Posted: 05/18/2025 07:58 am
WideOpenWest, Inc. (NYSE: WOW), a prominent player in the cable and other pay television services industry, has seen notable trends in its executive compensation over recent years. Compensation practices at WOW serve as both a reflection of industry standards and the strategic focus of the company.
In 2024, Teresa Elder, the Chief Executive Officer of WOW, received a total compensation of $2,637,209. This figure includes a base salary of $894,348, combined with significant incentive plan compensation of $1,519,273 and stock awards amounting to $223,588. Notably, this marks a substantial decline from her total compensation in 2020, which stood at $5,735,827, driven mainly by stock awards valued at $3,904,889 alongside her salary of $787,500 and other incentive plans. This reduction demonstrates a strategic shift away from reliance on stock awards to a more balanced compensation structure involving incentive plan compensation, albeit the overall reduction might point to other financial adjustments or changes in company strategies.¹⁵
Meanwhile, Don Schena, serving as the Chief Customer Experience Officer in both 2020 and 2022, experienced a decrease in total compensation from $1,402,211 in 2020 to $1,319,113 in 2022. His compensation package remained heavily reliant on stock awards, which were valued at $812,396 in 2020 and saw a slight decrease to $725,551 by 2022. Such compensation structuring indicates the critical role stock incentives play in retaining key executives in positions pivotal to customer experience.²³
David Brunick, the Chief Human Resources Officer in 2022, received a total compensation of $1,185,334. The package included a base salary of $386,250 and stock awards of $665,721, highlighting the company's focus on rewarding senior management with equity, thereby aligning their interests with those of shareholders.³
While the company has been navigating these compensation adjustments, WOW has been making strategic expansions, such as launching all-fiber internet services in Brighton, Michigan, positioning itself as a leader in state-of-the-art network provisions.⁴ Furthermore, the most recent financial updates reveal that despite facing a loss of $0.17 per share in Q1 2025, WOW managed to exceed revenue estimates, indicating resilience and strategic growth potential in its service offerings.⁵
Despite these financial challenges, the company's compensation practices, reflected in the balanced focus on equity and incentive plans, underscore a commitment to reward and retain its leadership team while navigating a fluctuating market environment. The current stock price, which closed at $4.39, marked a decline of 4.15%, revealing the ongoing market volatility faced by WOW. This backdrop of financial resilience, backed by strategic leadership, highlights the company's adaptive compensation strategies amid broader market dynamics.⁶
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¹ SEC Filings, Teresa Elder 2024 Compensation.
² SEC Filings, Don Schena 2022 Compensation.
³ SEC Filings, David Brunick 2022 Compensation.
⁴ WOW Press Release, Brighton Launch.
⁵ WOW Q1 2025 Earnings Report.
⁶ Current Price Snapshot.
