Sports in 1982

In Super Bowl XVI, the San Francisco 49ers won 26–21 over the Cincinnati Bengals in the Pontiac Silverdome, as the 49ers Joe Montana was the MVP. The first regular season strike by NFL players ended on November 16 after 57 days. The Clemson Tigers won 22-15 over the Nebraska Cornhuskers to win the college football national championship in the Orange Bowl. UC Berkeley, executed “The Play” in a game against Stanford, with a wacky 57-yard kickoff return that included 5 laterals that ran through the Stanford band who had prematurely come onto the field, to win 25–20. I remember watching it on the sports news. Paul “Bear” Bryant coached his final college football game, leading Alabama to a 21–15 victory over Illinois in the Liberty Bowl, but he died of a massive heart attack four weeks later at age 69. The 1982 NCAA Championship Game featured three of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, and James Worthy, with two Hall of Fame coaches, Dean Smith for the Tar Heels and John Thompson for the Hoyas. Georgetown had center Patrick Ewing and Eric “Sleepy” Floyd, while North Carolina answered with forward James Worthy, center Sam Perkins, and a young freshman guard Michael Jordan, who made the final shot for the North Carlonia 63-62 win. In the NBA Finals, there was a repeat of the year before. Pat Riley’s LA Lakers won 4 games to 2 over Billy Cunningham’s Philadelphia 76ers, featuring the Lakers Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabar against Julius Irving and Maurice Cheeks, with the MVP going to Magic Johnson. In the World Series, the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Milwaukee Brewers, 4 games to 3, to win their 9th World Series title, but the first since 1967. The Series MVP was Cardinal’s catcher Darrell Porter. Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles played the first of what would become a record-breaking 2,632 consecutive games. Montreal hosted the first MLB All-Star Game outside the United States. The National League won its 11th consecutive win over the American League 4-1, as Jose Concepción was named the MVP. Pete Rose set the record with his 13,941st plate appearance. The KBO professional baseball league in South Korea had its first official game. Tom Watson won two of the majors, US and British Open, while Craig Stadler won the Masters, and Raymond Floyd was the PGA champ. Craig Stadler was the PGA Tour money leader with $446,462, Miller Barber the Seniors PGA leader with $106,890, and JoAnne Carner the LPGA Tour money leader with $310,400. Aaron Pryor defeated Alexis Argüello in what would later be called the fight of the decade. Ray Mancini defeated Duk Koo Kim by knockout in 14 rounds in a tragic fight, as Kim died four days later. In World Figure Skating Championship, Scott Hamilton of the USA won the men’s title, while Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean, of the UK, won the pair’s ice dancing championship. Bernard Hinault of France won his fourth Tour de France. Italy beat West Germany 3-1 for their third World Cup title. At the Indianapolis 500, 1973 winner Gordon Johncock won his second race over 1979 winner Rick Mears by 0.16 seconds, the closest finish to that date. Three different horses won legs of the Triple Crown Races. The New York Islanders won their third straight Stanley Cup, beating the Vancouver Canucks 4-0. Jimmy Connors won two of the gram slam events, Wimbledon, and the US Open, while Johan Kriek and Mats Wilander won the other two. Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova spilt the grand slam of tennis events, each winning two each. Meanwhile, Billie Jean King made her final singles appearance at the US Open, losing in the first round. The AP Male Athlete of the Year was Wayne Gretzky, of the NHL Edmonton Oilers, while the AP Female Athlete of the Year was Mary Decker from track and field. What is your favorite sport event from 1982?

Famous people who died in 1982

A few important people died in 1982: Bess Truman, First Lady of the United States, and Second Lady of the United States (1885-1982); Grace Kelly, American actress, Princess of Monaco (1929-1982); Henry Fonda, actor father of Jane Fonda (1905-1982); Marty Robbins, singer-songwriter, race car driver (1925-1982); Leon Jaworski, Watergate attorney and law professor (1905-1982); Arthur Rubinstein, Polish-American pianist (1887-1982); Jack Webb, actor, television producer, screenwriter (1920-1982); Victor Buono, actor, comedian, and recording artist (1938-1982); Hans Conried, actor and comedian (1917-1982); Harvey Lembeck, actor (1923-1982); Paul Lynde, comedian and actor (1926-1982); Lightnin’ Hopkins, blues musician (1912-1982); Eleanor Powell, actress and dancer (1912-1982); Thelonious Monk, pianist and composer (1917-1982); Lee Strasberg, theatre director, actor, and acting coach (1901-1982); Murray the K, rock and roll impresario and disc jockey (1922-1982); John Belushi, comedian and actor in a drug overdose (1949-1982); Ray Bloch, composer, songwriter, conductor, pianist, author, author, and arranger (1902-1982); Rudy Bond, actor (1912-1982); Warren Oates, actor (1928-1982); Abe Fortas, jurist, and lawyer, served as associate judge of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1965 to 1969 (1910-1982); Don Wilson, announcer and actor (1900-1982); Hugh Beaumont, actor (1910-1982); Rusty Day, rock singer (1945-1982); Satchel Paige, famous baseball pitcher (1906-1982); Bob Johnson, baseball outfielder and manager (1905-1982); Lloyd Waner, Pittsburgh baseball player, MLB Hall of Fame (1906-1982); Bill George, Chicago Bears NFL Hall of Fame (1929-1982); John Maxwell, actor (1918-1982); Dave Garroway, original TV host of Today (1913-1982); Al Rinker, singer-songwriter (1907-1982); John Cheever, novelist and short story writer (1912-1982); Vic Morrow, actor (1929-1982); Jill Banner, actress (1946-1982); Joe E. Ross, actor (1914-1982); Joe Tex, singer and musician (1935-1982); Alfred S. Bloomingdale, businessman retailer (1916-1982); J. C. Hall, founder of Hallmark Cards (1891-1982); Mabel Albertson, actress (1901-1982); Fernando Lamas, Argentine-American actor and director (1915-1982); James Broderick, actor (1927-1982); King Vidor, film director, producer and screenwriter (1894-1982); Dominique Dunne, actress killed (1959-1982); Al Haig, pianist (1924-1982); Will Lee, actor (1908-1982); and Jack Swigert, NASA astronaut (1931-1982). Do you anyone who died in 1982?

Disasters in 1982

Shortly after takeoff, Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into Washington, D.C.’s 14th Street Bridge and fell into the Potomac River, killing 78. On the same day, a Washington Metro train derailed to the north, killing three in its first fatal accident. Pan Am Flight 759, a Boeing 727, crashed in Kenner, Louisiana, killing all 146 on board and eight on the ground. In January, a brutal cold snap sent temperatures to record lows in dozens of cities throughout the Midwestern United States. In April, a blizzard unprecedented in size for April dumped 1–2 feet of snow on the northeastern United States, closing schools and businesses, snarling traffic, and canceling several major league baseball games. Finally, the “Christmas Eve Blizzard of ’82” hit Denver. School teacher Carl Robert Brown murdered eight people inside a welding shop in Miami, Florida, before being shot dead by a passing motorist. Vincent Chin, a 27-year-old Chinese American, was beaten and killed by two white auto-workers in Highland Park, Michigan, who thought that he was Japanese and the cause of the declining prosperity of the American auto industry. A Unabomber bomb exploded in the computer science department at Vanderbilt University, where the secretary Janet Smith was injured. In Newport, Rhode Island, Claus von Bülow was found guilty of the attempted murder of his wife. What disaster do you remember from 1982?

Great events in 1982

1982 was a great year. Ronald Reagan became the first American President to address a joint session of the British Parliament. President Reagan also kicked off the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee, where over 11 million people attended the fair during its 6-month run. US House Speaker Tip O’Neill and President Reagan, two old Irish drinking buddies, settled one of the most unforgettable deals in US history with the Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which cut the ratio of spending of three to one and added more taxes. During the summer of 1982, a rally against nuclear weapons drew 750,000 people to New York City’s Central Park, with singers Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, and Linda Ronstadt. A multinational force of French and US Marines landed in Beirut to oversee the PLO withdrawal from Lebanon. The United States placed an embargo on Libyan oil imports, alleging Libyan support for terrorist groups. The Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution of the United States fell short of the 38 states needed to pass. The United States Air Force Space Command was founded. The Garn–St. Germain Depository Institutions Act deregulated the U.S. savings and loan industry, that led to some problems later. AT&T agreed to divest itself into 22 subdivisions, as this began the new phone age. Braniff International Airways declared bankruptcy and ceased all flights. Checker Motors Corporation, an American taxicab manufacturer, ceased production. Car designer John DeLorean was arrested for selling cocaine to undercover FBI agents. Although cleared, the DeLorean Motor Company ceased production. The Institute for Puerto Rican Policy was founded in New York City to research and advocate for Puerto Rican and Latino community issues, that changed its name in 2006 to the National Institute for Latino Policy. The first edition of USA Today was published, so that it later became ubiquitous in most hotels. The severe early 1980s recession ended in November, 1982, but in the November Congressional elections, the Republican Party lost 27 seats to the majority Democratic Party in the House. In November, the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged to close at 1,065, its first all-time high in more than 9 years, since 1973. The points gain was the biggest ever up to this point, while the unemployment rate peaked at 10.8%. Also in November, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C., after a march to its site by thousands of Vietnam War veterans. John Warnock and Charles Geschke founded Adobe Systems Incorporated. At the University of Utah, 61-year-old retired dentist Barney Clark became the first person to receive a permanent artificial heart, but he only lived for 112 days. The first U.S. execution by lethal injection was carried out in Texas on Charles Brooks Jr. What do you remember about 1982?

Epcot center opens

About the same time, on October 1, 1982, Walt Disney World finally opened to the public its second largest theme park, Epcot Center, for the first time. Epcot is the theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, the second of four theme parks built at the resort. Epcot is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, particularly technological innovation, and international culture, and is known for its iconic landmark Spaceship Earth, a geodesic sphere. After Walt Disney’s death in 1966, Disney Corporation felt that Walt’s grand vision was impractical. However, it laid the groundwork for EPCOT Center, a theme park that retained the core spirit of his vision. The park was divided into two distinct areas. Future World showcased the modern innovations through educational entertainment attractions within avant-garde pavilions. On the other hand, World Showcase highlighted the diversity of human cultures from various nations. However, from the late 2010s to the early 2020s, this park underwent a major overhaul, adding new attractions. Future World was restructured into three areas, World Celebration, World Discovery, and World Nature. This Epcot Center has 305 acres, twice the size of the Magic Kingdom Park. In 2023, EPCOT attracted nearly 12 million guests, making it the eighth-most visited theme park in the world. EPCOT was an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. This community of tomorrow was never completed but will always be introducing, testing, and demonstrating new materials and new systems. Thus, EPCOT will always be a showcase to the world of the ingenuity and imagination of American initiative. Walt Disney’s original vision, sometimes called Progress City, would have been home to 20,000 residents, and would be a living laboratory showcasing cutting-edge technology and urban planning. It was to be built in the shape of a circle with an urban city center with community buildings, schools, and recreational complexes. This would be surrounded by rings of residential areas and industrial areas, all connected by monorail and People Mover lines. Automobile traffic would be kept underground, leaving pedestrians safe above ground. This radial plan concept was strongly influenced by British planner Ebenezer Howard (1850-1928) and his Garden Cities of Tomorrow. Thus, Disney created Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), with the authority of a governmental body over the Walt Disney World land that was established in 1967. However, Walt Disney was not able to obtain funding and permission to start work on his Florida property until he agreed to first build the Magic Kingdom theme park. He died in 1966, nearly five years before Magic Kingdom opened. After Walt Disney’s death, the company decided that it did not want to be in the business of running a city without Walt’s guidance. Finally, the park was constructed for an estimated $800 million to $1.4 billion and took three years to build, at the time the largest construction project on Earth. The parking lot alone had 141 acres to hold over 11,000 vehicles. At its opening, Future World featured six pavilions: Spaceship Earth, Community Core, Journey Into Imagination, The Land, Universe of Energy, and the World of Motion. World Showcase featured nine pavilions: Mexico, China, Germany, Italy, The American Adventure, Japan, France, United Kingdom, and Canada. Notice it had a limited world. I have never been inside Epcot but only seen it from the outside. Have you ever been to EPCOT?

Siskel and Ebert – At the Movies

In 1982, Gene Siskel (1946-1999) and Roger Ebert (1942-2013) syndicated their local Chicago PBS show that they had started in 1977, “Sneak Previews.” Their new show was called “At the Movies” from 1982–1986, and then “Siskel & Ebert” from 1986–1999, when Gene Siskel died. The original name of their local show was “Opening Soon at a Theater Near You” from 1975–1977. Siskel & Ebert, were American film critics known for their partnership on television lasting twenty-four years. Originally, they were well-known film critics writing for Chicago newspapers, Siskel for the Chicago Tribune, and Ebert for the rival Chicago Sun-Times. Known for their sharp and biting wit, intense professional rivalry, heated arguments, and their “Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down” summations, this duo became a sensation in American popular culture in the last half of the twentieth century. Siskel started writing for the Chicago Tribune in 1969, becoming its film critic soon after. Ebert joined the Chicago Sun-Times in 1966, and started writing about film for the paper in 1967. In 1975, Ebert became the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for criticism. Siskel and Ebert started their professional collaboration on the local Chicago PBS station WTTW. I remember that show and liked it a lot. I got all my movie information from them. They were nominated for various awards including Daytime Emmy Awards as well as several Primetime Emmy Awards, including one for Outstanding Information Series. After Siskel’s death of terminal brain cancer in 1999, Ebert tried to continue with a series of rotating guest hosts, but finally ended up with Richard Roeper (1959-). Siskel and Ebert’s reviewing style has been described as a form of midwestern populist criticism. They tended to sensationalize film criticism in an easygoing, relatable way. Together, they are credited with forming contemporary film criticism with their common man style. They were also known for their intense debate, often drawing sharp criticisms of each other. As Roger Ebert said, “They had a meaningless hate, but a deep love for each other.” Siskel and Ebert also advocated for up-and-coming filmmakers. In 1990, they interviewed Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg on a special titled “The Future of the Movies.” Quite often they appeared together on late-night talk shows and other day time talk shows. They would not guest star in movies. However, they appeared as themselves on SNL three times in the 1980s. I liked their shows and comments about movies. Did you like Siskel and Ebert?

The 1982 Chicago Tylenol murders

On September 28, 1982, 12-year-old Mary Kellerman was hospitalized after consuming a capsule of Extra Strength Tylenol. She died the next day. On September 29, six other individuals consumed contaminated Tylenol, including Adam Janus (27), Stanley Janus (25), and Theresa Janus (20), who each took a Tylenol capsule from a single bottle. Mary McFarland (31), Paula Prince (35), and Mary Reiner (27) would ultimately die from consuming the pills also. Thus, seven people in the Arlington Heights suburb of the Chicago area died after ingesting capsules laced with potassium cyanide. These Chicago Tylenol murders resulted from drug tampering in the Chicago metropolitan area in the fall of 1982. The victims consumed Tylenol-branded acetaminophen capsules that had been laced with potassium cyanide. Seven people died in the original poisonings, and there were several more deaths in subsequent copycat crimes. The police hypothesis was that someone had taken bottles off the shelves in local Chicago area stores, placed potassium cyanide in some of the capsules, and then placed the packages back on the store shelves to be purchased by unknowing customers. In addition to the five bottles that led to the victims’ deaths, a few other contaminated bottles were later discovered in the Chicago area. There were many copycat attacks involving Tylenol, other over-the-counter medications, and other products that took place around the United States immediately following the Chicago deaths. However, no suspect has ever been charged or convicted of the poisonings, but New York City resident James William Lewis was convicted of extortion for sending a letter to Tylenol’s manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson, that took responsibility for the deaths and demanded $1 million to stop them. These incidents led to reforms in the packaging of over-the-counter drugs and to federal anti-tampering laws. I know that it was scary because no one knew how many Tylenol bottles were affected. Finally, the recall expanded to all Tylenol bottles in the Chicago area, making it one of the largest pharmaceutical recalls ever. A multi-agency investigation found that the tampered pills had been sold or on the shelves in a variety of stores in the Chicago area. To reassure the public, Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of Tylenol, distributed warnings to hospitals and distributors, and halted Tylenol production and advertising. A nationwide recall of Tylenol products was issued on October 5, 1982 of an estimated 31 million bottles of Tylenol, with a retail value of over a hundred million dollars. The company also advertised in the national media for individuals not to consume any of its products that contained acetaminophen, after it was determined that only these capsules had been tampered with. Johnson & Johnson also offered to exchange all Tylenol capsules already purchased by the public for solid tablets. Johnson & Johnson, whose headquarters are in New Brunswick, NJ, near Carteret, NJ, where I grew up, received positive coverage for its handling of the crisis. Candy sales were down that 1982 Halloween in the Chicago area. What do you remember about the Tylenol scare?

Late Night with David Letterman made its debut on NBC in 1982

In 1982, “Late Night with David Letterman” debuted, a show that appeared after the Johnny Carson Show. In New York, it started at 12:30 AM, since he was taking over for Tom Synder (1936-2007). Tom Synder would be on “The Late, Late, Show,” on CBS in the 1990s. The first guest for Letterman was Bill Murray, one of Letterman’s most recurrent guests, guesting on his later CBS show’s celebration of his 30th anniversary in late-night television, which aired January 31, 2012, and on the final CBS show, which aired May 20, 2015. David Letterman hosted late-night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with February 1, 1982, with “Late Night with David Letterman” on NBC, and ending with the May 20, 2015, broadcast of the “Late Show with David Letterman” on CBS. In total, Letterman hosted 6,080 episodes of Late Night and Late Show, surpassing his friend and mentor Johnny Carson as the longest-serving late-night talk show host in American television history. Letterman’s CBS “The Late Show” got its main competitor from NBC’s “The Tonight Show,” which Jay Leno hosted for 22 years from 1992 to 2014. In 1993 and 1994, “The Late Show” consistently gained higher ratings than “The Tonight Show.” But in 1995, ratings dipped and Leno’s show consistently beat Letterman in the ratings from the time that Hugh Grant came on Leno’s show after Grant’s arrest for soliciting a prostitute. Leno typically attracted about five million nightly viewers between 1999 and 2009. The “Late Show” lost nearly half its audience during its competition with Leno, attracting 7.1 million viewers nightly in its 1993–94 season and about 3.8 million per night as of Leno’s departure in 2009. Letterman’s shows have garnered both critical and industry praise, receiving 67 Emmy Award nominations, winning 12 times in his first 20 years in late night television. From 1993 to 2009, Letterman ranked higher than Leno in the annual Harris Poll of Nation’s Favorite TV Personality 12 times. Letterman received the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors Medallion. In 2002, Letterman’s contract with CBS neared expiration, ABC offered him the time slot for the long-running news program “Nightline” with Ted Koppel. However, Letterman stayed at CBS. The final episode of Late Show with David Letterman in 2015 was watched by nearly 14 million viewers in the United States, also the highest-rated program on network television that night, beating out all prime-time shows. David Letterman was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1947. According to the Ball State Daily News, he originally wanted to attend Indiana University, but his grades were not good enough, so he instead attended Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. A self-described average student, Letterman later endowed a scholarship for what he called “C students” at Ball State. Letterman began his broadcasting career as an announcer and newscaster at the college’s student-run radio station WBST. Soon after graduating from Ball State in 1969, Letterman began his career as a radio talk show host on WNTS and on Indianapolis television station WLWI as an anchor and weatherman. Letterman’s comedic career took hold in the 1970s at The Comedy Store in Los Angeles. Letterman’s brand of dry, sarcastic humor caught the attention of scouts for “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” and he was soon a regular guest on the show. That is how he ended up on the Late Show. In 1992, Johnny Carson retired, and many fans, and Carson himself, believed that Letterman would become the new host of “The Tonight Show.” When NBC instead gave the job to Jay Leno, Letterman departed NBC to host his own late-night show on CBS, opposite “The Tonight Show” at 11:30 p.m., called the “Late Show with David Letterman.” The new show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was taped at the historic Ed Sullivan Theater, in New York City, where Ed Sullivan broadcast his TV variety series from 1948 to 1971. Did you like David Letterman?

The “Tonight Show with Johnny Carson”

“The Tonight Show,” a late-night talk show began broadcasting on NBC TV in 1954. Following Steve Allen (1954–1957) and Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992) began to host this show for thirty years in 1962. Back then, there was no late-night shows after the late evening news at 11:30 PM Eastern time on any other network. Thus, the “Tonight Show” is the world’s longest-running talk show, and the longest-running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States. On NBC, only the “Today Show (1952)” and “Meet the Press (1947)” have been on TV longer. Up until 1972, the “Tonight Show” was taped in New York City. From 1973 to 2014, it was taped in Burbank, California. Johnny Carson (1925-2005) was the king of late-night television for thirty years until his retirement in 1992. In 1982, he was celebrating his twentieth year as the host of the “Tonight Show.” I would watch the “Tonight Show” when I got home late on Wednesday and Friday nights from work at Montgomery Ward. I liked the way he questioned guests and his quick wit. He always smoked cigarettes as he was interviewing people. Johnny Carson (1925–2005) received six Primetime Emmy Awards, the Television Academy’s 1980 Governor’s Award, and a 1985 Peabody Award. He was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987, awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1992, and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1993. Carson was born in Iowa, but grew up in Nebraska, so that his midwestern charm made him and his TV show popular in the Midwest time zone that was only at 10:30 PM. During World War II, Carson served in the United States Navy. After the war he took advantage of the GI bill to get a BA degree in radio and speech at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. In 1953, he joined the comic “Red Skelton Show” as a writer. Carson then moved to New York City to host ABC’s “Who Do You Trust? (1957–1962).” There he met his future sidekick and straight man, Ed McMahon (1923-2009). Then in 1962, Skitch Henderson (1918-2005) was installed as the maestro of the NBC Orchestra for the “Tonight Show.” Ed McMahon’s famous introduction, “Heeeeere’s Johnny!!!” was followed by a brief monologue by Carson. Paul Anka wrote “The Tonight Show’s” theme song, “Johnny’s Theme.” On May 1, 1972, “The Tonight Show” moved from 30 Rockefeller Plaza to the NBC Studios in Burbank, California, because of the studio’s proximity to celebrities. Although Carson’s work schedule became more abbreviated, “The Tonight Show” remained so successful that his compensation from NBC continued to rise. By the mid-1970s, he had become the highest-paid personality on television, earning about $4 million a year. Carson became an American institution, a household word, and the most widely quoted American. He was married four times, with three sons from his first marriage. On February 27, 1982, Carson was arrested for drunk driving near Beverly Hills. He was an Eisenhower Republican, but Frank Sinatra asked him to be the MC at Regan’s inaugural. Carson endowed the University of Nebraska with the Johnny Carson School of Theater and Film. He was good friends with Carl Sagan, Buddy Rich, and John McEnroe. What do you remember about Johnny Carson?

Getting Cable TV in 1982

Sometime during 1982 we got Comcast cable in our house in Matteson, IL. I believe that it became available in our neighborhood. This is when I grew to like C-SPAN and the Sports channel ESPN with its many sports talk shows and Australian football, which was much like Gaelic Irish football. ESPN had no rights to most American sporting events. The movie channels were nice, but I began to realize that there were a lot of bad movies. Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fiber-optic cables. An antenna was no longer needed. This contrasts with broadcast television, in which the television signal is transmitted over-the-air by radio waves and received by a television antenna, or satellite television, with a satellite dish on the roof. Analog television was standard in the 20th century, but since the 2000s, cable systems have been upgraded to digital cable operation. A cable channel is a television network available via cable television only. Cable television began in the United States as a commercial business in the 1950s. At the outset, cable systems only served smaller communities without television stations of their own, since they could not receive signals from stations in cities because of distance or hilly terrain. Only about 8% of Americans in 1978 had cable TV. However, by 1988, 53% of all American households were using cable and it further increased to 62% in 1994. During the 1980s, United States regulations, not unlike public, educational, and government access stations, created the beginning of cable-originated live television programming. As cable penetration increased, numerous cable-only TV stations were launched, many with their own news bureaus that could provide more immediate and more localized content than that provided by the nearest network newscast. This evolved into today’s many cable-only broadcasts of diverse programming, including cable-only produced television movies. Cable specialty channels started with channels oriented to show movies and large sporting or performance events, then diversified further, as narrowcasting became common. By the late 1980s, cable-only signals outnumbered broadcast signals on cable systems, some of which had expanded beyond 35 channels. By the 1990s, tiers became common, with customers able to subscribe to different tiers to obtain different selections of additional channels above the basic selection. By subscribing to additional tiers, customers could get specialty channels, movie channels, and foreign channels. Large cable companies used addressable descramblers to limit access to premium channels for customers not subscribing to higher tiers. During the 1990s, the pressure to accommodate the growing array of offerings resulted in digital transmission that made more efficient use of the VHF signal capacity. The digital television transition in the United States has put all signals, broadcast, and cable, into digital form, rendering analog cable television service a rarity, found in an ever-dwindling number of markets. Cable television is mostly available in North America, Europe, Australia, Asia, and South America, but has had little success in Africa, as it is not cost-effective to lay cables in sparsely populated areas. Where I live now, I have nearly a thousand channels available on my Astound RCN cable network, even if I not do subscribe to all of them. Do you have cable network TV?