The History Of America's Satellite TV Service Providers

The history of satellite TV service providers inlocations.In 1976, HBO became the first
the United States goes back farther than youprogrammer to deliver satellite programming to
might think. Most people are familiar with popularcable companies; many other programmers like
current providers such as the Dish Network andTurner Broadcasting System (TBS) and the
DirecTV, but very few know how satellite TVChristian Broadcasting Network (later called The
has developed and evolved since its earliestFamily Channel) followed suit, and the satellite
beginnings in the 1970s.The Beginnings of Satellitetelevision industry was poised for tremendous
TVThirty years ago there was no such thing asgrowth.Big Dishes, Free ProgrammingAs more and
satellite TV service providers, but that was aboutmore programmers used satellites to deliver their
to change. Several private companies bandedprogramming to cable companies across the
together in the early 1970s to launch a series ofcountry, a Stanford University professor
geosynchronous satellites (geosynchronous meansdeveloped a way to receive those signals in his
an orbit that keeps the satellite directly above oneown home. His receiver dish, later known as a
area of the earth at all times) to transmit signalsC-band dish for the frequency that it received,
from an originating source to multiple receivingwas quite large and quite effective.