NEWS 12 BROOKLYN AND NEWS 12 HUDSON VALLEY JOIN THE NEWS 12 NETWORKS
(June 7, 2005, Bethpage, NY) Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC) today announced plans to launch two new 24-hour local cable news channels under the News 12 Networks umbrella. News 12 Brooklyn and News 12 Hudson Valley will be available exclusively to Cablevision customers in their respective regions, beginning June 14, 2005. Cablevision's News 12 Networks operates 5 other 24-hour local news channels in the tri-state area. With the addition of News 12 Brooklyn and News 12 Hudson Valley, News 12 Networks will reach more than 3.7 million households in the tri-state area.
"News 12 is an excellent example of the unique and underlying value of our service, delivering intensely local news coverage that is important to our customers and not available from any other provider," said Tom Rutledge, Cablevision's chief operating officer. "The launch of News 12 Hudson Valley and News 12 Brooklyn underscores Cablevision's longstanding commitment to delivering exclusive award-winning programming that has significant value for our customers. We believe that residents of Rockland County, Orange County, and the borough of Brooklyn will come to depend on News 12 for the important local news and information that has the most direct and meaningful impact on their daily lives."
Patrick Dolan, President of News 12 Networks added: "News 12 pioneered regional news programming nearly 20 years ago, and it is the country's first, largest, and most watched regional news network. Since its creation, News 12 has become much more than a 24-hour news service; it has become the number-one source of information for the communities it serves. That's why we're 'as local as local news gets.' We look forward to becoming that source in Brooklyn and Hudson Valley."
News 12 Brooklyn will be available on channel 12 to the nearly 300,000 Cablevision households in the borough of Brooklyn. News 12 Hudson Valley will be available on channel 12 to the nearly 100,000 Cablevision households in Orange and Rockland Counties. Both services will be available as part of Cablevision's basic cable package. News 12 Brooklyn will have three bureaus in Brooklyn, allowing news crews strategic access around the borough. News 12 Hudson Valley will have a bureau in each of the two counties it serves, in addition to the studio location. Both operations will feature the latest in newsroom, production and newsgathering technology, including an automated studio control system. Additionally, both operations will draw on the extensive television news background and resources of the entire News 12 Networks operation. This includes access to the News 12 fleet of satellite and live remote trucks, as well as Chopper 12, the only news helicopter in the nation that is owned and operated by a regional cable news service. This state-of-the-art newsgathering helicopter will allow video access of stories not accessible by ground crews.
News 12 Brooklyn and News 12 Hudson Valley will be featured on the award-winning News 12 Networks website, news12.com. Top stories, numbers and links given during the newscast, the "what's to do" community calendar, and more will all be available via the World Wide Web. Additionally, news12.com features all of the local school and business closings, up-to-the-minute, during inclement weather. To date, news12.com averages more than 7 million page-views every month.
News 12 Networks launched the first local cable news channel on Long Island in 1986, and currently operates 24-hour news operations in, Connecticut, New Jersey, Westchester, and the Bronx in addition to Long Island. With a staff of more than 500, News 12 Networks is the largest news operation in the New York metropolitan area.
News 12 Networks is owned and operated by Cablevision Systems Corporation. Cablevision is one of the nation's leading entertainment and telecommunications companies. Its cable television operations serve 3 million households located in the New York metropolitan area. Cablevision owns a controlling interest and operates Madison Square Garden and its sports teams including the Knicks and Rangers. The company also operates New York's famed Radio City Music Hall and owns and operates Clearview Cinemas in the New York metropolitan area.