HD News
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| HDNews | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Launched | January 30, 2004 |
| Closed | January 20, 2009 |
| Owned by | Rainbow Media |
| Country | United States |
| Broadcast area | National |
| Headquarters | Jericho, New York |
HDNews was an American high-definition television channel that focused on news. It was America’s first national television news network produced completely in High Definition. All of the production elements, from the studio to all reporting from the field was captured and broadcast via the VOOM satellite service entirely in 1080i HD and Dolby 5.1 sound.
HDNews was one of the original channels in the VOOM HD programming lineup produced by Cablevision/Rainbow Media. It initially was part of a suite of 21 High Definition channels and later on Dish Network as well as Cablevision’s High Definition channel tier.
During its five years of broadcasting, HDNews scored a number of firsts. In 2004, HDNews was the first network to broadcast both the Democratic and Republican conventions live in their entirety in HD. Other HD firsts included the 2004 Presidential Election, that year’s State of the Union Address, the 2004 Asian Tsunami, live coverage of the Hezbollah rocket attacks on Northern Israel, and the first live in-depth HD coverage of the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, for which HDNews was awarded the National Gabriel award.
In 2008 HDNews was honored with a Telly Award for its groundbreaking series on “Poverty in America” exposing the harsh living conditions many Americans face every day. This series was also a “finalist” in the New York Association of Black Journalists 2008 awards Also winning high honors was the series “ Sassier, Village of Hope” which focused on the efforts to improve the harsh living conditions of the people in one village on the impoverished island of Haiti.
In its five year history HDNews was also honored for the best use of HD video and for its coverage of the war between Israel and Hezbollah, including the first HD live shot from a Mideast battlefield.
HDNews’ Election night 2008 coverage gave a voice to the people instead of the pundits. Our series “What’s at Stake” and “My Hope for America” allowed people from across the nation to articulate the issues that really mattered to them.
When not in special coverage, HDNews presented a unique 12-minute wheel format, allowing busy viewers to quickly catch up with all the latest news, sports highlights, and weather in a fast paced and continuously updated format.
When HDNews started up in 2004 it was challenged by the lack of HD video on breaking news events. It created its own robust network of as many as 20 bureaus and mini-bureaus around the United States and around the world. It pioneered in moving HD video from remote locations first by satellite and later via the internet via FTP.
At 12:02am Saturday December 20, 2008, HDNews ceased operations. Its demise was prompted by VOOM’s protracted legal battle with Echostar Dish Network over carriage.
HDNews was created by News 12 Networks President Patrick Dolan, HDNews General Manager Will J. Wright (www.willjwright.com) and HDNews Executive Producer Chris Long. Both Wright and Long are highly regarded as experts in HD news production and dissemination, speaking at conferences and seminars through the years.
The channel ceased operations on January 20, 2009.
