Contact:  Dan Ballister 
Vice President Community Affairs  
727-329-2925

BRIGHT HOUSE NETWORKS TAPS FORMER POLICE SPOKESPERSON TO LEAD CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS

  (St. Petersburg, FL  May 26, 2006) – Former Tampa Police Department spokesperson Joseph Durkin has been named the new Senior Director of Corporate Communications for Bright House Networks Tampa division. He will begin working in the newly created position on Monday, June 12. 

  Durkin will serve as the company’s official spokesperson and media relations liaison. He will also play an integral role in developing communications plans for new product deployment, business objectives, public affairs initiatives and public policy issues.

  The highly respected communications professional is well known in the Tampa Bay area after serving as the spokesman for the Tampa Police Department from 1998 to 2006. He represented the Department at the local level and also appeared in the national spotlight following Super Bowl XXXV in 2001, with live appearances on CNN and NBC’s “Today” show.

  “Joe is a great addition to the Bright House Networks team and will be a valuable resource for reporters and editors interested in telling the Bright House story,” said Kevin Hyman, president of Bright House Networks Tampa division.

  Durkin, a former Naval air crewman, and helicopter search and rescue swimmer, began his career in 1983 at the Tampa Police Department, where he rose to the rank of corporal. He has worked at the department in the positions of Emergency Management Coordinator and Assistant Public Safety Information Coordinator. He most recently held the title of Special Projects Specialist in the area of emergency management with Tampa Fire Rescue.

  Durkin has a B.A. in Business Administration from St. Leo University. He has done additional coursework in media relations, public information, risk assessment, risk management, emergency resource management, emergency management and hurricane preparedness and recovery.

  Bright House Networks is a leading provider of entertainment and information services serving approximately one million customers in the greater Tampa Bay area. The company's fiber-optic network offers Digital Cable, Digital Phone, HDTV, Digital Video Recorders, iCONTROL On Demand services, and multiple high-speed Internet services. Bright House Networks is managed by Advance/Newhouse Communications.