In 2008, the Cable Television industry marked a milestone with its 60th anniversary. When people think of Cable TV, they often think of it as a recent convenience that came out of CNN during the 80’s. But in actuality, the technology goes all the way back to 1948 when a Denver business man by the name of Bill Daniels saw a black and white tv set in a bar and thought about how deprived the outlying regions of the country were – to not be able to participate simply because they were geographically displaced. Daniels brought television to the masses by innovating with partners to bring distant signals via cable. The rest of course, is history.
In this online documentary created exclusively for Multichannel News and directed by David G. Knappe, a decade by decade historical account is unveiled, profiling the cable industry from its unlikey start – to its current status as a broadband / telecommunications giant. Archived interviews with cable pioneers as well as current leaders such as CEO of STARZ Bob Clasen grace this first online documentary for Multichannel News – a Reed Business publication and sister trade paper with Broadcasting and Cable Magazine and Variety. This production was also edited by Knappe and the DP was Joseph Bondulich. The production was hosted and written by Leslie Ellis.
Part 1: The 1950’s
Part one reveals the beginnings of the technology in the 1940’s and 1950’s.
Part 2: The 1960’s
Part two of the documentary series centers on the “go go years” of this relatively young industry.
Part 3: The 1970’s
In part three of this series, Cable sees the launch of early networks in the 1970’s that are now household names and bears witness to interactive TV experiments that paved the way for the pay per view and on demand platforms we know today.
Part 4: The 1980’s
After a rough start, cable strikes gold in the 1980s as the industry sees meteoric growth and news goes 24/7 with CNN. Oh and then there was MTV!
Part 5: The 1990’s
In Part 5 of this series, Cable operators in the 1990s embrace new data, voice and video digital services in the midst of a harsh, decade-long regulatory climate.
Part 6: 2000 and Beyond
As the new millennium takes hold, cable adds new services including phone and high speed data to expand into new business arenas. CEO of STARZ Bob Clasen and other industry heavy hitters share their thoughts for the future of cable.