A question for "old skool" people about cable tv..

[MDepr2007]

quote:Originally posted by monterey1967

quote:Originally posted by iplaw

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

I just remember the "remote" ie. the box that you could put next to your lazboy with the channel push buttons.

And the selector switch and roll dial on the side.

Oh the hours spent trying to fine tune a scrambled Playboy channel with that damned thing...

i remember that if you pushed 2 buttons down at the same time [like 5 and 9] and if it was raining outside the playboy channel would come in real good.

I think it was 5 + 7

[DolfanBob]

I worked for Tulsa Cable from 79 to 91 and loved my job until TCI came in and DESTROYED a wonderful Company, The beginning to the end was when United Artist came in and the spiral downward was completed by TCI. The big box that you are talking about with the fine tuning roller was hated by everyone and replaced with the smaller jerrold unit pictured here but it took some time for the change out to take place and remember getting your new line up stickers every so often. I think I had 4 or 5 on my box before we went to the new pay per view box. The very first pay per view movie available was Batteries not Included and it started at 7 a.m. the morning it was released on VHS and it sparked a huge outcry from the video rental companies and they went to the 1 month video release first before hitting pay per view. It has now went even further than that with todays releases. I watched Up all night with Uncle Ed on the what I called superstation out of KC 41 and I also like KTVT out of Dallas. The FCC then regulated that cable companies could only carry 2 distant superstations per system and Tulsa decided on WGN and TBS. Remember the pay service IT TV that was a line of site setup that was way before it's time. Unscrambled satellite dishes was the bomb until they started being sold in the areas where cable tv was available. HBO was the first to employ the scrambling method around about 1985. I believe Tulsa Cable started around 1973 or 1974. I remember running down every Cable truck I saw asking when they were going to be in my area, and that was 31st and 129th E Av area. Great times.

[patric]

quote:Originally posted by DolfanBob

I watched Up all night with Uncle Ed on the what I called superstation out of KC 41 and I also like KTVT out of Dallas. The FCC then regulated that cable companies could only carry 2 distant superstations per system and Tulsa decided on WGN and TBS.

You can thank KTUL for that.
They and the other local stations screamed bloody murder because they felt the distant markets cut into their advertising revenue (like im really driving to FTW to buy groceries).  They later got the right to pre-empt CNN Headline News with outdated "Local Editions" taped the night before.

[AngieB]

quote:Originally posted by patric

You can thank KTUL for that.
They and the other local stations screamed bloody murder because they felt the distant markets cut into their advertising revenue (like im really driving to FTW to buy groceries).  They later got the right to pre-empt CNN Headline News with outdated "Local Editions" taped the night before.

That reminds me of "Syndicated Exclusivity" or SYNDEX that United Video had to contend with back in ~'89. I worked there at that time and we had to replace any syndicated program that was shown on any local channel at any time with a show that wasn't shown locally. This affected WGN and KTVT and one other I can't remember right now. So if The Andy Griffith show was on KTUL and WGN, we had to switch off WGN's signal and run Fibber McGee and Molly or some such crap in place of Andy Griffith. I don't know how that ever was resolved and went away, but for a time it was a nightmare. United Video was a cool place to work in those days though.

[jmikeh]

What a great topic.  

My favorite was the big cable box with the mile long cord.  I remember that movie channel 5 and KC station with Dr. Gene Scott.  WCCW wrestling on KXTX. And who could forget the local sports show SportScene with Bill Land and Dean Blevins and others.

Did I mention what a great topic this was?

[swake]

quote:Originally posted by TulsaMINI

quote:Originally posted by patric

You can thank KTUL for that.
They and the other local stations screamed bloody murder because they felt the distant markets cut into their advertising revenue (like im really driving to FTW to buy groceries).  They later got the right to pre-empt CNN Headline News with outdated "Local Editions" taped the night before.

That reminds me of "Syndicated Exclusivity" or SYNDEX that United Video had to contend with back in ~'89. I worked there at that time and we had to replace any syndicated program that was shown on any local channel at any time with a show that wasn't shown locally. This affected WGN and KTVT and one other I can't remember right now. So if The Andy Griffith show was on KTUL and WGN, we had to switch off WGN's signal and run Fibber McGee and Molly or some such crap in place of Andy Griffith. I don't know how that ever was resolved and went away, but for a time it was a nightmare. United Video was a cool place to work in those days though.

KTLA was the other one.

[iplaw]

quote:Originally posted by jmikeh

What a great topic.  

My favorite was the big cable box with the mile long cord.  I remember that movie channel 5 and KC station with Dr. Gene Scott.  WCCW wrestling on KXTX. And who could forget the local sports show SportScene with Bill Land and Dean Blevins and others.

Did I mention what a great topic this was?

Dr. Gene Scott.  What a guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HPOCuU91kc&feature=related

[mrburns918]

quote:Originally posted by iplaw

quote:Originally posted by jmikeh

What a great topic.  

My favorite was the big cable box with the mile long cord.  I remember that movie channel 5 and KC station with Dr. Gene Scott.  WCCW wrestling on KXTX. And who could forget the local sports show SportScene with Bill Land and Dean Blevins and others.

Did I mention what a great topic this was?

Dr. Gene Scott.  What a guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HPOCuU91kc&feature=related

Oh Snap! I loved watching Dr. Gene Scott late at night. I remember him trying to raise 90 million for a building in downtown Los Angeles and being so passionate about it he would start yelling and cussing at the camera. His show is still around but his wife or daughter now do the preaching for him.

Mr. Burns

[DolfanBob]

Dr.Gene Squat(AKA Brent Douglas)What a character. That chalkboard with all the scribbling,and him still writing on it. The hat, cigar and glass of wine. And don't forget the hot babes at the race track.
Also about those long box cords, if you ever hit them with the vacuum cleaner they were done. And for some reason mice loved to chew on them, not to mention the dogs and cats. I agree this is a great topic.

[DolfanBob]

My buddy here at work told me that I should watch his show now because there is a hot chick doing the preaching. We did a little research and found out that his Widow a Ex-porn star Melissa Scott for the last three years has taken over his ministry. They were married for ten years. She was taught by him and is also self taught in biblical learnings. She is very HOT. Here is a great Gene Scott rant as he cusses out some Austrailian group who wrote into him. They really got to him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3cc6qRfZ3Q&feature=related

[Kashmir]

When I was little, me grandma watched me during the day.  I would immerse myself in flipping all the remote box buttons one direction (pop pop pop pop) and then the other way (pow pow pow) until my grandfather...NOT my favorite...would yell "For God's sake, get the g**d*** remote away from that kid"

My other grandpa was MUCH nicer.