Company name	Cablevision Systems Corporation
Company logo
Company type	Public ()
Foundation	1973
Founder	Charles F. Dolan
Location	Bethpage, New York, U.S.
Area served	New YorkNew JerseyConnecticutPennsylvania
Key people	Charles F. DolanChairman of the BoardJames L. DolanPresident CEO Director
Industry	Cable television, Professional sports
Products	iO Digital Cable (Television)Optimum Online (Internet)Optimum Voice (VoIP Phone)Optimum Lightpath (Business)News 12Clearview CinemasNewsday
Revenue	$ 7.230 billion - 2008
Operating income	$ 687.26 million - 2008
Net income	$ -227.58 million - 2008
Assets	$ 9.383 billion - 2008
Equity	$ -5.362 billion - 2008
Num employees	14,471 - September 2009
Subsid	Rainbow Media Holdings, LLCNewsday, LLC - 97.2%
Divisions	Telecommunications Services
Homepage	http://www.cablevision.com

headquarters adjacent to Grumman's old plant in Bethpage. Grumman's original headquarters was on the left. Cablevision has substantially increased the building size.]] Cablevision Systems Corporation () is an American cable television company. It is the 8th largest cable provider in the USA, with most customers residing in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and parts of Pennsylvania. Cablevision also offers high-speed Internet connections (Optimum Online), as well as digital cable (iO), and VoIP phone service (Optimum Voice) through its Optimum brand name.

Products and services

Optimum Online

Optimum Voice

iO Digital Cable

Optimum Lightpath

Optimum Business

Optimum Business Benefits (offers exclusively to Optimum Business customers)

Remote storage digital video recorder (network DVR service pioneered by Cablevision)

Other properties

Rainbow Media Holdings LLC owns a series of local and national cable networks including IFC, AMC, Fuse, WE tv, News 12 and Voom HD Networks .

Cablevision has owned the movie theater chain Clearview Cinemas since 1998.

On July 29, 2008, Cablevision acquired Newsday in a deal worth $650m.

History

Cablevision was founded by Charles Dolan in 1973. In the mid-1960s, Dolan had a already built a cable system called Sterling Manhattan Cable in the borough of Manhattan and launched Home Box Office (HBO). He ended up selling both the cable system and HBO to Time Life Inc. With the money he gained from the sale, he started a new cable system in suburban Long Island forming Cablevision. Cablevision quickly expanded and built system throughout the New York metro area expanding into New Jersey, Westchester County, Connecticut, and the other boroughs of New York City.

In the 1980s, Cablevision also expanded into the Chicago, Boston, and Cleveland areas. By the mid-1990s Cablevision would offer service to 2.9 million subscribers in 19 states. Through a series of transactions in the late 1990s, Cablevision decided to consolidate their cable systems into three core areas: New York, Cleveland, and Boston. Despite reducing the number of areas served they were able to bring the number of subscribers to 3.5 million through these transactions. One major transaction made at this time was with Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI). Cablevision gained 10 New York area cable systems from TCI and in exchange TCI gained 33% ownership in the company. In 1999, AT&T; took over TCI thus giving them the one-third ownership in Cablevision. In 2000, Cablevision sold-off its remaining systems outside of the New York area in Boston, Cleveland, and Kalamazoo, Michigan to Media One, Adelphia, and Charter Communications respectively. AT&T; sold its share of Cablevision in 2001.

On June 13, 2010, Cablevision announced that it would acquire Bresnan Communications for $1.37 billion. Bresnan provides service to about 308,000 cable subscribers in Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming. This would be the first time in a decade that Cablevision has owned systems outside of the New York area.

Cablevision's role in the West Side Stadium debate

In 2004 and 2005, Cablevision provided funding for an advertising campaign against the proposed construction of a stadium on the West Side of Manhattan supported by the Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg. The stadium would have principally served the New York Jets, and was an essential part of New York City's failed bid for the 2012 Olympics. Cablevision had offered a competitive bid that far exceeded the bid of the Jets for property owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, where the new stadium would have been located. The plans to build the stadium were abandoned in June 2005 when the New York State Assembly under the leadership of Speaker Sheldon Silver refused to provide state subsidies for the project.

Carriage disputes

MSG Network

From September 1988 through July 1989, Cablevision did not carry MSG Network (back when it was not owned by Cablevision) over the question of whether MSG should be offered as a basic service or a premium service. This move also occurred as New York Yankees games on cable moved to MSG from Cablevision-owned SportsChannel. The Cablevision position was that those who wished to pay for sports programming should shoulder the burden, not every consumer. This dispute ended with Cablevision offering MSG as a premium subscription service, just like "SportsChannel".

YES Network

Cablevision did not carry most of the games of the New York Yankees in 2002, because they would not accept the price asked during the inaugural season of YES Network. Again, at the root of the argument was who was to pay for sports programming. Cablevision wanted to offer YES as a premium service, like MSG and Fox Sports NY, where YES ownership wanted the channel on the 'Family Cable' tier. After a long standoff, a deal was made the following year. As a result, YES, along with MSG and Fox Sports NY, moved to the 'Family Cable' Tier.

NFL Network

Cablevision has also never carried the NFL Network, as the company has stated that it would like to be able to carry NFL Sunday Ticket (which is, by contract, exclusive to DirecTV until the 2014 season) before it carries NFL Network. This has been criticized by New Jersey legislators. Recently however, Cablevision had purchased Bresnan Communications, a company headquartered in upstate NY. This provider has NFL Network which means there is a possibility that the Network will come however, it has not been confirmed or reported. If precedent holds, and Cablevision does acquire Bresnan Communications, they will be obligated to uphold current carriage agreements until they expire, at which time NFL Network can be removed from the system.

Verizon FiOS

Cablevision, as a content provider, also engaged in a dispute with Verizon over the carriage of MSG Network and Fox Sports Net New York on its FiOS television systems. Verizon sued Cablevision, claiming that the Cablevision did not want to make their valuable local sports coverage available to an emerging competitor to their cable systems. An agreement was reached in November 2006 allowing FiOS to carry these channels. However, MSG's programming continues to be restricted to standard-definition on FiOS systems, even following MSG's spinoff from Cablevision.

Additionally, Cablevision owned exclusive rights to the MSNBC news network in its service territory, preventing its carriage by FiOS in overlapping areas. However, this exclusivity ended in February, 2010.

2010 Carriage Disputes

January 2010: Food Network and HGTV dispute

Because it was unable to reach a deal with Scripps Networks Interactive concerning retransmission fees, Scripps Networks Interactive revoked Cablevision's rights to carry the disputed channels, HGTV and the Food Network, on January 1, 2010. Cablevision issued a statement saying, "We wish Scripps well and have no expectation of carrying their programming again, given the dramatic changes in their approach to working with distributors to reach television viewers." While the channels were affected, Cablevision ran commercials advertising their point of view and set up an area on their website to send out messages to Scripps Networks to tell them to re-carry Food Network and Home & Garden Television. Cablevision also looped a public service announcement on each affected channel and forced all of its customers' set-top boxes to channel 1999, which looped the same annnouncement. Cablevision and Scripps reached an agreement, and as of January 21, 2010, the two networks were back on Cablevision systems. The details of the agreement have not been disclosed.

March 2010: ABC contract dispute affecting WABC-TV and WPVI

On March 2, 2010, WABC-TV in New York along with Philadelphia sister station WPVI (carried in Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean counties) stated that they would pull their programming from Cablevision on March 7, 2010 (at midnight), unless a new payment structure is implemented for its network programming. Cablevision responded by citing WABC-TV and WPVI's free, over-the-air accessibility. Cablevision spokesman Charles Scheuler stated "It is not fair for ABC-Disney to hold Cablevision customers hostage by forcing them to pay what amounts to a new TV tax."

The removal of both stations occurred on the weekend of the 82nd Academy Awards, which was scheduled to be one of ABC's largest yearly specials, and was projected to cause a devastating blow to advertisers for the Oscars and to Cablevision itself.

On Sunday March 7, 2010 at 12:01 a.m. ET, both WABC and WPVI were removed from Cablevision leaving a black screen in their place, confirming the rumors that if a deal with Cablevision and ABC was not reached by midnight, the network and other Disney-owned channels would go off the air.

Cablevision began looping a public service announcement on each affected channel and forcing all of its customers' set-top boxes to channel 1999, which was looping the same annnouncement, much like was done when Scripps Networks pulled their cable channels' programming. Besides providing certain details of the disagreement they stated that ABC shows could be watched online through TV websites such as Hulu.

Also that day, Cablevision announced through e-mail that their entire film catalog of on-demand movies would be available without charge until midnight that evening as an apology to their customers.

At 8:50 p.m. that day, WABC and WPVI returned to Cablevision's programming, after a notification during the 82nd Academy Awards announced progression in "Work to complete our negotiations", and the return of ABC's programming during the negotiations.

October 2010: FOX and MyNetworkTV dispute

Cablevision's contract with News Corp to carry FOX (including MyNetwork TV) expired on October 15, 2010. The contract includes WNYW and WWOR in New York and WTXF in Philadelphia. The contract also includes the cable networks National Geographic Wild, Fox Business, and Fox Deportes (formerly Fox Sports en Español). Programming affected by the dispute includes the coverage of the NFL on Fox, 2010 National League Championship Series, part of the 2010 World Series, and popular shows like American Idol and Glee.

On October 16, 2010 at 12:01am, Fox pulled all of their networks involved in the dispute from Cablevision subscribers. Because of Cablevision's dispute with FOX, Cablevision customers missed multiple new episodes of FOX network programming, multiple weeks of the NFL season, and the entire NLCS. Cablevision looped a public service announcement on each affected channel and forcing all of its customers' set-top boxes to channel 1999, which looped the same annnouncement, much like was done when Scripps Networks and ABC/Disney pulled their cable channels' programming. On October 27, 2010, the same day as Game 1 of the World Series, Cablevision offered a new one-year deal to FOX, which was rejected, continuing the blackout. Cablevision also repeatedly called on FOX to submit to binding arbitration, an offer which FOX repeatedly did not take Cablevision up on.

The channels were restored during the evening of October 30, 2010, the same day as Game 3 of the World Series. News Corp and Cablevision reached a deal "in principle" to restore the channels. News Corp did not disclose the terms of the deal, but Cablevision said it paid the higher fees Fox and News Corp wanted, "because it does not think its customers should any longer be denied the Fox programs they wish to see."

Corporate governance

Current members of the board of directors of Cablevision are: Charles Dolan, James Dolan, Patrick Dolan, Rand Araskog, Frank Biondi, Charles Ferris, Richard Hochman, Victor Oristano, Thomas Reifenheiser, John R. Ryan, Brian Sweeney, Vincent Tese, Leonard Tow.

In 2006, the Dolan family announced a plan to purchase the company and privatize it, after a failed attempt in 2005, which would have spun off Rainbow Media as a publicly traded company.

On May 2, 2007, after repeated attempts, the Dolan family announced that a deal worth $10.6 billion had been reached for Cablevision to be taken private, but agreement was not reached with other shareholders. Cablevision stock trades under the ticker symbol CVC on the New York Stock Exchange.

Former properties

Madison Square Garden Inc.

In 1994, Paramount Communications, the owner of Madison Square Garden, was acquired by Viacom, who in turn sold the MSG properties to Cablevision and ITT Corporation, which had 50% ownership each. ITT would sell its share to Cablevision three years later.

On February 9, 2010 Cablevision spun off its subsidiary Madison Square Garden, L.P. into a new company named Madison Square Garden, Inc.. Although a separate company, James Dolan is the chairman and remains an important figure in both companies. The company has three division consisting of professional sports teams, two regional sports networks, and several entertainment venues.

MSG Inc. controls the Madison Square Garden arena in New York City, and the professional sports teams that play there—the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, and New York Liberty. The same company also owns the Hartford Wolf Pack, a minor-league professional hockey team affiliated with the Rangers.

MSG Inc. also holds the TV rights for the Knicks, Rangers, Liberty, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres and Red Bull New York. These games are aired on their MSG Network and MSG Plus (formerly FSN New York) cable channels. Cablevision previously had the rights to the New York Yankees, New Jersey Nets and New York Mets, who left to start their own channels. Cablevision also previously attempted to purchase the Yankees, Mets and Boston Red Sox, in part, to control their broadcast rights.

Other properties that are owned by MSG Inc., include the Beacon Theater, WaMu Theater, and a long-term lease to operate Radio City Music Hall.

Other former properties

The company owned a satellite television company called Voom, which shut down on April 30, 2005, but lived on as a series of High-definition television channels. They were available on Cablevision and iO digital cable until January 21, 2009. However, the 15 U.S. channels shut down due to lack of distribution.

Cablevision also owned the former SportsChannel America from its beginning in 1976 until it was dissolved into Fox Sports Net in the late 1990s. In 2007 Cablevision sold its control of FSN Bay Area and FSN New England to Comcast for $570 million. These were the last of their regional sports networks outside of the New York area.

Cablevision also once owned New York-area electronics chain The Wiz, before closing it.

References

External links

Optimum website

iO (Interactive Optimum) Digital Cable Television Service

Optimum Online High-speed broadband Cable Internet Service

Optimum Voice Digital Phone Service

Category:Cable television companies of the United States Category:Companies established in 1973 * Category:New York Rangers Category:New York Knicks Category:New York Liberty Cablevision

Name	Jay Leno
Caption	Leno in July 2008
Birth name	James Douglas Muir Leno
Birth date	April 28, 1950
Website	The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Spouse	Mavis Leno (1980–present)
Signature	Jay Leno Autograph.svg
Notable work	The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (host, 1992–2009)The Jay Leno Show(host, 2009–2010)The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (host, 2010– )

}} James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American stand-up comedian and television host.

From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. (Eastern Time, UTC-5), also on NBC. After The Jay Leno Show was canceled in January 2010 amid a host controversy, Leno returned to host The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on March 1, 2010.

Early life

Jay Leno was born in New Rochelle, New York, on April 28, 1950. His mother, Catherine (née Muir), a homemaker, was born in Greenock, Scotland, and came to the United States at age 11. Her schooling was limited and as a result she prized her children's successes. Leno's father, Angelo, who worked as an insurance salesman, was born in New York to immigrants from Flumeri, Italy. Leno grew up in Andover, Massachusetts, and although his high school guidance counselor recommended that he drop out of school, he later obtained a Bachelor's degree in speech therapy from Emerson College, where he started a comedy club in 1973. and a lawyer. Leno continued to perform as a stand-up comedian throughout his tenure on The Tonight Show.

In 2004, Leno signed a contract extension with NBC which would keep him as host of The Tonight Show until 2009. Later in 2004, Conan O'Brien signed a contract with NBC under which O'Brien would become the host of The Tonight Show in 2009, replacing Leno at that time.

During the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike, Leno was accused of violating WGA guidelines by writing his own monologue for The Tonight Show. While NBC and Leno claim there were private meetings with the WGA where there was a secret agreement allowing this, the WGA denied such a meeting. Leno answered questions in front of the Writers Guild of America, West trial committee in February 2009 and June 2009, and when the WGAW published its list of strike-breakers on 11 August 2009, Leno was not on the list.

Leno said in 2008 that he was saving all of his income from The Tonight Show and living solely off his income from stand-up comedy.

On April 23, 2009, Leno checked himself into a hospital with an undisclosed illness. He was released the following day and returned to work on Monday, April 27. The two subsequently cancelled Tonight Show episodes for April 23 and April 24 were Leno's first in 17 years as host. Initially, the illness that caused the absence was not disclosed, but later Leno told People magazine that the ailment was exhaustion.

Michael Jackson trial

In the 2005 trial of Michael Jackson over allegations of child molestation, Leno appeared as a defense witness (many celebrity defense witnesses had been expected, but Leno was one of the few whose testimony was actually needed). In his testimony regarding a call by the accuser, Leno testified that he never called the police, that no money was asked for, and there was no coaching — but that the calls seemed unusual and scripted.

As a result, Leno was initially not allowed to continue telling jokes about Jackson or the case, which had been a fixture of The Tonight Show's opening monologue in particular. But he and his show's writers used a legal loophole by having Leno briefly step aside while stand-in comedians took the stage and told jokes about the trial. Stand-ins included Roseanne Barr, Drew Carey, Brad Garrett, and Dennis Miller among others.

Succession by Conan O'Brien and The Jay Leno Show

Because Leno's show continued to lead all late-night programming in the Nielsen ratings, the pending expiration of Leno's contract led to speculation about whether he would become a late-night host for another network after his commitment to NBC expired. Leno left The Tonight Show on Friday May 29, 2009, and Conan O'Brien took over on June 1, 2009.

On December 8, 2008, it was reported that Leno would remain on NBC and move to a new hour-long show at 10 p.m. Eastern Time (9 p.m. Central Time) five nights a week. This show follows a similar format to The Tonight Show, tapes at the same lot, and retains many of Leno's most popular segments. Late Night host Conan O'Brien was his successor on The Tonight Show.

Jay Leno's new show, titled The Jay Leno Show, debuted on September 14, 2009. It was announced at the Television Critics Association summer press tour that it would feature one or two celebrities, the occasional musical guest, and keep the popular "Headlines" segments, which would air near the end of the show. First guests included Jerry Seinfeld, Oprah Winfrey (via satellite), and a short sit-down with Kanye West discussing his controversy at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

Timeslot conflict and return to The Tonight Show

]] In their new roles, neither O'Brien nor Leno succeeded in delivering the viewing audiences the network anticipated. On January 7, 2010, multiple media outlets reported that beginning March 1, 2010, Jay Leno would move from his 10pm weeknight time slot to 11:35pm, due to a combination of pressure from local affiliates whose newscasts were suffering, and both Leno's and O'Brien's poor ratings. Leno's show would be shortened from an hour to 30 minutes. All NBC late night programming would be preempted by the 2010 Winter Olympics between February 15 and February 26. This would move The Tonight Show to 12:05am, a post-midnight timeslot for the first time in its history. O'Brien's contract stipulated that NBC could move the show back to 12:05 a.m. without penalty (a clause put in primarily to accommodate sports preemptions).

On January 10, NBC confirmed that they would move Jay Leno out of primetime as of February 12 and intended to move him to late night as soon as possible. TMZ reported that O'Brien was given no advance notice of this change, and that NBC offered him two choices: an hour-long 12:05am time slot, or the option to leave the network. On January 12, O'Brien issued a press release that stated he would not continue with Tonight if it moved to a 12:05am time slot, saying, "I believe that delaying The Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t The Tonight Show."

On January 21, it was announced that NBC had struck a deal with O'Brien. It was decided that O'Brien would leave The Tonight Show. The deal was made that O'Brien would receive a $33 million payout and that his staff of almost 200 would receive $12 million in the departure. O'Brien's final episode aired on Friday, January 22. Leno returned as host of The Tonight Show following the 2010 Winter Olympics on March 1, 2010.

On July 1, 2010, Variety reported that total viewership for Jay Leno's Tonight Show had dropped from 5 million to 4 million for the second quarter of 2010, compared to the same period in 2009. Although this represented the lowest second-quarter ratings for the show since 1992, Tonight was still the most-watched late night program, ahead of ABC's Nightline (3.7 million) and David Letterman's Late Show (3.3 million). Ratings over the following summer, when compared to the same period in 2009 with O'Brien hosting The Tonight Show (including O'Brien's highly rated debut), showed that while total viewership was 12% higher for Leno, viewership in the important "adults aged 18-49" demographic was 23% lower. NBC ratings specialist Tom Bierbaum commented that due to the host being out of late night television for a period of time and the subsequent 2010 Tonight Show conflict, Leno's ratings fall was "not a surprise at all".

Public image

Criticism of Leno

Leno has faced heated criticism and some negative publicity for his perceived role in the 2010 Tonight Show timeslot conflict. Critics have pointed to a 2004 Tonight Show clip, wherein Leno claimed he would allow O'Brien to take over without incident. At the time, Leno stated he didn't want O'Brien to leave for a competing network, adding, "I'll be 59 when [the switch occurs], that's five years from now. There's really only one person who could have done this into his 60s, and that was Johnny Carson; I think it's fair to say I'm no Johnny Carson."

Actor and comedian Patton Oswalt was among the first celebrities to openly voice disappointment with Leno, saying, "Comedians who don't like Jay Leno now, and I'm one of them, we're not like, 'Jay Leno sucks;' it's that we're so hurt and disappointed that one of the best comedians of our generation... willfully has shut the switch off." Rosie O'Donnell has been among O'Brien's most vocal and vehement supporters, calling Leno a "bully" and his recent actions "classless and kind of career-defining." Howard Stern, who has been openly critical of Leno for years, has become even more so in the wake of the controversy.

Bill Zehme, the co-author of Leno's autobiography Leading with My Chin, told the LA Times: "The thing Leno should do is walk, period. He's got everything to lose in terms of public popularity by going back. People will look at him differently. He'll be viewed as the bad guy."

Support for Leno

NBC Sports head executive and former Saturday Night Live producer Dick Ebersol spoke out against all who had recently mocked Leno, calling them "chicken-hearted and gutless." Jeff Gaspin also defended Leno: "This has definitely crossed the line. Jay Leno is the consummate professional and one of the hardest-working people in television. It's a shame that he's being pulled into this." Responding to the mounting criticism, Leno claimed that NBC had assured him that O'Brien was willing to accept the proposed arrangement and then would not let either host out of his contract. Leno also said that the situation was "all business."

Personal life

in March 2009 ]] Leno has been married since 1980 to Mavis Leno; they have no children.

He is known for his prominent jaw, which has been described as mandibular prognathism. In the book Leading with My Chin he stated that he is aware of surgery that could reset his mandible, but does not wish to endure a prolonged healing period with his jaws wired shut.

Leno is dyslexic. He claims to sleep only four to five hours each night. Leno does not drink or smoke, nor does he gamble. He spends most of his free time visiting car collections or working in his private garage. his total net worth is unknown, but has been estimated to be at least $150 million or more. In an interview with USA Today, Leno claimed that he has never spent any of the money he's made from The Tonight Show, and has always lived off of the millions of dollars he makes each year from performing stand-up.

Charity

In 2001, along with his wife, he donated $100,000 to the Feminist Majority's campaign to stop gender apartheid in Afghanistan, to educate the public regarding the plight of women in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Mavis Leno is on the board of the Feminist Majority.

In 2009, he donated $100,000 to a scholarship fund at Salem State College in honor of Lennie Sogoloff. Mr. Sogoloff gave Leno his start at his jazz club, Lennie's-on-the-Turnpike.

in his Hispano-Suiza Aero]]

Vehicle collection

Leno owns approximately 200 vehicles, including about 100 cars. He also has a website called "Jay Leno's Garage," which contains video clips and photos of his automobiles in detail.

He has a regular column in Popular Mechanics which showcases his car collection and gives advice about various automotive topics, including restoration and unique models, such as his jet-powered motorcycle and solar-powered hybrid. Leno also writes occasional "Motormouth" articles for The Sunday Times, reviewing high-end sports cars and giving his humorous take on automotive matters.

References

External links

Official Tonight Show with Jay Leno web site

Jay Leno's Car Collection

Jay Leno's Columns at Octane magazine

New York Times on Leno's affiliation with McPherson College

Live performance videos from the Tonight Show

Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television talk show hosts Category:American voice actors Category:Emerson College alumni Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Car collectors Category:Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductees Category:People from Andover, Massachusetts Category:People from New Rochelle, New York Category:SEMA Members Category:1950 births Category:Living people Category:American people of Italian descent Category:American people of Scottish descent *