Adelphia named Corporate Citizen

Plymouth County Business Review, Sep 01, 1998

Each year, Plymouth County Development Council presents its Corporate Citizen Award to a local business "in recognition of a continuing commitment to expand the economy of Plymouth County." For 1998, the honor goes to Adelphia Communications.

The morning of last year's Thanksgiving celebration parade in Plymouth broke miserable and wet. It was the sort of day that threatened to keep even the most enthusiastic Plymothian behind doors.

Adelphia Communications had agreed to cover the event and had no intentions of backing out. The company's employees showed up early to hand out coffee and hot chocolate to parade participants, who shivered as high winds ripped their floats to shreds.

The parade went on and Adelphia's broadcast went over the cable. James C. Sweeney Jr., Adelphia regional manager, heard from many subscribers who complimented the coverage, grateful they could still view the festivities.

Those subscribers also tune in to selectmen meetings, the Rotary auction, town meetings, benefits and other events. Outside their homes, they can see Adelphia helping with community events such as the Chowder Festival and with groups such as Kids Voting and Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce.

Adelphia employees serve on the board of Quincy College and the Thanksgiving Parade, collect food for the needy and help with the Community Christmas fund-raiser. The company has regional offices in Plymouth and Marshfield.

In the past, Adelphia supported charities and causes with cash contributions. Over the past two years, it has urged employees to become personally involved in their communities.

"Placing employees in outreach programs cannot be over-emphasized," Sweeney said. "That's our challenge -- to be an integral member of the community. Giving money to the hospital or sponsoring a golf tournament is one thing, but you've got to work yourself."

Good things happen from being a good neighbor, Sweeney noted. Adelphia employees "feel proud of the company they work for" when it gives something back to the community. And the company gets positive attention so it can distinguish itself from competitors and find new forums to showcase products and services.

That spirit trickles down from corporate headquarters in Coudersport, Penn., hometown of the Rigas family. The Adelphia owners are strong believers in community.

The firm was founded in 1952 by John Rigas, who plunked an antenna on top of a mountain and ran cable to residents who couldn't receive TV signals. That small system has grown into the seventh largest cable company in America with 2.1 million subscribers from South Florida to Vermont and Michigan.

Adelphia came to Plymouth County in 1987 when it bought Campbell Communication and took over cable systems in Plymouth, Kingston, Carver and Duxbury. The firm put in 150 miles of new cable and later added Marshfield to its coverage area.

As the popularity of cable grew. customer complaints about the industry increased. It was difficult, Sweeney admits, keeping up with demand when cable was growing so rapidly.

Today, customers can call Adelphia's 24-hour service line. If needed, repair crews are dispatched in the middle of the night or on Sundays. Customers calling for repairs or installation are given a two-hour window when the crew will arrive. If Adelphia doesn't show up, the installation is free or the service is credited $20.

"We figured we better put our money where our mouth is," Sweeney said. We've really stepped up customer care. It's been one of the knocks against cable. Now we've gotten our act together, although it's certainly far from perfect. We're still trying to improve."

Adelphia is staying on top of an industry that's changing every day. The wave of new developments in cable technology has transformed the company from a one-dimensional provider of entertainment to a multiprovider of telecommunication services.

Adelphia now offers a paging service, high-speed Internet access, a long-distance phone calling service and digital cable. Digital TV, with its enhanced picture quality, 40 channels of CD-quality music and multiplexed premium channels where viewers have a choice between eight movies showing at the same time, has caught on like wildfire.

Even towns and schools are jumping on the information superhighway. This fall, computers at Plymouth schools and town offices will be interconnected with a high-speed data system installed by Adelphia.

"This really puts Plymouth ahead of many communities," Sweeney said. "I have to give the town credit for the vision to install this kind of network."

It's not the first time Adelphia stepped into area schools. It employs a classroom coordinator who informs teachers about commercial-free educational materials available on cable. In September, the company sponsored a visit by the C-SPAN road bus, which showed students how it broadcasts the news.

This attention to customer care and increased community efforts seem to be working. Adelphia expanded its area workforce by 10 percent in the last year to 110 employees. It's also adding new customers every day to its roster of 55,000 subscribers in Southeastern Massachusetts.