TV Home Forum

Analogue Cable Memories

From Scientific Atlanta Boxes to CMT pulling out of Europe (July 2016)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
GO
gottago
elmarko posted:
We need to start a crowdfunding for Tony's book because I would buy the **** out of that

Have to agree, quickly running out of very geeky but quite readable books about TV history! This sounds like it would be a great read.
London Lite and Steve in Pudsey gave kudos
TC
TonyCurrie
Worzel posted:
TonyCurrie posted:
As some regulars here will know, I was the Controller of programmes at the Cable Authority, and so I probably knew more about cable TV programming than anyone at the time. I regularly visited cable operators around the UK (including tiny systems in Wales and Scotland - Irvine Cable, anyone?) and viewed all the major channels plus all the local channels on a daily basis. Both in my office and at home I had the rather bizarre Westminster Cable which had channels A1, B1, C1 etc and perhaps the very earliest form of two-way text communication. Some day, I promise, I shall write a book about it all, complete with stories like the time an American would-be cable operator tried to bribe Cable Authority officials with chocolate, and the day I yelled at the poor TC at MTV to take a banned video off the air before the naughty bit hit the screen. (They did - with a split second to go!) I've still got a monstrous pile of Cable Guides branded with every conceivable name, and an assortment of boxes and remotes - I even still have my Clyde CableVision hard hat!!! It was a time largely forgotten, when very briefly local television looked like it might fly. Aberdeen Cable's news programme, hosted by Jimmy Spankie and produced by Rachel Chancellor. Clyde's TV studio with awkward pillars in the middle that cameras had to avoid, and a news programme directed by Joyce Taylor. Other recollections in this thread: http://tvforum.uk/tvhome/uk-cable-tv-days-sky-bsb-31302/


Hi Tony,

What was the reason for the bizarre channel numbering on Cambridge Cable/NTL Analogue in Cambridge?

01 BBC One, 03 BBC Two, 11 ITV, 24 Channel 4, 04 Channel 5.

There were also other regions where the terrestrial channels appeared on rather odd numbers.


No idea, but at a guess, Anglia was on 11 because that had been its VHF channel and people got used to it?
GL
globaltraffic24
Channel One Liverpool's production values seemed quite poor, in contrast to London. Although, the content was okay. London Live could learn a lot from Channel One! Here's the only clip I could find.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiRncEqDeFE
WH
Whataday Founding member


Rare footage of WireTV before it was bought by Mirror Group and relaunched as L!VE TV.
PI
picard
Look how short that guys tie is, was that the fashion then, Cool
SP
Steve in Pudsey
gottago posted:
elmarko posted:
We need to start a crowdfunding for Tony's book because I would buy the **** out of that

Have to agree, quickly running out of very geeky but quite readable books about TV history! This sounds like it would be a great read.

This. I always enjoy Tony's contributions here and elsewhere.

8 days later

NW
nwtv2003
I forgot I had this on YouTube, a lot of cable channel hopping from 1999. The picture didn't jump on TV, it's from the VCR. Easy to forget how rubbish the picture quality used to be on The Box.

Newer posts