The Potter Leader-Enterprise is an American weekly newspaper serving Coudersport, Pennsylvania , with a circulation of over 6,000 copies. It is published weekly on Wednesdays. The paper is owned by Community Media Group, Inc.
81-543: The Potter Enterprise was founded by F. W, Knox and W. W. Thompson and several others in 1875. The paper had 24 stockholders, residents of county holding 151 shares. By 1880, W.W. Thompson became sole owner of the paper's shares. The paper was purchased by David Butterworth in December 1886. Butterworth had previously published the Potter County Journal for 9 years. Under his "clever management" Potter Enterprise became
162-439: A South Central Pennsylvania -based cable television and broadband services provider and unit of the former Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff company, for $ 775 million cash. Comcast previously owned approximately 30% of Susquehanna Communications through its affiliate company, Lenfest . In December 2005, Comcast announced the creation of Comcast Interactive Media , a new division focused on online media. In July 2006, Comcast purchased
243-819: A YouTube competitor. The move was seen by Variety as an attempt to appeal to the cord-cutting market. On April 28, 2016, Comcast officially announced its NBCUniversal division will acquire DreamWorks Animation for $ 3.8 billion. The acquisition completed on August 22, 2016; DreamWorks Animation was integrated into NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment as part of Universal Pictures . Universal took over distribution of DreamWorks Animation films beginning in 2019 with How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World after DreamWorks Animation's deal with 20th Century Fox ended. In September 2016, Comcast confirmed that it would launch an MVNO cellular network with Verizon Wireless . The service, described as being
324-462: A corporate spin-off from its parent, Jerrold Electronics , for U.S. $ 500,000. At the time, American Cable was a small cable operator in Tupelo, Mississippi , with five channels and 12,000 customers. In 1965, American Cable Systems purchased Storecast Corporation of America, a product placement supermarket specialist marketing firm. In 1968, American Cable Systems purchased its first franchise of Muzak ,
405-626: A theme parks operator. It is the fourth-largest telecommunications company by worldwide revenue. Comcast owns and operates the Xfinity residential cable communications business segment and division; Comcast Business, a commercial services provider; and Xfinity Mobile, an MVNO of Verizon. Through NBCUniversal , Comcast is also the owner and operator of over-the-air national broadcast network channels such as NBC , Telemundo , TeleXitos , and Cozi TV ; multiple cable-only channels such as MSNBC , CNBC , USA Network , Syfy , Oxygen , Bravo , and E! ;
486-458: A "Wi-Fi and MVNO-integrated product" was expected to launch in mid-2017. The partnership and the addition of wireless would allow Comcast to offer a quadruple play of services. Including Comcast's Home Security offering, customers now have the option of a Quintuple Play. The service was officially announced on April 6, 2017, as Xfinity Mobile. On November 16, 2017, it was reported that Comcast attempted to purchase 21st Century Fox , following
567-475: A "firm offer". On April 12, the Panel on Takeovers and Mergers ruled that Disney had to acquire all of Sky within 28 days of fully acquiring Fox if the latter's acquisition of Sky was not completed by the time the merger was done, or if Comcast's counter-offer was not accepted. On April 25, 2018, Comcast made its formal counter-bid for Sky plc, offering £12.50 per-share; Sky subsequently withdrew its recommendation of
648-633: A 50/50 partnership that controlled the systems in the Houston , Southwest Texas, San Antonio , and Kansas City markets under the Time Warner Cable brand. After the dissolution, Comcast obtained the Houston system, and Time Warner retained the others. On January 1, 2007, Comcast officially took control of the Houston system but continued to operate under the Time Warner Cable brand until June 19, 2007. Media outlets began reporting on October 1, 2009 that Comcast
729-500: A US$ 60 billion acquisition offer by Comcast in favor of its deal with Disney, due to anti-competition concerns. NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke stated that purchasing Sky would roughly double its presence in English-speaking markets, and allow for synergies between the respective networks and studios of NBCUniversal and Sky. Fox stated that it "remains committed to its recommended cash offer for Sky", and that Comcast had not yet made
810-473: A brand of background music played in retail stores. Storecast was a client of Muzak. The company was re-incorporated in Pennsylvania on March 5, 1969, under the new name Comcast Corporation . Comcast's initial public offering occurred on June 29, 1972, with a market capitalization of U.S. $ 3,010,000. In 1977, HBO was first launched on a Comcast system with 20,000 customers in western Pennsylvania with
891-489: A dashboard called SmartZone that allowed users to perform mobile functions online. There was also Cloudmark spam and phishing protection and Trend Micro antivirus . The address book is Comcast Plaxo software. In May 2008, Comcast purchased Plaxo for a reported $ 150 million to $ 170 million. Comcast won the Consumerist Worst Company In America ("Golden Poo") award in 2010. A gold trophy in
SECTION 10
#1732859402899972-582: A deal to purchase NBC Universal and that a formal announcement could be made sometime the following week. Following a tentative agreement on December 1, the parties announced that Comcast would buy a controlling 51% stake in NBC Universal, including Universal Pictures , for $ 6.5 billion in cash and $ 7.3 billion in programming on December 3. GE would take over the remaining 49% stake in NBC Universal, using $ 5.8 billion to buy out Vivendi's 20% minority stake in NBC Universal. On January 18, 2011,
1053-479: A deal valued at $ 45.2 billion. On February 13, it was reported that Time Warner Cable agreed to the acquisition. This was to add several metropolitan areas to the Comcast portfolio, such as New York City, Los Angeles , Dallas–Fort Worth , Cleveland , Columbus , Cincinnati , Charlotte , San Diego , and San Antonio. Time Warner Cable and Comcast aimed to merge into one company by the end of 2014 and both have praised
1134-653: A decrease of 6.2% compared to the prior year. Annual revenue increased by 4.3% over the same period. Their net debt was $ 91.2 billion, exceeding total shareholders equity of $ 80.9 billion as of December 31, 2022. With $ 18.8 million spent in 2013, Comcast has the seventh largest lobbying budget of any individual company or organization in the United States. Comcast employs multiple former U.S. Congressmen as lobbyists. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association , which has multiple Comcast executives on its board, also represents Comcast and other cable companies as
1215-502: A five-night free preview getting a 15% sign up rate. In 1986, Comcast bought 26% of Group W Cable , a broadcast company, doubling its number of subscribers to 1 million. Also that year, Comcast made a founding investment of $ 380 million in QVC . In 1988, Comcast was able to buy a 50% share of SCI Holdings in a joint deal with Tele-Communications Inc. Comcast also acquired American Cellular Network Corporation in 1988 for $ 230 million, marking
1296-488: A hearing on the deal on April 9, 2014. The House Judiciary Committee planned its own hearing. On March 6, 2014, the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division confirmed it was investigating the deal. In March 2014, the division's chairman, William Baer, recused himself because he was involved in the prior Comcast NBCUniversal acquisition. Several states' attorneys general have announced support for
1377-588: A new independent company, which is later known as the Fox Corporation since the 2019 launch. However, on December 11, 2017, Comcast officially dropped the bid, saying that "We never got the level of engagement needed to make a definitive offer." On December 14, Disney officially confirmed its acquisition of 21st Century Fox for $ 52.4 billion in stock, pending review from the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division. On February 5, 2018,
1458-680: A new report by CNBC claims that despite the Disney/Fox deal, Comcast was considering topping Disney's $ 52.4 billion offer once the AT&;T – Time Warner merger goes through, after the Department of Justice Antitrust Division sued to block the merger on November 20, 2017. On February 27, 2018, Comcast offered to purchase 61% stake in Sky plc at a value of £12.50 per-share, approximately £22.1 billion. 21st Century Fox, which owns 39% stake in Sky, had previously declined
1539-454: A result of health issues. Following the file for bankruptcy, a plan for company restructuring was approved in 2004; amongst other things the plan included a full cash payment to possession lenders, bank lenders and joint venture partners. The first asset to be sold was the telephone services in 27 states. It was acquired by Pioneer Telephone of Portland, Maine. The purchase price was $ 22.6 million and $ 180 million in indemnification of churn for
1620-503: A small presence in the area (its subsidiary, Adelphia Business Solutions, a commercial telecommunications provider, was offered as an alternative to the dominant BellSouth ). The name was taken off the stadium in 2002 after Adelphia missed a payment and subsequently filed for bankruptcy. It was known as simply "The Coliseum" for four years before becoming LP Field in 2006. Today, it is known as Nissan Stadium . Comcast Comcast Corporation , formerly known as Comcast Holdings ,
1701-401: A technician is coming. On 21 May 2024, Comcast announced Xfinity StreamSaver™, a streaming bundle combining Peacock, Netflix, and Apple TV+ for Xfinity Internet and TV customers. This bundle offered a subscription to Netflix Standard with ads, Peacock Premium, and Apple TV+, promised over 30% savings or nearly $ 100 annually. In April 2005, Comcast and Time Warner Cable announced plans to buy
SECTION 20
#17328594028991782-654: A total of 20 U.S. States. According to watchdog group Documented, in 2020 Comcast contributed $ 200,000 to the Rule of Law Defense Fund, a fund-raising arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association that was shown to have provided funding to the Save America March that devolved into an attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 . Comcast offers low cost internet and cable service to schools, subsidized by general broadband consumers through
1863-502: Is also an attribute upon which Comcast receives strong marks. In 2008, Black Enterprise magazine rated Comcast among the top 15 companies for workforce diversity. Comcast reported a net profit in each year during the period 2006 to 2022. As of 2020, the company was ranked 28th on the Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue. For the fiscal year 2022, Comcast reported earnings of US$ 15.4 billion,
1944-476: Is also the parent company of Sky Group . Comcast is criticized and put under intense public scrutiny for a variety of reasons. Its customer satisfaction ratings were among the lowest in the cable industry during the years 2008–2010. It has violated net neutrality practices in the past and despite its commitment to a narrow definition of net neutrality, critics advocate a definition that precludes any distinction between Comcast's private network services and
2025-479: Is an American multinational telecommunications and media conglomerate incorporated and headquartered in Philadelphia . It is the fourth-largest broadcasting and cable television company worldwide by revenue (behind China Mobile , Verizon , and AT&T ). It is the third-largest pay-TV company, the second-largest cable TV company by subscribers, and the largest home Internet service provider in
2106-463: Is described as a family business . Brian L. Roberts , its chairman and CEO, is the son of founder Ralph J. Roberts (1920–2015). Roberts owns or controls about 1% of all Comcast shares but all of the Class B supervoting shares, giving him an "undilutable 33% voting power over the company". Legal expert Susan P. Crawford has said this gives him "effective control over [Comcast's] every step". In 2010, he
2187-531: Is now known as Spectrum . The Rigas family established a successor company, Zito Media, to provide cable service in some areas not sold to Time Warner, including most cable systems in Potter County, Pennsylvania . Adelphia Communications Corporation was founded in 1952 by brothers John and Gus Rigas; they purchased a cable television franchise based in Coudersport, Pennsylvania for US$ 300. After 20 years in
2268-467: Is reported to have been kicked down by a bank president, horsewhipped by a woman, and paddled by a printer. There were also numerous libel suits against the paper while it was under Stokes. Things became so bad that in 1913, "political antagonists" set off dynamite in the Potter Enterprise printing plant. Stokes ran for Congress as a Washington Party candidate in 1914, but was labeled as a joke. Stokes
2349-718: The Enterprise to work at the Potter County Leader and soon after, the Leader Publishing Company purchased the Enterprise . The paper was renamed as the Potter Leader-Enterprise . The paper was purchased by Community Media Group and is operated under its Tioga Publishing Group. In 2017, Philip Husick II was named Publisher for the Tioga Publishing Group. In 2018, The Potter Leader-Enterprise
2430-683: The 20% which requires official registration . Comcast's PAC , the Comcast Corporation and NBCUniversal Political Action Committee, is among the largest PACs in the U.S., raising about $ 3.7 million from 2011 to 2012 for the campaigns of various candidates for office in the United States Federal Government . Comcast is also a major backer of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association Political Action Committee, which raised $ 2.6 million from 2011 to 2012. Comcast spent
2511-562: The Adelphia Plan of Reorganization occurred on February 13, 2007. Time Warner Cable was allowed to distribute approximately $ 6 billion in shares to Adelphia stakeholders and succeed Adelphia as a publicly traded corporation. The Rigas family established a successor company, Zito Media, to continue to provide cable service in some areas not sold to Time Warner, including most cable systems in Potter County, Pennsylvania . In addition to its cable interests, Adelphia had substantial interests in
Potter Leader-Enterprise - Misplaced Pages Continue
2592-540: The FCC approved the deal by a vote of 4 to 1. The transaction was completed on January 28, 2011. In December 2012, Comcast adopted a new corporate logo, which incorporates NBC's peacock logo to signify its ownership of the broadcaster. On February 12, 2013, Comcast announced that it would acquire the remaining 49% of General Electric's interest in NBCUniversal, in a deal valued at approximately $ 16.7 billion. The acquisition
2673-855: The National Digital Television Center in Centennial, Colorado as a wholly owned subsidiary, now known as the Comcast Media Center . In 2003, Comcast became one of the original investors in The Golf Channel . After Excite@Home went bankrupt in October 2001, Comcast took over providing internet directly to consumers in January 2002. On February 11, 2004, Comcast announced a $ 54 billion bid for Disney, including taking on $ 12 billion of Disney's debt. The deal would have made Comcast
2754-856: The Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore , Orange County, California , Sarasota and Union, New Jersey areas. Comcast's cable acquisitions in 1997 were Jones Intercable, Inc. with 1 million customers, and a stake in Prime Communications with 430,000 subscribers. In February 1998, Comcast sold its U.K. division to NTL for US$ 600 million, along with the division's $ 397 million in debt. In 1999, Comcast sold Comcast Cellular to SBC Communications for $ 400 million, releasing them from $ 1.27 billion in debt. Also in 1999, Comcast acquired Greater Philadelphia Cablevision, and launched Comcast University as well as Comcast Interactive Capital Group. In November 1999, Comcast purchased Lenfest Communications, who were
2835-642: The Sabres television rights) and Time Warner Cable Sports (which acquired most of the remaining assets and shut down in 2017). One previous marker of Adelphia's success before its bankruptcy included its 1999 purchase of the naming rights to a football stadium, Adelphia Coliseum in Nashville, Tennessee . It was built as the home of the Tennessee Titans . Adelphia was not a well-known company in Nashville, and had only
2916-470: The Sabres, who were consistently losing money at the time. On the day John Rigas and his sons were arrested, the NHL seized control of the Sabres franchise. The team remained a ward of the league until 2003, when Tom Golisano purchased the team. WNSA was sold off in 2004 and is now WLKK . Empire Sports limped along until 2005, when it was finally shut down; its sports rights were split between MSG (which acquired
2997-719: The Seattle-based software company thePlatform. This represented an entry into a new line of business—selling software to allow companies to manage their Internet (and IP-based) media publishing efforts. On April 3, 2007, Comcast announced it would acquire the cable systems owned and operated by Patriot Media, a privately held company owned by cable veteran Steven J. Simmons, Spectrum Equity Investors and Spire Capital, that served approximately 81,000 video subscribers for $ 483 million. Comcast announced in May 2007 and launched in September 2008
3078-531: The U.S. government's E-Rate program. Critics have noted that many of the strongest supporters of Comcast's business deals have received substantial funding from the Comcast Foundation. However, it is important to note that for years, Comcast has been relying on subsidiaries to finance philanthropic pursuits. In 1963, Ralph J. Roberts in conjunction with his two business partners, Daniel Aaron and Julian A. Brodsky , purchased American Cable Systems as
3159-539: The United States. In 2023, the company was ranked 51st in the Forbes Global 2000 . Comcast is additionally the nation's third-largest home telephone service provider . It provides services to U.S. residential and commercial customers in 40 states and the District of Columbia . As the owner of NBCUniversal since 2011, Comcast is also a high-volume producer of films for theatrical exhibition and television programming, and
3240-582: The assets of bankrupted Adelphia Cable . The two companies paid a total of $ 17.6 billion in the deal that was finalized in the second quarter of 2006—after the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) completed a seven-month investigation without raising an objection. Time Warner Cable became the second-largest cable provider in the U.S., ranking behind Comcast. As part of the deal, Time Warner Cable and Comcast traded existing subscribers in order to consolidate them into larger geographic clusters. In August 2006, Comcast and Time Warner Cable dissolved
3321-496: The business, Rigas incorporated the company under the name "Adelphia" which in the Greek language means "brothers". In the upcoming years, the Rigas family combined various cable properties under the company name and made it public. In 1989, the company established Adelphia Media Services which would allow commercial opportunities on local, regional and national levels. Two years after, in 1991,
Potter Leader-Enterprise - Misplaced Pages Continue
3402-563: The companies ultimately decided to keep only the Comcast name, with the company and new assets reincorporated in Pennsylvania on December 7, 2001. On November 18, 2002, Comcast officially acquired all assets of AT&T Broadband, thus making Comcast the largest cable television company in the United States with over 22 million subscribers. This spurred the start of Comcast Advertising Sales (using AT&T's groundwork) which would later be renamed Comcast Spotlight and now effectv, A Comcast Company. As part of this acquisition, Comcast also acquired
3483-425: The company asked for a $ 1.5 billion loan to restructure under bankruptcy protection. According to BankruptcyData.com, the company's bankruptcy ranks 12th by assets in the United States history of bankruptcies. A plan for its restructuring was approved on February 25, 2004. According to William Schleyer, then-CEO of the company, "Adelphia’s proposed plan of reorganization is the product of relentless effort and reflects
3564-415: The company created Adelphia Business Solutions subsidiary which provided different types of products to businesses such as, high-speed Internet, phone services, and voice messaging. In 1998, Adelphia reached two million users in subscription. On March 27, 2002, Adelphia officials announced that $ 2.3 billion unrecorded debt was collected via co-borrowings between Adelphia and other Rigas family entities under
3645-412: The company filed for bankruptcy amid an internal corruption scandal. An investigation was launched and later revealed that some members of the Rigas family used $ 2.3 billion to illegitimately purchase personal luxuries. A trial for the case was launched and saw John Rigas being sentenced to 15 years in prison, while his son Timothy Rigas received a sentence of 20 years. John Rigas was released in 2016 as
3726-485: The company was prompted to lay off a number of their employees; revenue for their theme park locations fell 81 percent to $ 311 million from $ 1.63 billion in 2019. In 2024, Comcast signed a deal with Starlink to provide satellite-based connectivity to business customers in regions with limited network access. On February 12, 2014, the Los Angeles Times reported that Comcast sought to acquire Time Warner Cable in
3807-603: The company was so widely criticized by its customers, the media, and its own workers. It concluded that Comcast's staff endured unreasonable corporate policies: "Customer service has been replaced by an obsession with sales; technicians are understaffed … tech support is poorly trained, and the company is hobbled by internal fragmentation." A widely read article by an anonymous Comcast call center employee appeared in November 2014 on Cracked . Titled "Five Nightmares You Live While Working For America's Worst Company", it claimed that Comcast
3888-409: The deal, emphasizing the increased capabilities of a combined telecommunications network, and to "create operating efficiencies and economies of scale". In 2014, critics expressed concern that the deal would give Comcast greater negotiating power in a number of areas, including rebroadcast fees with television channels, and peering agreements with ISPs. Critics noted in 2013 that Tom Wheeler ,
3969-730: The dedication of Adelphia’s management and bankruptcy teams, and our almost 15,000 employees in 30 states and Puerto Rico who are helping to make Adelphia a better company." Amongst other things, the plan included a full cash payment to possession lenders, bank lenders, joint venture partners and, no payments to claims and equities of the Rigas family. In July 2006, Adelphia sold its cable operations to Comcast and Time Warner for $ 17.6 billion in cash and shares in Time Warner's cable unit. Out of that amount, Time Warner shares and $ 15 billion were planned to be administered to creditors. Following that, Adelphia ceased to do business. The effective date of
4050-637: The family's private trust, Highland Holdings. Legally, the Rigas entities should have paid the debt. However, if they were not able to, the company would be held accountable. An investigation was launched and later revealed that the Rigas family used the funds to illegitimately purchase personal luxuries. The alleged purchases included Christmas trees, 17 company cars and 3,600 acres of timberland purchased for $ 26 million for their home yard. Rigas resigned from his position as CEO in May 2002 after being indicted for bank fraud , wire fraud , and securities fraud . The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) described
4131-525: The federal investigation. On April 24, 2015, Jonathan Sallet, general counsel of the F.C.C., explained that he was going to recommend a hearing before an administrative law judge, equivalent to a collapse of the deal. In August 2015, Comcast announced that it would increase Internet speeds for low-income customers from 5 Mbit/s to 10 Mbit/s, provide free wireless routers, and pilot an initiative to increase Internet access for low-income senior citizens. In September of that year Comcast also launched Watchable,
SECTION 50
#17328594028994212-429: The fifth largest lobbying organization in the United States, spending $ 19.8 million in 2013. Comcast was among the top backers of Barack Obama 's presidential runs, with Comcast vice president David Cohen raising over $ 2.2 million from 2007 to 2012. Cohen has been described by many sources as influential in the U.S. government, though he is no longer a registered lobbyist, as the time he spends lobbying falls short of
4293-455: The film studio Universal Pictures ; the VOD streaming service Peacock ; animation studios DreamWorks Animation , Illumination , and Universal Animation Studios ; and Universal Destinations & Experiences . It also has significant holdings in digital distribution, such as thePlatform , which it acquired in 2006; and ad-tech company FreeWheel, which it acquired in 2014. Since October 2018, Comcast
4374-576: The first time it became a mobile phone operator . In February 1990, Ralph Roberts' son, Brian L. Roberts, succeeded his father as president of Comcast. Two years later, the company's mobile division, Comcast Cellular, purchased a controlling interest in Metromedia 's Philadelphia-area cellular telephone interests, Metrophone. By 1994, Comcast owned 50% stock in the cable communications company Garden State Cable , who by that year were serving approximately 195,000 subscribers. That same year, Comcast became
4455-401: The head of the FCC, which has to approve the deal, is the former head of both the largest cable lobbying organization, the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, and as largest wireless lobby, CTIA – The Wireless Association . According to Politico , Comcast "donated to almost every member of Congress who has a hand in regulating it". The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held
4536-639: The largest media conglomerate in the world. However, after rejection by Disney and uncertain response from investors, the bid was abandoned in April. In 2004, Comcast sold its QVC shares to Liberty Media for $ 7.9 billion. On April 8, 2005, a partnership led by Comcast and Sony Pictures Entertainment finalized a deal to acquire MGM and its affiliate studio, United Artists , and created an additional outlet to carry MGM/UA's material for cable and Internet distribution. On October 31, 2005, Comcast officially announced that it had acquired Susquehanna Communications ,
4617-466: The launch of the @Home Network . Also in 1996, Comcast formed Comcast Spectacor , which became owner of the Philadelphia Flyers. In 1997, Microsoft invested $ 1 billion in Comcast, and the company launched its digital TV service. That same year, in partnership with The Walt Disney Company , Comcast got a 50.1% controlling interest in E! Entertainment. By December 31, 1997, it was available in
4698-407: The leading paper in the county. Butterworth died suddenly in 1901 and his son sold the paper to M.J. Ostrander, who made the paper into a strict Republican newspaper. M.T. Stokes joined the paper as publisher and editor around 1903 and became known for his "aggressive politics and fearless opposition to many interests, business and political." Stokes made many enemies during his time at the paper, and
4779-828: The most money of any organization in support of the Stop Online Piracy and PROTECT IP bills, spending roughly $ 5 million to lobby for their passage. Comcast also backs lobbying and PACs on a regional level, backing organizations such as the Tennessee Cable Telecommunications Association and the Broadband Communications Association of Washington PAC. Comcast and other cable companies have lobbied state governments to pass legislation restricting or banning individual cities from offering public broadband service. Municipal broadband restrictions of varying scope have been passed in
4860-455: The new company, while Comcast owned 51%. Vivendi , which owns 20%, would have to sell its stake to GE. It was reported that under the current deal with GE that it would happen in November or December. It was also reported that Time Warner would be interested in placing a bid, until CEO Jeffrey L. Bewkes directly denied interest, leaving Comcast the sole bidder. On November 1, 2009, The New York Times reported Comcast had moved closer to
4941-561: The news 10 days earlier that Disney negotiated with Fox to acquire the same assets. Like Disney, the deal included the 20th Century Fox film and television studios, cable entertainment and broadcast satellite networks including FX Networks , National Geographic Partners , Fox Sports Networks , and international channels such as Star India . It would not include the Fox Broadcasting Company , Fox Television Stations , Fox Sports , and Fox News units, all which will be spun-off into
SECTION 60
#17328594028995022-493: The ninth largest cable television operator at the time and were the largest operator in the Philadelphia area. This consolidated Comcast's control over all of the Philadelphia region, and earned them approximately 1.3 million additional cable subscribers. The purchase of Lenfest also bought Comcast the remaining 50% stock of the cable operator Garden State Communications — a company whom Comcast had already owned half of in partnership with Lenfest for years. Comcast quickly replaced
5103-533: The one trait that distinguishes the Rigases from virtually every other culprit on Wall Street is that they didn't sell their stock. The evidence suggests less that they intended to defraud than that they intended to hide inconvenient facts until they could be righted. This is also, of course, against the law; it's just a more tragic crime than ordinary looting." After struggling to find an alternative, Adelphia Corporation filed for bankruptcy on June 26, 2002. Subsequently,
5184-531: The paper in 1957, along with his wife Jill, after having worked at the paper since he was in high school. In 1958, the Enterprise acquired the Galeton Leader Dispatch. After Bill Fish Jr. died in 1977, Jill remained as the publisher of the paper until she sold it in 1983. The paper was purchase by Stauffer Media, though Fish Sr.'s grandson, Paul Heimel, was appointed editor of the paper. In 1986, Heimel left
5265-419: The remaining bundled assets. In July 2006, Adelphia sold its cable operations to Comcast (which now uses the Xfinity brand) and Time Warner Cable (then part of Time Warner, later known as WarnerMedia) for $ 17.6 billion. In 2007, Time Warner Cable officially succeeded Adelphia as a publicly traded corporation but the cable assets were spun out in 2009 and was acquired by Charter Communications in 2016 and it
5346-750: The rest of the Internet. Critics also point out a lack of competition in the vast majority of Comcast's service areas; in particular, the limited competition among cable providers. Given its negotiating power as a large ISP, some suspect that it could leverage paid peering agreements to unfairly influence end-user connection speeds. Its ownership of both content production (in NBCUniversal) and distribution (as an ISP) has raised antitrust concerns. These issues and others led to Comcast being dubbed "The Worst Company in America" by The Consumerist in 2010 and 2014. Comcast
5427-433: The scandal as, "one of the most extensive financial frauds ever to take place at a public company." A trial for the case was launched. Federal prosecutors proved that the Rigases used complicated cash-management systems to spread money around to various family-owned entities and as a cover for stealing $ 100 million for themselves. In June 2005, John and Timothy Rigas were found guilty for "looting and debt-hiding". John Rigas
5508-523: The second-tallest skyscraper in Pennsylvania. In the fall of 2018, it finished construction of the 1,121 ft (342 m) Comcast Technology Center , Pennsylvania's tallest skyscraper, adjacent to its original headquarters. As of 2019, the company had 184,000 employees. Comcast is often criticized by the media and its own staff for its less-than-upstanding policies of employee relations. A 2014 investigative series published by The Verge involved interviews with 150 Comcast employees, and examined why
5589-413: The shape of a pile of human feces was delivered to Comcast Corporate Headquarters to commemorate the unmatched level of enmity flowing from their customer base to their business. Comcast responded immediately by publicly acknowledging the dubious award and citing ongoing efforts to improve its customer service. One effort to change this is a new app called Tech ETA that allows customers to see exactly when
5670-481: The sporting world. In 1990, it launched Empire Sports Network , a regional sports network serving central and western New York. Adelphia supplemented Empire with a sports radio station, WNSA, in 2000. As an individual, John Rigas acquired the ownership of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Buffalo Sabres hockey club in 1997. At least some of the misappropriated Adelphia funds were being used to subsidize
5751-423: The ten-year general manager at Garden State with their own executive, and eventually Garden State ceased operating under its own name and was fully merged to become a part of the Comcast Corporation. In 2001, Comcast announced it would acquire the assets of the largest cable television operator at the time, AT&T Broadband , for $ 44.5 billion. The proposed name for the merged company was "AT&T Comcast", but
5832-414: The third-largest cable operator in the United States, with around 3.5 million subscribers following its purchase of Maclean-Hunter 's American division for $ 1.27 billion. Comcast grew to 4.3 million subscribers the following year with the purchase of the cable operation of E. W. Scripps Company for $ 1.575 billion in stock. Comcast offered internet connection for the first time in 1996, with its part in
5913-479: Was accused of blackguardism when he used the Potter Enterprise to abuse his Congressional opponent. In 1920, Stokes sold his interests in the paper in 1920, and the Potter Enterprise continued to be the top paper in the county. Stokes sold the paper to A.A. Bernard and William Fish, who were owners of the rival Potter Democrat . The paper stayed with the Fish family for a number of years. Bill Fish Jr. became co-owner of
5994-536: Was an American cable television company with headquarters in Coudersport, Pennsylvania . It was founded in 1952 by brothers Gus and John Rigas after the pair purchased a cable television franchise for US$ 300. Combining various cable properties, the company became one of the most successful in the United States and reached over two million subscribers in 1998. In addition to cable television, Adelphia later started providing high-speed internet, phone services and voice messaging for businesses. Despite its success, in 2002
6075-610: Was completed on March 19, 2013. Comcast reported that third-quarter net profits in 2020 fell 37 percent to $ 2.02 billion from $ 3.22 billion the previous year, in part due to the limited capacity measures for the COVID-19 pandemic at theme parks like Universal Studios and movie theaters, with revenues falling 4.8 percent. With their theme park in California being closed since March 2020 and limited capacity at locations in Florida and Japan ,
6156-493: Was in talks to buy NBC Universal . Comcast denied the rumors at first, while NBC would not comment on them. However, CNBC itself reported on October 1 that General Electric was considering spinning NBC Universal off into a separate company that would merge the NBC television network and its cable properties such as USA Network, Syfy and MSNBC, as well as Universal Pictures , with Comcast's content assets. GE would maintain 49% control of
6237-532: Was included on CableFAX magazine's "Top 10 Places to Work in Cable", which cited its "scale, savvy and vision". Similarly, the Philadelphia Business Journal awarded Comcast the silver medal among extra-large companies in Philadelphia, with the gold medal going to partner organization, Comcast-Spectacor. The Boston Globe found Comcast to be that city's top place to work in 2009. Employee diversity
6318-520: Was named one of the eight best newspapers in Pennsylvania. In 2010, The Potter Leader-Enterprise broke the news that the company Adelphia Communications Corporation was involved in illegal activity. The paper published a full securities filing that detailed illegal activities by the company and founder John Rigas and his sons. John Rigas and one of his sons, Timothy, were sentenced to 15 and 20 years of prison, respectively. Adelphia Communications Corporation Adelphia Communications Corporation
6399-810: Was obsessed with sales, did not train its employees properly, and concluded that "the system makes good customer service impossible." Comcast has also earned a reputation as anti-union. A company training manual says, "Comcast does not feel union representation is in the best interest of its employees, customers, or shareholders". A dispute in 2004 with CWA , a labor union representing many employees at Comcast's Beaverton, Oregon offices, led to allegations of management intimidating workers, requiring them to attend anti-union meetings and unwarranted disciplinary action for union members. In 2011, Comcast received criticism from Writers Guild of America for its policies regarding unions. Despite these criticisms, Comcast has appeared on multiple "top places to work" lists. In 2009, it
6480-502: Was one of the highest paid executives in the United States, with total compensation of about $ 31 million. As of February 18, 2024: Comcast is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and has offices in Atlanta , Detroit , Denver , Manchester, New Hampshire and New York City . On January 3, 2005, it announced it would become the anchor tenant in the new Comcast Center in downtown Philadelphia—at 975 ft (297 m),
6561-780: Was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while Timothy received a sentence of 20 years. In 2007, both men were ordered to report to Butner Federal Correctional Complex . On December 14, 2015, Rigas' lawyers announced that he was terminally ill with bladder cancer and had between one and six months to live. Rigas was diagnosed with cancer prior to his conviction and, under his sentencing, could seek compassionate release if he had less than three months to live. Judge Kimba Wood issued an order allowing for Rigas's release on February 19, 2016. Rigas survived for five more years after his release; he died September 30, 2021, age 96. The New York Times noted that this differed considerably from other accounting scandals like Enron and Worldcom , saying "For
#898101