Television in the Multichannel Age: A Brief History of Cable Television

Television in the Multichannel Age is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to the history of multichannel television in all its forms - from cable to direct-to-home satellite and beyond. Chapter by chapter, the book traces the evolution of multichannel television from its community antenna (CATV) origins in the late 1940s to the communications satellites, DBS delivery systems and streaming video of the modern digital age.

This volume examines the many factors that shape today's multichannel television landscape, including government policy, groundbreaking technologies, and the great unknown - the public's fickle programming tastes. It also provides an overview of how broadcast, cable, and satellite television actually "work"; discusses how multichannel television technologies in developing nations can sometimes be a mixed blessing; and considers the future of multichannel television in the U.S. and around the globe.

With the help of newly discovered oral history transcripts, personal interviews, government documents, and never before seen photographs, Television in the Multichannel Age digs deeply into the historical archives to present a fascinating history of media that have come to play critical roles in today's society.