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Swindon Cable was the UK's first commercial Cable TV franchise. It was originally set up by Thorn EMI as Radio Rentals Cable Television. It later changed the local company name to Swindon Cable. As well as relaying satellite channels it operated its own local Cable TV channel known as Swindon's Local Channel. It closed permanently in 2000 after 16 years of broadcasting mostly local programming on the Wiltshire town's cable network cable network. The start of Cable in Swindon goes back to 1928 when a company called Radio Relay transmitted two audio channels on a wire that ran around the town to a relatively small number of homes. Since radio sets were not freely available and some houses did not even have electricity, this was the answer to the new radio invention – a loud speaker on the wall and a volume control. In 1961 used a new cable network to transmit black and white television pictures. Once again, due to general poor reception, this proved enormously popular, especially since the BBC didn’t have enough transmitters to satisfy demand for the new media. At its peak in 1969, 15,000 were paying to receive their television pictures via cable television. However, this was a relay service in the true sense – in other words only existing terrestrial programmes could be put on the cable, and in consequence, the interest in cable started to decline as more and more BBC and ITV transmitters made reception clearer. Unlike its American counterparts, the British companies were not allowed to broadcast out of area signals or original programmes. In 1964 this company was acquired by Radio Rentals, which in turn became part of the Thorn EMI group in 1968. ==''Swindon Viewpoint''== Local programming in Swindon began life as Swindon Viewpoint on 11 September 1973 as an experiment in community television on cable TV. It was managed initially by Richard Dunn, who later went on to become Head of Thames Television. This experiment started with EMI finance on the Radio Rentals cable radio and television relay network. Local people were trained to use television production equipment. Many of the programmes were 'one-off' documentaries that interested the volunteers involved or programmes of more general public interest. The studios were in the basement of Radio Rentals premises on Swindon's Victoria Road. The experiment ended in 1976 when EMI decided to pull out of funding the service. Although it was popular and flourishing. The main reason seems to have been that the Government would not allow advertising or sponsorship. Amid much local concern, Swindon Viewpoint was sold to the public of Swindon for £1 and an elected board of directors set up to oversee it. Viewpoint thus became the first television service that was publicly owned and managed. Programming continued successfully for the rest of the decade with a staff of around six to train the public to make programmes, and was funded by a mix of sponsorship and a Ladbrokes operated lottery scheme (the forerunner of the National Lottery. Viewpoints central programming strand was a magazine based programmes called 'Seen in Swindon'. When video programming wasn't being shown the channel broadcast an audio service known as Radio Swindon Viewpoint, the service could still only be received on a television and during this time captions displaying local information were shown. When the Lottery scheme ended in 1980, funding dried up and Viewpoint went into partnership with Media Arts, the public media centre in Swindon. Though this partnership recognised and maintained the independence of Viewpoint. With no staff the operation was now entirely volunteer based, but nevertheless programmeds continued through the eighties. Its main programme strand was called 'Access Swindon'. In the early nineties Media Arts was restructured and support for Viewpoint was ended. With no access to production resources the board of directors resolved to suspend programming operations but to maintain its structure and registration as a Company, pending a more favourable climate. It has since restarted operations online where it shows selections from its archive of programmes, as well as recent material. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Swindon Cable」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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