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Voom loyalists lament the loss of the service
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BY MONTY PHAN AND HILARY JOHNSON
STAFF WRITERS
April 11, 2005
Voom, he hardly viewed ye.
Despite knowing of the turmoil surrounding Voom, Cablevision's high-definition satellite television service, Anthony Augustine decided to sign up anyway, and on March 26 he had it installed in his West Babylon home.
The gamble didn't pay off: Yesterday he found out Voom was shutting down. For Augustine and his fellow 40,000-or-so subscribers, it was an end to a Cablevision saga that at times was so dramatic perhaps it deserved a high-definition channel of its own.
"It's been a roller coaster of a ride, like a soap opera," Augustine said. "Ultimately, I am saddened to see the service shut down."
Thursday night, Cablevision's board voted to shut down the money-losing Voom, which will cease operating April 30. The ambitious service - which had 39 high-definition channels, 21 of them exclusive to Voom - was championed by Cablevision chairman Charles Dolan, whose fight to save it caused a rift between him and his chief executive son, James Dolan. At times, the service has seemed all but dead, but its subscribers - buoyed by Charles Dolan's vow last month to put up $10 million of his own money to fund it - were hopeful it would keep going.
Some hoped that Charles Dolan would find a way to keep the service going, either by miraculously reviving Voom or by leasing the exclusive content to EchoStar, which in January agreed to buy Voom's sole satellite. Others were less optimistic.
"When they already have stopped taking orders, they already have shut down the Web site, they have a message on their telephone systems, they're recalling all the equipment, there's not much you can do," said Sean Mota of the Bronx, a subscriber since Voom started in October 2003.
For many, Voom was the centerpiece of their entertainment set-up, because it offered more high-definition content than anyone else. Mota had the service hooked up to the three HDTVs in his home. Rick Moore of Noblesville, Ind., said Voom was the "motivating factor" behind his building a home-theater system that includes a 65-inch HDTV, high-end sound system and six recliners.
What subscribers lamented most was the loss of the content. W. Jarrett Campbell of Cary, N.C., said he'd miss the high-definition soccer coverage that was unavailable anywhere else in the country. Bob Wexstten of Taylorville, Ill., said his favorite channel was Rave, which was devoted to music videos and live concerts.
"Now I'm going to lose all my good programming," Wexstten said. "It's only TV, I know, but it's too bad they couldn't keep it going."
Copyright (c) 2005, Newsday, Inc.
--------------------
Voom loyalists lament the loss of the service
--------------------
BY MONTY PHAN AND HILARY JOHNSON
STAFF WRITERS
April 11, 2005
Voom, he hardly viewed ye.
Despite knowing of the turmoil surrounding Voom, Cablevision's high-definition satellite television service, Anthony Augustine decided to sign up anyway, and on March 26 he had it installed in his West Babylon home.
The gamble didn't pay off: Yesterday he found out Voom was shutting down. For Augustine and his fellow 40,000-or-so subscribers, it was an end to a Cablevision saga that at times was so dramatic perhaps it deserved a high-definition channel of its own.
"It's been a roller coaster of a ride, like a soap opera," Augustine said. "Ultimately, I am saddened to see the service shut down."
Thursday night, Cablevision's board voted to shut down the money-losing Voom, which will cease operating April 30. The ambitious service - which had 39 high-definition channels, 21 of them exclusive to Voom - was championed by Cablevision chairman Charles Dolan, whose fight to save it caused a rift between him and his chief executive son, James Dolan. At times, the service has seemed all but dead, but its subscribers - buoyed by Charles Dolan's vow last month to put up $10 million of his own money to fund it - were hopeful it would keep going.
Some hoped that Charles Dolan would find a way to keep the service going, either by miraculously reviving Voom or by leasing the exclusive content to EchoStar, which in January agreed to buy Voom's sole satellite. Others were less optimistic.
"When they already have stopped taking orders, they already have shut down the Web site, they have a message on their telephone systems, they're recalling all the equipment, there's not much you can do," said Sean Mota of the Bronx, a subscriber since Voom started in October 2003.
For many, Voom was the centerpiece of their entertainment set-up, because it offered more high-definition content than anyone else. Mota had the service hooked up to the three HDTVs in his home. Rick Moore of Noblesville, Ind., said Voom was the "motivating factor" behind his building a home-theater system that includes a 65-inch HDTV, high-end sound system and six recliners.
What subscribers lamented most was the loss of the content. W. Jarrett Campbell of Cary, N.C., said he'd miss the high-definition soccer coverage that was unavailable anywhere else in the country. Bob Wexstten of Taylorville, Ill., said his favorite channel was Rave, which was devoted to music videos and live concerts.
"Now I'm going to lose all my good programming," Wexstten said. "It's only TV, I know, but it's too bad they couldn't keep it going."
Copyright (c) 2005, Newsday, Inc.
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