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TELEVISION'S PIRATES, 928 page hard cover book

What is a Television Pirate?

By Oxford definition, a pirate is, "a person who infringes another's copyright or other business rights" and/or "someone who broadcasts without official authorization". Television programming carries copyright, television stations travel a years-long pathway seeking "official authorization" before broadcasting. Alas, not every television station has waited for nor even sought authorization and it goes without saying, contacting those who's copyright might be violated by their transmissions. Many figures in recent history (Winston Churchill is but one example) meet our definition.

1955 on the 5,000 acre Starr Ranch, SE Montana. No TV. Solution? Build 3 TV Stations to link the ranch to nearest TV 115 miles distant. No licenses, one of thousands. Charlie Starr - pirate.

2006 New York City. Inventor Kenny Schaffer has created a system allowing his home TV reception to follow him worldwide. Any channel, any-place at any at time. Pirate?

Between Starr and Schaffer, tens of thousands driven by the intense desire to have, for their own, access to television. Cable TV began as 'piracy'. Satellite TV was driven by rampant piracy. And now Internet is spooked by those who would 'broadcast' without authorization. This is their story, filled with emotion and determination, told with great insight by the one person who 'was there' from 1950 onward, as it unfolded and grew 'behind the tube'.