• Cable Cowboy

  • John Malone and the Rise of the Modern Cable Business
  • By: Mark Robichaux
  • Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
  • Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (259 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
Cable Cowboy  By  cover art

Cable Cowboy

By: Mark Robichaux
Narrated by: Michael Butler Murray
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.49

Buy for $21.49

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

An inside look at a cable titan and his industry

John Malone, hailed as one of the great unsung heroes of our age by some and reviled by others as a ruthless robber baron, is revealed as a bit of both in Cable Cowboy. For more than 25 years, Malone has dominated the cable television industry, shaping the world of entertainment and communications, first with his cable company, TCI, and later with Liberty Media. Written with Malone's unprecedented cooperation, the engaging narrative brings this controversial capitalist and businessman to life. Cable Cowboy is at once a penetrating portrait of Malone's complex persona, and a captivating history of the cable TV industry.

Told in a lively style with exclusive details, the audiobook shows how an unassuming copper strand started as a backwoods antenna service and became the digital nervous system of the US, an evolution that gave US consumers the fastest route to the Internet. Cable Cowboy reveals the forces that propelled this pioneer to such great heights, and captures the immovable conviction and quicksilver mind that have defined John Malone throughout his career.

©2003 Mark Robichaux (P)2019 Tantor

What listeners say about Cable Cowboy

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    191
  • 4 Stars
    48
  • 3 Stars
    15
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    162
  • 4 Stars
    43
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    164
  • 4 Stars
    35
  • 3 Stars
    13
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story and wonderful performance

This was a great story of the history of the cable industry, TCI, and John Malone. Such an impressive story and a fun read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good Bio of John Malone

Good bio of John Malkne and cable industry. Not exceptionally written or performed, but if you're interested in how Malone succeeded, this gives you a good timeline.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book

Super interesting and very well read. Lots of history around the whole cable industry.

Solid audiobook

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great business lessons

Really good practical frugal business lessons from a moment in time A lot can be learned by how the loan structured deals

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • J
  • 05-09-23

Great history of broadband

Well written and researched book on history of cable / broadband development. I worked on many TCI related deals in the 90s and appreciated the backgrounds on the companies and players.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I haven’t listen to an audiobook this quickly in a long time

Great book if you like reading about business biographies. Malone flies under the radar but for the people to know about them they tend to own all of these different tracking stocks. This is a great history and probably one of the few books That will ever be written about him. Honestly there could be a sequel written because a lot as happened since then

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The back room is where it all happens...

This is a story about an industry and a man, and a man who became an industry. I've been in the Cable business for 40 years and if there's anything one learns early on, never bet against John Malone. This book explains why.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Story of one of the greatest Businessmen in the world

I thought the story was well laid out as far as the timeline and paints a very descriptive Picture of one of the most amazing businessman in the world. I’m from Parker Colorado and so I’ve seen Mr. Malone around a few times he’s always very kind and very cordial. He’s very well liked in the town but I think that this biography doesn’t a great honor and allows all of us to find out more about him. The story stops in 2002 he’s done so much more sense than that I hope the author will make a sequel to it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great

Once the story gets going it’s an incredible book. I’m sad that I’m finished with it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Potential to be a great story - let down

John Malone is clearly one of the all time greats of business. Not just because of his strategic success in a highly competitive industry (cable) and also his financial achievements (billionaire) but because of his focus on financial engineering and tax arbitrage solutions. I think the book could have focused much more on some of the un

The audiobook was a bit try (the person narrating it - the cadence) so 3*. But the underlying story was so good - it pushed up my overall rating to 4*.

This is a solid, good book that had the potential to be a great book (but was not) due to the underlying person on whom it is based.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful