Prism has been bought and sold often during its lifetime, gradually changing from a local operation that was one man's dream to its present status as one of seven regional sports networks under one ownership that are scattered across the country from New England to California.
Now Prism, which is a pay-cable service, is planning to launch a new channel here, a basic cable service. The projected start-up date of Jan. 1 is one day after Prism, which now has 465,000 subscribers, hopes to hit a half- million.
Prism is prospering, although it is a rarity: a pay-cable channel that carries commercials. The standard is that pay-cable channels, such as Home Box Office (HBO) and the Disney Channel, include no advertising.
But Prism is an unusual mix. Eighty percent of its schedule is occupied by movies, during which no commercials appear, not even in the break between the end of one film and the beginning of another. Twenty percent of its schedule is sports, and commercials pop up there more frequently than hockey goals, although not as often as points are scored in basketball.
Currently offered by virtually every cable company within 125 miles of Philadelphia, Prism has come a long and winding way from the moment it began at 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 1, 1976, when announcer Hugh Gannon spoke its first words: "Good evening, everyone. Prism, the pay-television network, is on the air." Gannon's little hand-written script has been framed and hangs on a wall at Prism headquarters at 225 City Ave. in Bala Cynwyd.
Gannon's brief opening remarks were followed by Prism's first show, a movie called The Wind and the Lion (1975). The first local team to appear on Prism was the Phillies, when they took the diamond to play the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 10, 1976. Very few people saw either event, since Prism had only six subscribers, all in Upper Darby, when it kicked off.
