From: streeter@cs.unca.edu (Tom Streeter)
Subject: TripleCast revisited
Organization: University of North Carolina at Asheville
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1992 21:23:20 GMT

It's my theory that there will be a number of revisions of the
conventional wisdom about the TripleCast debacle before 1996, and --
surprise! -- it'll be decided that it was a Good Thing Worth Trying
Again. 

In that spirit, I'm posting the text of the ad Cablevision (NBC's cable
partner in the venture) has taken out in several trades (and the NY
Times -- I don't know if it was in the LA Times or not).  The ad
features four positive quotes from reviews in the Wall Street Journal,
the LA Times, the NY Daily News, and the Washington Post.  I'll not
include those.  By the way, I'm just posting this for informational
purposes -- don't flame me if you don't like what it says.

The copy appears below the head "Our Thanks to the TripleCast Team."

[Begin copy]

Barcelona 1992 will be remembered as the year that broadcast and cable
cooperated to make the XXV Olympiad an unforgettable experience for the
home audience, providing front row seats to an unprecedented choice of
Olympic venues.

In the true Olympic spirit, the TripleCast Team "went for the gold" - we
shared a pioneering risk to realize the promise of the cable medium.

Cablevision salutes the nation's cable operators, large and small, for
the many ways they supported the first multi-channel presentation of the
Olympics:

   * for clearing the three 24-hour channels needed for the TripleCast
   (we know that wasn't easy)

   * for assisting in the massive subscriber information task preceding
   the Olympics

   * for your patience with the uncertainties and changes of plan that
   seem to be an unavoidable part of any "first try"

   * most importantly, for your characteristic willingness to take a
   chance with new product to give your subscribers yet another viewing
   option

Cablevision is also indebted to the USOC and the IOC for their
confidence in the cable industry.

We thank NBC for its unrivaled expertise in producing TripleCast - and
for being such a valued partner in all respects.

And we are especially grateful to the hundreds of individuals beginning
with coordinating producer Terry Ewert; hosts Don Criqui, Kathleen
Sullivan, Gayle Gardner, Dan Hicks, Ahmad Rashad and Hannah Storm; and
continuing through the ranks to all the staff and volunteers.  To each,
thanks for your enthusiasm, your talent and your tireless efforts.  

We also treasure the comments of the many TripleCast patrons who
declared the Red, White and Blue channels the most exciting way to
experience the Olympics short of being there.  And we are delighted at
the response of the many sportswriters and industry analysts who gave
such consistantly positive reviews to the TripleCast coverage.

Did we wish for more subscribers?  Of course!

But we are convinced that the TripleCast experience, when fully
assessed, will encourage future variations.  The cable home in America
can look forward to many innovativeways to view and feel a part of
global attractions in sports, entertainment and the arts. 

Cablevision is proud to have participated in this unique moment in
history, and of our role in another of the cable industry's efforts to
employ a unique technology in the public interest.

[end copy]



-- 
Tom Streeter                                |   streeter@cs.unca.edu
Dept. of Mass Communication                 |   704-251-6227
University of North Carolina at Asheville   |   Opinions expressed here are
Asheville, NC 28804                         |   mine alone.
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv