Construction of the Alan Gerry Cable Telecommunications Center Building began in July, 1999, in Denver. The Cable Center, then named the National Cable Television Center and museum, opened our doors in August 2001, as an independent and non-profit institution.

Despite cable’s role in revolutionizing global communications, technology and programming, the general public is largely unaware of the industry’s considerable accomplishments. Since its inception, The Cable Center’s mission has been to bring these great achievements of the cable telecommunications industry to the attention of the public. The Center tells the story of the cable industry, past, present, and looking towards the future through educational programs, library collections, and other industry-related works.

THE CABLE CENTER TIMELINE

• March 1985 – The Cable TV Pioneers Organization and The Pennsylvania State University decide to work together to establish The National Cable Television Center and Museum.
• August 1985 – The National Cable Television Center and Museum begins to record oral histories of cable industry leaders.
• December 1994 – Bill Bresnan and the Cable TV Pioneers announce that the National Cable Television Center and Museum will be a free-standing and independent institution in Denver.
• May 1998 – National Cable Television Center and Museum Hall of Fame inducts its first six members after the annual National Cable Television Association (NCTA) Cable TV Pioneer Dinner.
• November 1998 – The Bob Magness Institute is established at National Cable Television Center and Museum as an education and training resource for the cable telecommunications industry.
• June 1999 – The National Cable Television Center and Museum presents book signings of Distant Signals: How Cable TV Changed the World of Telecommunications, by Tom Southwick, the founder of Cable World magazine.
• July 1999 – The Alan Gerry Cable Telecommunication Center Building begins construction with a groundbreaking ceremony in Denver.
• May 2000 – The National Cable Television Center and Museum holds a “topping off ceremony” to commemorate the securing of the placement of the building’s last piece of steel.
• May 2000 – The National Cable Television and Museum publishes its first book, History Between Their Ears, by Archer Taylor. The book is a look at the first quarter century of cable television equipment design.
• August 2000 – The National Cable Television Center and Museum’s Magness Institute graduates the first class of the Chinese Executive Media Management Program (CEMMP).
• August 2001 – The National Cable Television Center and Museum opens its doors in Denver.
• January 2002 – The C-SPAN distance learning initiative is formed by C-SPAN, The Cable Center, and the University of Denver.
• May 2002 – The National Cable Television Center and Museum formally shortens its name to The Cable Center.
• October 2002 – The Cable Center holds The Cable Television Hall of Fame Celebration induction ceremony at its Denver, location for the first time.
• May 2003 – HBO becomes the first premium network to archive its programming at The Cable Center.
• September 2003 – The Cable Center debuts the HDTV Video Festival.
• September 2004 – The Cable Center inaugurates the Rogers Outdoor Amphitheater with its Fall Film Festival.
• September 2004 – The Cable Center’s Programming Institute launches the Legacy Project which celebrates the impact cable programming has on society.