Beginning in the early 1950s, CBS hired a soft-talking Indianan by the name of Herb Shriner. He would sit on a chair by a small desk and amiably interview celebrity guests. He may have been the first, but he was by no means the last.

The first breakout star in the talk show business was a performer named Jack Paar. Older readers may remember him for his somewhat “off-the-cuff” style, his clever banter with guests and his ability to keep his one-hour show fluid, fast-moving and entertaining.

Paar may have been the “model” for all who followed him, like the multi-talented and always-laughing young Steve Allen. A prolific songwriter, Steve Allen also was very funny as a talk show host, forever giggling out loud along with his guests and also in the silly, but often hilarious, skits that took place on every show which also included his legendary “Man In The Street” interviews with Don Knotts, Tom Poston and others.

And then there was Ernie Kovacs. Often referred to as a creative genius and a man who was way ahead of his time, Kovacs, who was married to Edie Adams, had audiences laughing with him as he performed his often wacky, but inspired, skits and when he interviewed his guests, as well. Sadly, he died prematurely in an automobile accident.

The “king of all talk show hosts” followed Steve Allen to NBC. He was, of course, Johnny Carson. There were many who competed with him, many more who have followed, but none have ever matched his greatness as a talk show host. He had a remarkable ability to connect with his audience, in the studio and at home, that made him immensely popular for about thirty years.

It’s probably fair to say that Carson’s amazing achievement will never be duplicated. He was, and always will be, the greatest talk show host of all time.

Thousands of miles above the surface of the Earth, television satellites are serenely orbiting our planet at geosynchronous altitude, broadcasting hundreds of different channels to the world below. Inside our living rooms, the TV is so taken for granted that it is easy to forget the miraculous technology that makes it all possible. We don’t need to be able to understand the inert noble gases in plasma screens and the liquid crystals in LCD displays in order to be able to enjoy the pictures they produce. We are able to ignore the incredible distances that signals travel, and the fact that millions of people can receive the same thing at the same time.

One of the most obvious pros of satellite TV is the staggering number of channels it offers. This broad selection gives the power to the viewer, to browse and choose the programs that seem the most interesting, entertaining, and educational to them. Watching TV is a matter of personal tastes, but you can’t choose according to your tastes unless you have a wide variety of options. Local analog connections have never been able to provide more than a few channels, and even cable can’t keep up with satellite.

Another great pros of satellite TV is that it touches every corner of the Earth, so that no matter how rural or remote a viewer is, they can still tilt a satellite dish towards the sky and receive the same benefits as anyone else. Sports fans in eastern Montana can watch the NFL Sunday ticket the same as anyone in urban Houston or Chicago. Our world is ever more connected, and this kind of availability is extremely important to areas that traditionally have been underserved when it comes to technology.

Satellite TV doesn’t just come to you, it also takes you places. Flip through the channels and you have endless choices from imaginary worlds to the Real World, the History Channel or the Today Show, local events and foreign news – even the weather channel is a glimpse around the globe. With a resource this valuable for discovering the universe around you, don’t skimp on a poor service or inferior technology. Open up your world with a satellite package that brings you news from India and sitcoms from the UK, nature shows about Africa and science shows made in Australia. See it all up close and personal, in shimmering detail, with phenomenal high definition coverage. If you stick with local stations, all you will ever get is local news, watered down shows, and overall poor, unexciting selection. With a full satellite package, you have the world at your finger tips.