A study was conducted to determine the place of cable in the lives of subscribers and its perception among nonsubscribers. Subjects, 251 subscribers and 246 nonsubscribers in a northeastern city midway in the process of cable diffusion, responded to a number of questions concerning their recreational activities, sources of information about cable, reasons for adoption or nonadoption of the medium, family communication about it, and ownership of other media technologies, such as video games. Demographic data were also gathered. Results showed that those subscribing to cable television services were more affluent, more likely to be married, and more likely to live in households with children than were nonsubscribers. The data also suggested that cable television was most often requested by children in a household, and that parents often yielded to their requests for the type of programing provided by cable. When children left a home, parents declined to subscribe, offering reasons suggesting that cable is a commodity that needs justification rather than a necessity that stands alone. Overall, the findings indicate that the decision to subscribe, maintain, and terminate subscription to cable television takes place within a matrix of interpersonal communication. (FL)