Yolanda Barco
| Yolanda G. Barco | |
|---|---|
Yolanda G. Barco
|
|
| Born |
March 13, 1926 Meadville, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died |
May 27, 2000 (aged 74) Meadville, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Lawyer, businesswoman |
| Known for | Cable TV pioneer |
Yolanda G. Barco (March 13, 1926 – May 27, 2000) was an American lawyer and cable television (CATV) executive who played a key role in development of the cable industry.
Yolanda Barco was born on March 13, 1926 in Meadville, Pennsylvania, where she would live for the rest of her life. Her father George Barco (born April 11, 1907) was the son of Italian immigrants. Her mother was Emmaline DeLorenzo. George Barco graduated from Meadville High School in 1926, then attended Allegheny College in Meadville while Yolando was an infant, graduating in 1930 with a bachelor of science degree. He then enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh to study law, and on after graduating became assistant district attorney and then deputy attorney general in Pennsylvania, before founding a private law practice. Yolanda Barco also studied at Meadville High School and Allegheny College. She graduated magna cum laude with a degree in economics in 1946. She went on to the University of Pittsburgh law school, graduating in 1949.
Yolanda Barco and her father formed a legal partnership, Barco & Barco. George Barco became interested in television. In 1953 he established Meadville Master Antenna (MMA), a cable TV system, with help from Milton Shapp of Jerrold Electronics. Yolanda Barco was appointed general manager of the company, and in 1959 was appointed treasurer and executive vice-president. In the early years of cable Meadville Master Antenna was one of the largest systems in the United States. In 1987 MMA merged with Armstrong Communications. Barco became a vice president and director of Armstrong.
In the late 1970s the Barcos teamed with Joey Gans in setting up the non-profit Pennsylvania Educational Communications System (PECS). The purpose was to distribute educational material created at Pennsylvania State University to cable operators around Pennsylvania by way of two microwave relay loops. George Barco was president of the corporation, launched in 1979. It distributed "Pennarama", the first educational cable network in the United States. The eastern loop was completed in 1979, in many cases taking advantage of existing towers, and the western loop in 1982. George Barco died in 1989, and in 1990 Yolanda Barco became president and CEO of PECS. She renamed the corporation the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) and began to reposition it as the state's "educational, public affairs and cultural cable TV network." While still carrying educational material from the university, the network now provided much more material on the Pennsylvania state government and its impact on residents of the state.
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