fc for Pa history buffs (looking at you Tom) as many of you dont know

[s1uggo72]

the cable TV industry was basically started in Schuylkill and Carbon Co Pa ( yes there were a couple of yahoos out west but...) by
John Walson- Mahanoy City
Martin Malarkey- Pottsville pa
Robert Tarlton- Lansford
circa 1948

They all have similiar stories- 'I was trying to sell TV's but couldnt get a picture so no one bought them, so I invented a way to get the TV signal over the mountains from Philly to watch Sallie Star'.
My question is, and I cant find this out, did these guys know each other? Did they know of each other? Did they know of the others work. Being so close, one would think so, but each of the stories is a little different, and what happened next as well. For those in NE Pa the Walson family still owns your cable co. They also started HBO .
In tiny Schuylkill Haven we had one of Malarkey's cable companies from the 50's (Schuylkill-Haven Video services ?) I remember we had a box on the TV that switched the TV to Star Channel, a year or so later they changed the name to HBO.

Cable television in the United States - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Bkmtnittany1]

So Biff wants to be a buff!

 

[Tom McAndrew]

I appreciate the shout-out @s1uggo72. And while I do know a great deal about PA history, PA's role in the early days of the cable industry is something I've seen mentioned in publications, but it wasn't anything that interested me enough to read or research.

 

[s1uggo72]

I appreciate the shout-out @s1uggo72. And while I do know a great deal about PA history, PA's role in the early days of the cable industry is something I've seen mentioned in publications, but it wasn't anything that interested me enough to read or research.

well now you have some homework! LOL My interest came from the fact, family legend had it that my Grandfather invested in one of the first cable co in the US (Schuylkill-Haven Video services) I always wondered what happened to it, and did Comcast or somebody else buy them out. It appears that didnt happen that Comcast boutht them out, plus from the little I read Malarkey did not sell lots of shares to the public.

But what I find most curious is, these guys all running around the same neck of the woods, at same time, yet Ifind no evidence that they knew each other nor stole the others ideas. I mean what are the odds?

 

[Tom McAndrew]

well now you have some homework!

Here's some info for you:

Wired: Cable TV's Unlikely Beginning | Pennsylvania Center for the Book

pabook.libraries.psu.edu

https://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-31E

Development of Cable in Pennsylvania | Syndeo Institute At The Cable Center

Interview Date: August 06, 2001 Interview Location: Gettysburg, PA Interviewer: Brian Lockman Panel: George Gardner, Bob Tudek, Bob Tarlton, Irene Gans, Joe Gans, Len Ecker, Stratford Smith, Jim Duratz Collection: Hauser Collection LOCKMAN: Let’s get started now. What I’d like to do is go around...

www.cablecenter.org

 

[s1uggo72]

Here's some info for you:

Wired: Cable TV's Unlikely Beginning | Pennsylvania Center for the Book

pabook.libraries.psu.edu

https://explorepahistory.com/hmarker.php?markerId=1-A-31E

Development of Cable in Pennsylvania | Syndeo Institute At The Cable Center

Interview Date: August 06, 2001 Interview Location: Gettysburg, PA Interviewer: Brian Lockman Panel: George Gardner, Bob Tudek, Bob Tarlton, Irene Gans, Joe Gans, Len Ecker, Stratford Smith, Jim Duratz Collection: Hauser Collection LOCKMAN: Let’s get started now. What I’d like to do is go around...

www.cablecenter.org

Thank you!!