Tom Ficara began his career in new electronic media in 1970, when he took over a cable TV station while in college. In building a fulltime TV channel on a cable system in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, he learned that cable TV provided an opportunity to expand TV programming from the then accepted three networks.
1972 - Upon graduation from Carson Newman College, Ficara became the second ever Promotions Director of Athletics at Temple University. He built radio and TV networks for Temple U sports. Virtually all colleges now have a Promotions Director of Athletics.
1974 - Ficara formed Continental Communications to create the first full time national cable TV network ‘All Sports All Day’, a full five years prior to ESPN.
1976 – Ficara, in association with Young and Rubicam Ad Agency, produced and distributed the first live satellite fed national commercial sports telecast, a WHA Hockey game between the Birmingham Bulls and the Edmonton Oilers.
1980 - Ficara named the first Coordinator of Electronic Media in college – for LSU. He established ‘Tiger Vision’, the first regular successful ‘Pay Per View’ cable TV based service. It lasted for 33 years, and realized LSU many millions of dollars of revenue. Today, virtually every major college has a Coordinator of Electronic Media.
1984 - In association with Video Techniques (which he later acquired majority interest in), Ficara consulted on the first Wrestlemania pay per view show.
1985 - In association with the Mizlou Television Network, Ficara established a full time sports TV service that ran after Financial News Network.
1990 - Ficara purchased the assets of the TVS Television Network and began providing budget sports home video through seven independent distributors.
1991 - Ficara purchased the programming assets of the Mizlou Television Network through a bankruptcy action.
1994 - Ficara purchased the RKO Unique Record Company and became a syndicator / producer of audio as well as video programming. It would become the first of 56 record labels Ficara would acquire in the subsequent 20 years.
1997 - In association with The Copyright Group, Ficara establishes a worldwide network of audio distribution via E Music.
1997 - In association with MCA Records associated label Varese Sarabande Records and Rolling Stone Magazine, Ficara produced and distributed the 30th Anniversary of the Whisky A Go Go Concert – the first worldwide internet live video program.
2000 - With Rock and Roll Legends Live, Ficara reactivated the TV production arm of the TVS Television Network.
2002 - In association with K Tel International’s Simitar company, Ficara became the largest producer of original TV programming produced exclusively for home video.
2007- In association with Hewlett Packard, Ficara established IPTV based TV4U programming service. 48 channels of video were imbedded onto all Hewlett Packard PCs as a private network.
2013 - TVS establishes TVS Consumer Direct, an E Commerce initiative for TVS networks and programming
2014 - TVS Nostalgia Network was established on IPTV and Mobile platforms. 72 TVS ‘Micro Channels’ were established.
2015 - TVS revived the TVS Radio Network and now provides audio networks as well as video networks.
2016 - TVS establishes TVS E Magazines, expanding from audio and video services into text services.
