The Rise of Cable TV

Cable TV originated in 1948, from the ideas of people in Arkansas, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. It was designed as a way to phase out radio as our only way for receiving media. By 1952, there were about 14,000 cable subscriptions. That number grew to around 850,000 in the 1960s.

The concept of paying for extra channels not included in your subscription was started by HBO in 1972. Today, your cable package can include 5 HBOs, 3 HBOs, or no HBOs. Cable started to be regulated by the FCC in 1972. The passage of the Cable Act of 1984 helped the industry grow tremendously.

Today, there are over 800 networks on cable. The creation of DVR and VOD allow for us to record and rewatch our favorite shows whenever we want, not binding us to scheduled programing. This coupled with the advent of streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, and network provided services allow for us to watch our favorite shows whenever, wherever. Cable has grown tremendously since it's creation, and it continues to grow today.

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Surviving the Pandemic

The streets are quiet in Pittsburgh, PA. For the last month, the Steel City has been effectively shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The shutdown ordered by Governor Tom Wolf, has caused many businesses deemed unessential to cease opperations from their offices, while others are able to continue via Zoom and other platforms. This includes Carmeuse, one of the leading lime producers in the world. As COO of Carmeuse North America, Jack Fahler has continued to work from his home in Gibsonia, 25 minutes away from his office on 11 Stanwix Street. “It’s really crazy, it’s like a bad joke”, he says. “Something that has surprised me is that people are still complaining about what the government is doing”. Like many companies, Carmeuse has continued to operate using Skype, allowing Fahler to participate in meetings with his employees, as well as the owners of the company who are based in Belgium. While Fahler spends most of his time in the office during the pandemic, his wi...

EOTO: Media Consolidation and Market Monopolization

Have you ever wondered who controls our media and how much of it they control? In the early 80s, 90% of media in the United States was controlled by 50 companies. Today, the same 90% is controlled by 4. This is due to the process of media consolidation. Media consolidation is the process of networks owning other networks, controlling their properties and marketing them under one name. A good example of this is Disney. Today, everything is more or less under the influence of the media giant. Disney's umbrella consists of major names such as Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Miramax, Pixar, ABC, ESPN, and most recently 20th Century Fox. So you can be watching ABC News, waiting for an important story to be aired. But if Disney doesn't like that story, it won't air. The idea of Media consolidation created the term "Family of Networks". This term refers to networks having other networks to air their content on. ESPN is a prime example of this. They air sports and ...

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