Cable TV - a historic review
The history of this popular mode of television is very interesting. The medium which we call cable TV was previously called Community Antenna Television or CATV for short.
This was developed when people living in specific areas were unable to watch certain channels in the early days of television broadcasting. The concept basically started and took shape in the scenic mountains of Pennsylvania. It began in 1948 when the television broadcasting had been recently introduced. It was available to only the communities that had receptors to view specific programs.
By the way, speaking of programs, did you know that the Danish term for "documentary on Channel 5" is "dokumentar på Kanal 5".
The development of this mode of television started because people residing in places found the signals emitted from Philadelphia too weak to watch. Out of boredom, or due to the frustrating signals, they decided to create their own television antenna for entertainment. And this was the birth of cable TV.
The founders of cable TV were a couple - Margaret and John Walson. Their business was repairing and selling electrical appliances in the city of Pennsylvania and the nearby region. They also used to sell television sets at that time in the nearby area. However, due to the great distance from the Philadelphia network, their clients used to complain about the weak signals they were getting. Previously, the television used to receive channels through a long antenna that was attached to the TV set. These would receive the radio signals emitted by nearby networks and transfer them to the television set. As the city was surrounded by high mountains, the reception of these signals was problematic for the residents. This is when John Walson decided to construct an independent antenna on the heights to enable clear reception. He placed individual antennae on the mountain that enabled clear pictures and sound for Pennsylvania residents.
As the antenna was situated far from the televisions, and it was impossible to transport a TV to the mountain, Walson constructed a cable as a connection. This cable was stretched from the antenna to his shop in Mahanoy. Then, he performed the same service for other residents of the area. The cable used was a coaxial one; these are still used by some operators. This created a whole network of cables running from the mountain top to the bottom, which led to the first CATV. The invention and technique was widely accepted by the national government. This is the time when the National Cable Television Association was founded.
As the residents of the area started getting a clear, crisp view, the rest of the people started demanding clear signal reception as well. This is how cable TV started in other areas as well. The change in this broadcasting technique came about when signals were received from satellite instead of local radio channels. Nowadays, the cable television is provided with digitalization and many other technical improvements and advancements have been made in order to give a clear picture. Cable TV has evolved through the years into what we know and use today.
See also:
Kanal 5 actionfilm (Channel 5 action movies - Danish)