Last Mile Communications Announces the Completion of its Management Partnering Project at MaxxSouth Broadband

PRESS RELEASE

NEWTOWN, Conn., (April 3, 2018) — On April 1, Last Mile Communications, LLC (LMC), the international telecommunications management partnering and consulting firm, announced it has added another success to its portfolio, as it completed its three-and-a-half-year management partnering project at MaxxSouth Broadband, an asset acquired by Block Communications, Inc. (BCI) in late 2014.

BCI acquired the broadband asset from Harron Communications. LMC assisted BCI during the acquisition process and took on the management partnering responsibilities of the new entity, MaxxSouth Broadband, upon the completion of the transaction on November 7, 2014. The new company quickly established itself as the area’s premier broadband provider within the 65 communities it currently serves.

“It was our honor to team with BCI, an iconic privately-held United States communications and media firm founded over 115 years ago. One of their key operations within our industry is Buckeye Broadband, a premier cable TV and broadband provider serving the Toledo, Ohio area for over 50 years,” said LMC’s Founding Partner & Chairman, Peter Kahelin.

To ensure BCI’s return on investment in their new venture, LMC assigned five of its key executives to lead the MaxxSouth project, working closely with the local team. Kahelin stated, “LMC’s industry expertise and experience helped deliver strong company growth, best-in-class technical services and customer care, a strong community presence and brand name, and the ability to fully transition the operation into the BCI environment upon LMC’s exit from the project.”

Kahelin added, “We are proud of what LMC and the local team at MaxxSouth accomplished over the three and a half years. Everything came together in a way seldom seen in the business, as we far exceeded all industry metrics. We successfully moved into the 1 Gigabit internet era, launched the locally renowned 24-hour regional sports network, MaxxSouth Sports, and became a key player in supporting programs and organizations within the communities the company serves.”

Today, MaxxSouth Broadband’s service area for its Video, High-Speed Internet and Digital Voice platform stretches more than 200 miles offering services in 23 counties and 65 communities within northern Mississippi and Alabama. The company currently has more than 92,000 broadband customers and its network passes over 114,000 homes.

Kahelin stated, “The team of professionals at MaxxSouth are well poised to join forces with the BCI team to continue the successes created during LMC’s tenure. We are proud of the local team and know we are passing on to Allan Block, BCI’s esteemed Chairman and industry pioneer, one heck of a solid organization. We are honored to have played a part in BCI’s storied legacy.”

As LMC bids farewell to MaxxSouth, the five LMC executives that led this effort will now take a well-deserved respite. In the near future, these executives will take on key roles within opportunities LMC is currently reviewing with other broadband operators and institutional investors.

About Last Mile Communications, LLC (LMC)

Last Mile Communications, LLC (LMC), is a renowned international telecommunications management partnering and consulting firm with its operational headquarters in Newtown, Connecticut (United States), and satellite headquarters in London, England and Bucharest, Romania. For more information, visit www.lastmile.net

Contact for More Information: 

Ivelisse Cruz
Phone: 203-491-7740 (United States)
E-mail: ivelisse.cruz@lastmile.net
Web: http://lastmile.net/

Block Communications to Acquire Ripley Video Cable

TOLEDO, OHIO (September 1, 2017) Block Communications, Inc., a 117-year-old diversified media holding company with telecommunications operations in northern Mississippi and Alabama, serving customers through its MaxxSouth Broadband subsidiary, announced it has signed an agreement to acquire the assets of Ripley Video Cable, a cable and broadband services provider in north-central Mississippi.

Ripley Video Cable provides cable television, high-speed internet and digital voice services to residential and commercial customers in the towns of Ripley, Blue Mountain, Falkner and Pine Grove, all within Tippah County, Mississippi.

Allan Block, Chairman of Block Communications We are a family-owned company operating in the cable business since 1965, and so we well recognize the hard work Leon and Diane Bailey, owners of Ripley Video Cable, have done over the years to provide excellent, local customer service. The Baileys’ unparalleled contribution to the cable TV and broadband industry within Mississippi will live on through our MaxxSouth operation because we share a common vision: To be good corporate citizens by giving back to our communities in ways that enhance their quality of life.”

Peter Kahelin, MaxxSouth Broadband President and CEO said, “MaxxSouth will continue Ripley Video Cable’s tradition of outstanding, local customer service and community support, which made the company a staple in the towns they serve Kahelin and his team in Mississippi have led MaxxSouth since 2014, building a record of successful broadband operations, support for community organizations, and dedicated customer service in the long tradition of Block-owned businesses.

Kahelin added, “I am honored to welcome Ripley Video Cable to our MaxxSouth family. Their almost 50-year history as a local business and their dedication to improving the lives of the people in the Mississippi communities they serve is what makes Ripley Video Cable such a perfect fit for us.” In the nearly three years MaxxSouth has operated in Mississippi and Alabama, it has upgraded its physical plant to provide higher and more reliable internet speeds, expanded its video offerings, and improved its retail stores to create a much more pleasant and welcoming experience for its customers.

“My wife Diane and I are confident that Block Communications, through its MaxxSouth Broadband leadership, will serve our communities with a strong commitment to excellence and will carry on our customer-oriented philosophy”, said Leon Bailey, Jr., of Ripley Video Cable. “We are proud to pass the torch on to another family-owned company that enjoys a long, successful history in the telecommunications industry.”

Jodi Miehls, Block Communications Executive Vice President of Finance and CFO added “This acquisition further advances Block Communications’ broadband growth and geographical diversification strategy that was put in motion with the 2014 purchase of the former Harron Communications (MetroCast) properties in Mississippi and Alabama, now operating as MaxxSouth

“We now look forward to investing in the future of Ripley Video Cable and its customers by, among other things, upgrading the network and offering a wider selection of video channels, faster internet connections and a complete suite of advanced business service”, concluded Allan Block.

The transaction is expected to close during the last quarter of 2017, upon regulatory approvals. Last Mile Communications, LLC (LMC) and Milestone Communications, Inc., served as the exclusive advisors to Block Communications, Inc./MaxxSouth Broadband and Ripley Video Cable, respectively.

About Block Communications, Inc. (BCI)

Block Communications is a 117-year-old privately held diversified media company headquartered in Toledo, Ohio with operations in cable television/broadband, commercial telecommunications, newspaper publishing and television broadcasting. The company owns and operates Buckeye Broadband, its cable system serving the Toledo and Sandusky, Ohio metropolitan areas, and Buckeye Telesystem, its facilities-based commercial telecommunications business serving commercial customers primarily in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. In addition, Block Communications publishes two daily metropolitan newspapers, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and The Blade in Toledo, Ohio, each of which is the dominant newspaper publication in its market. The company also owns and operates multiple television broadcast stations, among other businesses. For more information, visit www.blockcommunications.com.

About MaxxSouth Broadband

MaxxSouth Broadband’s service area for video, high-speed internet and digital phone stretches more than 200 miles and includes 20 counties and 61 communities in northern Mississippi and Alabama. Operating as a subsidiary of Block Communications Inc., MaxxSouth Broadband continues to expand and enhance its state-of-the-art broadband network in the communities it serves. For more information, visit www.MaxxSouth.com.

Last Mile Communications, LLC (LMC)

Last Mile Communications, LLC, a management partnering and consulting firm based in Newtown, CT, served as exclusive advisors to Block Communications, Inc. and MaxxSouth Broadband. For more information, visit www.lastmile.net.

Milestone Communications, Inc.

Milestone Communications, Inc., a brokerage and consulting services company in Castle Pines, CO, was the Ripley Video Cable advisor for this transaction. For more information, visit www.milestonecomminc.com.

Media Contact:

Jodi L. Miehls

419-724-6257

jmiehls@toledoblade.com

BCI buys Mississippi cable provider

System is second major acquisition in month for Toledo-based company

Block Communications Inc. announced on Monday that it has signed an agreement to acquire MetroCast Mississippi, a cable system that provides cable television, telephone, and Internet services to more than 45,000 residential and business customers in 71 communities in 16 counties of Mississippi.

The deal, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year, is subject to franchise transfer approval. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

It marks the second major acquisition this month by Block Communications, which has headquarters in Toledo. Last week, the diversified media holding company acquired Line Systems Inc., a suburban Philadelphia business communications provider.

MetroCast Mississippi is a subsidiary of Harron Communications LP of Frazer, Pa., a cable television operator that operates systems in nine states. MetroCast Mississippi will become a subsidiary of Block Communications, which also owns The Blade and Buckeye CableSystem, which provides services in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.

Allan Block, chairman of Block Communications, said the Mississippi cable franchise is a modern cable system that is interconnected, will be entirely digital by year’s end, and provides the three modern cable-based services demanded by consumers — cable, phone, and Internet. MetroCast also has an excellent reputation among its customers, he added.

The purchase represents a “geographic diversification and a rural diversification” for Block Communications. “There is multiple growth potential. I am optimistic this will be a good opportunity for the company for the future,” Mr. Block said.

“We couldn’t be more pleased to have another family-owned, customer-oriented company who has enjoyed a long history in the communications industry like Block Communications acquire our Mississippi systems,” said James J. Bruder, Jr., chairman and CEO of Harron Communications.

MetroCast Mississippi serves customers over a 200-mile territory, including the university cities of Oxford, home to the University of Mississippi, and Starkville, home to Mississippi State University. It also serves the hometown of Oprah Winfrey, who is from Kosciusko, Miss. The service area also includes the county seats of Carthage, Holly Springs, Kosciusko, Philadelphia, Booneville, Raleigh, Iuka, Louisville, Houston, Decatur, Pontotoc, Forest, and New Albany. Its reach even extends over the state line to small towns such as Red Bay, Ala.

As of March 31, 2014, MetroCast’s area encompasses more than 100,000 residences and has 61,000 primary service units. Primary service units include video, high-speed data, and residential telephone customers. Some customers receive all three services.

The acquisition is not the first business investment in the South for the Block family, owners of Block Communications.

In 1921, Mr. Block’s grandfather, Paul Block, purchased the Memphis News-Scimitar newspaper. The Tennessee newspaper’s coverage area extended into Mississippi.

In May, 1925, the News-Scimitar covered the exploits of Tom Lee, a 39-year-old black man who used his small wooden skiff to save 32 passengers from a capsized riverboat on the Mississippi River. Paul Block led a successful effort to have Mr. Lee invited to the White House to receive an award from President Calvin Coolidge.

Mr. Block sold the newspaper in 1926.

Contact Jon Chavez at: jchavez@theblade.com or 419-724-6128.