Charles Dolan has stepped down as executive chairman of AMC Networks, marking the end of an era for the cable industry. Dolan, 93, ranks among the earliest pioneers of cable TV. The telecom entrepreneur had the foresight to wire parts of Manhattan for cable service in the 1960s and in 1971 launch the pay TV service that became HBO. He’s been chair of AMC Networks since the company was spun off from the Dolan family’s former cable empire, Cablevision, in 2011. AMC Networks board member James Dolan will replace his father as non-executive chairman of the company.
