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The dueling Dolans
© 2005 Newsday
Feud over Voom reveals fractious family relations, clouds Cablevision's future
BY HARRY BERKOWITZ
STAFF WRITER
March 2, 2005
An intense feud among members of the Dolan family continues to rage following the decision by Cablevision's board of directors to shut the failed Voom satellite TV service.
Members of the family that controls Cablevision Systems Corp. issued dueling press releases and conflicting memos to Voom employees after the board, backed by chief executive James Dolan, acted Monday to pull the plug over chairman Charles Dolan's objections.
Cablevision's stock price fell 2.2 percent yesterday as Wall Street tried to unravel the corporate soap opera and figure out what the family developments might mean for Cablevision, including whether it has become less or more likely that its cable systems or cable TV channels will be sold.
Charles Dolan and his son Thomas, Voom's chief executive, insisted in their joint memo that financing for them to take Voom off Cablevision's hands was "in place" and "members of the Dolan family" remain "committed to this bright and promising business" as Voom goes through a "period of uncertainty."
But yesterday Cablevision surprised those Dolans by posting a notice on Voom's Web site that replaced all other content: "Voom has ceased taking new customer orders and will shut down by the end of March."
CEO James Dolan - who referred to his father, Charles, and brother Thomas as "certain Class B shareholders" in his memo to Voom employees - indicated that Cablevision chief operating officer Tom Rutledge would lead the transition team to manage the shutdown.
"Are Dolan family dinners a thing of the past?" Fulcrum Global Partners analyst Richard Greenfield asked in a note to investors. "Regardless of the fate of Voom, we wonder whether irreparable harm has been done to Dolan family business relations. With Jim Dolan and the board overruling Jim's father and brother, we believe the potential for a sale of Cablevision is becoming ever more probable."
Some analysts, however, said that likelihood actually had decreased, because Charles Dolan no longer needs to sell Cablevision or a big chunk of his stake in it to raise hundreds of millions of dollars to finance the money-losing Voom.
"The disagreement highlights fractious relations among the Dolans, which may ultimately affect [Cablevision's] strategic direction," UBS analyst Aryeh Bourkoff told investors. The stock price, which had been rising partly because Cablevision was unloading Voom, dropped by 69 cents per share to $30.37 yesterday.
Charles and Thomas Dolan apparently had been buoyed by a rise in subscribers for Voom, which was offering installation in up to three rooms for $1.
Voom subscribers have increased to 46,262, including 5,622 who have been awaiting installation, compared with about 26,000 on Sept. 30, 2004, according to a source familiar with the numbers. That's still far short of the more than 10 million satellite customers DirecTV and EchoStar Communications each have. And Voom had an operating loss of $660 million for 2004.
Voom insiders said that as much as Charles Dolan wants to carry out his vision, he also has been intent on giving Thomas a moment in the spotlight as he has given James, the much more combative and aggressive younger brother.
"Everyone feels Chuck Dolan is doing this for Tom," one insider said.
But Thomas, a shy executive who majored in geology in college and headed computer technology systems at Cablevision, has had trouble stepping into a leadership role at Voom, especially one that could involve challenging his father, the insiders said.
One remaining mystery is which side Charles' son Patrick, who runs News 12 and is a board member, has taken in the feud, and which other family members were prepared to back Charles and Thomas. Cablevision is not telling, and neither are the Dolans.
"We are more than ever convinced of the viability of the Voom service," Thomas said in the release issued by him and his father. "If we are able to complete negotiations with Cablevision, we are certain that Voom HD will emerge as a robust new vendor providing a valuable alternative to the two services that now dominate the satellite industry."
The Voom story so far
October 2003: Cablevision launches Voom satellite TV service; plans to split it off as part of separate company.
May 2004: Problems emerge in attracting customers as Voom losses mount.
November 2004: Voom reveals it lost more customers than it attracted in the summer amid operational and marketing problems.
December 2004: Board, backed by CEO James Dolan, abandons spin-off and defies chairman Charles Dolan by deciding to sell or shut Voom.
January 2005: Cablevision agrees to sell Voom's sole satellite to EchoStar Communications for $200 million.
Feb. 10: Cablevision signs letter of intent to give rest of Voom to chairman Charles and Thomas Dolan if they arrange financing.
Feb. 28: Cablevision says it has no definitive agreement with the Dolans and will shut Voom. Dolans say they have financing, want a deal.
- Harry Berkowitz
© 2005 Newsday
Feud over Voom reveals fractious family relations, clouds Cablevision's future
BY HARRY BERKOWITZ
STAFF WRITER
March 2, 2005
An intense feud among members of the Dolan family continues to rage following the decision by Cablevision's board of directors to shut the failed Voom satellite TV service.
Members of the family that controls Cablevision Systems Corp. issued dueling press releases and conflicting memos to Voom employees after the board, backed by chief executive James Dolan, acted Monday to pull the plug over chairman Charles Dolan's objections.
Cablevision's stock price fell 2.2 percent yesterday as Wall Street tried to unravel the corporate soap opera and figure out what the family developments might mean for Cablevision, including whether it has become less or more likely that its cable systems or cable TV channels will be sold.
Charles Dolan and his son Thomas, Voom's chief executive, insisted in their joint memo that financing for them to take Voom off Cablevision's hands was "in place" and "members of the Dolan family" remain "committed to this bright and promising business" as Voom goes through a "period of uncertainty."
But yesterday Cablevision surprised those Dolans by posting a notice on Voom's Web site that replaced all other content: "Voom has ceased taking new customer orders and will shut down by the end of March."
CEO James Dolan - who referred to his father, Charles, and brother Thomas as "certain Class B shareholders" in his memo to Voom employees - indicated that Cablevision chief operating officer Tom Rutledge would lead the transition team to manage the shutdown.
"Are Dolan family dinners a thing of the past?" Fulcrum Global Partners analyst Richard Greenfield asked in a note to investors. "Regardless of the fate of Voom, we wonder whether irreparable harm has been done to Dolan family business relations. With Jim Dolan and the board overruling Jim's father and brother, we believe the potential for a sale of Cablevision is becoming ever more probable."
Some analysts, however, said that likelihood actually had decreased, because Charles Dolan no longer needs to sell Cablevision or a big chunk of his stake in it to raise hundreds of millions of dollars to finance the money-losing Voom.
"The disagreement highlights fractious relations among the Dolans, which may ultimately affect [Cablevision's] strategic direction," UBS analyst Aryeh Bourkoff told investors. The stock price, which had been rising partly because Cablevision was unloading Voom, dropped by 69 cents per share to $30.37 yesterday.
Charles and Thomas Dolan apparently had been buoyed by a rise in subscribers for Voom, which was offering installation in up to three rooms for $1.
Voom subscribers have increased to 46,262, including 5,622 who have been awaiting installation, compared with about 26,000 on Sept. 30, 2004, according to a source familiar with the numbers. That's still far short of the more than 10 million satellite customers DirecTV and EchoStar Communications each have. And Voom had an operating loss of $660 million for 2004.
Voom insiders said that as much as Charles Dolan wants to carry out his vision, he also has been intent on giving Thomas a moment in the spotlight as he has given James, the much more combative and aggressive younger brother.
"Everyone feels Chuck Dolan is doing this for Tom," one insider said.
But Thomas, a shy executive who majored in geology in college and headed computer technology systems at Cablevision, has had trouble stepping into a leadership role at Voom, especially one that could involve challenging his father, the insiders said.
One remaining mystery is which side Charles' son Patrick, who runs News 12 and is a board member, has taken in the feud, and which other family members were prepared to back Charles and Thomas. Cablevision is not telling, and neither are the Dolans.
"We are more than ever convinced of the viability of the Voom service," Thomas said in the release issued by him and his father. "If we are able to complete negotiations with Cablevision, we are certain that Voom HD will emerge as a robust new vendor providing a valuable alternative to the two services that now dominate the satellite industry."
The Voom story so far
October 2003: Cablevision launches Voom satellite TV service; plans to split it off as part of separate company.
May 2004: Problems emerge in attracting customers as Voom losses mount.
November 2004: Voom reveals it lost more customers than it attracted in the summer amid operational and marketing problems.
December 2004: Board, backed by CEO James Dolan, abandons spin-off and defies chairman Charles Dolan by deciding to sell or shut Voom.
January 2005: Cablevision agrees to sell Voom's sole satellite to EchoStar Communications for $200 million.
Feb. 10: Cablevision signs letter of intent to give rest of Voom to chairman Charles and Thomas Dolan if they arrange financing.
Feb. 28: Cablevision says it has no definitive agreement with the Dolans and will shut Voom. Dolans say they have financing, want a deal.
- Harry Berkowitz
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4720 views
Nope. The correct quote is: "Money is the root of all evil, and humans need roots."Gr8Reb8 said:
Back to topic -- I agree with whoever speculates that the publicity of this conflict could be very bad for Voom by highlighting all the instability. That perception is going to be tough for Voom to fight, even with a lot more HD channels and a DVR.
Other than that, all this publicity will be a huge plus!
Thought you were napping gutter!...looks like this from my angle
That's James in red...but his ammo's bound to run out soon! 
gutter said:
Bradley, I share your confidence in Charles Dolan. "Adversity causes some men to break, others to break records." -- William A. Wardbradley said:
Supporting Founder
Several Dish offers showed up today in my account. Once you choose one the rest are removed. Offers were Showtime, Starz, AMC and others.
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1543 views
Not for me, mines has no mention of how long aka the offer period and the Terms and conditions the $0.00 is good for. All I see is one can lose $5.00 if you decide to remove it before day 31 after you add it to the account.
Pub Member / Supporter
Cutting Edge
I created this thread on the original Edgecutter Cutting Edge Forums site. It's simply a place for those to review the latest software available for those using Windows 10 and Windows 11. To date it has received 112,559 views. I have been asked by staff to continue this thread here.
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47186 views
To each there own but I've found that Windows can't do much more than Linux can. Can't have everything.
For niche use cases, yes I agree. Kali for ethical hacking and security testing, and running a Cacti server for network monitoring are the two things I have experience in. Plus thousands and thousands of other things, but for every day use I just can't see it. The owner of the GMRS repeater that I pay to access is changing the Tx DPL tones tomorrow, while Chirp is available on Linux, the software to program my MXT500 is not.To each there own but I've found that Windows can't do much more than Linux can. Can't have everything.
I run Fedora and Ubuntu in VMWare, honestly I don't care much for the UI of either of them and I don't feel like spending days/weeks to customize the UI to make it look Windows-like when I could just use Windows. The cartoonish dock at the bottom of the screen reminds me of Apple products.
As I said above, and, FWIW, I run Win11 Pro and Arch on separate 250 GB NVME drives, using F8 to select which I boot to, with a 1TB SSD for storage, accessible to both OSs and a third formatted Nvme I want to use to learn Kali. It was much faster to setup Arch than it was to strip down Windows. Windows still takes much longer to boot.
For some reason, the satelliteguys.us site is loading a lot slower than usual on both Chrome on my Asus laptop and Safari on my iPhone.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
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17910 views
Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat.
WTF… …What the Foxbat!Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat.
S
wow what a kick in the balls!!! the wife blames you when things don't work now scott's blaming youWTF… …What the Foxbat!
I know. Here's what Scott has in store for me if I get out of line:wow what a kick in the balls!!! the wife blames you when things don't work now scott's blaming you
Help, I'm a little confjused on the activation process.
I purchased the Joey 4 from Solid Signal and shipping box has Call 866 726-4282 to Avtivate new Receiver. That number is Solid Signals number.
I googled and that search said call Dish to activate. I assume that is correct unless this requires a 2 step process.
Please let me know.
Thanks
I purchased the Joey 4 from Solid Signal and shipping box has Call 866 726-4282 to Avtivate new Receiver. That number is Solid Signals number.
I googled and that search said call Dish to activate. I assume that is correct unless this requires a 2 step process.
Please let me know.
Thanks
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193 views
All good called Dish and new Joey 4 is activated and working.
Old Joey 2 deactivated and no need to return.
Old Joey 2 deactivated and no need to return.
S
i bought mine straight from dish as it was only $ 100.00 bucks!!! had the protection plan they came out removed and deactivated the 4k joey and activated and installed the joey 4.All good called Dish and new Joey 4 is activated and working.
Old Joey 2 deactivated and no need to return.
Supporting Founder
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Apple has finally released their Apple TV 4K with built-in Siri and a microphone so it can respond to your queries even if you don't have the remote. It also increases in price, to $299. I had been planning on updating my current Apple TV 4K streamers, but that's $600 for the two of them, and that's a pass at this point.
At $299, it had better come with 256 GB of Storage, Gigabit (or better) Ethernet, the latest HDMI tech and standards, and one year of free Apple One. But it probably won't…
At $299, it had better come with 256 GB of Storage, Gigabit (or better) Ethernet, the latest HDMI tech and standards, and one year of free Apple One. But it probably won't…
Apple TV 4K
Apple TV 4K. New Siri AI and hands-free control. Stunning picture and immersive HomePod surround sound. Works with your Apple and smart home devices.
www.apple.com
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174 views
S
. apple's been making money off of software and not hardware for a while
they all do that anyways.. ever notice your cell phone slows down when you come up for an upgrade..
. apple's been making money off of software and not hardware for a while
The new curated multiview is now live.
While on many of the sports channels and non sports channels there is a multi view option button. It will pull up a side bar with many different multi view options.
While on many of the sports channels and non sports channels there is a multi view option button. It will pull up a side bar with many different multi view options.
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158 views
Supporting Founder
Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.
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1348 views
Supporting Founder
Lifetime Supporter
This thread is a place to discuss the 4K events that appear on channel 540. We are getting, at this point, one college football game a week. Let's hope there is more coming.
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298854 views
Hmmm, I'm not seeing anything like those events in our Hopper 3 guide for tonight or Saturday.
I went into the Tools menu and requested a Guide Update. I'll try looking at it after the update completes.
edit — I now have the 148-01 4KFox events for Saturday, but not anything for 148-02 or 148-03 which don't even show as available channels. I do have 148-04 4KUSA.
As I recall you have the Flex package. Do you sub to multisport? -02 is FS1 and -03 is ESPN. -01 is Fox so you would get that if you sub to locals.Hmmm, I'm not seeing anything like those events in our Hopper 3 guide for tonight or Saturday.
I went into the Tools menu and requested a Guide Update. I'll try looking at it after the update completes.
edit — I now have the 148-01 4KFox events for Saturday, but not anything for 148-02 or 148-03 which don't even show as available channels. I do have 148-04 4KUSA.
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87N42NxLPC0
Direct YouTube Link - 8 U.S. States Sue OpenAI Over Safety Concerns With Younger Users
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87N42NxLPC0
Direct YouTube Link - 8 U.S. States Sue OpenAI Over Safety Concerns With Younger Users
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
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12 views
Pub Member / Supporter
On Tuesday, I recorded the first episodes of the new season's NCIS shows on CBS (Dish provided, not OTA). The new New York series and Origins will both do Auto Skip, but the original, now season 24 does not. What's stranger, when I do a search for NCIS, Origins and New York show the current recording and the next episode it will record, but the original show only shows the current recording and some other channel showing the very first episode of season one. It makes no sense. When I set up the timers, I was able to use search for Origins and New York, but for the original, I had to scroll ahead in the guide until last Tuesday when the show was airing. Then set the timer from there. You can see its timer type is DVR where the other two are Seek. What am I missing?
Thanks!
Thanks!
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392 views
