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http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzfill4213352apr11,0,6927373,print.story?
coll=ny-business-headline
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 2005 Newsday Inc.
------------------------
coll=ny-business-headline
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 2005 Newsday Inc.
------------------------
