QUBE
Encyclopedia
QUBE was a cable television system that played a pivotal role in the history of American cable television. Launched in Columbus, Ohio
in December 1977, QUBE introduced viewers, and the international press, to several concepts that became central to the future development of cable television: pay-per-view
programs, special-interest cable television
networks, and interactive services.
inspired Steve Ross, Chairman of Warner Communications
, to wonder what could be done to improve the performance of Warner’s tiny cable television division. Ross was intrigued by the potential of delivering Warner Bros.
movies directly to home subscribers.
At the time, Warner Cable was a tiny division of Warner Communications
, run by a former Western Union telecommunications executive and attorney, Gus Hauser. Ross surrounded Hauser with entertainment industry executives—Jac Holzman, who had sold his Elektra Records to Ross in 1967; Mike Dann, the CBS programming wizard responsible for The Beverly Hillbillies
and Green Acres
; former CBS
general counsel Spencer Harrison, who was the primary reason why My Fair Lady
was produced on Broadway; and super-agent Ted Ashley, whose talent agency was Ross’s first show-biz acquisition.
Pioneer Electronics was hired to "build the box" that would transform the cable TV service in a few hundred thousand households into a device that was intended to change the entire entertainment landscape.
The service was first launched in Columbus, Ohio amidst considerable national and international press coverage. Debuting with a total of 30 channels (a comparatively large number of cable channels at the time), this initial QUBE service consisted of 10 pay-per-view movie channels (a new feature for cable TV); 10 broadcast channels (from Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Cleveland); and 10 community channels. These community channels included Pinwheel, later reworked to become Nickelodeon, a weather channel, a learning channel, and a channel filled with locally produced programs that showed off QUBE's interactivity. The first Qube box was issued as a test for 4 months to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Walter B. Kesler, in Hilliard, Ohio. The Kesler family watched the broadcasts that were intended for a larger audience, and caused the eventual push in programming that would affect how cable formatted shows would be put together based on their viewing habits. The Kesler's children, Lori A. and Kurt W. are regarded to be the first product of the "cable generation."
Warner Cable used the new system to acquire valuable cable franchises, with which it would build and create cable monopolies in several large markets throughout the country. Warner QUBE was “awarded” cable franchises in cities such as Houston, Milwaukee, Dallas, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Pittsburgh. Despite never becoming widespread, many of the fundamental aspects of QUBE became important parts of television: pay-per-view and On Demand, MTV
and Nickelodeon. QUBE itself was successfully installed and used in half the homes in Columbus, and the interactive results showed a high volume of participation from viewers who had the QUBE box and remote. The later remotes added five additional buttons for a total of ten options, and became wireless
.
After launching a few other systems beyond Columbus, QUBE created an interactive network in Columbus. This network sent live, interactive programming to each of the QUBE systems for two hours per night, five nights a week. One of the most popular programs was called "Soap Scoop", which wrapped up the daily events on each of the national soap operas. Guests on the show included producers and actors from the various programs, and viewers were frequently polled on their opinions regarding characters and plots.
as an investor. Subsequently, Warner-Amex Cable Communications was formed with a stellar board of directors, including American Express chairman Jim Robinson
and President Lou Gerstner, and the former head of Shearson/American Express, Sanford Weill. However, Warner bought out American Express after the latter made an offer to buy Warner’s position, leading to conflicts between the two companies.
By this time, MTV and Nickelodeon were becoming meaningful endeavors in their own right; its powerful leaders were Bob Pittman and Geraldine Layborne. In the meantime, QUBE was either up and running or already built in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Dallas, Houston, and St. Louis. Warner Cable, which previously had only 200,000 subscribers, now had 2 million subscribers, roughly 1/10 of the entire cable subscriber universe. Pittman led a highly unsuccessful effort to buy MTV; there was also an unsuccessful attempt at a public offering. Gus Hauser was gone, replaced by President Reagan’s future Transportation Secretary, Drew Lewis.
Lewis renegotiated with municipalities to ease the burden to Warner of some of the cable franchise deals. However, in order to keep the cable operation going, Warner Cable had to sell MTV and Nickelodeon to Viacom
, and the QUBE systems were gradually phased out. The last QUBE boxes were phased out in 1984.
In addition to financial issues, privacy concerns increased among subscribers to QUBE. Personal information about a family’s specific interests, political views and other personal information could be stored in a database after it was processed during an interactive QUBE session. For example, a program could ask viewers to identify their favorite political candidates as part of a national survey, but this information could potentially be traced directly back to the respondents. Although Warner-Amex assured subscribers that their personal information would be kept private, such data was valuable to merchandisers, political groups and other organizations. Even if subscribers trusted Warner-Amex’s commitment to privacy, there were still concerns regarding the ability for computer hackers to potentially steal information collected via QUBE. Consequently, nonrenewals became more numerous, ultimately contributing to the end of the broadcasting system.
Some examples of people who worked on QUBE moving on to other television innovations are:
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
in December 1977, QUBE introduced viewers, and the international press, to several concepts that became central to the future development of cable television: pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
programs, special-interest cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
networks, and interactive services.
History
A closed-circuit television system at the Otani Hotel in JapanJapan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
inspired Steve Ross, Chairman of Warner Communications
Warner Communications
Warner Communications or Warner Communications, Inc. was established in 1971 when Kinney National Company spun off its non-entertainment assets, due to a financial scandal over its parking operations and changed its name....
, to wonder what could be done to improve the performance of Warner’s tiny cable television division. Ross was intrigued by the potential of delivering Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
movies directly to home subscribers.
At the time, Warner Cable was a tiny division of Warner Communications
Warner Communications
Warner Communications or Warner Communications, Inc. was established in 1971 when Kinney National Company spun off its non-entertainment assets, due to a financial scandal over its parking operations and changed its name....
, run by a former Western Union telecommunications executive and attorney, Gus Hauser. Ross surrounded Hauser with entertainment industry executives—Jac Holzman, who had sold his Elektra Records to Ross in 1967; Mike Dann, the CBS programming wizard responsible for The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Beverly Hillbillies is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for nine seasons on CBS from 1962 to 1971, starring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer, Jr....
and Green Acres
Green Acres
Green Acres is an American television series starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm...
; former CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
general counsel Spencer Harrison, who was the primary reason why My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
was produced on Broadway; and super-agent Ted Ashley, whose talent agency was Ross’s first show-biz acquisition.
Pioneer Electronics was hired to "build the box" that would transform the cable TV service in a few hundred thousand households into a device that was intended to change the entire entertainment landscape.
The service was first launched in Columbus, Ohio amidst considerable national and international press coverage. Debuting with a total of 30 channels (a comparatively large number of cable channels at the time), this initial QUBE service consisted of 10 pay-per-view movie channels (a new feature for cable TV); 10 broadcast channels (from Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Cleveland); and 10 community channels. These community channels included Pinwheel, later reworked to become Nickelodeon, a weather channel, a learning channel, and a channel filled with locally produced programs that showed off QUBE's interactivity. The first Qube box was issued as a test for 4 months to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Walter B. Kesler, in Hilliard, Ohio. The Kesler family watched the broadcasts that were intended for a larger audience, and caused the eventual push in programming that would affect how cable formatted shows would be put together based on their viewing habits. The Kesler's children, Lori A. and Kurt W. are regarded to be the first product of the "cable generation."
The success of QUBE
To 30,000 homes scattered around the city and its suburbs, the goal of the QUBE was rather simple: "To create a faster method for groups to communicate and interact, across distance."Warner Cable used the new system to acquire valuable cable franchises, with which it would build and create cable monopolies in several large markets throughout the country. Warner QUBE was “awarded” cable franchises in cities such as Houston, Milwaukee, Dallas, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Pittsburgh. Despite never becoming widespread, many of the fundamental aspects of QUBE became important parts of television: pay-per-view and On Demand, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and Nickelodeon. QUBE itself was successfully installed and used in half the homes in Columbus, and the interactive results showed a high volume of participation from viewers who had the QUBE box and remote. The later remotes added five additional buttons for a total of ten options, and became wireless
Wireless
Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
.
After launching a few other systems beyond Columbus, QUBE created an interactive network in Columbus. This network sent live, interactive programming to each of the QUBE systems for two hours per night, five nights a week. One of the most popular programs was called "Soap Scoop", which wrapped up the daily events on each of the national soap operas. Guests on the show included producers and actors from the various programs, and viewers were frequently polled on their opinions regarding characters and plots.
The failures of QUBE
Unfortunately, the new systems' construction resulted in significant financial losses for Warner Cable. By 1982, Warner Cable was running a $99 million loss, and by 1983, the total debt was $875 million. The company called upon cash-rich American ExpressAmerican Express
American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
as an investor. Subsequently, Warner-Amex Cable Communications was formed with a stellar board of directors, including American Express chairman Jim Robinson
James D. Robinson III
James Dixon Robinson III was the chief executive officer of American Express Co. from 1977 until his retirement in 1993.-Education:...
and President Lou Gerstner, and the former head of Shearson/American Express, Sanford Weill. However, Warner bought out American Express after the latter made an offer to buy Warner’s position, leading to conflicts between the two companies.
By this time, MTV and Nickelodeon were becoming meaningful endeavors in their own right; its powerful leaders were Bob Pittman and Geraldine Layborne. In the meantime, QUBE was either up and running or already built in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Dallas, Houston, and St. Louis. Warner Cable, which previously had only 200,000 subscribers, now had 2 million subscribers, roughly 1/10 of the entire cable subscriber universe. Pittman led a highly unsuccessful effort to buy MTV; there was also an unsuccessful attempt at a public offering. Gus Hauser was gone, replaced by President Reagan’s future Transportation Secretary, Drew Lewis.
Lewis renegotiated with municipalities to ease the burden to Warner of some of the cable franchise deals. However, in order to keep the cable operation going, Warner Cable had to sell MTV and Nickelodeon to Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
, and the QUBE systems were gradually phased out. The last QUBE boxes were phased out in 1984.
In addition to financial issues, privacy concerns increased among subscribers to QUBE. Personal information about a family’s specific interests, political views and other personal information could be stored in a database after it was processed during an interactive QUBE session. For example, a program could ask viewers to identify their favorite political candidates as part of a national survey, but this information could potentially be traced directly back to the respondents. Although Warner-Amex assured subscribers that their personal information would be kept private, such data was valuable to merchandisers, political groups and other organizations. Even if subscribers trusted Warner-Amex’s commitment to privacy, there were still concerns regarding the ability for computer hackers to potentially steal information collected via QUBE. Consequently, nonrenewals became more numerous, ultimately contributing to the end of the broadcasting system.
Post-QUBE
Despite having a short lifespan and multiple shortcomings, QUBE occupied a unique place in media history. It was a venture that encouraged entrepreneurial media activities, and provided a unique foundation for a disproportionately large number of media innovators.Some examples of people who worked on QUBE moving on to other television innovations are:
- Howard Blumenthal, creator-producer of How Do You Like Your Eggs?, later developed MTV's Remote ControlRemote Control (game show)Remote Control is a TV game show that ran on MTV for three seasons from 1987 until 1990. It was MTV's first original non-musical program. New episodes were made for first-run syndication in 1989 which were distributed by Viacom...
and PBS' Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? is the title of several edutainment computer games in the Carmen Sandiego series that teach geography. The World games, often marketed as the flagship products of the Carmen series, were created by Brøderbund Software from 1985 to 1996 with another version...
, then shifted to executive roles with CDNow, Bertelsmann, and a division of Hearst. - Scott Kurnit founded About.comAbout.comAbout.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
, after a senior role at the pioneering online service, Prodigy. - Ron Castell became a senior executive at Blockbuster.
- Nancy Gould Chuda, producer ABC's An Evening With:Friends for the Environment, Bette Midler, Robin Williams, Meryl Streep, Cher, Goldie Hawn, Olivia Newton-John, and Lily Tomlin.
- Steve BornsteinSteve BornsteinSteve Bornstein is currently the President and CEO of the NFL Network and is also the National Football League's Executive-Vice President of Media. Prior to joining the NFL, Bornstein was the Chairman of ESPN, and also served as president of ABC...
, producer for Ohio State Buckeyes footballOhio State Buckeyes footballThe Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
programming on QUBE, became an executive with ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and currently the president of NFL NetworkNFL NetworkNFL Network is an American television specialty channel owned and operated by the National Football League . It was launched November 4, 2003, only eight months after the league's 32 team owners voted unanimously to approve its formation...
. - Burt Dubrow, whose career in talk shows brought about the success of Jerry Springer and Sally Jesse Raphael
- Ken Papagan, who continued his innovative work in interactive media as an executive with design and consulting firm iXL and as President of Rentrak.
- Robert Morton, whose executive producer credits include David Letterman, Mind of Mencia, and George Lopez
- Jim Jinkins, who created and produced the Nickelodeon series, Doug, and other animated series
- Ron Giles, who developed the QVC television operation, first in the U.S., then internationally
QUBE programming
- Talent Search (produced by Emmy-award winning producer Robert MortonRobert MortonRobert Morton was an English composer of the early Renaissance, mostly active at the Burgundian court. He was highly regarded at the time. Only secular vocal music, all Rondeaux for three voices, survive.-Life:...
, who subsequently produced Late Night with David LettermanLate Night with David LettermanLate Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
), a variety show featuring local talent, involved audiences rating each performer. And when the score dropped below an acceptable level, the performance was stopped. - Columbus Alive, a homey talk show, featured national and local celebrities, public opinion polls, and local chat.
- Screen Test was an interactive game show about the movies.
- Larry's Room was an interactive children's show hosted by Larry Odebrecht.
- Flippo's Magic Circus was a children's series that featured in-studio and play-at-home interactive games.
- How Do You Like Your Eggs?How Do You Like Your Eggs?How Do You Like Your Eggs? was a game show that aired live from March 23 to 31, 1977 as experimental broadcasts for the Columbus, Ohio-based Warner QUBE system...
, a four-episode game showGame showA game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
hosted by Bill CullenBill CullenWilliam Lawrence Francis "Bill" Cullen was an American radio and television personality whose career spanned five decades...
, involved two couples predicting how the home audience responded to questions.