the industry, and his leadership attracted many technology and communications companies to Denver, making it the recognized "cable capital of the world."

Daniels was also a dedicated philanthropist, providing significant support to innovative education efforts. He founded Young Americans Bank in 1987, the world's only bank exclusively for kids, and made substantial donations to the University of Denver to incorporate ethics, values, and personal integrity into the business school curriculum. The business school was later renamed the Daniels College of Business in his honor.

Daniels spent his final years laying plans for the Daniels Fund, which is now one of the largest foundations in the Rocky Mountain region, continuing Daniels' legacy of compassion and generosity across Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming through grants, scholarships, and an ethics initiative.

Pat Esser held the top executive position at Cox since 2006, retiring December 31, 2021. During his leadership tenure, Cox earned many accolades for celebrating its diverse people, suppliers, communities, products and the characteristics that make each one unique. Esser has personally been recognized with several industry awards including the Cable Advertising Bureau's President's Award, NCTA's Vanguard Award for Leadership, Multichannel News' Executive of the Year, NAMIC's Living Legend Award and Hall of Fame inductions by both The Cable Center and Multichannel News.

Esser currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of C-SPAN as well as a national Trustee and member of the Board of Governors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. He also served many years on both the board of CableLabs and the National Cable & Telecommunications Association.

The Bresnan Ethics in Business Award was created to honor outstanding men and women in the cable industry who best exemplify Bill Bresnan's longstanding commitment to ethics in business, and demonstrating societal, community, and philanthropic engagement.

The 25th annual Cable Hall of Fame returns to the Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 15, 2022.

Read the full announcement here.

The Cable Center