But the theory that stuck, despite the lack of any documentary evidence, was the most vivid, and involved a British captain or general named Jackson, who contracted to supply the Redcoats garrisoned on Manhattan Island with some reliable entertainment to boost flagging morale in the late stages of the Revolutionary War.
According to a report published in September by Paul Kagan Associates, a media consultancy, America's entertainment business, boosted by technological change, is likely to grow by an annual average of 8% for the next decade; and Asia aside, the rest of the world is likely to see healthy growth too.
Fosun has been boosting its entertainment portfolio to tap into leisure spending by China's middle classes, buying Club Med this year and investing in Thomas Cook.
That said, the entertainment networks have boosted ratings by developing a quick-burn metabolism, manically replacing one flash-in-the-pan reality show with another.
News will be one of six strands of programming at launch, including a commitment to seven hours of current affairs programming each week and Set in London, which will be the home of acquired entertainment programming to boost peak and weekend viewing.
Industry experts say the debate over diversity in the entertainment industry might boost ratings by increasing interest in the show.
They see news media less preoccupied with the news than with boosting their own status in the entertainment firmament that now literally owns most of them.
The only way we, as artists, can survive through this is now to join power with the government and show them what entertainment can do for the country, in terms of boosting the economy.
Hollywood has been rapidly racing into the kids digital market by boosting online content and partnering with digital entertainment networks.
The bundling of the free Clubcard TV service as well as the full Blinkbox TV, movie and music streaming services (lots of TV shows and films, no monthly subscription), boost the entertainment possibilities.
