Zeitgeist

How Cable Built Its Empires

Books about the audacious entrepreneurs who turned cable television into a national force, from 24-hour news and superstations to sports franchises and corporate dealmaking.

7 booksMay 6, 2026

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CNN founder Ted Turner, a pioneer of cable TV news, dies at 87cnn.com Ted Turner, CNN creator who revolutionized the media industry, dies at 87latimes.com Rupert Murdoch, David Zaslav and More Media Moguls Remember Ted Turner, CNN’s...nytimes.com

Part of 510+ tracked lists

1. Cronkite
Douglas Brinkley, George Guidall
Brinkley’s Cronkite provides a definitive portrait of a broadcast-era anchor whose institutional role helps...
Shelf signal: 20th-Century America
2. Born to Be Wired
John Malone
John Malone’s memoir traces the consolidation and dealmaking that shaped modern cable infrastructure and corporate...
Shelf signal: Media & Communications
3. The Loudest Voice in the Room
Gabriel Sherman
Sherman’s account of Roger Ailes and Fox shows a parallel case of a combative network boss building ideological and...
Shelf signal: Corporate Histories
4. Disneywar
Patrick Lawlor, James B. Stewart
Disneywar examines corporate media battles and leadership that illuminate how entertainment conglomerates jockeyed with...
Shelf signal: Business Lives
5. Liberty and the News
Walter Lippmann
Walter Lippmann’s Liberty and the News offers a classic framework for thinking about news institutions, public trust,...
Shelf signal: Political
6. Sports, Media, and Society
Kevin Hull
Sports, Media, and Society explains the growing overlap between team ownership, media platforms, and cultural influence...
Shelf signal: Parks & Recreation Management
7. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning
Jonathan Mahler
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx Is Burning contextualizes how sports and local media intersected with urban politics in...
Shelf signal: Middle Atlantic History

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