CHARLOTTE, N.C.—The Central Station Alarm Association held its general membership meeting on June 7 at the ESX show, and the message to attendees was that while the economy is tough, the monitoring industry's association is doing okay and is pushing for action in the form of a nationwide initiative to radically revamp public safety communications.
DALLAS—A new partnership between “one of the top dealers in the country” and recently acquired Monitronics, one of the largest wholesale monitoring companies in the country, means only good things, according to both parties.
DALLAS—A new technology partnership aims to simplify and speed up 911 dispatch for central stations. Furthermore, the partnership aligns with current efforts on the part of the Central Station Alarm Association and the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials.
PALM BEACH, Fla.—The media in Ascent Media—the new owner of Monitronics—is really limited to the company name. That was one of the messages from Bill Fitzgerald, chairman of the board of Ascent Media Corporation, at the Barnes Buchanan conference here in February.
He got some laughs from the conference crowd when he said: “You’re looking at me and thinking ‘Here come the cable guys again.’”
In some ways, Fitzgerald said, the crowd was right to think that. After all, Fitzgerald came to Ascent Media from AT&T Broadband, formerly known as TeleCommunications, Inc. (TCI). He also still holds the post of SVP of Liberty Media Corporation, whose chairman is cable industry pioneer John Malone.
The controversy surrounding Article 6-E—proposed legislation in New York that looks to vet and license central station employees according to statewide standards—has many in the industry talking about central station employee training. There are plenty of virtual and classroom training options provided by industry associations like CSAA and SIA. And, many monitoring companies take full control and create their own training programs for employees.
SANTA MONICA, Calif.—Ascent Media Corporation, a holding company based here, announced on Dec. 17 that it had agreed to purchase Monitronics International in a deal valued at $1.2 billion.
Prior to an Ascent investor call on Monday, Dec. 20, Monitronics president and CEO Mike Haislip told Security Systems News in an exclusive interview why he felt the acquisition was a sign of good things to come.
“We’re really excited about this because it brings a lot of stability having someone like Ascent behind us. It’s their first foray into security, but we think it’s a very good fit.”
SAN ANTONIO—Monitronics on Nov. 16 received 2010 Excellence in Best Practices Award from research company Frost & Sullivan at its annual awards banquet, held here.
