Cablevision Chair Charles Dolan and his son,
Cablevision President James Dolan, are featured in an
extensive Q&A with Harry Berkowitz in today's NEWSDAY.
Following are excerpts from the interview:
ON THE NFL: Charles Dolan, asked if NFL owners were
"unfair" in choosing Robert Wood Johnson IV as the Jets
owner over Dolan because of Dolan's media interests: "They
were not unfair. I may not agree with them but I understand
their concerns. ... The way the NFL works they want a
tranquil organization. They want things to be non-
controversial within the organization. ... [It's] not
frustrating so much as surprising, maybe. We didn't think
that was going to happen" (NEWSDAY, 3/20).
NEW ARENA, TEAM DEALS: James Dolan, on Cablevision
going forward with plans for a new MSG on the West Side of
Manhattan: "I think that sometime this year we are going to
have to make up our minds. But we're going to need a new
arena." Charles Dolan, asked if Cablevision has been hurt
by its inability to acquire either the Mets or Yankees: "I
don't think it hurts us at all. ... The key is to move the
content to the audience and ownership is a way of doing
that. It facilitates it and under certain circumstances if
you do things right it's more economical. But it certainly
isn't the only way." Charles Dolan, on reports that
YankeeNets is exploring the establishment of its own RSN and
taking over its teams' TV rights, including the Yankees,
whose MSG deal expires at the end of the 2000 season: "We
believe we will be the most lucrative bidder for those
rights including bidding against the idea of them doing
something on their own." James Dolan also said Cablevision
would make a new YankeeNets net "available to the customer.
I can't imagine that we wouldn't" (NEWSDAY, 3/20).
