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Channel Television during the 1979 ITV Strike

How did it continue broadcasting? (June 2019)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
VM
VMPhil
There's stuff from before the mid-70s that was kept, of course, just not as much as afterwards when things started to be properly archived.

One thing I don't understand is why no one thought to keep a copy of what coincidentally began 50 years ago today, the Apollo 11 moon landing coverage. I know a lot of recordings were wiped because it was thought they would be of no value after their first or second broadcast (no home video and no UK Gold at the time) but it seems like it would have been pretty clear even then that it would be an historic broadcast.
JA
james-2001
One thing I don't understand is why no one thought to keep a copy of what coincidentally began 50 years ago today, the Apollo 11 moon landing coverage. I know a lot of recordings were wiped because it was thought they would be of no value after their first or second broadcast (no home video and no UK Gold at the time) but it seems like it would have been pretty clear even then that it would be an historic broadcast.


*Puts conspiracy theory tinfoil hat on*

*
NL
Ne1L C
Maybe its with the TVS Archive!
BR
Brekkie
I have always admired Channel Television for keeping some service on air during those 11 weeks 40 years a go. We are a month away from the anniversary of the worst strike to hit commercial television in the UK ever. 11 weeks without programming at all on nearly all regions, I am still astonished at that feat.

Unlikely the scenario would be repeated now - guess the closest possible situation would be ITV going off air (more likely due to the business collapsing than strike action) and STV being left to their own devices. The question then would be whether archive programming belongs to ITV Plc or ITV the network - I'm guessing the former.
JA
james-2001
I imagine if that happened, the archive would presumably be auctioned off. Whoever would buy it is the million dollar question though!
BR
Brekkie
Were Channel basically restricted to archive and imports or could they show some programmes which had been recorded and were due to be broadcast assuming they had the tapes to show them.
JA
james-2001
Hasn't it already been said Channel had no quad equipment? So they would have been restricted to film.
JK
JKDerry
Channel Television had the problem of getting the material into St Helier from the mainland, as they kept nothing on their own archive as such. They relied on their link with the ITV mainland to air all programming, but never had a huge archive of sitcoms, dramas etc which they could use during a strike.

So everything available to them had to be on film and flown into St Helier on a weekly basis to fill the 5pm to 11pm emergency schedules. This was the reason why the local news was extended to one hour, as they didn't have enough material to air a full 6 hour schedule.
Brekkie and WW Update gave kudos
RI
Riaz
One thing I don't understand is why no one thought to keep a copy of what coincidentally began 50 years ago today, the Apollo 11 moon landing coverage. I know a lot of recordings were wiped because it was thought they would be of no value after their first or second broadcast (no home video and no UK Gold at the time) but it seems like it would have been pretty clear even then that it would be an historic broadcast.


Faked moon landings in 405 lines?!

It was allegedly wiped by LWT because NASA possessed higher resolution footage for future use.
MA
Markymark
Riaz posted:
One thing I don't understand is why no one thought to keep a copy of what coincidentally began 50 years ago today, the Apollo 11 moon landing coverage. I know a lot of recordings were wiped because it was thought they would be of no value after their first or second broadcast (no home video and no UK Gold at the time) but it seems like it would have been pretty clear even then that it would be an historic broadcast.


Faked moon landings in 405 lines?!

It was allegedly wiped by LWT because NASA possessed higher resolution footage for future use.


Most of the footage you see today is film, and quite good quality, that was obviously brought back and not seen during the mission itself . The live footage as seen on BBC and ITN’s coverage at the time is very poor quality, because it was a low bandwidth link. Required viewing for further info is the Oz movie, The Dish
MA
Markymark
Hasn't it already been said Channel had no quad equipment? So they would have been restricted to film.


It's been said loads of times yes !! The only VT facilities they had in 1979, were low band U Matic for news use, any programming on tape would have been supplied on 2 Inch Quad format. (B and C Format 1 inch had only just launched in 76, very few broadcasters were using it in anger, and in any case way out of financial reach at that time for Channel)
TJ
TedJrr
Riaz posted:
One thing I don't understand is why no one thought to keep a copy of what coincidentally began 50 years ago today, the Apollo 11 moon landing coverage. I know a lot of recordings were wiped because it was thought they would be of no value after their first or second broadcast (no home video and no UK Gold at the time) but it seems like it would have been pretty clear even then that it would be an historic broadcast.


Faked moon landings in 405 lines?!

It was allegedly wiped by LWT because NASA possessed higher resolution footage for future use.


Most of the footage you see today is film, and quite good quality, that was obviously brought back and not seen during the mission itself . The live footage as seen on BBC and ITN’s coverage at the time is very poor quality, because it was a low bandwidth link. Required viewing for further info is the Oz movie, The Dish


https://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/WEC-Engineer-3-1968.pdf

The camera ran at 10 frames/sec with an upper bandwidth of 500 kc/s and 300 lines/frame. Interesting that they mention a second mode with 1280 lines/sec at 5/8 of a frame a second. I wonder if the second mode was ever used?

https://history.nasa.gov/alsj/TM-X55492.pdf

The schema for the unified-S-band inbound and outbound transmissions. Note that many of the near-earth ground stations are at British/Australian locations, but not alas Jersey. That would have been a thing!

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