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Thames schedule phone line

See TV Times or ring... (January 2017)

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SP
Steve in Pudsey
Here's an oddity


On the slides used during that closedown sequence to promo the next day's programmes, viewers are invited to consult TV Times for full details, or call a phone number.

Does anybody know what kind of service that number provided? Just effectively an audiobook of the TV Times or would you be connected to somebody who you could ask for details of when a programme would be shown? I'm guessing that certainly at closedown time it would have been the former?
MY
MY83
For morning programmes, press 1
For afternoon programmes, press 2
For evening programmes, press 3
For LWT, hang up immediately.
WH
Whataday Founding member
There seemed to be a lot of those phone services in the 80s. Perhaps just because the technology was fairly new and accessible.

I remember my dad had an old recording (he used to be a radio DJ) he made of one by The Sun (I think) which you could ring to hear jokes. And isn't that what L'oreal Studio Line started as too?
MY
MY83
TeamTalk, anyone?
NJ
Neil Jones Founding member
Seems unique to Thames, can't find much in the way of any other region doing the TV Times thing, not even LWT. Most of them just showed a weather forecast, promoted local radio and then either played the anthem over some seemingly random footage of The Queen or went off the air.

Looks like Thames stopped doing the programme menus and TV Times closedown thing by October 1985:
:-(
A former member
No Thames still had programme menus in 1986

BR
Brekkie
Nowadays they'd probably have to refund all callers in the event of a late schedule change.
Steve in Pudsey, Si-Co and Whataday gave kudos
WH
Whataday Founding member
Just gonna throw this in here

JA
james-2001
Just gonna throw this in here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wBifkGjrx4


SP
Steve in Pudsey
Scottish used to close with a full menu of the next day's programmes too.
SP
Steve in Pudsey
No Thames still had programme menus in 1986


And a year on, still nobody had told Tom that TV-am's programme wasn't called Good Morning Great Britain Smile
IS
Inspector Sands
MY83 posted:
For morning programmes, press 1
For afternoon programmes, press 2
For evening programmes, press 3
For LWT, hang up immediately.

'press'!? kids!.... this was the mid 80s! Rolling Eyes

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