Longtime technology leader says goodbye




Michael Brockman

Michael Brockman


Calabasas Communications and Technology Commission Chair Michael Brockman is resigning after 13 years of service to the city.

“I felt the time had come where maybe I should step back,” Brockman said. “A lot of the things that we tried to do, we basically have achieved. I just felt it was time for some new blood.” Calabasas created the commission because the city wasn’t giving full attention to cable television contracts and was losing about $500,000 a year, said longtime Calabasas city council member and former Mayor Lesley Devine, now retired.

With the creation of an interim technology board, the city started providing better cable service and communications to the city. An award-winning website, www.city ofcalabasas.com, also was started under Brockman’s leadership.

“Michael was very instrumental with his broadcasting background in making sure those things came about,” said Devine, Brockman’s longtime partner.

Brockman proceeded to negotiate with the cable companies.

“It was quite a quagmire at the time because there were four cable franchises within the city, even though the city is small,” Brockman said. “Calabasas was divided up into different territories. . . .It was quite scattered and the cable franchise agreements that existed were really the result of what had been negotiated with the county (before Calabasas incorporated in 1991).

Those agreements were quite outdated.” Brockman said he’s proud to have played a part in the creation of live television feeds from city hall to the residents of the city. CTV viewers are able to watch live coverage of city council meetings and other programs.

During his career Brockman headed the television programming at ABC, NBC and CBS.

“Then I went into an independent production company called Mark Goodson Productions and worked there until about 1995,” said Brockman, who worked on game shows for the company. Brockman played key roles in the production of “The Family Feud,” “Dark Shadows” and other shows. He also worked in children’s television and in late night TV.

Brockman discovered his love for communications early on in life.

“As a kid, I found myself absolutely fascinated with the radio,” he said.

“I just somehow gravitated to knowing that I wanted to get into the communications business somewhere.

“There was an ad in the newspaper for a mail boy at ABC. That was my start and I ended up becoming president of the division.” Brockman, who moved to Los Angeles in 1977, played a role in helping Calabasas become a city during the ‘70s and ‘80s. He plans to stay involved with the community.

“I don’t know what function I’ll play, but I’m interested in seeing that the roots of the city and the things that we worked so hard to preserve (are retained),” Brockman said. “In a democratic society, the more informed the community is, the more intelligently they can deal with whatever is going on,” Brockman said. “An informed public is what preserves a city.”

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