Photograph taken during September 1964 of then-called "Pay TV" era with linemen in a San Francisco neighborhood. Cable television became commercially available in the postwar years, very especially in poor reception areas of rural America. Jerrold was one of the first, established in Pennsylvania. Over-the-air channels were inititially available and utilized an analog twist-channel box owned by the cable company for channel selection. Jerrold was famous for these and later models for many years. New England Telephone and Telegraph Company offered CATV service along Cape Cod, MA for many years via their Western Electric developed coaxial television system; particularly owing to poor Boston reception 70 miles away. Premium channels were also offered. These were controlled by filters to each subscriber. Each customer tap on the pole had a bright-color-band provided as a delineator for the service of each customer. Red for HBO, etc...

In later years optional channels were available via CATV coaxial. Control of subscriber CATV channels was accomplished via filters upon the customer's coaxial taps. This method is still used for analog CATV. Digital CATV requires a set-top converter to precisely address the customer and the services subscribed to.

The Bell System and Western Electric were a dynamic duo when it came to television. Few really know or appreciate this fact. Bell inventions are what have inspired/created the electronic consumer innovations that we enjoy today. The Nobel Prizes due to the Bell System for the transistor (c.1948), fiber optics and other superior innovations of yesteryears that we (today) take as granted shall never be understated. Further, television transmission was first accomplished between two distant points via Bell Labs in 1928. Included above are the works of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) and associated companies, engineers and employees of yesteryears who deserve acclaim for the progression of wonder of communication wonders of today (you got to admit it, from FIOS to cellphones, etc., most of us use it!) albeit open-wire for phone communication is all but extinct.

JOE

==========================