Bob Magness was not directly involved in the production end of the entertainment industry, but he has a place there nonetheless for he was a key figure in the development of cable television and the founder of the powerful Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI). Cable television has proved a wellspring of creative, innovative entertainment and made-for-cable movies have become an important venue for aspiring and veteran filmmakers alike.
A native of Clinton, OK, and a graduate of Southwestern State College in Wetherford, OK, class of 1949, Magness spent many years selling cottonseed and working as a part-time rancher until the mid-'50s when he and first wife Betsy decided to join the recently created cable business. After selling their stock and mortgaging the ranch, the couple moved to Memphis, TX, and ran their first cable system (comprised of 700 subscribers) out of their kitchen. Magness and three partners founded an alliance to use a common carrier microwave to beam broadcast signals from Salt Lake City to Montana. Magness and family lived in Montana until 1965. By this time he had two companies, his original cable operation Community Television Inc. and his microwave distribution partnership Western Microwave Incorporation. He moved to Denver and in 1968 merged his companies to create TCI. Two years later the company went public; in 1973, Magness stepped down and turned the company presidency and chief executive officership to John Malone. Magness continued to function as the company's chairman until his death from cancer on November 15, 1996.
