PROSPECTUS This Prospectus is filed under
Rule 424(b)(1) and relates to
Registration Statement No. 33-58715
2,393,530 Shares
Common Stock MERCOM, INC.
Mercom, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), is distributing to
holders of record ("Holders") of shares of its Common Stock, par value $1.00
per share (the "Common Stock"), non-transferable subscription rights (the
"Rights") to subscribe for and purchase additional shares of the Common Stock
for a price of $3.60 per share (the "Subscription Price"). Such shareholders
will receive one Right for every share of Common Stock held by them as of the
close of business on July 20, 1995 (the "Record Date"). Rights holders may
purchase one share of Common Stock for each whole Right held upon payment of
the Subscription Price (the "Basic Subscription Privilege"). Each Right also
carries the right to subscribe (the "Oversubscription Privilege") at the
Subscription Price for additional shares of Common Stock that are not
otherwise purchased pursuant to the exercise of Rights. See "The Rights
Offering--Subscription Privileges--Oversubscription Privilege." The Rights
will be evidenced by non-transferable certificates. Once a holder has
exercised any Rights, such exercise may not be revoked, unless (i) a material
change in the terms of the Rights Offering adversely affecting such Rights
holder has been made or (ii) C-TEC (as defined below) does not exercise the
Basic Subscription Privilege in respect of the Rights it receives or does not
exercise the Oversubscription Privilege to purchase all other shares of Common
Stock offered hereby.
The Rights will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on August 10, 1995,
unless extended (as it may be extended, the "Expiration Date"), provided that
the Expiration Date shall in no event be later than September 8, 1995.
Shareholders who do not exercise their Rights will relinquish the value
inherent in the Rights. See "Risk Factors--Dilution." The Company currently
has a negative net worth. The net tangible book value of the shares of Common
Stock as of March 31, 1995 was a deficiency of approximately $(15,900,000), or
$(6.63) per share. See "Dilution."
As of the date hereof, C-TEC Corporation, a Pennsylvania corporation
("C-TEC"), indirectly owns, through C-TEC Properties, Inc., a Delaware
corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of C-TEC (C-TEC and C-TEC Properties,
Inc. are referred to collectively herein as "C-TEC" except as the context
otherwise requires), 1,044,194 shares of Common Stock, representing 43.63% of
the outstanding Common Stock. C-TEC effectively controls the Company. C-TEC
will receive 1,044,194 Rights in respect of the shares of Common Stock it
owns. C-TEC has agreed with the Company to exercise the Rights it receives
for an aggregate subscription price of $3,759,098 and to exercise the
Oversubscription Privilege to purchase at the Subscription Price all other
shares of Common Stock being offered for sale hereby. The opportunity to
exercise the Oversubscription Privilege is available to all holders of Rights
on the same terms. It is likely that the Rights Offering will result in C-TEC
owning over 50% of the Common Stock and having actual control of the Company.
If no Rights are exercised by other stockholders and all shares of Common
Stock offered hereby are purchased by C-TEC, C-TEC will beneficially own
3,437,724 shares of Common Stock (including shares owned prior to the Rights
Offering), representing approximately 71.81% of the outstanding shares of
Common Stock of the Company.
The Common Stock is traded in the over-the-counter market and is quoted on the
OTC Bulletin Board (with such quotes reported in the pink sheets of the
National Quotations Bureau, Inc.) under the symbol "MEEO." On April 18, 1995,
the last day on which bid and ask prices were quoted prior to the public
announcement of the Rights Offering, the closing bid price of the Common Stock
on the OTC Bulletin Board was $3.75 per share and the closing ask price of the
Common Stock on the OTC Bulletin Board was $4.25 per share. On July 13, 1995,
the closing bid price of the Common Stock on the OTC Bulletin Board was $2.50
per share and the closing ask price of the Common Stock on the OTC Bulletin
Board was $3.375 per share. These are inter-dealer quotations, which do not
reflect mark-up, mark-down or commissions and may not reflect actual
transactions. Trading in the Common Stock has been limited and sporadic and
thus does not constitute an established public trading market.
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION, NOR HAS THE SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE
ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY
IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
SHAREHOLDERS WHO DO NOT EXERCISE THEIR RIGHTS IN FULL WILL EXPERIENCE DILUTION
IN THEIR RELATIVE PERCENTAGE OWNERSHIP IN THE COMPANY UPON ISSUANCE OF THE
COMMON STOCK TO SHAREHOLDERS EXERCISING THEIR RIGHTS.
THE COMMON STOCK AND RIGHTS OFFERED HEREBY INVOLVE A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK.
BEFORE MAKING AN INVESTMENT DECISION, POTENTIAL INVESTORS SHOULD CAREFULLY
CONSIDER THE FACTORS SET FORTH IN "RISK FACTORS".
<TABLE>
Underwriting Discounts Proceeds to the
Price to Public and Commissions Company(1)
--------------- ---------------------- ---------------
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Per Share................... $3.60 N/A $3.60
Total....................... $8,616,708 N/A $8,616,708
(1) Before deduction of estimated expenses of $500,000 payable by the
Company, including registration fees, NASD review fees, financial
advisory, legal and accounting fees, subscription agent fees,
information agent fees, printing expenses and other miscellaneous
fees and expenses.
</TABLE>
The date of this Prospectus is July 13, 1995.
AVAILABLE INFORMATION
The Company is subject to the informational requirements of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and in
accordance therewith files reports, proxy statements and other information
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission"). Reports,
proxy statements and other information filed by the Company can be inspected
and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the Commission at
Room 1024, 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549 and at the Regional
Offices of the Commission located at 7 World Trade Center, 13th Floor, New
York, New York 10048 and Citicorp Center, 500 West Madison Street, Suite 1400,
Chicago, Illinois 60661-2511. Copies of such material can be obtained upon
written request addressed to the Public Reference Section of the Commission at
450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates.
The Company has filed with the Commission a Registration Statement on
Form S-3 (together with any amendments thereto, the "Registration Statement")
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), with
respect to the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Rights.
This Prospectus does not contain all the information set forth in the
Registration Statement. Such additional information may be obtained from the
Commission's principal office in Washington, D.C. Statements contained in
this Prospectus or in any document incorporated in this Prospectus by
reference as to the contents of any contract or other document referred to
herein or therein summarize all material elements of the relevant document but
are not necessarily complete, and, in each instance, reference is made to the
copy of such contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the Registration
Statement or such other document, each such statement being qualified in all
respects by such reference.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
The following documents filed by the Company (File No. 0-17750) with
the Commission pursuant to Section 13 of the Exchange Act are incorporated
herein by reference: (i) the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 1994, as amended on June 28, 1995 and July 11,
1995, (ii) the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended
March 31, 1995, (iii) the description of the Common Stock contained in the
Company's Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the Commission on May
22, 1990, (iv) the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the
Commission on May 4, 1995, (v) the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K filed
with the Commission on June 14, 1995 and (vi) the Company's Proxy Statement
filed with the Commission on May 22, 1995.
All documents filed by the Company pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c),
14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of this Prospectus and
prior to the termination of the offering of the Common Stock shall be deemed
to be incorporated by reference into this Prospectus and to be a part hereof
from the date of filing of such documents. Any statement contained in a
document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall
be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Prospectus to the
extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed
document which is also deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies
or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded
shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part
of this Prospectus.
This Prospectus incorporates documents by reference which are not
presented herein or delivered herewith. The Company will provide without
charge to each person, including each beneficial owner, to whom a copy of this
Prospectus has been delivered, on the written or oral request of such person,
a copy of any or all documents referred to above which have been incorporated
by reference into this Prospectus except the exhibits to such documents unless
such exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference into the information
that the Prospectus incorporates. Telephone requests for such copies should
be directed to the Information Agent at (212) 929-5500 or (800) 322-2885, or,
if made in writing, to MacKenzie Partners, Inc., 156 Fifth Avenue, 9th Floor,
New York, NY 10010. Such requests may also be directed to Valerie C. Haertel,
Director, Investor Relations at (609) 734-3816 or, if made in writing, to
Mercom, Inc., 105 Carnegie Center, Princeton, New Jersey 08540, attention:
Valerie C. Haertel, Director, Investor Relations.
The Rights Offering is not being made, and Subscription Certificates
will not be distributed, to residents of the State of California, as the
California Department of Corporations has determined that the Rights Offering
does not meet the requirements of the Code of Regulations promulgated under
the California Corporate Securities Law of 1968, as amended.
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
The following material is qualified in its entirety by the information
appearing elsewhere in this Prospectus and in the documents incorporated in
this Prospectus by reference.
RISK FACTORS
There are substantial risks in connection with the Rights Offering that
should be considered by prospective purchasers. The following is a summary of
certain of such risks: (i) the Company has experienced net losses since 1989
and may incur net losses in the future; (ii) the Company's independent
auditors have expressed substantial doubt about the Company's ability to
continue as a going concern unless the debt and equity are restructured; (iii)
the Company owes significant amounts under a litigation settlement agreement;
(iv) the Company does not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future
and is prohibited under a credit agreement from doing so; (v) the cable
television industry is highly competitive and the Company is subject to
certain cable regulations that may have a material adverse effect; (vi) C-TEC
effectively controls the Company, and its relationship with the Company may
result in certain conflicts of interest; (vii) there is only a limited public
market for the Common Stock and there can be no assurance that the market
price of the Common Stock will not decline; and (viii) purchasers of the
Common Stock in the Rights Offering will experience substantial dilution. See
"Risk Factors."
THE COMPANY
The Company is a cable television operator with three cable systems
in Southern Michigan serving 36,569 subscribers as of March 31, 1995 and one
cable system in Port St. Lucie, Florida serving 1,235 subscribers as of March
31, 1995 (the "Systems"). The Michigan Systems are operated through the
Company's wholly owned subsidiary, Communications and Cablevision, Inc.
("CCV"). The Florida System is operated through a wholly owned subsidiary,
Mercom of Florida, Inc. As of March 31, 1995, the Systems had 37,804
subscribers.
The three Michigan Systems provide cable service to Monroe, Allegan
County and the Coldwater and Sturgis areas. The Florida System serves St.
Lucie West, a planned community in Southeastern Florida, approximately 90
miles north of Palm Beach.
During 1993 and 1994, the Company restructured rates and channel
offerings to comply with the basic rate regulations and to minimize the impact
on revenue of the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of
1992 (the "Cable Act"). The future impact of the Cable Act on the Company and
the cable television industry is still unclear. The Company's 1994 and first
quarter 1995 operating results were negatively affected by the Act. See "Risk
Factors--Adverse Effect of Regulation." The Company believes it is in
compliance with applicable rate regulation rules, but there can be no
assurance that the Company's rates will not be challenged.
The Company's performance is dependent to a large extent on its
ability to obtain and renew its franchise agreements from local government
authorities on acceptable terms. To date, all of the Company's franchises
have been renewed or extended, generally at or prior to their stated
expirations and on acceptable terms. During 1994, the Company completed
negotiations with 10 communities resulting in franchise renewals on terms
which are acceptable to the Company. The Company has 76 franchises, 14 of
which were in the three-year Federal Communications Commission (the "FCC")
franchise renewal window at December 31, 1994. No one franchise accounts for
more than 12% of the Company's total revenue.
Competition for the Company's services traditionally has come from a
variety of providers including broadcast television, video cassette recorders
and home satellite dishes. Technological and regulatory changes are expected
to increase competition. Direct broadcast satellite ("DBS"), which allows
consumers to receive cable programming for a fee once they purchase or lease a
receiving dish and a set-top terminal, may increase competition in the future.
Two DBS companies launched their services in 1994. These services are
generally available throughout the country, including areas in which the
Company operates. In addition, recent changes in federal regulation allow
telephone companies to lease their networks to video programmers under the
video dial-tone platform. Also, the current regulatory environment appears to
be fostering competition in cable television directly by telephone companies,
and in telephone by cable companies. Regulation in a competitive environment
is still evolving. The Company continues to monitor the progress of
regulations affecting the telecommunications industry and continually
reassesses its business plans to address future competition. It is impossible
to quantify at this time the negative impact of these technological and
regulatory developments on the cable television industry in general or on the
Company in particular.
As of March 31, 1995, the Company had 42 full-time employees, none of
whom were represented by collective bargaining units.
The Company's independent auditors have expressed substantial doubt about
the Company's ability to continue as a going concern unless the debt and
equity of the Company are restructured. The Company has on a number of
occasions been unable to make scheduled payments under a Credit Agreement (as
defined below) with Morgan Guaranty Trust Company of New York ("Morgan
Guaranty") and has consequently had to reschedule such payments. See "Risk
Factors--Going Concern Risks." On June 13, 1995, the Company and Morgan
Guaranty entered into a Commitment Letter (the "Commitment Letter") pursuant
to which they agreed, subject to certain conditions including the condition
that the gross proceeds to the Company from the Rights Offering must be at
least $8,500,000, to revise the scheduled maturity of the borrowings under the
Credit Agreement. See "Recent Developments--Morgan Guaranty Debt Refinancing."
The Company's principal executive offices are located at 105 Carnegie
Center, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 (telephone: (609) 734-3700).
THE RIGHTS OFFERING
Rights................... Each record holder ("Holder") of Common Stock will
receive one non-transferable Right for every share
of Common Stock held of record at the close of
business on July 20, 1995 (the "Record Date"). An
aggregate of 2,393,530 Rights will be distributed
pursuant to the Rights Offering. Each Right will
be exercisable for one share of Common Stock. An
aggregate of 2,393,530 shares of Common Stock (the
"Underlying Shares") will be sold upon exercise of
the Rights assuming exercise of all Rights. The
distribution of the Rights and sale of Underlying
Shares is referred to herein as the "Rights
Offering." See "The Rights Offering--The Rights."
Basic Subscription
Privilege.............. Rights holders are entitled to purchase for the
Subscription Price one share of Common Stock for
each Right held (the "Basic Subscription
Privilege"). See "The Rights
Offering--Subscription Privileges--Basic
Subscription Privilege."
Oversubscription
Privilege.............. Each holder of Rights who elects to exercise in full
his or her Basic Subscription Privilege may also
subscribe at the Subscription Price for additional
Underlying Shares available as a result of
unexercised Rights, if any (the "Oversubscription
Privilege"). If an insufficient number of
Underlying Shares is available to satisfy fully all
elections to exercise the Oversubscription
Privilege, the available Underlying Shares will be
prorated among holders who exercise their
Oversubscription Privilege based on the respective
numbers of Rights exercised by such holders
pursuant to the Basic Subscription Privilege. See
"The Rights Offering--Subscription
Privileges--Oversubscription Privilege."
Subscription Price....... $3.60 in cash per share of Common Stock subscribed
for pursuant to the Basic Subscription Privilege or
the Oversubscription Privilege.
Shares of Common Stock
Outstanding after
Rights Offering........ A total of 4,787,060 shares.
C-TEC Rights Exercise
Agreement.............. The Company and C-TEC have entered into a Rights
Exercise Agreement dated as of the date hereof
(the "C-TEC Rights Exercise Agreement").
Pursuant to the Rights Exercise Agreement, and
subject to the terms and conditions set forth
therein, C-TEC has agreed to exercise the
1,044,194 Rights it will receive in respect of
the shares of Common Stock currently owned by
C-TEC for an aggregate subscription price of
$3,759,098 and to exercise the Oversubscription
Privilege to subscribe for all other Underlying
Shares. See "The Rights Offering--C-TEC Rights
Exercise Agreement." The opportunity to exercise
the Oversubscription Privilege is available to
all holders of Rights on the same terms. See
"The Rights Offering--Subscription Privileges
--Oversubscription Privilege." If C-TEC does not
exercise the Basic Subscription Privilege in
respect of the Rights it receives or does not
exercise the Oversubscription Privilege to
subscribe for all other Underlying Shares, each
other Rights holder who has previously exercised
Rights will be provided the opportunity to
revoke such exercise.
Non-Transferability of
Rights................ The Rights are non-transferable. See "The Rights
Offering--Non-Transferability of Rights."
Record Date............. July 20, 1995.
Expiration Date......... August 10, 1995, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time,
unless extended (as it may be extended, the
"Expiration Date"), provided that the Expiration
Date shall in no event be later than September 8,
1995.
Procedure for Exer-
cising Rights......... Basic Subscription Privileges and Oversubscription
Privileges may be exercised by properly
completing and signing the Subscription Certificate
evidencing the Rights (a "Subscription
Certificate") and forwarding such Subscription
Certificate (or following the Guaranteed Delivery
Procedures), with payment of the Subscription Price
for each Underlying Share subscribed for pursuant
to the Basic Subscription Privilege and the
Oversubscription Privilege, to the Subscription
Agent on or prior to the Expiration Date. Any
Rights holder subscribing for an aggregate of more
than 25,000 Underlying Shares pursuant to the
Oversubscription Privilege prior to the Expiration
Date shall not be required to deliver payment for
such number of Underlying Shares in excess of
25,000 until the Expiration Date. The Company, in
its sole discretion, may determine to waive payment
for such number of Underlying Shares in excess of
25,000 subscribed for pursuant to the
Oversubscription Privilege until after the
Expiration Date and after all prorations and
adjustments contemplated by the terms of the Rights
Offering have been effected. The Company has
agreed pursuant to the C-TEC Rights Exercise
Agreement to grant such a waiver to C-TEC. If the
mail is used to forward Subscription Certificates,
it is recommended that insured, registered mail be
used. No interest will be paid on funds delivered
in payment of the Subscription Price. See "The
Rights Offering--Exercise of Rights."
Once a holder of Rights has exercised the Basic
Subscription Privilege or the Oversubscription
Privilege, such exercise may not be revoked,
unless (i) a material change in the terms of the
Rights Offering adversely affecting such Rights
holder has been made or (ii) C-TEC does not
exercise the Basic Subscription Privilege in
respect of the Rights it receives or does not
exercise the Oversubscription Privilege to
subscribe for all other Underlying Shares. See
"The Rights Offering--Exercise of Rights" and
"The Rights Offering--No Revocation."
Procedure for Exer-
cising Rights by
Foreign and Certain
Other Shareholders.... Subscription Certificates will not be mailed to
Holders of Common Stock whose addresses are
outside the United States or who have an APO or
FPO address, but will be held by the
Subscription Agent for their account. To
exercise such Rights, such a Holder must notify
the Subscription Agent and must establish to the
satisfaction of the Subscription Agent that such
exercise is permitted under applicable law. If
the procedures set forth in the preceding
sentence are not followed prior to the
Expiration Date, the Rights will expire. See
"The Rights Offering--Foreign and Certain Other
Shareholders."
Persons Holding Shares,
or Wishing to Exer-
cise Rights, Through
Others............... Persons holding shares of Common Stock and receiving
the Rights distributable with respect thereto,
through a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust
company or other nominee, as well as persons holding
certificates of Common Stock personally who would
prefer to have such institutions exercise the
Rights on their behalf, should contact the
appropriate institution or nominee and request it
to effect the transactions for them. If a
beneficial owner wishes to obtain a separate
Subscription Right Certificate, such beneficial
owner should contact the nominee as soon as
possible and request that a separate Subscription
Right Certificate be issued. A nominee may request
any Subscription Right Certificate held by it to be
split into such smaller denominations as it wishes,
provided that the Subscription Right Certificate is
received by the Subscription Agent, properly
endorsed, no later than the Expiration Date. See
"The Rights Offering--Exercise of Rights."
Issuance of Common
Stock................ Certificates representing shares of Common Stock
purchased pursuant to the Basic Subscription
Privilege will be delivered to subscribers as soon
as practicable after the corresponding Rights have
been validly exercised and full payment for shares
has been received and cleared. For shares
purchased pursuant to the Oversubscription
Privilege, delivery of certificates will occur as
soon as practicable after the Expiration Date and
after all prorations and adjustments contemplated
by the terms of the Rights Offering have been
effected. See "The Rights Offering--Subscription
Privileges."
Use of Proceeds........ The net cash proceeds to the Company from the sale of
the shares of Common Stock offered hereby, after
payment of fees and expenses, are estimated to be
approximately $8,100,000. Such net proceeds will be
used (i) to repay $5,070,025 of outstanding
indebtedness to Morgan Guaranty under the Credit
Agreement (as defined below) and (ii) to repay
$2,287,000 of outstanding indebtedness to C-TEC
under a demand note issued to C-TEC in March of
1995 (the "March C-TEC Demand Note") and a demand
note issued to C-TEC in June of 1995 (the "June
C-TEC Demand Note" and together with the March C-TEC
Demand Note, the "C-TEC Demand Notes"). The
remaining proceeds of approximately $742,975 will
be used for general corporate purposes including
capital expenditures. C-TEC owns 43.63% of the
outstanding Common Stock and effectively controls
the Company. See "Use of Proceeds" and "Recent
Developments."
Subscription Agent..... The First National Bank of Boston. See "Subscription
Agent."
Information Agent...... MacKenzie Partners, Inc. See "Information Agent."
SELECTED FINANCIAL AND OPERATING INFORMATION
The following selected historical financial information as of and for the
three months ended March 31, 1995 and 1994 is unaudited but, in the opinion of
the Company's management, includes all recurring adjustments necessary for a
fair presentation of the results of operations for such periods. Information
as of and for the three months ended March 31, 1995 and 1994 has been derived
from, and should be read in conjunction with, the Company's unaudited
consolidated condensed financial statements for such periods, which are
included in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months
ended March 31, 1995, which report is incorporated by reference in this
Prospectus. The results for such interim periods are not necessarily
indicative of the results for the full fiscal year. The information as of and
for the three fiscal years ended December 31, 1994 has been derived from, and
should be read in conjunction with, the Company's Consolidated Financial
Statements for the three fiscal years ended December 31, 1994, which have been
audited by independent public accountants and are included in the Company's
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1994, as
such Report was amended on June 28, 1995 and July 11, 1995, which report as so
amended is incorporated by reference in this Prospectus, and the Company's
Consolidated Financial Statements for the three fiscal years ended December
31, 1993, which have been audited by independent public accountants and are
included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 1993, as previously filed with the Commission. The information
with respect to the fiscal years ended December 31, 1991 and December 31, 1990
has been derived from, and should be read in conjunction with, the Company's
Consolidated Financial Statements for the three fiscal years ended December
31, 1993, 1992 and 1991, which have been audited by independent public
accountants and are included in the Company's Annual Reports on Form 10-K for
the fiscal years ended December 31, 1993, 1992 and 1991, respectively, as
previously filed with the Commission.
Summary Financial and Operating Data
(dollars in thousands except per share and operating data)
<TABLE>
Three Months
Year Ended December 31, Ended March 31,(1)
-------------------------------------------------- -----------------------
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1994 1995
------- ------- ------- ------- -------- --------- -----------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Consolidated Statement of
Operations Data:
Sales............................... $9,667 $11,041 $11,986 $12,606 $12,927 $3,162 $3,303
Operating income before
depreciation and
amortization...................... 3,256 3,588 4,790 5,116 5,052 1,195 1,200
Depreciation and amortization....... 2,977 3,329 3,399 3,219 3,010 768 763
Operating income.................... 279 259 1,391 1,897 2,042 427 437
Interest expense.................... 2,262 3,299 2,731 2,132 2,067 482 494
Total other expenses, net........... 3,762 9,865 2,535 2,116 2,704 461 532
(Loss) before income taxes.......... (3,483) (9,606) (1,144) (219) (662) (34) (95)
Provision (benefit) for income taxes (1,132) (1,822) 0 17 (4) 0 0
(Loss) before cumulative effect of
change in accounting principle..... (2,351) (7,784) (1,144) (236) (658) (34) (95)
Net (loss).......................... (1,103) (7,784) (1,144) (236) (658) (34) (95)
Net (loss) per share................ (0.94) (3.25) (0.48) (0.10) (0.27) (0.01) (0.04)
Balance Sheet Data:
Cash and temporary cash investments. 115 226 376 989 96 819 836
Total assets........................ 30,557 26,657 23,873 22,244 19,823 21,588 19,869
Total debt.......................... 29,281 30,200 29,847 28,184 25,926 27,680 25,926
Common shareholders' capital
deficiency........................ (3,374) (11,158) (12,302) (12,538) (13,196) (12,571) (13,291)
Operating Data:(1)
Homes passed(2)..................... 57,736 58,726 59,988 61,730 63,721 61,914 63,882
Basic subscribers(3)................ 32,319 33,692 34,118 34,714 37,324 35,431 37,804
Basic subscribers as a
percentage of homes passed......... 56.0% 57.3% 56.9% 56.2% 58.6% 57.2% 59.2%
Tier subscribers(4)................. 32,299 33,122 32,814 32,945 34,789 33,424 35,183
Tier subscribers as a
percentage of basic subscribers.... 99.9% 98.3% 96.2% 94.9% 93.2% 94.3% 93.1%
Premium service units(5)............ 16,593 15,324 12,762 12,816 14,312 12,496 14,728
Premium service units as a
percentage of basic subscribers
(pay to basic ratio)............... 51.3% 45.5% 37.4% 36.9% 38.3% 35.3% 39.0%
Average revenue per subscriber for
the last month of the period(6).... $27.64 $27.60 $30.05 $29.70 $29.36 $30.29 $29.26
</TABLE>
- ---------
(1) Unaudited.
(2) A home is deemed to be "passed" by cable if it can be connected to the
distribution system without any further extension of the distribution
plant.
(3) A home with one or more television sets connected to a cable television
system is counted as one basic subscriber.
(4) A home with one or more television sets receiving both basic and tier
service is counted as one tier subscriber. Tier service is not available
in the St. Lucie System.
(5) A basic subscriber may purchase more than one premium service, each of
which is counted as a separate premium service unit. As a result, the
pay-to-basic ratio can exceed 100%. A premium service unit includes only
single channel services offered for a monthly fee.
(6) Calculated by dividing total cable related revenues for the relevant
month by the number of basic subscribers at the end of such month.
RISK FACTORS
The Common Stock offered hereby involves a high degree of risk.
Continuing Net Losses
The Company has experienced net losses since 1989 and may incur net
losses in the future. The Company incurred losses of $658,000, $236,000,
$1,144,000, $7,784,000 and $1,103,000 for the years ended December 31, 1994,
1993, 1992, 1991 and 1990, respectively. There can be no assurance as to
when, if ever, the Company will recognize a net profit.
Going Concern Risks
The Company's independent auditors have expressed substantial doubt
about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern unless the debt and
equity of the Company are restructured. The Company has suffered recurring
losses and has a shareholders' capital deficiency. The Company has on a
number of occasions been unable to make scheduled payments under a Credit
Agreement with Morgan Guaranty dated November 26, 1989 as amended on April 5,
1990, December 22, 1992, December 15, 1993, December 23, 1994 and March 31,
1995 (as amended, the "Credit Agreement") and has consequently had to
reschedule such payments. On June 13, 1995, the Company and Morgan Guaranty
entered into a Commitment Letter pursuant to which they agreed, subject to
certain conditions including the condition that the gross proceeds to the
Company from the Rights Offering must be at least $8,500,000, to revise the
scheduled maturity of the borrowings under the Credit Agreement. See "Recent
Developments--Morgan Guaranty Debt Refinancing." If the conditions specified
in the Commitment Letter are not satisfied and the Credit Agreement is not
amended in accordance with the terms of the Commitment Letter, the Company
believes it will be unable to make the payments scheduled under the Credit
Agreement. In such event, the Company would review all available options,
which would include the sale of assets, the raising of equity and the issuance
of subordinated debt, among other things. There can be no assurances under
such circumstances that the Company would be able to pursue any such options
successfully and thereby restructure its debt and equity. See "Recent
Developments--Morgan Guaranty Debt Refinancing."
Further, the Company has substantial liability under the Lahey
Settlement Agreement (as defined below). See "Risk Factors--Substantial
Litigation Liability" and "Recent Developments--Lahey Litigation and
Settlement Agreement." Additionally, previous deferrals of capital
expenditures due to the significant uncertainties regarding adequacy of
working capital, along with the negative effect regulation will have on future
rate increases and operating expenses (see "Risk Factors--Adverse Effect of
Regulation"), will adversely affect future operating income.
Substantial Litigation Liability
CCV, a subsidiary of the Company, was party to a lawsuit commenced in
1988 in the Circuit Court for the County of Ottawa, Michigan, relating to
termination of Kenneth E. Lahey as president of CCV. On April 18, 1995, Mr.
Lahey and the Company entered into a Settlement Agreement and Mutual Release
(the "Lahey Settlement Agreement") pursuant to which the Company has agreed to
cause CCV to make payments totaling $4.3 million in full satisfaction of all
claims Mr. Lahey may have had against the Company or its affiliates. See
"Recent Developments--Lahey Litigation and Settlement Agreement."
Prohibition on Payment of Dividends
The Company has not paid dividends in recent years due to the Company's
financial condition and does not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable
future. In addition, the Credit Agreement prohibits the payment of dividends
on the Common Stock.
Highly Competitive Industry
The cable television industry is highly competitive. Competition for
the Company's services traditionally has come from a variety of providers
including broadcast television, video cassette recorders and home satellite
dishes. Technological and regulatory changes are expected to increase
competition. Direct broadcast satellite, which allows consumers to receive
cable programming for a fee once they purchase or lease a receiving dish and a
set-top terminal, may increase competition in the future. Two DBS companies
launched their services in 1994. These services are generally available
throughout the country, including areas in which the Company operates. In
addition, recent changes in federal regulation allow telephone companies to
lease their networks to video programmers under the video dial-tone platform.
Also, the current regulatory environment appears to be fostering competition
in cable television directly by telephone companies, and in telephone by cable
companies. Regulation in a competitive environment is still evolving.
Adverse Effect of Regulation
The Company is subject to regulation at the federal, state and local
levels. Many aspects of such regulations are currently the subject of
judicial proceedings and administrative or legislative proceedings or
proposals. On October 5, 1992, Congress passed the Cable Act, which regulated
certain subscriber rates and a number of other matters in the cable industry,
such as mandatory carriage of local broadcast stations and retransmission
consent, and which will increase the administrative costs of complying with
such regulations. The most significant provision of the Cable Act requires
the FCC to establish rules to ensure that rates for basic services are
reasonable for subscribers in areas without effective competition as defined
in the Cable Act. Few municipalities served by the Company are subject to
effective competition. The FCC has adopted rules regulating cable television
rates and these rules have adversely affected the Company's operating results.
The Company's 1994 statement of operations includes charges aggregating
approximately $150,000 relating to cable rate regulation liabilities.
The Company anticipates that certain provisions of the Cable Act that do
not relate to rate regulation -- such as the provisions relating to
retransmission consent and customer service standards -- will reduce the
operating margins of the Company.
No assurance can be given at this time that the above matters will not
have a material adverse effect on the Company's business and results of
operations in the future. Also, no assurance can be given as to what other
future actions Congress, the FCC or other regulatory authorities may take or
the effects thereof on the cable industry in general or the Company in
particular.
Dependency on Franchise Renewals
The Company's performance is dependent to a large extent on its ability
to obtain and renew its franchise agreements from local government authorities
on acceptable terms.
Effective Control by Principal Shareholder
C-TEC, through its wholly owned subsidiary C-TEC Properties, Inc., a
Delaware corporation, owns approximately 43.63% of the outstanding shares of
Common Stock, and C-TEC nominees constitute a majority of the Board of
Directors of the Company. In addition, the Company has entered into a
Management Agreement dated January 1, 1992 (the "Management Agreement") with
C-TEC Cable Systems, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary
of C-TEC ("CCS"). Through its ownership of Common Stock and its
representation on the Board of Directors of the Company, and as a result of
the existence of the Management Agreement, C-TEC effectively controls the
management and operations of the Company. However, C-TEC disclaims actual
control of the Company due to the fact that 56.37% of the Common Stock of the
Company is owned by other shareholders who have the power to remove the C-TEC
nominees on the Company's Board of Directors. C-TEC's substantial ownership
interest in, and effective control of the Company may tend to deter
nonnegotiated tender offers or other efforts to obtain control of the Company
and thereby preclude shareholders from having the opportunity to sell shares
at prices higher than those otherwise prevailing.
Pursuant to the C-TEC Rights Exercise Agreement, C-TEC has agreed,
subject to the terms and conditions set forth in such Agreement, to exercise
the Rights it receives and oversubscribe for all other Underlying Shares. It
is likely that the Rights Offering will result in C-TEC owning over 50% of the
Common Stock and having actual control of the Company. If no other Holders
exercise their Rights, C-TEC will own 71.81% of the Common Stock after the
Rights Offering. The opportunity to exercise the Oversubscription Privilege
is available to all Holders of Rights on the same terms. See "The Rights
Offering--Subscription Privileges--Oversubscription Privilege."
The Management Agreement provides that the Company will pay CCS: (a) an
annual fee equal to the greater of (i) $500,000 or (ii) a percentage of the
Company's annual revenues (ranging from 5% of $10,000,000 of revenues, as
defined, to 4% of revenues in excess of $20,000,000); and (b) an annual
incentive bonus equal to 25% of the Company's earnings before interest,
depreciation, amortization and taxes ("EBIDAT") as adjusted, during the
applicable fiscal year less the base year EBIDAT of $3,850,000. During 1994,
CCS earned management and incentive fees of approximately $1,100,000 pursuant
to the Management Agreement.
Relationship with C-TEC; Conflicts of Interest
C-TEC owns and operates cable television systems and is engaged in other
aspects of the telecommunications industry. Certain persons serve as officers
or directors of the Company and as officers or directors of one or more of
C-TEC and its controlling entities. Additionally, the entities that control
C-TEC also control MFS Communications Company, Inc., which provides a variety
of telecommunications services, primarily over its digital fiber optic
telecommunications networks. These relationships may lead to conflicts of
interest. The Company has established an Audit/Affiliated Transactions Review
Committee of the Board of Directors (the "ATR Committee") to evaluate certain
transactions in which a potential conflict of interest may be involved. The
ATR Committee comprises three members, none of whom are affiliated with C-TEC.
All of the Company's executive officers are officers of C-TEC. The
executive officers of the Company devote a majority of their time and
attention to the business and affairs of C-TEC.
Market Risks Associated with the Common Stock
The Subscription Price of $3.60 per share of Common Stock represents a
discount of 1% from the average closing bid price of $3.63, and a discount of
16% from the average closing ask price of $4.30, for the Common Stock as
quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board for the 60 trading day period ending on July
13, 1995, the day of the commencement of the Rights Offering. The
Subscription Price represents a premium of 44% over the closing bid price of
$2.50, and a premium of 7% over the closing ask price of $3.375, for the
Common Stock as quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board on July 13, 1995, the day of
the commencement of the Rights Offering.
There can be no assurance that the market price of the Common Stock will
not decline during the period the Rights are outstanding or that, following
the issuance of the Rights and the sale of the Underlying Shares upon exercise
of Rights, a subscribing Rights holder will be able to sell shares purchased
in the Rights Offering at a price equal to or greater than the Subscription
Price. Once a holder of Rights has exercised the Basic Subscription Privilege
or the Oversubscription Privilege, such exercise may not be revoked, absent
certain material changes adversely affecting such holder. See "The Rights
Offering--No Revocation." Moreover, until certificates are delivered,
subscribing Rights holders may not be able to sell the shares of Common Stock
that they have purchased in the Rights Offering.
There is currently only a limited public market for the Common Stock.
The Common Stock is traded in the over-the-counter market and is quoted on the
OTC Bulletin Board (with such quotes reported in the pink sheets of the
National Quotations Bureau, Inc.). Holders who purchase Common Stock pursuant
to the Rights Offering may have difficulty selling their Common Stock due to a
lack of an active trading market.
Dilution
Holders who do not exercise their Rights will experience a decrease in
their proportionate interest in the equity ownership and voting power of the
Company.
The Subscription Price per share of Common Stock exceeds the net
tangible book value per share of Common Stock, which is negative.
Accordingly, the purchasers of the Common Stock in the Rights Offering will
experience immediate and substantial dilution. See "Dilution."
The consummation of the Rights Offering will result in an increase of
2,393,530 shares of Common Stock outstanding.
USE OF PROCEEDS
The net cash proceeds from the Rights Offering after payment of fees and
expenses are estimated to be approximately $8,100,000. Such net proceeds will
be used (i) to repay $5,070,025 of outstanding indebtedness to Morgan Guaranty
under the Credit Agreement and (ii) to repay $2,287,000 of outstanding
indebtedness to C-TEC under the C-TEC Demand Notes. The remaining proceeds of
approximately $742,975 will be used for other corporate purposes including
capital expenditures.
Interest under the Credit Agreement is based on the base rate, Libor or
CD rates depending on the type of loan and terms of the agreement. At March
31, 1995, the weighted average effective interest rate under the Credit
Agreement was 7.69%. Borrowings under the Credit Agreement are currently
scheduled to mature as follows: $540,667 on August 31, 1995, $4,032,000 on
December 31, 1995, and $5,040,000 on December 31, 1996, 1997 and 1998.
Pursuant to the Commitment Letter, and subject to the terms and conditions set
forth therein, (i) the indebtedness of $5,000,000 evidenced by the Morgan
Demand Note (as defined below) will be refinanced by cancelling such Note and
increasing by $5,000,000 the amount outstanding under the Term Loan (as
defined below) provided for under the Credit Agreement and (ii) borrowings
under the Term Loan will be rescheduled to mature as set forth in "Recent
Developments--Morgan Guaranty Debt Refinancing--Commitment Letter." See
"Recent Developments--Morgan Guaranty Debt Refinancing."
The C-TEC Demand Notes have no stated maturity, are payable upon demand
and bear interest at a rate equal to the rate charged under the Credit
Agreement. On June 30, 1995, the effective interest rate under each of the
C-TEC Demand Notes was 6.875%. C-TEC owns 43.63% of the outstanding Common
Stock and effectively controls the Company.
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
Lahey Litigation and Settlement Agreement
CCV, a subsidiary of the Company, was party to a lawsuit commenced in
1988 in the Circuit Court for the County of Ottawa, Michigan, relating to
termination of Kenneth E. Lahey as president of CCV. Mr. Lahey asserted that
as a result of the termination he is entitled to an amount equal to the fair
market value of 10 percent of the outstanding shares of CCV stock (the "Lahey
Interest"). The trial court determined that Mr. Lahey was entitled to an
amount equal to the fair market value of the Lahey Interest and ordered, among
other things, that an appraisal proceeding be held to determine such fair
market value. The Company appealed such order, but the Michigan Court of
Appeals upheld the trial court's decision on December 27, 1993. On December
16, 1994, a panel of three appraisers ("Panel") rendered a decision in favor
of Mr. Lahey in the amount of $2,949,000. The Company requested the Circuit
Court for the City of Ottawa to remand this proceeding back to the Panel for
further consideration of certain factors which were not included in their
decision on December 16, 1994. A hearing was held on January 16, 1995 before
the Circuit Court for the City of Ottawa. The Court issued an Opinion on
February 14, 1995 denying the Company's motions and sustaining the decision of
the Panel in the amount of $2,949,000 and awarded pre-judgment interest in the
amount of approximately $1,200,000. The Company filed a Motion for
Reconsideration with the Court. On March 27, 1995, the Court issued an Order
denying the Company's Motion for Reconsideration.
On April 18, 1995, Mr. Lahey and the Company entered into the Lahey
Settlement Agreement pursuant to which the Company has agreed to cause CCV to
make payments totaling $4,300,000 in full satisfaction of all claims Mr. Lahey
may have had against the Company or its affiliates. The payment schedule
under the Lahey Settlement Agreement is as follows: (i) $100,000 upon signing
of the Agreement, (ii) $1,400,000 on or before July 1, 1995 and (iii) $700,000
on or before July 1, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999. The initial payment of
$100,000 and the payment of $1,400,000 due on or before July 1, 1995 (the
"July 1995 Payment") have been paid. The Company had accrued approximately
$4,400,000 as of December 31, 1994, representing management's best estimate of
the Company's potential liability in respect of the matter.
On June 30, 1995, C-TEC loaned the Company $1,400,000 to enable the
Company to make the July 1995 Payment. The loan from C-TEC is evidenced by
the June C-TEC Demand Note.
Morgan Guaranty Debt Refinancing
General
The Company had total outstanding debt of $26,979,667 at June 30, 1995,
consisting of: (i) $5,000,000 of indebtedness to Morgan Guaranty under a
demand note (the "Morgan Demand Note"), (ii) $19,692,667 of indebtedness under
the Credit Agreement, (iii) $887,000 due under the March C-TEC Demand Note and
(iv) $1,400,000 due under the June C-TEC Demand Note. These amounts do not
include obligations of the Company under the Lahey Settlement Agreement.
The Morgan Demand Note has no stated maturity, is payable on demand and
has an interest rate equal to a base rate (higher of (i) Morgan Guaranty's
prime rate or (ii) the federal funds rate plus 1/2%) plus 1-3/4%. As of March
31, 1995, the effective rate of interest on the Morgan Demand Note was 10.75%.
Interest under the Credit Agreement is based on the base rate, Libor or
CD rates depending on the type of loan and terms of the agreement. As of
March 31, 1995, the weighted average effective rate of interest on borrowings
under the Credit Agreement was 7.69%. In December 1992 and December 1993,
Morgan Guaranty agreed to allow the Company to restructure principal payments
of $1,008,000 due in December 1992 and $2,016,000 due in December 1993 into
three installments due in December 1992, March 1993 and June 1993 with respect
to the December 1992 restructuring and December 1993, March 1994 and June 1994
with respect to the December 1993 restructuring. These restructured payments
have been paid in full. In December 1994, Morgan Guaranty again agreed to
allow the Company to restructure a principal payment of $3,024,000 due in
December 1994 into three installments of $1,250,000 due and paid in December
1994, $887,000 due and paid in March and $887,000 due in June 1995,
respectively. The remaining scheduled principal payment amounts and due dates
were not affected. C-TEC loaned $887,000 to the Company on March 31, 1995 to
enable the Company to make the principal payment of $887,000 scheduled for
that date under the Credit Agreement. The loan from C-TEC is evidenced by the
March C-TEC Demand Note. The Company and Morgan Guaranty rescheduled the
payment due in June 1995. The Company made a principal payment of $346,333 on
June 30, 1995. Borrowings under the Credit Agreement are currently scheduled
to mature as follows: $540,667 on August 31, 1995, $4,032,000 on December 31,
1995, and $5,040,000 on December 31, 1996, 1997 and 1998.
Commitment Letter
On June 13, 1995, the Company and Morgan Guaranty entered into the
Commitment Letter pursuant to which they agreed, subject to certain conditions
as described below, to further amend the Credit Agreement and to enter into an
additional 364-day facility as described below. Set forth below is a summary
of the material provisions of the Commitment Letter. Such summary is not
necessarily complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the
Commitment Letter, which is included as an exhibit to the Company's Current
Report on Form 8-K dated June 14, 1995.
Subject to the terms and conditions of the Commitment Letter, (i) the
Credit Agreement will be amended to be a 7.5 year amortizing term loan of
approximately $24,692,667 with a final maturity of December 31, 2002 (the
"Term Loan") and (ii) Morgan Guaranty and the Company will enter into a 364-day
revolving credit facility of $2,000,000 maturing 364 days from the date of the
facility (the "364-Day Facility"). The indebtedness of $5,000,000 evidenced
by the Morgan Demand Note will be refinanced as follows: (a) the Morgan
Demand Note will be cancelled and (b) the amount outstanding under the Term
Loan will be increased by $5,000,000 from $19,692,667 to $24,692,667.
The Company will be required to repay the Term Loan in equal quarterly
installments aggregating the following amounts for the following years:
Year Aggregate Amount
-------- ----------------
1995(1) $5,762,692
1996 $1,500,000
1997 $1,750,000
1998 $2,100,000
1999 $2,600,000
2000 $3,750,000
2001 $4,300,000
2002 $2,929,975
___________
(1) In 1995, the remaining installment payments will be as follows: (i)
$5,070,025 on or before the completion of the Rights Offering, (ii)
$346,333 on September 30 and (iii) $346,334 on December 31.
The Company will also be required to make prepayments (first to the Term
Loan) from the following sources: (i) the first $5,070,025 of net proceeds
from the Rights Offering (which amount is included in the $5,762,692 to be
repaid in 1995); (ii) 25% of the net proceeds of any future equity offerings
(excluding equity placements, if any, with C-TEC); (iii) 100% of the net
proceeds of any debt offerings; (iv) 75% of the net cash proceeds of any
permitted asset sales; and (v) 75% of Excess Cash generated by the Company.
For any given fiscal year, Excess Cash is generally defined as cash flow
provided by operations less (a) $350,000, (b) capital expenditures, (c)
principal payments and (d) payments under the Lahey Settlement Agreement. The
Company has previously pledged the common stock of its operating subsidiaries
to secure its obligations under the Credit Agreement. Such pledge will
continue and will secure the obligations under both the Credit Agreement and
the 364-Day Facility. The Company will endeavor to supplement this pledge by
granting to Morgan Guaranty a first lien on certain material assets of the
Company and its subsidiaries.
As mentioned above, the obligation of Morgan Guaranty to amend the
Credit Agreement, and to enter into the 364-Day Facility, in accordance with
the Commitment Letter is subject to certain conditions, including the
condition that the gross proceeds to the Company from the Rights Offering must
be at least $8,500,000. Although the Company believes that these conditions
will be satisfied, no assurance can be given in that regard. In the event
that the Credit Agreement is not amended in accordance with the Commitment
Letter, the Company will review all available options, which would include the
sale of assets, the raising of equity and the issuance of subordinated debt,
among other things. There can be no assurances that, in such an event, the
Company would be able to pursue any such options successfully and thereby
restructure its debt and equity.
PRICE RANGE OF COMMON STOCK AND DIVIDEND POLICY
The Common Stock trades on the over-the-counter market. From May 1989
until February 1992 the principal market for the Common Stock was The Nasdaq
Stock Market ("Nasdaq"). However, the Common Stock's Nasdaq designation was
terminated on February 6, 1992 because the Company did not meet Nasdaq's
minimum capital and surplus requirements. Since then, the Common Stock has
been, and presently is, quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board (with such quotes
reported in the pink sheets of the National Quotations Bureau, Inc.) under the
symbol "MEEO." The following table indicates the high and low per-share bid
prices for the Common Stock as quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board since February
7, 1992, the first date quotes were available for the Common Stock on the OTC
Bulletin Board following termination of the Nasdaq designation. Prices listed
below represent inter-dealer quotations without adjustment for retail
mark-ups, mark-downs or commissions and may not necessarily represent actual
transactions. Trading of the Common Stock has been limited and sporadic and
thus does not constitute an established public trading market.
High Low
---- ---
1992
First Quarter(1).......... $4.00 $3.50
Second Quarter............ 4.00 3.50
Third Quarter............. 3.50 3.00
Fourth Quarter............ 3.00 2.50
1993
First Quarter............. 3.50 2.75
Second Quarter............ 3.50 2.75
Third Quarter............. 4.00 2.75
Fourth Quarter............ 4.125 3.125
1994
First Quarter............. 4.00 3.75
Second Quarter............ 4.00 3.25
Third Quarter............. 3.50 3.00
Fourth Quarter............ 3.75 3.00
1995
First Quarter............. 3.75 3.75
Second Quarter............ 3.75 3.75
Third Quarter(2).......... 3.75 2.50
__________________
(1) From February 7, 1992.
(2) Through the close of business on July 13, 1995.
The Company has not paid dividends in recent years due to the Company's
financial condition and does not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable
future. In addition, the Credit Agreement prohibits the payment of dividends
on the Company's Common Stock.
DILUTION
The Company currently has a negative net worth. The net tangible book
value of the shares of Common Stock as of March 31, 1995 was a deficiency of
approximately $(15,900,000), or $(6.63) per share. "Net tangible book value"
per share represents the amount of total tangible assets (total assets less
intangible assets) less total liabilities, divided by the number of shares of
Common Stock outstanding. After giving effect to the sale by the Company of
the 2,393,530 shares of Common Stock offered hereby (assuming full exercise
of the Rights) and after deducting the estimated offering expenses, the pro
forma net tangible book value of the Company as of March 31, 1995 would have
been approximately $(7,772,000), or $(1.62) per share, representing an
immediate and substantial dilution of $5.22 per share in respect of shares of
Common Stock purchased pursuant to the Rights Offering. The following table
illustrates this per share dilution:
Subscription Price........................................ $3.60
Net tangible book value per share before offering.....$(6.63)
Increase per share attributable to shareholders
exercising Rights.................................. 5.01
Pro forma net tangible book value per share after offering (1.62)
Dilution to shareholders exercising Rights(1)............. $5.22
- ------------
(1) Dilution is determined by subtracting the net tangible book value per
share from the Subscription Price paid by an investor for a share of
Common Stock in the Rights Offering.
THE RIGHTS OFFERING
The Rights
The Company is distributing non-transferable Rights at no cost to the
record holders ("Holders") of outstanding shares of Common Stock as of the
close of business on July 20, 1995 (the "Record Date"). The Company will
distribute one Right for every share of Common Stock held on the Record Date.
The Rights will be evidenced by non-transferable subscription certificates
(the "Subscription Certificates") and each such Right entitles the holder
thereof to subscribe for one share of Common Stock.
The Subscription Price of $3.60 per share of Common Stock represents a
discount of 1% from the average closing bid price of $3.63, and a discount of
16% from the average closing ask price of $4.30, for the Common Stock as
quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board for the 60 trading day period ending on July
13, 1995, the day of the commencement of the Rights Offering. The
Subscription Price represents a premium of 44% over the closing bid price of
$2.50, and a premium of 7% over the closing ask price of $3.375, for the
Common Stock as quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board on July 13, 1995, the day of
the commencement of the Rights Offering. There can be no assurance that the
Common Stock will trade at prices above the Subscription Price. See "Risk
Factors--Market Risks Associated with the Common Stock."
The issuance by the Company of shares of Common Stock pursuant to the
Rights Offering is not conditioned upon the subscription of any minimum number
of shares of Common Stock by holders of the Rights. Pursuant to the C-TEC
Rights Exercise Agreement, C-TEC has agreed, subject to the terms and
conditions set forth in such Agreement, to exercise the Rights it receives for
an aggregate subscription price of $3,759,098 and to exercise the
Oversubscription Privilege to subscribe for all other Underlying Shares. See
"The Rights Offering--C-TEC Rights Exercise Agreement." The opportunity to
exercise the Oversubscription Privilege is available to all holders of Rights
on the same terms. See "The Rights Offering--Subscription
Privileges--Oversubscription Privilege." If C-TEC does not exercise the Basic
Subscription Privilege in respect of the Rights it receives or does not
exercise the Oversubscription Privilege to subscribe for all other Underlying
Shares, each other Rights holder who has previously exercised Rights will be
provided the opportunity to revoke such exercise.
BEFORE EXERCISING ANY RIGHTS, POTENTIAL INVESTORS ARE URGED TO READ
CAREFULLY THE INFORMATION SET FORTH UNDER "RISK FACTORS."
Expiration Date
The Rights will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on August 10,
1995, unless extended (as it may be extended, the "Expiration Date"), provided
that the Expiration Date shall in no event be later than September 8, 1995.
After such time, unexercised Rights will be null and void. The Company will
not be obligated to honor any purported exercise of Rights received by the
Subscription Agent after 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the Expiration
Date, regardless of when the documents relating to such exercise were sent,
except pursuant to the Guaranteed Delivery Procedures described below.
Subscription Privileges
Basic Subscription Privilege. Each Right will entitle the Holder
thereof to receive, upon payment of the Subscription Price, one share of
Common Stock (the "Basic Subscription Privilege"). Certificates representing
shares of Common Stock purchased pursuant to the Basic Subscription Privilege
will be delivered to subscribers as soon as practicable after the
corresponding Rights have been validly exercised and full payment for shares
has been received and cleared.
Oversubscription Privilege. Subject to the allocation described below,
each Right also carries the right to subscribe at the Subscription Price for
additional shares of Common Stock (the "Oversubscription Privilege") up to the
amount offered hereby. All beneficial holders who exercise the Basic
Subscription Privilege in full will be entitled to exercise the
Oversubscription Privilege.
Underlying Shares will be available for purchase pursuant to the
Oversubscription Privilege only to the extent that any Underlying Shares are
not subscribed for through the Basic Subscription Privilege. If the
Underlying Shares not subscribed for through the Basic Subscription Privilege
(the "Excess Shares") are not sufficient to satisfy all subscriptions pursuant
to the Oversubscription Privilege, the Excess Shares will be allocated pro
rata (subject to the elimination of fractional shares) among those holders of
Rights exercising the Oversubscription Privilege, in proportion, not to the
number of shares requested pursuant to the Oversubscription Privilege, but to
the number of shares each beneficial holder exercising the Oversubscription
Privilege has purchased pursuant to the Basic Subscription Privilege;
provided, however, that if such pro rata allocation results in any Rights
holder being allocated a greater number of Excess Shares than such holder
subscribed for pursuant to the exercise of such holder's Oversubscription
Privilege, then such holder will be allocated only such number of Excess
Shares as such holder subscribed for and the remaining Excess Shares will be
allocated among all other holders exercising the Oversubscription Privilege.
Certificates representing shares of Common Stock purchased pursuant to the
Oversubscription Privilege will be delivered to subscribers as soon as
practicable after the Expiration Date and after all prorations and adjustments
contemplated by the terms of the Rights Offering have been effected.
Banks, brokers and other nominee holders of Rights who exercise the
Basic Subscription Privilege and the Oversubscription Privilege on behalf of
beneficial owners of Rights will be required to certify to the Subscription
Agent and the Company, in connection with the exercise of the Oversubscription
Privilege, as to the aggregate number of Rights that have been exercised and
the number of Underlying Shares that are being subscribed for pursuant to the
Oversubscription Privilege by each beneficial owner of Rights on whose behalf
such nominee holder is acting.
Exercise of Rights
Rights may be exercised by delivering to The First National Bank of
Boston (the "Subscription Agent"), at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City
time, on the Expiration Date, the properly completed and executed Subscription
Certificate evidencing such Rights with any signatures required to be
guaranteed so guaranteed, together with payment in full of the Subscription
Price for each Underlying Share subscribed for pursuant to the Basic
Subscription Privilege and the Oversubscription Privilege. Any Rights holder
subscribing for an aggregate of more than 25,000 Underlying Shares pursuant to
the Oversubscription Privilege prior to the Expiration Date shall not be
required to deliver payment for such number of Underlying Shares in excess of
25,000 until the Expiration Date. As of the date hereof, five unaffiliated
holders of record held more than 25,000 shares of Common Stock. The Company,
in its sole discretion, may determine to waive payment for such excess number
of Underlying Shares until after the Expiration Date and after all prorations
and adjustments contemplated by the terms of the Rights Offering have been
effected. The Company has agreed pursuant to the C-TEC Rights Exercise
Agreement to grant such a waiver to C-TEC. All payments must be by (a) check
or bank draft drawn upon a U.S. bank or postal or express money order payable
to The First National Bank of Boston, as Subscription Agent, or (b) by wire
transfer of same-day funds, in which case please contact the Subscription
Agent at (617) 575-2700 for such information. Payments will be deemed to have
been received by the Subscription Agent only upon (i) clearance of any
uncertified check, (ii) receipt by the Subscription Agent of any certified
check or bank draft upon a U.S. bank or of any postal or express money order
or (iii) receipt of good funds in the Subscription Agent's account designated
above. If paying by uncertified personal check, please note that the funds
paid thereby may take at least five business days to clear. Accordingly,
holders of Rights who wish to pay the Subscription Price by means of
uncertified personal check are urged to make payment sufficiently in advance
of the Expiration Date to ensure that such payment is received and clears by
such date and are urged to consider payment by means of certified or cashier's
check, money order or wire transfer of funds.
The address to which the Subscription Certificates and payment of the
Subscription Price should be delivered is:
By Mail:
The First National Bank of Boston
P.O. Box 1872
Mail Stop 45-01-19
Boston, Massachusetts
02105-1872
By Hand:
BancBoston Trust Company of
New York
55 Broadway
3rd Floor
New York, New York
10006
By Overnight Courier:
The First National Bank of Boston
Shareholder Services Division
150 Royall Street
Mail Stop 45-01-19
Canton, Massachusetts
02021
If a Rights holder wishes to exercise Rights, but time will not permit such
holder to cause the Subscription Certificate or Subscription Certificates
evidencing such Rights to reach the Subscription Agent on or prior to the
Expiration Date, such Rights may nevertheless be exercised if all of the
following conditions (the "Guaranteed Delivery Procedures") are met:
(i) such holder has caused payment in full of the Subscription Price
for each Underlying Share being subscribed for pursuant to the Basic
Subscription Privilege and the Oversubscription Privilege (subject to
the right of the Company to waive advance payment in respect of the
Oversubscription Privilege as described above) to be received (in the
manner set forth above) by the Subscription Agent on or prior to the
Expiration Date;
(ii) the Subscription Agent receives, on or prior to the Expiration
Date, a guarantee notice ("Notice of Guaranteed Delivery"),
substantially in the form provided with the instructions as to use of
Mercom, Inc. Subscription Certificates (the "instructions") distributed
with the Subscription Certificates, from a member firm of a registered
national securities exchange or a member of the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc. ("NASD"), or from a commercial bank or trust
company having an office or correspondent in the United States or from a
bank, stockbroker, savings and loan association or credit union with
membership in an approved signature guarantee medallion program,
pursuant to Rule 17Ad-15 of the Exchange Act (each, an "Eligible
Institution"), stating the name of the exercising Rights holder, the
number of Rights represented by the Subscription Certificate or
Subscription Certificates held by such exercising Rights holder, the
number of Underlying Shares being subscribed for pursuant to the Basic
Subscription Privilege and the number of Underlying Shares, if any,
being subscribed for pursuant to the Oversubscription Privilege, and
guaranteeing the delivery to the Subscription Agent of any Subscription
Certificate evidencing such Rights within five business days following
the Expiration Date; and
(iii) the properly completed Subscription Certificate evidencing the
Rights being exercised, with any signatures required to be guaranteed so
guaranteed, is received by the Subscription Agent within five business
days following the Expiration Date. The Notice of Guaranteed Delivery
may be delivered to the Subscription Agent in the same manner as
Subscription Certificates at the address set forth above, or may be
transmitted to the Subscription Agent by facsimile transmission
(telecopy no. (617) 575-2232 or -2233). Additional copies of the form
of Notice of Guaranteed Delivery are available upon request from the
Information Agent, whose address and telephone number are set forth
under "Information Agent."
Funds received in payment of the Subscription Price for Excess Shares
subscribed for pursuant to the Oversubscription Privilege will be held in a
segregated account pending issuance of such Excess Shares. If a Rights holder
exercising the Oversubscription Privilege is allocated less than all of the
shares of Common Stock which such holder subscribed for pursuant to the
Oversubscription Privilege, the excess funds paid by such holder in respect of
the Subscription Price for shares not issued shall be returned by mail without
interest or deduction as soon as practicable after the Expiration Date and
after all prorations and adjustments contemplated by the terms of the Rights
Offering have been effected.
Unless a Subscription Certificate (i) provides that the shares of Common
Stock to be issued pursuant to the exercise of Rights represented thereby are
to be delivered to the record holder of such Rights or (ii) is submitted for
the account of an Eligible Institution, signatures on such Subscription
Certificate must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution or other eligible
guarantor institution which is a member of or a participant in a medallion
guarantee program acceptable to the Subscription Agent.
Holders who hold shares of Common Stock for the account of others, such
as brokers, trustees or depositories for securities, should notify the
respective beneficial owners of such shares as soon as possible to ascertain
such beneficial owners' intentions and to obtain instructions with respect to
the Rights. If the beneficial owner so instructs, the record holder of such
Rights should complete Subscription Certificates and submit them to the
Subscription Agent with the proper payment. In addition, beneficial owners of
Common Stock or Rights held through a record holder should contact the holder
and request the holder to act in accordance with such beneficial owner's
instructions. If a beneficial owner wishes to obtain a separate Subscription
Right Certificate, such beneficial owner should contact the nominee as soon as
possible and request that a separate Subscription Right Certificate be issued.
A nominee may request any Subscription Right Certificate held by it to be
split into such smaller denominations as it wishes, provided that the
Subscription Right Certificate is received by the Subscription Agent, properly
endorsed, no later than the Expiration Date. In no event will a Subscription
Certificate be issued in the name of a resident of the State of California.
The instructions accompanying the Subscription Certificates should be
read carefully and followed in detail. DO NOT SEND SUBSCRIPTION CERTIFICATES
TO THE COMPANY.
THE METHOD OF DELIVERY OF SUBSCRIPTION CERTIFICATES AND PAYMENT OF THE
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE TO THE SUBSCRIPTION AGENT WILL BE AT THE ELECTION AND RISK
OF THE RIGHTS HOLDERS, BUT IF SENT BY MAIL IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT SUCH
CERTIFICATES AND PAYMENTS BE SENT BY REGISTERED MAIL, PROPERLY INSURED, WITH
RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED, AND THAT A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF DAYS BE ALLOWED TO
ENSURE DELIVERY TO THE SUBSCRIPTION AGENT AND CLEARANCE OF PAYMENT PRIOR TO
5:00 P.M., NEW YORK CITY TIME, ON THE EXPIRATION DATE. BECAUSE UNCERTIFIED
PERSONAL CHECKS MAY TAKE AT LEAST FIVE BUSINESS DAYS TO CLEAR, YOU ARE
STRONGLY URGED TO PAY, OR ARRANGE FOR PAYMENT, BY MEANS OF CERTIFIED OR
CASHIER'S CHECK, MONEY ORDER OR WIRE TRANSFER OF FUNDS.
All questions concerning the timeliness, validity, form and eligibility
of any exercise of Rights will be determined by the Company, whose
determinations will be final and binding. The Company in its sole discretion
may waive any defect or irregularity, or permit a defect or irregularity to be
corrected within such time as it may determine, or reject the purported
exercise of any Right. Subscriptions will not be deemed to have been received
or accepted until all irregularities have been waived or cured within such
time as the Company determines in its sole discretion. Neither the Company,
the Subscription Agent, nor the Information Agent will be under any duty to
give notification of any defect or irregularity in connection with the
submission of Subscription Certificates or incur any liability for failure to
give such notification.
Any questions or requests for assistance concerning the method of
exercising Rights or requests for additional copies of this Prospectus, the
Instructions or the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery should be directed to the
Information Agent, MacKenzie Partners, Inc., at its address set forth under
"Information Agent" (telephone: (212) 929-5500 or (800) 322-2885).
No Revocation
ONCE A HOLDER OF RIGHTS HAS EXERCISED THE BASIC SUBSCRIPTION PRIVILEGE
AND/OR THE OVERSUBSCRIPTION PRIVILEGE, SUCH EXERCISE MAY NOT BE REVOKED,
UNLESS (1) A MATERIAL CHANGE TO THE TERMS OF THE RIGHTS OFFERING IS MADE THAT
ADVERSELY AFFECTS THE RIGHTS HOLDER OR (2) C-TEC DOES NOT EXERCISE THE BASIC
SUBSCRIPTION PRIVILEGE IN RESPECT OF THE RIGHTS IT RECEIVES OR DOES NOT
EXERCISE THE OVERSUBSCRIPTION PRIVILEGE TO SUBSCRIBE FOR ALL OTHER UNDERLYING
SHARES.
Non-Transferability of Rights
The Rights are not transferable and will not be traded on any securities
exchange or quoted on any inter-dealer quotation system. Rights may only be
exercised or permitted to expire. Holders of shares of Common Stock who
determine not to exercise their Rights may not transfer their Rights and, at
the Expiration Date, Rights which have not been exercised will expire and be
null and void and have no value, provided that Rights may be transferred by
operation of law in the case of death, dissolution, liquidation or bankruptcy
of the Rights holder, or pursuant to an order of an appropriate court.
Procedures for Book Entry Transfer Facility Participants
The Company anticipates that the exercise of the Basic Subscription
Privilege (but not the Oversubscription Privilege) may be effected through,
the facilities of the Depository Trust Company, Midwest Securities Trust
Company and Philadelphia Depository Trust Company (collectively, the "Book
Entry Facilities"; Rights exercised through any such facility are referred to
as "Book Entry Exercised Rights"). The holder of a Book Entry Exercised Right
may exercise the Oversubscription Privilege in respect of such Book Entry
Exercised Right by properly executing and delivering to the Subscription
Agent, at or prior to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the Expiration Date, a
Nominee Holder Oversubscription Form, together with payment of the
Subscription Price for the number of Underlying Shares for which the
Oversubscription Privilege is to be exercised. Any Rights holder subscribing
for an aggregate of more than 25,000 Underlying Shares pursuant to the
Oversubscription Privilege prior to the Expiration Date shall not be required
to deliver payment for such number of Underlying Shares in excess of 25,000
until the Expiration Date. The Company, in its sole discretion, may determine
to waive payment for such excess number of Underlying Shares until after the
Expiration Date and after all prorations and adjustments contemplated by the
terms of the Rights Offering have been effected. The Company has agreed
pursuant to the C-TEC Rights Exercise Agreement to grant such a waiver to
C-TEC. Copies of the Nominee Holder Oversubscription Form may be obtained
from the Subscription Agent.
Determination of Subscription Price
The Subscription Price was determined by the Company and its Board of
Directors. In making this determination, the material factors considered by
the Company were the amount of proceeds that the Company needs to raise, the
average market price of the Common Stock, the pro rata nature of the offering
and pricing policies customary for transactions of this type. The
Subscription Price should not be considered an indication of the actual value
of the Company or the Common Stock.
C-TEC Rights Exercise Agreement
C-TEC will receive 1,044,194 Rights in respect of the shares of Common
Stock it owns, and such Rights represent 43.63% of the total Rights to be
distributed. C-TEC and the Company have entered into the C-TEC Rights
Exercise Agreement dated as of the date hereof. Pursuant to the C-TEC Rights
Exercise Agreement, C-TEC has agreed, subject to certain terms and conditions,
to exercise the Rights it receives for an aggregate subscription price of
$3,759,098 and to exercise the Oversubscription Privilege to subscribe for all
other Underlying Shares. The opportunity to exercise the Oversubscription
Privilege is available to all holders of Rights on the same terms. See "The
Rights Offering--Subscription Privileges--Oversubscription Privilege."
It is likely that the Rights Offering will result in C-TEC owning over
50% of the Common Stock and having actual control of the Company. If no
Holders other than C-TEC exercise their Rights, C-TEC will own approximately
71.81% of the Common Stock after the Rights Offering. If C-TEC does not
exercise the Basic Subscription Privilege in respect of the Rights it receives
or does not exercise the Oversubscription Privilege to subscribe for all other
Underlying Shares, each other Rights holder who has previously exercised
Rights will be provided the opportunity to revoke such exercise.
C-TEC effectively controls the Company, and its nominees constitute a
majority of the Board of Directors of the Company. The C-TEC Rights Exercise
Agreement was approved by the ATR Committee.
Foreign and Certain Other Shareholders
Subscription Certificates will not be mailed to Holders whose addresses
are outside the United States or who have an APO or FPO address, but will be
held by the Subscription Agent for their account. To exercise such Rights,
such a Holder must notify the Subscription Agent, and must establish to the
satisfaction of the Subscription Agent that such exercise is permitted under
applicable law. If the procedures set forth in the preceding sentence are not
followed prior to the Expiration Date, the Rights will expire.
Other Matters
The Rights Offering is not being made in any state or other jurisdiction
in which it is unlawful to do so, nor is the Company selling or accepting any
offers to purchase any shares of Common Stock from Rights holders who are
residents of any such state or other jurisdiction. The Company may delay the
commencement of the Rights Offering in certain states or other jurisdictions,
or change the terms of the Rights Offering, in order to comply with the
securities law requirements of such states or other jurisdictions. It is not
anticipated that there will be any changes in the terms of the Rights
Offering. If any such change is made that is material and has an adverse
effect on any holder that has previously exercised Rights, such holder will be
provided the opportunity to revoke such exercise. The Company, if it so
determines in its sole discretion, may decline to make modifications to the
terms of the Rights Offering requested by certain states or other
jurisdictions, in which event Rights holders resident in those states or
jurisdictions will not be eligible to participate in the Rights Offering.
The Rights Offering is not being made, and Subscription Certificates
will not be distributed, to residents of the State of California, as the
California Department of Corporations has determined that the Rights Offering
does not meet the requirements of the Code of Regulations promulgated under
the California Corporate Securities Law of 1968, as amended. By executing a
Subscription Certificate, the Holder will be deemed to have represented that
it is not a resident of the State of California.
CERTAIN FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES
The following summary describes certain United States federal income tax
considerations applicable to U.S. Holders who hold Common Stock as a capital
asset and who receive Rights in respect of such Common Stock in the initial
issuance of the Rights (the "Issuance"). This summary is based upon laws,
regulations, rulings and decisions currently in effect. This summary does not
discuss all aspects of federal income taxation that may be relevant to a
particular investor or to certain types of investors subject to special
treatment under the federal income tax laws (for example, banks, dealers in
securities, life insurance companies, tax exempt organizations and foreign
taxpayers), nor does it discuss any aspect of state, local or foreign tax laws.
Issuance of the Rights
Holders of Common Stock will not recognize taxable income in connection
with the receipt or exercise of the Rights.
Basis and Holding Period of the Rights
Except as provided in the following sentence, the basis of the Rights
received by a shareholder as a distribution with respect to such shareholder's
Common Stock will be zero. If either (i) the fair market value of the Rights
on the date of Issuance is 15% or more of the fair market value (on the date
of Issuance) of the Common Stock with respect to which they are received or
(ii) the shareholder elects, in his or her federal income tax return for the
taxable year in which the Rights are received, to allocate part of the basis
of such Common Stock to the Rights, then upon exercise of the Rights, the
shareholder's basis in such Common Stock will be allocated between the Common
Stock and the Rights in proportion to the fair market values of each on the
date of Issuance. The holding period of a shareholder with respect to the
Rights received as a distribution on such shareholder's Common Stock will
include the shareholder's holding period for the Common Stock with respect to
which the Rights were issued.
Lapse of the Rights
Shareholders who allow the Rights received by them at the Issuance to
lapse will not recognize any gain or loss, and no adjustment will be made to
the basis of the Common Stock, if any, owned by such holders of the Rights.
Exercise of the Rights; Basis
and Holding Period of Common Stock
Holders of Rights will not recognize any gain or loss upon the exercise
of such Rights. The basis of the Common Stock acquired through exercise of
the Rights will be equal to the sum of the Subscription Price therefor and the
Rights holder's basis in such Rights (if any) as described above. The holding
period for the Common Stock acquired through exercise of the Rights will begin
on the date the Rights are exercised.
THE FOREGOING SUMMARY IS INCLUDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY.
ACCORDINGLY, EACH SHAREHOLDER IS URGED TO CONSULT WITH HIS OR HER OWN TAX
ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE RIGHTS OFFERING ON HIS OR
HER OWN PARTICULAR TAX SITUATION, INCLUDING THE APPLICATION AND EFFECT OF
STATE AND LOCAL INCOME AND OTHER TAX LAWS.
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK
The following general summary of the Common Stock summarizes certain
material elements of the Company's Certificate of Incorporation (the
"Certificate of Incorporation"). Such summary is not necessarily complete and
is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Certificate of Incorporation,
a copy of which is on file with the Commission. See "Available Information."
The authorized capital stock of the Company is 5,150,000 shares,
consisting of 5,000,000 shares of Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share, and
150,000 shares of Preferred Stock, par value $100 per share ("Preferred
Stock"). As of the date hereof, the Company has outstanding 2,393,530 shares
of Common Stock and no shares of Preferred Stock.
With respect to all matters upon which shareholders are entitled to vote
(including the election of directors), every holder of Common Stock is
entitled to cast one vote for each share of the Common Stock held. Holders of
Common Stock are not permitted to cumulate their votes for the election of
directors. The Certificate of Incorporation does not provide for preemptive
rights for the Common Stock.
The Certificate of Incorporation authorizes the Company's Board of
Directors, to the full extent permitted by law, to issue shares of Preferred
Stock and to fix by resolution such voting rights, designations, powers,
preferences, privileges, limitations, options, conversion rights or other
special rights, as it deems fit.
The transfer agent and registrar for the Common Stock is The First
National Bank of Boston.
The number of shares of Common Stock that will be issued in connection
with the Rights Offering is 2,393,530. The issuance of such shares pursuant
to the Rights Offering will result in a 100% increase in the number of
outstanding Common Shares.
The outstanding shares of the Common Stock trade on the over-the-counter
market under the symbol "MEEO."
SUBSCRIPTION AGENT
The Company has appointed The First National Bank of Boston as
Subscription Agent for the Rights Offering. The Subscription Agent's address,
which is the address to which the Subscription Certificates and payment of the
Subscription Price (other than wire transfers) should be delivered, as well as
the address to which any Notice of Guaranteed Delivery must be delivered, is:
By Mail:
The First National Bank of Boston
P.O. Box 1872
Mail Stop 45-01-19
Boston, Massachusetts
02105-1872
By Hand:
BancBoston Trust Company of
New York
55 Broadway
3rd Floor
New York, New York
10006
By Overnight Courier:
The First National Bank of Boston
Shareholder Services Division
150 Royall Street
Mail Stop 45-01-19
Canton, Massachusetts
02021
The Company will pay the fees and expenses of the Subscription Agent, and has
also agreed to indemnify the Subscription Agent from certain liabilities in
connection with the Rights Offering.
INFORMATION AGENT
The Company has appointed MacKenzie Partners, Inc. as Information Agent
for the Rights Offering. Any questions or requests for additional copies of
this Prospectus, the Instructions or the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery may be
directed to the Information Agent at the telephone number and address below.
MacKenzie Partners, Inc.
156 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York
10010
or
Call Toll Free
(800) 322-2885
The Company will pay the fees and expenses of the Information Agent and has
also agreed to indemnify the Information Agent from certain liabilities in
connection with the Rights Offering.
LEGAL MATTERS
The validity of the authorization and issuance of the securities offered
hereby is being passed upon by Raymond B. Ostroski, Executive Vice President
and General Counsel of the Company. Davis Polk & Wardwell, New York, New
York, will advise the Company with respect to certain other matters relating
to the Rights Offering.
EXPERTS
The Company's consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 1994 and
1993 and the consolidated statements of operations, shareholders' capital
deficiency and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended
December 31, 1994, incorporated by reference in this Prospectus, have been
incorporated herein in reliance on the report, which includes an explanatory
paragraph expressing substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue
as a going concern and an explanatory paragraph referring to the Company's
change in method of accounting for income taxes, of Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P.,
independent accountants, given on the authority of that firm as experts in
accounting and auditing.
============================== ==============================
No dealer, salesperson or any
other person has been author-
ized to give any information
or to make any representations
other than those contained or
incorporated by reference in
this Prospectus in connection MERCOM, INC.
with the offer made by this
Prospectus, and, if given or
made, such information or
representation must not be
relied upon as having been
sanctioned or authorized by
the Company. Neither the 2,393,530 Shares
delivery of this Prospectus
nor any sale made hereunder Common Stock
shall under any circumstances
create any implication that
there has been no change in
the affairs of the Company
since the date hereof. This
Prospectus does not constitute
an offer or solicitation by
anyone in any jurisdiction
in which the person making such
offer or solicitation is not
qualified to do so or to any
person to whom it is unlawful to
make such offer or solicitation.
-----------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
----
Available Information............ 2 ---------------
Documents Incorporated
by Reference.................... 2 PROSPECTUS
Prospectus Summary............... 3
Risk Factors..................... 9 ---------------
Use of Proceeds..................12
Recent Developments..............13
Price Range of Common Stock and
Dividend Policy..............15
Dilution.........................16
The Rights Offering..............17
Certain Federal Income Tax
Consequences.................23
Description of Capital Stock.....24
Subscription Agent...............25 Dated July 13, 1995
Information Agent................25
Legal Matters....................26
Experts..........................26
============================== ==============================
