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Cablevision and The Lustgarten Foundation Roll out "curePC"; a New Public Awareness Campaign in the Fight against Pancreatic Cancer

BETHPAGE, N.Y.-(Business Wire)-September 30, 2008 - Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC), a leading media and entertainment company, and The Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research today announced the rollout of curePC, a public awareness campaign in support of the fight against pancreatic cancer, America’s fourth-leading cause of cancer death. The new campaign is made possible through the support of Cablevision, who has committed to underwriting all of The Lustgarten Foundation’s administrative costs to ensure that every dollar donated to the Foundation will go directly to pancreatic cancer research.

As part of the curePC campaign, Cablevision also has made a 360-degree commitment to use its high-profile media and entertainment assets – which include everything from its cable television systems, print publications and Web sites to movie theatres and entertainment venues, such as Madison Square Garden and Radio City Music Hall – to ensure that more people know about the lethalness of pancreatic cancer and The Lustgarten Foundation’s efforts in the fight against this deadly disease. This unique arsenal of media and entertainment properties span multiple platforms and reach tens of millions of people a year; an impact that is instrumental to this important cause.

Cablevision President and CEO James L. Dolan said: “Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive and lethal disease that needs more attention and we think Cablevision is in a unique position to help. Cablevision touches people’s everyday lives in so many ways – whether they are watching television, reading a newspaper, going to see a movie or attending a sporting event. We will use the strength and breadth of this reach to take on this battle in a very public way and to, hopefully, help advance a cause that needs more funding and increased awareness so that someday a cure can be found.”

Lustgarten Foundation President Dr. Robert Vizza said: “We are extremely grateful to Cablevision for their increased commitment to The Lustgarten Foundation and what it means in the battle against pancreatic cancer. Now, thanks to Cablevision’s resources, more people will know about the deadly nature of pancreatic cancer and what they can do to help fight this disease. By launching the curePC campaign and underwriting The Lustgarten Foundation’s administrative costs, Cablevision has also undertaken the enormous responsibility of ensuring that every dollar donated to the Foundation will go directly toward research to help find a cure.”

Robert J. Mayer, M.D., Chairman of The Lustgarten Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board, Director of the Center for Gastrointestinal Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Stephen B. Kay Family Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, said: "Since The Lustgarten Foundation was founded 10 years ago, it has made incredible strides in advancing pancreatic cancer research. This includes significantly increasing the number of researchers studying pancreatic cancer, funding promising biological advances that could lead to better early detection methods, and coordinating international conferences that have increased dialogue and discovery. With a survival rate of four percent for those diagnosed with this deadly disease, there is still a tremendous amount of work to be done and with this unique commitment from Cablevision we will have even greater opportunities for advances in pancreatic cancer research."

The curePC Awareness Campaign and The Cablevision Reach

Cablevision and The Lustgarten Foundation have worked together to develop the curePC awareness campaign that includes public service announcements on television and radio, print advertisements, an online presence and more. All aspects of the campaign will point to www.curePC.org, which will serve as the primary Web site for people to visit to learn more, to participate and to use as a resource for those affected by pancreatic cancer.

During the next two weeks, Cablevision will begin to roll out the various campaign components using its portfolio of media and entertainment assets to reach the public.

Through Television

A cable system that reaches more than 3 million households throughout the New York area
Numerous local, regional and national networks, including:
- Rainbow’s national networks — AMC, IFC, Sundance Channel and WE tv
- MSG’s two regional sports and entertainment networks, MSG and MSG Plus, and its national music network, fuse
- Seven News 12 local news networks and five News 12 Traffic & Weather networks

In Print

Through Cablevision’s Newsday Media Group, various daily, weekly and monthly print publications that together reach 4.5 million readers a week, including:
- Newsday, one of the nation's largest daily newspapers, which reaches 1.5 million Long Island adults each week
- amNewYork, one of the largest free daily newspapers in New York City, which reaches more than one million readers weekly
- Star Community Publishing, the Northeast's largest weekly shopper group with 181 editions and circulation of more than 2.6 million households and businesses weekly
- Island Publications, which produces targeted lifestyle magazines including Distinction, Wellness, Parents & Children, among others

On the Internet

Cable, sports, programming, news and entertainment Web sites that draw more than 13 million unique visitors a month. Examples include: Optonline.net, Amctv.com, Sundancechannel.com, News12.com, ClearviewCinemas.com, Newsday.com, amNY.com, Thegarden.com, Radiocity.com, Knicks.com and Rangers.com.

Around Town

Several world-class venues located throughout New York City – Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre — that attract nearly six million visitors a year
Three professional sports teams that welcome nearly two million fans each year
48 Clearview Cinemas and the IFC Center, which together draw nearly 600,000 visitors per month
47 Optimum customer service centers, which combined have more than 300,000 visitors per month

Specific examples of how Cablevision will immediately begin using its assets for the curePC campaign include:

Inserting the campaign’s PSAs across 70 of the most popular cable channels on the Cablevision system
Creating an interactive on-demand channel exclusively for The Lustgarten Foundation, where subscribers of Cablevision’s iO digital cable service can learn more about the Foundation and its fight against pancreatic cancer
Running print ads in Newsday Media Group’s publications
Launching Web banners across all of Cablevision’s 24 Web sites to drive people to www.curePC.org
Using Clearview Cinemas’ and IFC Center’s 253 movie screens to run the campaign’s PSAs during movie trailers
Inserting information on the campaign in game programs for MSG’s three professional sports teams
Using the iconic Madison Square Garden marquees on 7th and 8th avenues — just above Penn Station – to run the campaign’s PSAs
Displaying information about The Lustgarten Foundation’s battle against pancreatic cancer throughout every Optimum customer service center throughout the tri-state area

The Public Service Announcements (PSAs)

For the rollout of the curePC campaign, The Lustgarten Foundation and Cablevision have created PSAs designed to raise awareness of the lethalness of pancreatic cancer.

Lustgarten Foundation President Dr. Robert Vizza said: “Pancreatic cancer is a disease with no prevention, no early tests, and unless detected in its early stages, no cure. It is also a cancer that, when compared to a number of other cancers, receives far less attention and funding. That’s why we knew we needed to focus on creating an urgency and we did this by spotlighting the deadliness of pancreatic cancer.”

One of the initial 30-second spots, titled “Dan’s Pancreatic Cancer,” uniquely personifies the disease to illustrate the lethalness and randomness of pancreatic cancer. This PSA was created by Gardner Nelson & Partners, Inc., a creative advertising agency based in New York City, which also created other elements of the campaign, including the curePC microsite, Web banners, posters and print ads.

About The Lustgarten Foundation and Pancreatic Cancer

For The Lustgarten Foundation, 2008 marks the tenth year of working toward a cure. The Foundation, which is the nation’s largest private supporter of pancreatic cancer research, was formed in 1998, named after Cablevision executive Marc Lustgarten, who died from pancreatic cancer. The Foundation is dedicated to advancing scientific and clinical research related to the diagnosis, treatment, cure and prevention of pancreatic cancer.

Each year 37,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The survival rate is four percent, and in most cases, once people are diagnosed they are only given a few months to live. Through this unique partnership Cablevision and The Lustgarten Foundation aim to facilitate and enhance research for pancreatic cancer through their efforts by raising awareness of the severity of the disease.

To learn more, visit www.CurePC.org or www.lustgarten.org.

About Cablevision

Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC) is one of the nation's leading media and entertainment companies. Its cable television operations serve more than 3 million households in the New York metropolitan area. The company's advanced telecommunications offerings include its iO TV® digital television, Optimum Online® high-speed Internet, Optimum Voice® digital voice-over-cable, and its Optimum Lightpath integrated business communications services. Cablevision operates several successful programming businesses, including AMC, IFC, Sundance Channel and WE tv, through Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, and serves the New York area as publisher of Newsday and other niche publications through Newsday LLC. In addition to these businesses, Cablevision owns Madison Square Garden and its sports teams, the New York Knicks, Rangers and Liberty. The company also operates New York's famed Radio City Music Hall, the Beacon Theatre, and the Chicago Theatre, and owns and operates Clearview Cinemas. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.cablevision.com.

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