Cable Television

However, the rapid spread of pay cable TV in the 1980s broke the hegemony of the big three. By 1999, close to 70% of American households had subscribed to cable TV.  Examples of cable TV are HBO, CNN and MTV.

Public Television

U.S. public television stations are independent and serve community needs. All public television organizations are linked nationally, however, through three national organizations: the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), created by Congress in 1967 to channel federal government funding to stations and independent producers; the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), formed in 1969 and which today distributes programming and operates the satellite system linking all public TV stations; and the National Association of Public Television Stations (NAPTS), which helps member public TV stations with research and planning. In addition to these public TV stations, there are a growing number of non-commercial stations run by Christian evangelistic ministries, which are, for the most part, supported by donations from viewers and member churches.

Local TV channels carry a lot of American programs, including Sesame Street, The PowerPuff Girls, Lizzie McGuire, The Simpsons, Smallville and ER.

• Museum of Television and Radio
• How Digital Television Works (How Stuff Works)
• PBS for Kids
• Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (Emmy Awards)
• Big Dream/Small Screen: Television in the 40's and 50's (PBS)