The iTV Doctor Is In!: Announcing the Winner of the Interactive TV Trivia Challenge

Congratulations to Steven C. Johnson from Johnson Telecom (http://www.johnsontelecom.com). Steven was top among the 113 brave souls who entered the Interactive TV Trivia Challenge last week. Steven will receive a personalized iTV Doctor lab coat!

And for those of you who tried the quiz, and for those who did not, here are the answers. Like I said--it starts easy and gets pretty nasty at the end (as evidenced by the declining scores). Although our readers appear to be fans of a certain Saturday-morning public radio program.

But before we begin, let me make a point: A year ago I found myself back in the consulting business, and Tracy Swedlow persuaded me to write a column for itvt.com. With the help of some very creative people we invented The iTV Doctor as a way to brand my columns, and myself. I started by posing questions to my friends in the business, and they've been kind enough to provide thoughtful answers. Friends are the most important resource I have.

Thank you all: Bob, Mark, Steve, Todd, Joan, Eric, Sangita, Ellen, Juli, Pat, Peter, Michael, Tyler, Ben, Jim, Paula, Roger, Tara, Bill, Arthur, Aslam, Ed, GW, James, Jatin, Jeff, Laurant, Mike, Rachelle, Vibha, Tom, Will, Glen, Jaspal, Allison, Gary, Clayton, Sean, Peter, John, Paul, Edgar and of course, Tracy.

And here are the answers to the Interactive TV Trivia Challenge (with the percentage who got the correct answer):

1) What was the name of the interactive television service in the heart of middle America in the late 70's and early '80s? QUBE (100% correct)

2) In what mid-American city did that interactive television service operate? Columbus, Ohio (100% correct)

3) What was the name of the cable operator that STARTED that mid-American interactive television service? Warner Cable (82% correct)

4) What was the name of the cable operator that CLOSED that mid-American interactive television service? Warner Amex Cable (57% correct)

5) ATC operated a cable system (which The iTV Doctor helped build) in that same mid-American city. What did ATC stand for? American Television & Communications (90% correct)

6) Who was the founder of (and famous cable personality behind) ATC? Monroe "Monty" Rifkin (57% correct)

7) An executive with that mid-American interactive television service went on to create the predecessor of About.com. What is his name? Scott Kurnit (93% correct)

8) What was the name of the company that BECAME About.com? The Mining Company (86% correct)

9) The interactive television service in the mid-American city created a program that grew into Nickelodeon? What was the name of that program? Pinwheel (95% correct)

10) The interactive television service in the mid-American city created a program that grew into MTV. What was the name of that program? Sight and Sound (65% correct)

11) What company manufactured the set-top boxes used by that mid-American interactive television system? Pioneer (52% correct)

12) To offset losses from the mid-American interactive television system, the parent company brought in a new investment partner. Name that company. American Express (66% correct)

13) Prior to the interactive television system in the mid-American city, the first two-way cable system was launched in what city in 1972? Orlando, FL (75% correct)

14) What was the name THEN of the MSO that launched that two-way cable system in 1972? American Television & Communications (53% correct)

15) What is the name NOW of the MSO that launched that two-way cable system in 1972? Time Warner Cable (64% correct)

16) In the mid-90's, the system that was the home of the first two-way cable system once again made headlines with an innovative interactive service. What was the name of that service? (full name please, not just initials) Full Service Network (87% correct)

17) The president of that mid-90's service became a regional vice president of operations for the parent company. What is his name? Tom Fiege (63% correct)

18) The marketing head of that mid-90's service is now the president of a multi-MSO partnership. What is his name? Bob Benya (67% correct)

19) The public relations head of that mid-90's service is now the president of a successful public relations firm. What is her name? Tammy Lindsay Snook of HighTech PR (38% correct)

20) The CTO for the parent MSO for that mid-90's service is known for creating a mysterious service and technology. What is his name? Jim Chiddix (56% correct)

21) The Lucky 21st Question: Until recently, the MSO who now can claim historical credit for all these interactive television operations had their corporate office in a town on the Eastern Seaboard. According to the Tappet Brothers, what geographic fact distinguishes this corporate location from all others? Starting from Stamford, CT (previous corporate HQ for Time Warner Cable) you can travel due East, South, West and North and end up in a state other than the one in which you started. That state is New York. This was a "Puzzler" from the popular radio show "Car Talk." (47% correct)

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The iTV Doctor is *Rick Howe*, who provides interactive television consulting services to programmers and advertisers. He is the recipient of a CTAM Tami Award for retention marketing and this year was nominated to Cable Pioneers. He is also the co-author of a patent for the use of multiscreen mosaics in EPG's. Endorsed by top cable and satellite distributors, "Dr" Howe still makes house calls, and the first visit is always free. His services include product development, distribution strategy and the development of low-cost interactive applications for rapid deployment across all platforms. Have a question for the iTV Doctor? Email him at itvdoctor@itvt.com