Jim Shaw makeover?

Jim Shaw Anyone else see Jim Shaw’s appearance on Business News Network last week to discuss third-quarter results?

It was odd for a number of reasons. The younger leader of Western Canada’s largest cable operator was downright docile - softspoken even - during the 5-minute spot.

Mr. Shaw, though always respectful, has not been one to deliver a soliloquy on any one topic in a dull fashion. He’s more apt to deliver one of his infamous thunderbolts from on high with a lot of personality behind it.

This is unusual for those that have never seen the CEO of Shaw Communications deliver a speech of any length.

Also notable was his face or what seemed to be less of it. The (formerly?) rotund Mr. Shaw, of course, is a heavy set fellow for those that followed the telecom services scene for any length of time.

If a camera puts an extra 10 pounds on a guy, it would’ve taken two cameras to equal the weight of Mr. Shaw the last time I saw him speak live on television.

Didn’t seem that way last week.

He’s no Calista Flockhart but the guy looks like he’s shed a pound or 20.

Someone could’ve put two cameras on him and he still wouldn’t have weighed as much as he has in recent memory.

This of course has never been an issue for longtime Shaw shareholders, whose shares had doubled from from Jan 2004 to Jan 2006. (This dismal investing year doesn’t count).

So why the makeover then, if indeed there has been focus on his image? Perhaps it has something to do with the company’s ambitions? Save for its StarChoice satellite TV operation, Shaw hasn’t been known as a national provider.

With reserved spectrum presumably in the bag and mandated roaming on the way thanks to the generosity of the Canadian federal government, Shaw may one day soon end up as a national wireless provider.

Or maybe this is just one sign the company is reading itself for greater competition in Western Canada? A leaner, meaner Jim Shaw could be a sign the company is girding itself for a new and more intense round of battles with a slew of companies, including Telus, in the West.

Shaw, of course, has until recently lived off the avails of its cable TV offering. Greater competition on the TV front has forced the provider to diversify in recent years. It now sells a variety of services, including a home telephone offering, to consumers in the West.

We’re reading tea leaves now but the timing of Jim Shaw 2.0 may well be the unofficial start of a new era of telecom services competition in Western Canada.

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July 5, 2008 | Filed Under News Items and Commentary 

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