Inside the rise of HBO
Subtitle: a personal history of the company that transformed television
By: Bill Mesce, Jr
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Published: 2015
Place of publication: Jefferson, North Carolina
Language: eng
Number of pages: 282
ISBN-13: 9780786497867; 9781476622255
Subjects: Home Box Office (Firm); History
Description: There are two ages in the history of television: before HBO and after HBO. Before the launch of Home Box Office in 1972, the industry had changed little since the birth of broadcast network television in the late 1940s. The arrival of the premium cable channel began a revolution in the business and programming of TV. For the generation that has grown up with the vast array of viewing choices available today, it is almost inconceivable that our ever-expanding media universe began with a few hours of unimpressive programming on a single cable channel. This is the story of HBO's reconfiguration of television and the company's continual reinvention of itself in a competitive and dynamic industry.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Part I. Empire of the air; title: Towards Felix the Cat; title: Baby steps; title: In the beginning was the word: radio; title: The numbers racket; title: The wasteland; title: Greener grass; title: Part II. Wired; title: Walson's Mountain; title: The green channel; title: Into the skies, junior birdmen!; title: Part III. The company; title: Title fights: the king of pay tv; title: The movie duels; title: Fallout; title: The wall; title: A voice all its own; title: Hard on old eyes; title: Expanding the brand; title: Golden age; title: Fall and rise; title: Road signs; title: Appendix A: On the HBO's front lines: film evaluator Youssef Kdiry; title: Appendix B: Putting the puzzle together: scheduler Jeff Kagan; title: Appendix C: HBO Home entertainment's Henry McGee.