Bright House’s Headquarters
The MSO’s Florida Clusters Provide an Axis of Management Power
BY MIKE REYNOLDS -- Multichannel News, 5/23/2004 8:00:00 PM
It’s been a busy year for Bright House Networks’ Florida Group. Spanning some 160 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf Coast across the middle of the state — and reaching 1 million customers in Tampa and another 770,000 in the Central Florida division — the group not only accounts for some 80% of Bright House’s overall customer base, but serves as a de facto headquarters.
Formed last May, the Florida Group falls under the watch of John Rigsby, who has headed the division from a base in Orlando since 1995. Since becoming president a year ago, Rigsby has spent plenty of time constructing an executive management team and instituting new leadership at the division levels.
He was succeeded as Central Florida president by former Charter Communications Inc. senior vice president of operations Chris Fenger last August. That same month, Kevin Hyman took command in Tampa, following the retirement of veteran Jeff McQuinn.
As Rigsby was building the group team, Fenger and Hyman were filling in key personnel at the division level.
“Each division retains its entrepreneurial focus, running under the guidance of its president, and their heads for marketing, finance and other disciplines,” says Rigsby. “We want to keep the pulse on what’s happening in the field in both divisions.”
That’s a task made somewhat more difficult, given the group’s role as a quasi-headquarters. Engineering and technical applications come out of Syracuse, N.Y., under the direction of executive vice president of strategy and development Nomi Bergman. But the marketing, ad sales and public relations duties are handled from Florida to stay “closer to the market,” says Rigsby.
It’s been “a balancing act of how you layer entertainment offerings and economics … Chris Fenger, Kevin Hyman and myself are in contact with each other constantly,” he says.
Those meetings have already yielded synergies. For instance, Rigsby says that Tampa and Central Florida had different ad agencies with different interpretations of the brand, as well as varied pricing for products. Both are now uniform.
The two divisions also now share a common look and approach to cross-channel avails, and have combined their efforts to identify regional ad sales opportunities.
On the technological side, Rigsby says both units are implementing a common approach to video-on-demand architecture, based on hub clustering, which will lead to “favorites on-demand” basic-cable fare late this summer.
Currently, the divisions proffer films on-demand and sell subscription VOD packages from Home Box Office, Cinemax and Showtime at a flat rate, on top of digital packages.
Both divisions also supply the same lineups of Internet-service providers: America Online, Road Runner, EarthLink and local entry Inter Junction.
“A lot of data customers did not get video. The ISPs have opened the door to a lot of video customers for us,” says Rigsby.
Given Florida’s snowbird status, Bright House faces significant seasonal considerations — especially in Tampa, which has many more transient residents.
“We’re not going dark with advertising during seasonal flights; we’re keeping our GRPs up. We’ve done this in Central Florida,” he says. “And we’re doing it in Tampa now.”
Rigsby said the Orlando operation was one of the early believers in HD, which launched in fall 2000. Super Bowl XXXVI, telecast by CBS in January 2001, made it to a number of area homes.
“About 500 customers took the feed. The general manager of the station and I wrote a letter of thanks to all of them,” he says.
Today, Rigsby says the Florida group has about 79,000 HD subscribers, and customers have access to about 15 channels. Twelve HD channels are available in Tampa, where retransmission-consent wrangling continues. “We’re not there yet; it’s been difficult to get the rights,” he says.
Elsewhere, the divisions have rolled out digital video recorders, and “we’re getting ready to start rolling some HD DVR boxes into Tampa.”
Bright House has also been involved with home networking in Orlando over the past couple of years, according to Rigsby.
The combination of services makes Bright House’s package stickier overall — and girds it against increasing competition, which comes not only from national satellite providers but from overbuilds by Adelphia Communications Corp. in Central Florida, as well as from Knology, which competes with the Tampa division in Pinellas County. Verizon Communications Inc. and Bell South Corp. are also in the hunt.
Bundling aside, Bright House is taking aim against its adversaries via an enhanced emphasis on customer service. The Central Florida division recently named Bill Sievers vice president of customer care.
Bright House has long deployed a linked call center in Orlando that Rigsby says “brings subscribers to the person responsible and with the right skill set” to answer questions, handle problems or facilitate transactions. A similar system is being eyed for Tampa. “We’re sorting through vendors right now,” he says, adding that division could possibly retain a customer-care executive.
In either event, Rigsby said customer-service facilities would remain distinct for the two units. “Each division has enough critical mass, with various regions within the divisions.”
| Florida File | |
|---|---|
| As of April 30, 2004 | |
| Homes Passed: | 2,972,000 |
| Basic Customers: | 1,760,000 |
| Digital Customers: | 722,000 |
| Residential HSD: | 560,000 |
| DVR Homes: | 82,000 |
| Source: Bright House Networks | |
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This is the WORST company I've ever. I am now on my 7th service call in 3 weeks of having service...the first 6 were to get internet installed. Techs show up late, or without the tools/software to do the job. Now the cable is just "loosing" channels. I've spent over 9 hours on the phone with various techs and supervisors - it's been one disaster after another. One tech called me at 6 am "hey sweetie, could he come over this morning and fix my internet problem?" when I complained I was told "oh, we don't screen contractors that well.."
Biggest pet peeve: to get you off the phone, the customer service rep will tell you a technician will be at your house - then they won't actually log the appointment with the technicians... so when no one shows up, there is no record of the "appointment" and of course it's not Brighthouse's fault...
Second biggest pet peeve: My name is NOT "sweetie" "honey" "darlin" or "mrs." It's just part of their corporate culture - the guys on the tech help line are condescending and rude to women. When I complained to a supervisor SHE asked me "well, what do you want me to do about it?"
I had better luck with an antenna and a converter box than this bunch of loosers.
I'm telling EVERYONE I can find just how BAD my experience with this company was.
Liz Long - 11/27/2009 7:55:34 PM EST -
We have had 10 service calls since 11/2007 (could have been many more but I hate waiting on hold). We have constant service interruption with our cable whenever it gets below 60 degrees. No tech has been able to repair problem. Supervisor was to investigate problem, this never happened. Throughout this we have met our monthly financial obligations, now it is your turn to met your service obligations. We have a service call for tomorrow 4/16, so more time missed from work. I have submitted a complaint to the BBB about the lack of service and poor follow up from this company.
Joseph & Michelle Karr - 4/15/2008 8:58:00 PM EDT -
I recently had two Bright House sub-contractor techs at my home to install HD. They were only marginally competent, had no regard for my property and the whole installation was a hassle. Further it was not nearly complete (No HD channel guide, setup not done, no coding for either TV or Amp to remote, phoned super was dismissive, etc.) I then requested a BH supervisor and got another sub-contractor (a fox in the hen house). He had excuses but no solutions. He presented a sign-off sheet denoting the sound was fixed, implying he had done it, when in fact I had, six days earlier. I wished to write to BH and after much searching find you list more than one address as your HQ and show none that are readily obtainable. You do a good job of advertising, but a lousy job of delivering and worse at being available. I had to figure out where the HD channels were via an internet search. I am now investigating a new provider for my TV,Computer and Phone (one or all of which I lose relatively frequently). Go ahead - POST THIS!
Richard Murphy - 2/15/2008 8:12:00 AM EST -
I currently have brighthouse for computer and tv and am trying to secure
telephone service as well. This is the 3rd day I have taken off work to be
home for my window and it is 8:50 and still no tech. I am supposed to be
the first appointment this morning. Meanwhile, my phone service has
been cut off from Verizon for 3 days. I am having to use my cell phone at
a high expense because I can't get a tech out to my house. I have spent
way too many hours waiting. Does any one care about the incredible
inconvenience? I'm ready to switch the whole packeage to Verizon. There
is no communication between the voice we talk to and the person needing
to show up.
Dawn Dobish - 1/18/2008 7:56:00 AM EST
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