• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, August 2, 2013

Cablevision, which recently sold cable operations in the West and its Clearview Cinema chain, has no plans to divest Newsday, even as ad dollars continue to fall. While making that clear Friday, Cablevision CEO Jim Dolan even offered a degree of bullishness on the paper’s future.

On an investor call, Dolan did not say the company would be investing heavily in the publication, but said: “We still very much believe in the Newsday asset …it’s a significant journalistic presence in our core marketplace … the business itself to me is somewhat in transition, but I think that there is at least a potential for a very bright future for that business.”

Dolan indicated that Newsday offers a solid marketing tool for Cablevision -- and for subscribers, some added value with free access to the paper’s digital properties.

Of course, Newsday’s future could change should Cablevision be acquired by -- or merge with -- another cable operator. Dolan had no comment on that.

Meanwhile, Cablevision’s re-launch of its Optimum brand is hitting its one-year anniversary. Kristin Dolan, who heads the Optimum operations, said the company has been focusing on “retention marketing” and “improving value perceptions.” Now, with services like a bulked-up DVR offering and faster broadband speeds helping WiFi, “we’re also now pumping up our acquisition efforts,” she said.

The company did experience a slight drop (20,000) in video customers in the second quarter, but remains in the 2.9 million range. But average revenue per basic video subscriber jumped to $162.42, up $5.49.

Ad dollars for cable dropped 9%, as the company cited a decline in the reemerging auto sector.

Overall, second-quarter profit was $135.4 million, on slightly higher net revenue remaining in the $1.57 billion range.

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