James F. Reynolds (13 January 1919 - 25 August 25, 2003) was an American businessman, musician and pastor. He is best known for starting the first commercial cable TV system in the United States.[1]
Born in Sandy Lake, Pennsylvania to Myron M. and Faye Moore Reynolds, Reynolds began his first TV-related business, Reynolds TV & Appliance Store, in Sandy Lake shortly after graduating from high school. Seeking to expand his customer base, Reynolds emulated the "pipe TV" system first introduced by the British BBC Television in 1932 by introducing the Reynolds TV Cable subscription TV service in the late 1940s in Mapledale, Pennsylvania.[2]
Originally, this system was ideal for those living in mountainous or remote regions like Mapledale where broadcast signals were not readily available. But it experienced even greater demand during the federal Television Licensing Freeze of 1948-1952 when only those holding government issued permits were allowed to own and operate for over-the-air antennae. Essentially, Reynolds would run coaxial cable from his licensed antenna to subscribers' homes for a connection fee, then charge a monthly fee for continued service.[3]
Reynolds's system became so popular by the late 1940s that Reynolds expanded services to nearby Sandy Lake, Stoneboro, Cochranton, Utica and Polk. He did not, however, patent the concept, and as a result, several other entrepreneurs, including John Walson (who arguably installed a similar system in or around the same time as Reynolds) and Robert Tarlton, were able to create their own Community Access Television companies; consequently, too, historians rarely credit Reynolds with the invention of commercial CATV, or cable television, in the U.S.[2]
Still, Reynolds's work did not go unnoticed, and for many years after his initial contribution to TV history he served as a consultant to other cable TV providers.[2] His own business passed to his son Rick Reynolds, who incorporated the company as Reynolds TV Cable Inc. in 1975 and later sold it on behalf of the Reynolds family.