On December 1, 1977, Warner Communications began an interactive cable system in Columbus, Ohio, called Qube.
Qube expanded to other cities around the country in the early 1980s, but the innovative cable system began phasing out a few years later.
The Qube glowing logo:
“Warner Communications bet an estimated $15 million to $25 million that the future lay in allowing viewers to ‘talk back’ to their televisions. Qube controllers cost a reported $200 each. A staff of 250 people was hired to make it work. TV Guide called it a ‘marriage between television and the computer.’
During its first day, the service’s estimated 10,000 initial subscribers used the system to boot an Elvis impersonator from a talent show, buy a golf club from Gov. James A. Rhodes in a charity auction and choose items for a time capsule.
The Dispatch reported years later that the interactive service, which lasted six years, was never profitable.
Interactive TV did survive, but in a fashion that Qube’s inventors could have only dreamed about. Instead of using cable controllers, viewers now use their cellphones to text their votes or log onto the Internet to vote in wildly popular talent shows.”
— “Columbus Mileposts — Dec. 1, 1977: Despite Flippo, cable’s Qube flopped in Columbus”
The Columbus Dispatch, December 1, 2012
The beginning of this video includes some early news reports about Qube. The final part is a segment from a Qube program.
