As veteran media reporters Felix Gillette and John Koblin explain in their new book, It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO, HBO was born from journalism, a byproduct of Time Inc.’s plan to diversify its holdings. Their gossipy, cameo-padded reporting breezes through the improbable story of how a print media company invested in a scheme to bring a clearer television picture to certain neighborhoods, embraced satellites and discovered that original programming was a cheaper way to fill its slate than paying Hollywood studios.
