Television in the Multichannel Age

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 cable television from its pre-historical origins in the late 1940s to the communications satellites and DBS distribution systems of the modern digital age, both in the U.S. and internationally.

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• Guides the reader through the history of multichannel television from its origins in the ‘40s to the modern age
  
• Discusses factors that influence today’s television landscape including government policy-making, emerging technologies, and the public’s programming tastes
  
• Concentrates on domestic multichannel technologies while considering global impacts of these technologies
  
• Includes newly discovered oral history transcripts, personal interviews, government documents, and never before seen photographs
  
• Presents a fascinating history of media that have come to play critical roles in today’s society, and in doing so invites the reader to speculate on the future of multichannel television

List of Illustrations.

Preface.

1. Introduction.

2. Cable Pre-history and the Community Antenna Pioneers: before 1960.

3. Regulatory Beginnings: 1960-7.

4. "Blue Sky": 1968-74.

5. Cable Meets Satellite: 1975-80.

6. The Satellite Years: 1980-92.

7. Multichannel Television's Mature Years: 1993-Present.

8. The View from 2007: The Future of Multichannel Television.

Bibliography.

Index.

"Megan Mullen tells the story of American cable television the way it should be told: small-town start-ups, daring entrepreneurs, rising media moguls, unexpected outcomes of media regulation, new communication technologies, proliferation of viewing choices, and ever-growing audiences. Television in the Multichannel Age is top-notch scholarship that is also and immensely useful reading for students in the classroom."
--Jim Schwoch, Northwestern University

“The author … has done a good job of condensing sixty years of cable history into a tight, well-organized summary. An excellent overview of the industry.” Television Quarterly

“Mullen writes in an accessible style, tackles both technical and business history, and adds a dash of colorful business people. She also wisely includes international developments as a counterpoint to this very American story. Recommended.” Choice

"Mullen writes in an accessible style, tackles both technical and business history, and adds a dash of colorful business people. She also wisely includes international developments as a counterpoint to this very American story." R.W. Morrrow, Morgan State University

Megan Mullen is Associate Professor of Communication and Co-Director of the Humanities Program at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. She is the author of Cable Television Programming in the United States: Revolution or Evolution (2003). She was also the recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities Faculty Fellowship for 2005-2006. 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. 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.