Total TV Inc. was a regional cable television company started by

Jim Fitzgerald James Francis Fitzgerald (March 27, 1926 – June 4, 2012) was an American businessman and former professional sports owner, best known as a former owner of the Milwaukee Bucks and the Golden State Warriors, both NBA teams. Early life Fitzge ...

in 1964. Fitzgerald, J.P. Cullen, the Ryan brothers and several other investors began the company because of the poor quality television signals in their hometown of

Janesville, Wisconsin Janesville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat and largest city in the county. It is a principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Madison–Jane ...

. Fitzgerald would later purchase the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

in 1976 and the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

in 1987 with many of these same investors. Total TV would eventually own cable systems in Wisconsin, Illinois and Florida. Total TV began selling cable service in Janesville in 1965 at a time when few people had ever heard of cable television. Initial service included 12 black and white channels for $5/month. The company soon began to expand throughout southern Wisconsin. Total TV also purchased some cable television systems in northern Florida. In the early 1970s Total TV needed money to expand their operations. The Milwaukee Bucks had recently won the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

championship and had money to invest. Fitzgerald soon struck a deal with the Bucks and joined their board of directors. By the early 1980s, Total TV had expanded into 40 cities, all in Wisconsin. The expansion was taking an enormous amount of time, effort and capital. By this time, the original investors had purchased the Milwaukee Bucks. In 1984, most of Total TV's assets were sold to Denver-based

Jones Intercable Jones Intercable was a cable television company founded by Glenn R. Jones in 1970. Jones, already a cable television veteran, had bought his first cable system in Georgetown, Colorado after taking a $400 loan on his Volkswagen. The company expand ...

. Several systems and a few unbuilt cities were sold to two of Fitzgerald's sons who continued to use the Total TV name until 1998.

References

Cable television companies of the United States Mass media companies established in 1964 Telecommunications companies established in 1964 Janesville, Wisconsin {{telecom-company-stub

See also

References