Dueling press releases last week from Cablevision Systems
chairman Chuck Dolan and his son, Jimmy, the cable company's CEO,
certainly didn't help the company's already- battered reputation.
According to the March 2 edition of PR News sister
publication CableFAX Daily, Jimmy Dolan sent out a
release late the previous evening saying the company was shutting
down its money-losing satellite-television service Voom.
Less than an hour later, however, Chuck Dolan sent a memo to
employees stating that the company is committed to Voom and is
prepared to finance the continued expansion of the service. It
appeared that sonny boy had won the upper hand, until reports at
presstime said that Cablevision was delaying shutting down Voom to
give Chuck Dolan more time to assemble a deal to buy it outright.
Can you say changing channels?
The overall message here is of a house divided -- not good for
investors but a gift from God for the press, which, of course,
traffics in conflict. Kim Kerns, VP/corporate communications at
Cablevision, had no comment when asked about the war of words
between father and son.