CATV (informally known as cable television) was born in the mountains of Pennsylvania in the late 1940s. At the time, people who didn't live in a city where signals could easily be received could not watch television. John Walson, an appliance store owner in Schuylkill County, resolved this reception issue by putting an antenna on top of a nearby mountain. Walson improved the picture quality by using coaxial cable and self-manufactured "boosters" (amplifiers) to bring CATV to the homes of customers who bought television sets. It was there, at that moment, that cable television was born.
Walson's endeavors quickly inspired others to do the same. Milton Jerrold Shapp developed a master antenna television system that also used coaxial cable and signal boosters. However, Shapp's rendition could carry multiple signals at once. Robert "Bob" Tarlton read about Shapp's new system and thought it could also work for his town of Lansford if it worked for apartment houses and department stores. Other system owners like Joseph Gans of Hazleton and Claude Reinhard of Palmerton soon began experimenting with microwaves to bring signals from distant cities. Martin Malarkey followed suit and started his own cable system in Pottsville in 1950. His system eventually became the largest at the time. Cable operators like George and Yolanda Barco, Joe and Irene Gans, George Gardner, Claude Reinhard, John Rigas, Bob Tarlton, and others worked to form two trade associations: National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and Broadband Communications Association of Pennsylvania (BCAP). These associations still work to meet the growing demand for cable television in Pennsylvania and nationwide.