| Title: |
Bill Strange
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| Document type: |
Oral history
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| Accessibility: |
Free Only
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| Repository: |
Cable Center. Barco Library. Special Collections
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| Collection: |
Cable Center Oral History Collection
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| Description: |
Bill Strange worked for Sammons Communications, a top-ten cable operator, in charge of acquisitions, franchising and government relations during a time of explosive growth for the cable industry, 1970-1988. Born in Dallas, Texas, in 1921, Strange graduated from Southern Methodist University and served in World War II . After the war he joined his father in the automobile business and then worked for ten years as an investment banker. In 1970 he was hired by Charles Sammons to head up the acquisition and franchising operations for the Sammons cable company. Within a year Strange had helped engineer acquisitions that doubled the size of the company, to 200,000 subscribers. At one time he was mayor of Richardson, Texas, and head of the Texas municipal league. This gave him a good insight into the local political structure, knowledge he used in the franchising process. In his oral history Strange describes in detail the relations between cable companies and local city councils. He also played a key role in passage of the 1984 Cable Act which deregulated cable rates and the reorganization of the National Cable Television Association in the mid 1980s. Strange's daughter, Dru, was killed in an automobile accident in 1980. In her memory he established the Dru Strange scholarship administered through Women in Cable.
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| URL: |
http://www.cablecenter.org/education/library/oralHistoryDetails.cfm?id=264
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| Original Language: |
English
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| Time span: |
Not indicated ... to 1991 (Year of interview)
|
| Speaker: |
Strange, Bill, 1921-
|
| Speaker gender: |
Male
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| Speaker date of birth: |
21-Jun-1921
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| Speaker place of birth: |
Dallas, TX; Texas; United States; North America
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| Speaker race: |
White
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| Age at speaking: |
70
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| Document date: |
17-Jan-1991
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| Interviewer: |
Allen, Ed
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| Locations discussed: |
North America; United States
|
| Topics discussed - ASP terms: |
Broadcasting; Cable television--United States; North America; Oral history; Public broadcasting; Television; Television programs; United States
|
| Topics discussed - Other terms: |
Cable administrators
|
| ASP release: |
2005-06
|
| Document code: |
OHI0022854-24271
|
