This episode explores the boldest gamble of Ted Turner's life to date — launching his scrappy Atlanta TV station, WTCG Channel 17, into orbit via satellite and transforming it into America’s first SUPERSTATION.
From Arthur C. Clarke’s 1945 prediction of satellite TV to Telstar I’s first live broadcast to HBO’s 1975 Thrilla in Manila transmission that took the tech to a new level, we land in the mid-1970s, when Turner saw what others missed: satellites weren’t just technology — they were a platform for a much bigger future.
With a $1 lease and a million earth station, Ted Turner took on the networks, the government, and the laws of gravity to beam his local TV station's signal to the entire nation.
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Credits
Writing, research, and production by Web Barr.
Artwork by Dylan Lathrop.
Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com).
Chapters
- (00:00): Opening Monologue
- (08:06): Telstar I Goes Up
- (13:00): First Live International Broadcast
- (19:00): How Satellites Work
- (28:31): HBO Takes the Leap
- (36:30): AT&T Plays Prevent D
- (41:10): Ted Joins the Race
- (1:01:11): Southern Satellite System
- (1:15:30): WTCG Goes National
Sources
Books used in Episode 4. Get em here!
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