It's Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO

"Published days before the 50th anniversary of HBO, this book from high-level media reporters Felix Gillette (Bloomberg News) and John Koblin (The New York Times) does more than trace the background of a programming service that has survived multiple bouts of dysfunctional ownership to define quality television. It also outlines the company’s problematic history with how female executives have been treated, further exploring previously reported allegations that former HBO Chairman Chris Albrecht choked a female staffer with whom he had had a consensual affair and then disparaged her after she took a settlement and left the network. By recounting such stories and the service’s fitful shift from male-centered programming to more diverse offerings, Gillette and Koblin present an incisive account that is more than a rosy victory lap for one of TV’s most influential channels."