Steve Israelsky

Steve Israelsky is a longtime cable and community media leader whose career spans local access, national cable networks, and media technology. He first became known in the field as the first Executive Director of Arlington Community Television in Massachusetts before moving into cable network leadership roles with USA Networks and Fox Family Channel.

He later spent 18 years with Tightrope Media Systems, where he helped connect the company's Cablecast platform to the practical needs of PEG access and community media organizations. In 2017, he became president of Tightrope's Cablecast Community Media division, leading the brand as stations expanded beyond traditional cable playback into streaming, video-on-demand, mobile apps, OTT delivery, and shared content distribution through PEGMedia.org.

Steve retired at the end of 2024 after a 45-year career in cable and community media. His contribution belongs to the technical backbone of the field: the people who helped stations move from local cable playback toward digital distribution, searchable programming, and more reliable access to local media.