Miss-Delectable
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So far, SNY closed to captioning -- Newsday.com
Carl DeStefanis is deaf, and thus doesn't bother with TV shows that do not offer closed captions.
One exception: Mets games on SNY, which he called "a continuous reminder of my disability."
"I can't help but try to watch the Mets," DeStefanis, 24, wrote in an e-mail, "but every time I do, I find myself wishing people weren't so shortsighted with supplying this much-needed service."
For a network praised for its Mets announcers and extras such as in-game interviews, and that is about to unveil new technical gizmos and add more postgame coverage, it is a glaring, hard-to-figure omission: SNY does not provide captioning for the hard of hearing.
Legally, the network has done nothing wrong. The FCC provides new channels burdened with start-up costs four years to institute captioning, so SNY is in the clear through March 16, 2010.
But that is no consolation to fans for whom Gary, Ron and Keith are familiar faces who mouth only silence - and have been for three seasons now.
"We understand the importance of closed captioning," SNY spokesman Andrew Fegyveresi said.
"There are many improvements that we want to make - and continue to make - at SNY, and closed captioning is certainly one that is in our plans."
But captioning is more than an improvement for the deaf; it is a necessity, as has become clear in the numerous, impassioned e-mails I have received from those affected since SNY launched.
"Businesses like the Mets should not be doing [only] what they are required to do but should be offering good public service," said Janice Schacter, chairwoman of the Hearing Access Program.
"It's just disgusting. SNY should be ashamed of themselves and embarrassed."
The lack of captioning also affects people who are not deaf, from inconveniencing fans in sports bars and gyms to frustrating those with partial hearing loss.
Bob Buscavage, 64, of Moriches wears a hearing aid at times but is susceptible to infections and can't always do so. He said late at night he turns down the sound on games to avoid waking his wife, but then has to rely on captioning.
"It's kind of a sore spot," he said. "Major League Baseball, which just started the new network, they have it up and running. It's kind of a puzzle."
Indeed, the 3-month-old MLB Network has captioning, as YES did when it debuted in 2002.
So what is the problem? Evidently, nothing more complicated than money.
Captioning prices vary widely, so it is difficult to say precisely what it would cost. But offering it only for Mets games likely would require no more than $100,000 for the season - not much more than Johan Santana earned per inning last season.
"It's technically correct, but it's just stupid to drag your heels because you have the four years," said Schacter, whose 14-year-old daughter, Arielle, is hard of hearing.
"Fans want to be able to watch the game just like anybody else. It's sad. It's really sad."
Said DeStefanis, who lives in Rocky Hill, Conn.:
"As a result of no captioning, I rarely sit through an entire game. It's always on at my house because it's a near family obsession, but it's very difficult to keep my interest when I'm in the dark, so to speak."
Carl DeStefanis is deaf, and thus doesn't bother with TV shows that do not offer closed captions.
One exception: Mets games on SNY, which he called "a continuous reminder of my disability."
"I can't help but try to watch the Mets," DeStefanis, 24, wrote in an e-mail, "but every time I do, I find myself wishing people weren't so shortsighted with supplying this much-needed service."
For a network praised for its Mets announcers and extras such as in-game interviews, and that is about to unveil new technical gizmos and add more postgame coverage, it is a glaring, hard-to-figure omission: SNY does not provide captioning for the hard of hearing.
Legally, the network has done nothing wrong. The FCC provides new channels burdened with start-up costs four years to institute captioning, so SNY is in the clear through March 16, 2010.
But that is no consolation to fans for whom Gary, Ron and Keith are familiar faces who mouth only silence - and have been for three seasons now.
"We understand the importance of closed captioning," SNY spokesman Andrew Fegyveresi said.
"There are many improvements that we want to make - and continue to make - at SNY, and closed captioning is certainly one that is in our plans."
But captioning is more than an improvement for the deaf; it is a necessity, as has become clear in the numerous, impassioned e-mails I have received from those affected since SNY launched.
"Businesses like the Mets should not be doing [only] what they are required to do but should be offering good public service," said Janice Schacter, chairwoman of the Hearing Access Program.
"It's just disgusting. SNY should be ashamed of themselves and embarrassed."
The lack of captioning also affects people who are not deaf, from inconveniencing fans in sports bars and gyms to frustrating those with partial hearing loss.
Bob Buscavage, 64, of Moriches wears a hearing aid at times but is susceptible to infections and can't always do so. He said late at night he turns down the sound on games to avoid waking his wife, but then has to rely on captioning.
"It's kind of a sore spot," he said. "Major League Baseball, which just started the new network, they have it up and running. It's kind of a puzzle."
Indeed, the 3-month-old MLB Network has captioning, as YES did when it debuted in 2002.
So what is the problem? Evidently, nothing more complicated than money.
Captioning prices vary widely, so it is difficult to say precisely what it would cost. But offering it only for Mets games likely would require no more than $100,000 for the season - not much more than Johan Santana earned per inning last season.
"It's technically correct, but it's just stupid to drag your heels because you have the four years," said Schacter, whose 14-year-old daughter, Arielle, is hard of hearing.
"Fans want to be able to watch the game just like anybody else. It's sad. It's really sad."
Said DeStefanis, who lives in Rocky Hill, Conn.:
"As a result of no captioning, I rarely sit through an entire game. It's always on at my house because it's a near family obsession, but it's very difficult to keep my interest when I'm in the dark, so to speak."