Millennium Digital Media
Encyclopedia
Broadstripe is a telecommunications and cable provider headquartered in Dallas, Texas
. Serving communities in Washington, Maryland
, Oregon
and Michigan
, Broadstripe provides both residential and business customers with entertainment and communications products including digital cable, home phone and broadband internet services.
They offer multiple "packages" of the above services, which can make it more difficult for users to determine their actual individual costs.
In February 2010, the company launched a 60-day, money-back guarantee program offering both new and existing residential customers 60 days to test new services from the cable provider’s offerings. According to the company, if the customer is not satisfied or has issues, Broadstripe will pay for the subscriber to restore service with their old provider.
The company has chosen to bypass Better Business Bureau accreditation in their Northwest region.
In an undated survey performed for the city of Sammamish, Washington
, respondents who used Comcast
were significantly more satisfied with their service (as noted on page 31) than users of Broadstripe.
The company has reported a $2.63 million net loss in September, 2010 on revenue of $7.68 billion. Depreciation and amortization for the month totaled $2.2 million. Also, Broadstripe was authorized in October to adopt a bonus program for 12 executives that may cost as much as $446,000. To qualify, the cable system for which the employees work must be sold.
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. Serving communities in Washington, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Broadstripe provides both residential and business customers with entertainment and communications products including digital cable, home phone and broadband internet services.
History
In 1998, John Brooks, co-founder of Brooks Fiber Media, along with former Charter Communications, Inc. executives Kelvin Westbrook, Jeffrey Sander and Charles Prayer, Jr. formed Millennium Digital Media (Millennium.) In September 2006, Millennium named Bill Shreffler, president and chief executive officer. Millennium officially changed its name to Broadstripe in October 2007. In November of that year, Broadstripe attempted to acquire James Cable LLC of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan for $125 million, the deal eventually fell through between the two companies. Since then, the cable provider has reorganized its leadership team, adding a number of telecommunications industry veterans, including its chief executive Gustavo Prilick in August 2008. According to an August 2009 article in the St. Louis Business Journal, Broadstripe spent nearly $20 million upgrading its network and overhauling customer care operations.Services
Broadstripe serves approximately 100,000 customers across its service areas. They offer the following services:- Digital Cable, which includes commercial-free music channels, Pay-Per-ViewPay-per-viewPay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
movies and television shows, premium and High-DefinitionHigh-definitionHigh-definition refers to an increase in display or visual resolution such as in:*High-definition television , television formats that have a higher resolution than their contemporary counterparts...
(HD) channels.
- Internet, offering two levels of service--a low speed "up to" 1 Mb/s and a higher speed version, claiming up to 15 Mb/s. They only guarantee 6Mb/s, however for their high-speed offering.
- VOIP Phone Service
They offer multiple "packages" of the above services, which can make it more difficult for users to determine their actual individual costs.
In February 2010, the company launched a 60-day, money-back guarantee program offering both new and existing residential customers 60 days to test new services from the cable provider’s offerings. According to the company, if the customer is not satisfied or has issues, Broadstripe will pay for the subscriber to restore service with their old provider.
Awards
Broadstripe was recognized by St. Louis Small Business Monthly in its July 2010 issue as one of 14 "Best Telecommunications Companies in the Business".Organizational structure and client performance
The company is organized into three geographic regions: Mid-Atlantic (Regional Office: Millersville, Maryland), Central (regional office: Charlotte, Michigan), and Northwest (Regional Office: Tukwila, Washington).The company has chosen to bypass Better Business Bureau accreditation in their Northwest region.
In an undated survey performed for the city of Sammamish, Washington
Sammamish, Washington
-Surrounding cities and communities:-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 34,104 people, 11,131 households, and 9,650 families residing in the city. In 2007, the population is expected to pass 40,000....
, respondents who used Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
were significantly more satisfied with their service (as noted on page 31) than users of Broadstripe.
Executive team
- Gustavo Prilick, Chief Executive Officer
- Dave Harwood, Chief Operating Officer/General Manager of Central Operations
- Debra Wood, Chief Financial Officer
- Tony Lent, Chief Commercial Officer
- John Bjorn, Executive Vice President/Regional Manager Mid-Atlantic/Northwest Operations
- John McFerron, Executive Vice President - Customer Operations
Bankruptcy
On January 2, 2009, Broadstripe filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in St. Louis, MO. Growing mostly via acquisition, efforts to increase margins were unsatisfactory due to increased competition from satellite providers, and two land-line based competitors in Maryland. In an effort to reduce debt, management attempted to sell parts of the company to competitors, but was unsuccessful.The company has reported a $2.63 million net loss in September, 2010 on revenue of $7.68 billion. Depreciation and amortization for the month totaled $2.2 million. Also, Broadstripe was authorized in October to adopt a bonus program for 12 executives that may cost as much as $446,000. To qualify, the cable system for which the employees work must be sold.