TV Home Forum

…and finally

News about TV Forum (March 2021)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
JO
Jonwo
Good riddance. It's never been the same since Rota talk ended.


Exit's over there.


That's Rolling News' invitation to the new forum withdrawn....
AA
Amber Avenger
Really gutted about this news, but I know that's daft and having run a forum myself in the past, Asa deserves a knighthood for such a legendary innings.

Always been more on the lurker side of things, although spent a LOT of time on here when I was a lot younger - think I first found my way on here when reading a discussion about SM:tv ending. Then I lost my username, went to uni and sadly forgot about the place. Rediscovered it a few years ago and always enjoy spending a few minutes here each day. Fingers crossed for the successor, but whatever happens, thanks for the memories!
NO
NancerOnTheForum
I've only recently joined this place but I'm sad that it's having to go only now on it's 20th year. I hope it's successor TV Live Forum lives up to the legacy this had. Adios
GL
globaltraffic24
I found myself occasionally getting pulled in to political debate on here, but I learned quickly to stick to the topic - TV presentation. Thanks to the founders for their sterling efforts in recent times. I pop in and out of the TV Forum several times a day. It’s become a comforting, familiar place in such uncertain times. It’s also the best place to genuinely track the progress of TV design around the world. Asa, you’ve done an amazing job and can hold your head high. Forget about the recent challenges and pat yourself on the back for creating such a unique, brilliant platform for like minded enthusiasts! You and TV Forum will be missed.
LL
Larry the Loafer
I can't quite believe how emotional I'm feeling because I won't be able to discuss TV logos with a bunch of strangers on the internet.

Given how infinitely grand the internet is nowadays, what I'm about to say might seem a little silly. But having been on this place in various guises since I was but a child, TV Forum has been the only website where I've felt at home. I still feel out of depth using places like Reddit and I seldom post a comment on YouTube. I think you all deserve at least some kudos for helping create what is (granted, not perfect, but) probably the best community nerds like us could've asked for.

To all those who have made my day that little brighter by helping locate some media, answering queries I've had or explaining something I otherwise had no idea about, I sincerely thank you.

And, of course, thank you Asa for allowing all of this to happen. The internet is nowhere near as pleasant a place as it used to be, so I can completely understand your decision. Nevertheless I really hope we can all find a new home in the not too distant future, and this community can still continue to thrive.

You lot are amazing. Thank you.

And don't forget to switch off your set x
MD
mdtauk
You have gone above and beyond Asa, and its amazing you kept the site going for so long, and invested so much time in the customisation of the forum software.

Other sites will no doubt pop up, and the Digital Spy forums will keep many people going I'm sure.

But it wont be the same.

To all those in the industry who frequent this den of geeks and nerds, thank you for keeping us informed, entertained, and giving us all so much to talk about over the past 20 years. Sorry if it hasn't always been the most welcoming of places if you came to it later, but thank you all the same.

Friends have been made, and experiences shared. The internet is a big place, but hopefully connections made, will be retained!
GE
thegeek Founding member
And a big thank you from me too. I think it's fair to say that reading and contributing helped get me the knowledge to stroll though an interview and into my first proper job in the Broadcast Centre back in 2005, and since then it's been a pleasure to be able to give a wee bit back - maybe it's encouraged some others to go into the industry too. And every so often I've found out some useful things about my own work from posts on here!

I stumbled across this amazing part of the internet late one night when weird stuff started happening on BBC1 - turned out it was one of the last RBS standby tests. I've been hooked on the goings on of here ever since.

I was in CCA in TV Centre for the last or maybe penultimate RBS test, and was following along on the forum. One of the distribution engineers started off by saying it was really sad that people had stayed up to watch but by the end of the night was finding people's posts really useful. (I can't remember who the engineer was but I do remember him trying to work out Steve in Pudsey's identity)

Anyway, I hope there's a suitably poignant announcement at closedown, a compilation of homepages from though the years, and a ceremonial unplugging of the red U-link before the test card appears.
CW
Charlie Wells Moderator
I'd like to thank Asa for running these forums for all these years. It'll be slightly strange when it does finally close, after all these years of visiting the forums on an almost daily basis. There have been some interesting discussions over the years, and this place has been fortunate to have many inside the industry contributing to the forums. Thanks also to Bail and also all the former mods that I've shared this role with, or soderators as we've sometimes been referred to. Cool

Bonus points to any insiders who manage to make any on air/screen references to TVF before it closes. For example a clip where the forum home page is on a monitor in the background, or maybe "that's all from us tonight, I'm off to take one last look at TV Forum before it closes". Razz
AN
Andrew Founding member
I’m very sorry to hear this, everything is changing these days with Covid, and TV Forum was one of the things that remained constant. I’ve been here pretty much from the start, when I was young, and now I’m err not as young and probably visit most days. The internet has clearly changed a lot over those 20 years and mostly its not for the better.

It’s a shame if those people who feel the need to talk politics at all times have contributed to this decision. This constant politics talk is already tiresome, you can’t seem to go anywhere without getting involved in it, its already ruined Twitter, you can be watching an old clip of an ident on Youtube and someone will bring up Brexit in the comments. You often wonder what they’d be like in the pub.

Despite the occasional issues with discussions of this type I think the quality of discussion here is usually of a high standard and the moderation just right. I’m sure many would agree you hardly ever get a decent discussion happening on Digital Spy, many threads are only there so people can say how rubbish everything is, how everything should be axed or everyone should be sacked, all with one line quick posts where you learn nothing. Even though some posts here sometimes go off into dodgy areas I’m sure we all agree its not as toxic as many parts of the internet is these days so everyone who has contributed should be proud about that.

Also the way the conversation naturally flows is another positive. There is another forum I am a member of, about a completely different topic that has ridiculously strict moderation. Whereas here you could start talking about the BBC One idents and naturally end up 6 pages later having an interesting detailed discussion about how the regional opt outs worked in the 1980s, on the other forum you’d be immediately slapped down for deviation and a week or so after a new ident had debuted the thread would be locked as its assumed the discussion has run its course.

The remit of the topics is also one of those things that kind of just works, the way there are sometimes threads that aren’t about presentation or news, but everyone kind of knows what types of programmes to discuss and at what level. The current thread about Dancing on Ice for example.

I wonder if you’ve thought about making some changes rather than closing the forum. Getting on board more moderators, or closing some of the less core forums leaving just the main two.

If not, hopefully an alternative can be found, with the same level and breadth of debate and the same detailed knowledge both from those who work in the industry and those like me who don't but who have learnt stuff over the years or just have good memories, it won’t be easy though and it won’t be the same.
JU
judin
Asa, I fully understand your reasons for shuttering the site. All the hard work you and the mods have put in; all the wonderful content created by the community. Thank you, thank you all.

I’m personally absolutely heart-broken. TV Forum has been a true, safe constant for me. Although I’m a quiet, non-posting member TV Forum has meant the world to me.

Perhaps I should do something outrageous to say “I once got a warning on TV Forum”?
DE88, Asa and South Today gave kudos
BH
BillyH Founding member
And there goes the second longest internet community I've been part of - I joined at the age of 12 in 2001, initially being one of those annoying younger posters who commented on everything whether it was useful or not (as opposed to the annoying 32 year old me who does the same today). My first post simply stated "I'll get my video recorder ready" on reading that an old BBC2 ident was about to be resurrected for that year's Chelsea Flower Show!

Thanks for keeping this forum going over two decades, it's astonishing the memories I have of this place - using up a huge dial-up phone bill here on the day of the September 11th terrorist attacks and being most concerned with what episode of The Simpsons was going to air that evening, the Jaron Brass saga of 2003 (which could easily be an Oscar-winning biopic one day, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Jaron or something) and the immensely entertaining Eurovision threads thanks to Tumble Tower to name but a few. Will be odd not to have it as part of my daily browse of websites from now on, and hope the replacement is equally as entertaining, informative and occasionally as bonkers as this place has been!

-Billy "Still not related to Asa" Hicks
UN
Universal_r
Very sad to hear this news. I’ve been here a very short while but I’ve had a great time none the less.

I’m glad it’s being kept up as an archive as I’ve been going through a lot of old threads that I wasn’t on here for and have found it very interesting.

Thanks very much to all of you and especially to Asa for keeping it going.

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