It is hard to believe that I have sat in the second chair at RCR for 10 1/2 years. This time spent following the wireless marathon has gone by in the blink of an eye.
When I started here in April 1995, the C-Block auction was in full swing and PCS was a brand new acronym. Paging was still a mainstay of the wireless industry and the promise of global satellite-based communications for the worldwide business traveler was the rage. The term wireless Internet barely had been imagined.
There were approximately 34 million U.S. wireless subscribers in 1995 and I didn’t even own a cell phone until I started working here. I bought my first phone, an AirTouch TalkAlong, in a box at a Walgreen’s and activated it over a wireline phone.
Today there are nearly 200 million U.S. wireless subscribers and MVNOs now provide a similar wireless purchase experience. I guess it’s true, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
I am honored to have worked with so many exceptional journalists over the years. Without question, the current staff of RCR is a standout group that is very hard to leave.
I hand over my duties to Dan Meyer, a reporter who needs no introduction in the industry. He has deftly and thoroughly covered the carrier beat for several years and now brings the wealth of his knowledge to the managing editor’s post.
Likewise, Mike Dano has taken a new position as interactive manager and editor for RCR. Mike is a gifted writer who has masterfully covered a variety of topics during his tenure. He replaces Sandi Wendelken, who also recently decided to take an editor’s position at a different publication. Sandi, I’ve always admired your ethics and precision.
Kristen, Melodye, Stacey, Colin, Heather, Joni and Chris Boyer, I have enjoyed working with each of you and am thankful for your talented contributions each week.
I have had the pleasure of working week in and week out with and for Tracy Ford, riding the dual rollercoasters of the wireless industry and weekly publishing as she made sure that RCR was always the top publication in the industry. Thanks for all you have taught me.
Jeff Silva, you are the consummate journalist and reporter. Your writing leaves me speechless and your commitment to your principles is beyond admirable.
I leave here to become editor of a monthly medical products magazine. It’s time to take on a new challenge. For a decade I have sat on the sidelines of the worldwide wireless transformation. I’ve had a great time.
