[caption id="attachment_16367" align="alignnone" width="220"]
SNY, YES Network and MSG are no longer available at SHU. Photos via wikipedia.org.[/caption]
This fall, Seton Hall upgraded its campus cable package, adding channels while also switching over to higher quality transmission for digital programming. However, this update did not include local sports channels MSG, SNY and YES, which feature a portion of SHU basketball games.
The cable provider of Seton Hall is CampusTelevideo, a subsidiary of Apogee Telecom Inc. The final channel selection is reviewed by Seton Hall Housing and Residence Life, according to Director of Business Affairs, Michael Garcia.
Garcia also pointed out that Apogee no longer offers the channels, which is the reason they are no longer available. There is also a capacity of 103 channels available, which limits the amount of channels SHU can offer.
The new cable upgrade added channels such as CNBC, OWN, FX, National Geographic and more ranging from entertainment to news, in addition to enhancing the picture quality. It also added sports channels such as NFL Network, NBCSN, NHL Network and more.
Nonetheless, losing these channels entails that the Seton Hall community is unable to watch the regular programming of local professional teams such as the Knicks, Nets, Mets, Yankees, Devils, Rangers and Islanders.
Although Garcia said he had not heard of many people expressing their discontent with the channels no longer available, many students are upset about not being able to watch their favorite sport teams.
“When I first came to Seton Hall I knew I would be able to watch my favorite sport teams along with the UEFA champions league games that were being shown on MSG or MSG+,” junior resident Thomas Golembeski said. “As a huge New York sports fan I was looking forward to watching my teams once the season started and now that we do not have any of the channels I can’t watch the Rangers or Knicks, I can’t watch the Devils with some of my buddies nor can I watch Met games when the baseball season starts.”
Freshman resident Mat Mlodzinski, a broadcasting major from Connecticut, expressed how he was upset about not being able to watch his favorite teams, as they are frequently blacked out in his home town.
“As a Knick fan, I was very excited to be able to see them on MSG once I got to Seton Hall. Now I have to follow along [on the ESPN app] for play by play updates which is annoying.”
The programs also have sports talk shows and coverage of college teams, as well as coverage of other professional teams or sports. Fox Sports 1 is still available as the main provider of Big East basketball, however, Seton Hall basketball has four games on the schedule this year to be broadcasted on the YES Network. Its first game against Fairleigh Dickinson was one of those and was missed by any residents not at the game.
With YES being the provider of Brooklyn Nets basketball as well, students also cannot watch former Seton Hall Basketball player and 42nd pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Isaiah Whitehead play for the local team.
Garcia did say they are researching possibilities to bring the local sports programming to the Living Room area in Duffy Hall. Until then, students will have no availability through cable to watch these channels. Some may have the ability to find channels or games through their computer and attach to the TV through an HDMI cable in the meantime.
Seton Hall mentioned on its Twitter profile that Housing and Residence Life looks for feedback on the change in cable service.
Keith Egan can be reached at keith.egan@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @Keith_Egan10.
Comments
