Traver Out as Comcast Media Center Chief

Gary Traver is out as senior vice president and chief operating officer of the Comcast Media Center (CMC) , a Denver-based unit of Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) that provides centralized linear and on-demand video services to cable operators.

The reason for his departure was not immediately known, but two sources familiar with the situation said Traver's last day with the CMC was on Monday (August 16).

A Comcast spokeswoman confirmed to Light Reading Cable that Traver is no longer with the company, noting only that it was a mutually agreed upon decision. She said Comcast and the CMC are working on a transition plan to "maintain business continuity and support of our CMC customers and employees."

Traver joined Comcast in 2002, coming on board when the MSO purchased AT&T Broadband, which operated the Colorado-based facility then called the AT&T Digital Media Centers. Traver rose to COO of the CMC in 2003.

Before that, Traver served as VP of broadcast and network operations for Primestar, a cable-backed satellite TV firm that was later bought by DirecTV Group Inc. (NYSE: DTV). During his career, Traver has also held exec slots at Skyband Inc. and Comsat Satellite Television.

During his tenure at Comcast, Traver led the CMC through an era of growth following its origins as HITS (Headend In The Sky) and the facility's role as a digital video distribution center for large and small cable MSO affiliates.

Under Traver's guidance, the CMC has since developed video-on-demand (VoD) platforms tailored for Tier 2 and Tier 3 MSOs, and created a centralized system for the delivery of interactive applications based on Enhanced TV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF), with an eye toward the more advanced tru2way platform. (See Arris, HiTS Score 'VoD In A Box' Deals, CMC Exec: Don’t Get Greedy With Interactive Ads, CMC, Moto Offer Digital Path for MSOs, Cracks Emerge in the Moto-Cisco Duopoly , Comcast Media Center Buffs Up for EBIF , and Buckeye First to Test 'HITS AxIS' .)

— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Light Reading Cable