Television Presentation From Defunct Countries and Regimes

The Alexanderplatz TV tower is a much more pleasing design though. As is the TV Tower in Tallinn (which was built for microwave relay of the 1980 Olympic Sailing events I believe - as they took place in coastal Tallinn in Estonia, not landlocked Moscow!)

Both have great views and are good places for a coffee and a cake.

Kaknastornet in Stockholm is also good for a view (and also for coffee and a cake!) - but is a microwave relay station only I think - no main TV transmitters on it.

From Japan, a feature from TV Asahi's News Station (on its first broadcast in October 1985) about TV Asahi's bureau in Prague. The report starts at the 53:30 mark.

The anchor Hiroshi Kume talks with Mr Uchida who is in Prague. Back then, Prague was a place where newscasts from Communist countries are gathered. It also mentioned the Intervision network. One on of the monitors you can see the ZDF logo. Also includes openers and excerpts of news programs (translated to Japanese) including the ones from Cuba and Vietnam.

I think TV Asahi was one of the few TV stations in the world that open a bureau in a communist country and have access to the Intervision news exchange.

As a side note, look out for an advert for the Malaysian tourism board at the 59:45 mark.

Now in high quality:

In the menu at 1:40 in the first video, what does VPS mean?

Apparently it was the older version of Programme Delivery Control

"In Germany and some other European countries, the older standard video programming system (VPS) is in use also known as format 2. Effectively, the two systems do the same thing and most modern VCRs and stand-alone DVD recorders work with both signals."

Wonder why it is on the programme menu lile that then?

You entered a VPS code and the VCR was automatically set to record that program.

Yep - ISTR that VPS used a separate data system which ran at a lower bit-rate (I think) than teletext - and didn't need any form of teletext listings to function. It arrived before PDC, but as it didn't use teletext data it needed its own line in the vertical blanking interval which was seen as wasteful, compared to PDC which used existing teletext capacity to carry its data as additional packets.

Listings magazines in Germany would put the VPS code next to a programme and you entered that number on your VCR remote to record the show. Teletext listings would also include the VPS code, and eventually it became possible to set the VCR from the text listings AIUI - but this was at the point that PDC was also included in VCRs I suspect. (PDC used teletext ancillary packets to send similar information about programme start/stop etc. to your VCR)

VPS codes are distinct from the Gemstar or similar systems that also used codes just to set your timer - but didn't have any programme start/stop and re-schedule data from the broadcaster.

Czechoslovak TV news, 1988:

A great compilation of East German TV commercials before they were abolished (apparently because many of the advertised products were so difficult to obtain):

Not to mention there was barely any competition with prices!

Czechoslovakia did get this right at least once - on the top of the mountain at Ještěd. There had been a hotel there for quite some time, and a transmitter was built too - but both burned down in the 1960s. The replacement combined the two in an incredible hyperbolic structure. Lots of pics: http://www.amusingplanet.com/2013/10/jested-tower-hotel-in-czech-republic.html

(I have, of course, stayed there. The interior is great - it felt like we were staying on a moon base in a 60s sci-fi film.)