Tellevent
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications, Media |
| Founded | March 1907 |
| Founder | James F. Land |
| Defunct | August 2, 1909 |
| Headquarters | Michigan , United States |
Key people | James F. Land (majority owner), E. L. Ford, W. A. Jackson, George M. Black, Arnold A. Schantz, James H. Swart |
| Products | Subscription-based telephone news and entertainment service ("telephone newspaper") |
The Tellevent (also known as Televent), established by James F. Land, represented the United States' initial structured effort to create a subscription-based news and entertainment service delivered via "telephone newspaper" technology. Although trials were conducted throughout Michigan between 1906 and 1908, and there were intentions for nationwide rollout, the project remained in an experimental phase.
History
The term "Tellevent" originated from the phrase "It tells the event to mind's eye." Its concept drew inspiration from earlier European models such as Paris's Théâtrophone (1890), which provided live theatrical performances, and Budapest's Telefon Hírmondó (1893), known for delivering a wider array of news and entertainment content.
During January 1906, the Michigan State Telephone Company—holder of Michigan’s Bell franchise—carried out what were described as "fairly successful" pilot transmissions connecting theaters, churches, and residences of officials. In February of the same year, James F. Land announced a "most satisfactory" experiment that relayed a church service and concert from Detroit to Grand Rapids, covering a distance of 150 miles. Further demonstrations included broadcasts of the 1906 and 1907 May Festivals at Michigan State University, as well as Senatorial Caucus speeches sent over an 88-mile span from Lansing to Detroit households.
By March 1907, the American Tellevent Company was formally established in Michigan with a capital investment of $300,000. Among its principal officers were E. L. Ford, W. A. Jackson, George M. Black, Arnold A. Schantz, James H. Swart, and Land himself. In July 1907, Land stepped down from his role as general manager of Michigan State Telephone to dedicate his efforts to the Michigan Tellevent Company, where he held the majority ownership stake.
An article published on March 17, 1907, in the Detroit Free Press highlighted Tellevent’s extensive ambitions: utilizing subscribers’ existing telephone infrastructure to link 100 Detroit residences with theaters initially and eventually expanding connections to locations such as stock exchanges, banks, concert halls, racetracks, hotels, libraries, political offices, and courtrooms—essentially any public venue. The proposed daily schedule featured morning news at 7:00 a.m., followed by continuous news updates, stock market reports, weather forecasts, special segments including a children’s hour, two hours of dinner music, culminating with three hours of grand opera broadcasts from remote sites beginning at 11:00 p.m. Monthly subscription fees were estimated at $2 for homes, businesses, hotels, and hospitals alike. Access to special events like baseball games and speeches was also part of the planned offerings.
Despite initial optimism and ongoing transmissions reported through 1908, the Tellevent initiative did not progress beyond its trial stages. The Michigan Tellevent Company ultimately ceased operations on August 2, 1909.
Comparable American enterprises included Wilmington’s Tel-musici (1909), networks operated by the United States Telephone Herald Company (1911–1913), and Chicago’s Musolaphone (1913). None succeeded financially; eventually, radio broadcasting in the early 1920s supplanted telephone-based news and entertainment services.