bistro777
Donuts-Is There Anything They Can't Do?
Premium
join:2002-02-07
Englewood, CO
| Avarice and Greed
It’s kinda sad, actually. When I lived in Buffalo before making the move West, Adelphia was always viewed in the Buffalo area as a sort of ‘white knight’ – the promise of much-needed jobs to Buffalo; the purchase of the Buffalo Sabres to retain local ownership and turn the team into a Stanley Cup contender; the carefully-crafted image of a benevolent, silver-haired, small-town guy who ‘made it on his own’ and chose to remain in lil ol’ Coudersport rather than be tempted by the bright lights of New York or another city.
Boy - - - were we ever wrong, because the recent revelations and pending/ongoing investigations show just what has been happening behind the scene all these years. What a shame...and what a sad comment on greed, arrogance and avarice at the highest levels of the company.
Adelphia spelled backwards is Aihpleda. |
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machpost
join:2002-01-11
Washington, DC
| I agree, it is sad, or at least it appears that way. I had always viewed Adelphia as an all-American success story, a man who builds one of the first CATV systems with a $300 investment, only to have it grow into one of the nation's largest and most highly regarded cable systems. Now I must stop and wonder how much "crafting" went into the small town, family owned and operated business image. |
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RR Conductor
RailRoadDude
Premium
join:2002-04-02
Redwood Valley, CA
 ·Comcast
| reply to bistro777
I must be in one of the "lucky" areas(Mendocino County, California, 100 miles north of San Francisco), because I have had nothing but good luck with Adelphia. The Powerlink service works great, no problems, and it never goes down. The digital cable is as clear as satellite, and I get some channels they didn't have on DirecTV or Dish. When I call customer service, I always got through in 5 minutes or less, and the reps ALWAYS were helpful and nice. When they came out to install my Digital cable and Powerlink, there were actually a little early. They came in here and in the span of less than two years took an old, outdated system and completely overhauled it, laying fiber all over the area, enabling most of this rural county to get digital cable and Powerlink. I hope this mess doesn't affect the customers, or the good people working for Adelphia. Now I know a lot of you have had bad experiences with them, I just wanted to share one success story. I wish everybody could have one. |
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Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02 | reply to bistro777
Personally, I'm kind of curious about how much of the shady business practices were due to Tony boy, child wonder CFO and not necessarily good old pops?
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Palpatine for Senate |
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geek49203
join:2000-11-25
Jackson, MI
| said by Leviathan:
Personally, I'm kind of curious about how much of the shady business practices were due to Tony boy, child wonder CFO and not necessarily good old pops?
My thoughts exactly. I'm not sure if it was due to sibling rivalry, a need for praise, or perhaps just caught up in good ol telecom greediness. My educated guess, having been to Coudersport to sit through a few meetings, is that the old man wasn't being told everything in the way that he needed to hear it. Access to the father was controlled by the sons, and it's anyone's guess what they told him (intentionally shady or not). It was a management style that is usually destined for failure even in good economic times. |
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Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02
Host:
Road Runner
PC gaming GAMES
PC gaming Tech
| Just seems to me like a guy who won't allow porn channels on his systems, even though he could make a fortune off them, isn't going to make shady under the table deals.
I'm guessing the CFO was given a little too much leash, and perhaps dear old dad was spending less time watching the fire.
This should flesh itself out in the next few weeks I would think. Some of these financial accusations are pretty major league.....
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Palpatine for Senate |
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geek49203
join:2000-11-25
Jackson, MI
| reply to bistro777
You can only imagine what this is gonna do to Coudersport, which will look like an wild-west ghost town after the gold rush. The corporate phone book and the village phone book are virtually the same. The downtown's major feature is the new Adelphia headquarters building.
I can see the abandoned houses, churches, schools now. After all, it's not like one can replace a 5 or 6 figure middle-level management income in Coudersport when the nearest big city is more than 2 hours away.
Just think... the father has to live with the remains of his town, having to look at the devestation everyday... |
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Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02
Host:
Road Runner
PC gaming GAMES
PC gaming Tech
| I'm seeing a similar impact in the town I grew up in....IBM began in central New York near Binghamton, and has over the years trimmed it's operations....with the recent announcement of cuts it should truly decimate the workforce, who aren't going to find much else to do in that area...
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Palpatine for Senate |
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bistro777
Donuts-Is There Anything They Can't Do?
Premium
join:2002-02-07
Englewood, CO
| Yeah, I know what you mean - it's always a shame to see good people lose jobs and home due to people who've enriched themselves by questionable means. I lived in the Buffalo area in the early 90s, endured the snow and four-straight Super Bowl losses - great parties, though - and watched that rust-belt city slowly disintegrate as steel and other jobs were lost. So, employment-wise, Adelphia was a breath of fresh air to the community.
There was a big article in The Buffalo News today (buffalonews.com) about the revitalization of the Lake Erie waterfront and the Sabres - both impacted by Adelphia's demise. They were to have built a CS center near the waterfront arena to house 1,000-1,300 people, jobs desperately needed in the Buffalo area. Now it won't be built and jobs will be lost by people unable find other work as the Adelphia cable franchises are sold-off across the country.
Adelphia and the Rigas family were always viewed in Buffalo as 'good for the community' (regardless of one's like/dislike of their products/services). It's a real shame their actions will affect so many 'common folk' - people who worked hard and trusted in management to build and grow the company. 'For the love of money is the root of all evil' etc., I guess...
Adelphia spelled forwards is still Adelphia. |
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Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02
Host:
Road Runner
PC gaming GAMES
PC gaming Tech
| I went to school in Fredonia at about that same time.
It's consistently amazing how the NY State legislators throw bread crumbs to the rest of the state, and whole loaves and NYC....
There's just no impressive business development being tried in New York State....
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Palpatine for Senate |
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Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02 | reply to bistro777
Oh, and I lived on Heath street in Buffalo for a summer before moving to NYC....
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Palpatine for Senate |
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bistro777
Donuts-Is There Anything They Can't Do?
Premium
join:2002-02-07
Englewood, CO | reply to Karl Bode
Ah, yes - Fredonia, USA... Marx Bros. festivals, tequila night and chicken wings at BJ's, cribbage at the Fountain Bar & Grill, etc. Ah, yes, I remember it well... |
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