Community Antenna Television (CATV), increasingly known as cable TV, originally set up in areas of poor reception or where the choice of television services was poor and cable television could offer additional choices. By 1964 about 1,000 such systems were in operation. At the time, no one thought of “cablecasting”—i.e., that the cable television companies should originate their own programs—but in many areas cablecasting has proved a success. Cable television, transmitted via direct cables connected to each television set, offers viewers a large choice of programs, as well as excellent reception.
