This week, we sadly lost one of Rogers – and Canada’s – cable pioneers, Colin Watson.
Colin Watson was fundamental in building the Rogers cable business across Canada into what it is today. He was an incredible leader to his team and was a true visionary, creating a lasting impact that will not be forgotten.
In 1979, Ted Rogers acquired Canadian Cablesystems, which introduced Colin to the Rogers Family. Colin went on to lead Rogers Cable TV Ltd. for nearly 20 years. During this time, he worked closely with Phil Lind to expand our cable business into the US – a then untapped market for cable operators to bid on franchise licensees. After selling the US Cable business a few years later, the venture resulted in more than $1 billion for the business, allowing Rogers to fund wireless in Canada.
Colin was also an incredible champion for Rogers customers. In the 80’s, Colin and Phil Lind started a live call-in television program on Rogers Cable 10 called Ask Us. During each show, they would take live calls from customers, addressing their uses about our cable service and address their issues and answer their questions on TV. Airing once a month for 30 years, Colin would answer the technical questions, while Phil answered the programming ones, creating a space for our customers to have a voice.
Colin was an advocate for launching high-speed internet in Canada, long before phrases like “email” or “world wide web” became part of our everyday language. At the time, less than 25% of Canadians owned a PC, but he knew it would revolutionize connections with our worlds and each other. Colin left Rogers in 1996 and remained a Company Director on our Board of Directors for several years, seeing high-speed internet come to life across Canada – the first telecom to do so – just as he imagined.
Today, we remember and honour his incredible impact on our business. He will be surely missed.