Virtual Natives

7Create, Consume, and Own

Before the advent of cable television, television was programmed. You had to be at home at a certain time to watch an episode, or risk missing the show, perhaps forever. And the programs that played were generally wholesome fare, designed to appeal to as many households across the country as possible, since everything was broadcast nationally on one of the three major channels. The Brady Bunch. Gilligan's Island. The Waltons. Television was pleasant and unchallenging.

This began to change in New York City in 1971, when the introduction of cable TV there brought with it two public‐access channels dedicated to “commercial‐free self‐expression.”¹ Cable TV wasn't subject to the decency rules that limited what could be shown on regular broadcast TV, so during New York's public‐access golden era, the 1970s and '80s, anyone could turn up at the cable studios and broadcast, well, anything.

And they did. One example of “anything” was the videos created by a man named “Ugly George,” who scoured the mean streets of Manhattan wearing a silver cut‐out top and shorts and a full camera rig on his back. He sought and convinced aspiring actresses to duck into New York City stairwells and undress for him while he captured them on film, videos he would later share on his Manhattan cable show.

Robin Byrd, another early cable pioneer, hosted a talk show. On any given night her set would be aflutter with adult porn actors, dancers, male go‐go boys, dominatrices, or their ...