NEWS 12 BROOKLYN TO OFFER AROUND-THE-CLOCK
BOROUGH-WIDE NEWS COVERAGE
(June 7, 2005, Bethpage, NY) Cablevision Systems Corporation today announced plans to launch the first 24-hour local cable news channel completely dedicated to the borough of Brooklyn. News 12 Brooklyn will be available exclusively to Cablevision customers in Brooklyn, beginning June 14, 2005. News 12 Brooklyn is the latest 24-hour local cable news channel from Cablevision's News 12 Networks, which operates 6 other news channels in the tri-state area. News 12 Brooklyn will be available on channel 12 and be part of Cablevision's basic cable package.
News 12 Brooklyn will offer unparalleled coverage of news, events and issues affecting the borough and its diverse communities. The channel provides an alternative to the Manhattan-focused "local news" the New York City broadcast channels provide, and the national focus of other cable news programming. News 12 Brooklyn will offer viewers a depth of reporting and a breadth of coverage that is 100% focused on Brooklyn and the concerns of Brooklyn residents. General Manager and News Director Camilo Pombo-Sáenz, a 35-year veteran of television news, will oversee all operations.
"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 Brooklyn underscores Cablevision's longstanding commitment to delivering exclusive award-winning programming that has significant value for our customers. We believe that residents of Brooklyn will come to depend on News 12 Brooklyn for the important local news and information that has the most direct and meaningful impact on their daily lives."
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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."
News 12 Brooklyn's headquarters is located at E. 18th Street and Avenue Z. Two additional bureaus, located at 800 E. 92nd Street and 900 60th Street, will allow news crews strategic access around the borough. News 12 Brooklyn will feature the latest in newsroom, production and newsgathering technology, including the capability to transmit live signals throughout the borough via fiber optic cable. Additionally, News 12 Brooklyn's entire fleet of crew cars consists of Toyota's low-emission and environmentally-friendly Prius hybrid vehicles.
Furthermore, News 12 Brooklyn will draw on the extensive television news background and resources of the entire News 12 Networks operation. News 12 Brooklyn will have 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 will enable Cablevision subscribers to receive major market quality news whenever they need it, at any hour of the day or night," said Mr. Pombo- Sáenz . "We'll do much more than tell you what's happening in Brooklyn; we'll tell you why it's happening. From stories on Brooklyn schools, to profiles on Brooklyn elected officials, to reports of how Brooklyn's tax dollars are being spent, News 12 Brooklyn will be there. Plus we'll introduce the audience to people and organizations making a positive difference in the borough. It will be well rounded coverage of all of the issues and newsmakers in and around Brooklyn, and it will be news you can't get anywhere else."
Cablevision's iO® digital cable customers in Brooklyn will also have access to News 12 Interactive, available on channel 612. This channel features the most advanced interactive news service in the county, and is available for free as part of the basic Cablevision iO digital cable offering. Viewers can choose News 12 Brooklyn top stories on demand as well as access archives, special features, weather, traffic, and more. News 12 Interactive puts the viewer in control of their local News 12 Brooklyn newscast. Furthermore, viewers will have access to additional footage not seen on the regular newscast, and can view live feeds as they are being sent from Chopper 12.
News 12 Brooklyn will be featured on the award-winning News 12 Networks website, news12.com. Brooklyn 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 24-hour local cable news channel on Long Island in 1986, and currently operates 24-hour news operations in, Connecticut, Hudson Valley, 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. As of June 14, 2005, News 12 Networks will reach more than 3.7 households in the tri-state area, including the nearly 300,000 Cablevision households in the borough of Brooklyn.
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.