AH Challenge: TV networks

Chris Oakley

Chris Oakley

Banned
Try to create a timeline in which America has not three,not four,but TEN major television networks in the late 1950s-early 1960s.
 

carlton_bach

No New Deal. The airwaves are not public property, and television starts out as a regional operation, like radio. However, it becomes clear pretty quickly that TV requires more capital than radio, and can only run profitably if it covers larger areas, so the TV stations in larger urban centres either buy out or cooperate with smaller ones and build up a network of coaxial cable to various broadcasting stations, beaming pürogrammes simultaneously. By the late 50s, there are only ten stations left in the continental USA:

NBC - the National Broadcasting Corporation (New York based, nationwide)

NYTC - The New York Television Company (East Coast and Northern Midwest only)

ABC - the American Broadcasting Corporation (San Francisco based, nationwide)

HTC - The Hearst Television Company (Chicago-based, nationwide)

USTS - United States Television Service (government-operated, Washington-based, nationwide)

GVTC - the Georgia and Virginia Television Corporation, Atlanta-based, majority-owned by the Coca Cola Corp., South and Southwest. Sometimes referred to as KKKTV)

LATC - the Los Angeles Television Corporation (West Coast)

UATC - the United American television Corporation (nationwide, LA-based, owned by a syndicate of Hollywood studios)

OVBC - the Ohio Valley Broadcasting Corporation (Chicago-based, despite the name. Midwest and Northwest)

BTCL - Boston Television Company Ltd (the last remaining 'minor' network, Northeast only, sometimes called 'Pinko Channel')
 

sunsurf

The Disney Network
A lot of advertisers had their names in the names of the programs.
I read Dick Clark wanted to start a cable network but didn't have enough money at the time. What if he had?
 

carlton_bach

sunsurf said:
The Disney Network
A lot of advertisers had their names in the names of the programs.
I read Dick Clark wanted to start a cable network but didn't have enough money at the time. What if he had?
Click to expand...

I don't think Disney had the influence and moolah to dominate a national TV channel in the early 50s. Although he might just as well have tried...

Anyways, I envisioned him, MGM and RKO being 'in this' together to stave off the menace of television and control the distribution of their valuable 'shorts'.
 

NapoleonXIV

Banned
carlton_bach said:
No New Deal. The airwaves are not public property, and television starts out as a regional operation, like radio. However, it becomes clear pretty quickly that TV requires more capital than radio, and can only run profitably if it covers larger areas, so the TV stations in larger urban centres either buy out or cooperate with smaller ones and build up a network of coaxial cable to various broadcasting stations, beaming pürogrammes simultaneously. By the late 50s, there are only ten stations left in the continental USA:

NBC - the National Broadcasting Corporation (New York based, nationwide)

NYTC - The New York Television Company (East Coast and Northern Midwest only)

ABC - the American Broadcasting Corporation (San Francisco based, nationwide)

HTC - The Hearst Television Company (Chicago-based, nationwide)

USTS - United States Television Service (government-operated, Washington-based, nationwide)

GVTC - the Georgia and Virginia Television Corporation, Atlanta-based, majority-owned by the Coca Cola Corp., South and Southwest. Sometimes referred to as KKKTV)

LATC - the Los Angeles Television Corporation (West Coast)

UATC - the United American television Corporation (nationwide, LA-based, owned by a syndicate of Hollywood studios)

OVBC - the Ohio Valley Broadcasting Corporation (Chicago-based, despite the name. Midwest and Northwest)

BTCL - Boston Television Company Ltd (the last remaining 'minor' network, Northeast only, sometimes called 'Pinko Channel')
Click to expand...

Improve UHF reception so the stations can be farther apart and this is acceptable. On the VHF bands alone it probably won't work as the harmonics will make interference still very likely, particularly at the fringes and everyone in the US will be at someone's fringe.
 
Archangel Michael

Archangel Michael

I just checked Wikipedia, and there's a few old American television networks thatn would fit the bill. The DuMont Television Network, Hughes Television Network, and the Overmeyer Network are also possible choices.
 

CalBear

Moderator
Donor
Monthly Donor
NapoleonXIV said:
Improve UHF reception so the stations can be farther apart and this is acceptable. On the VHF bands alone it probably won't work as the harmonics will make interference still very likely, particularly at the fringes and everyone in the US will be at someone's fringe.
Click to expand...


This is the answer!

VHF doesn't really have enough channels to make this work without channels ghosting onto each other (aka split screen gone mad). UHF is so weak you couldn't get a picture from a transmitter 20 miles away.

Barring better reception you need some sort of cable system (maybe part of Civil Defense?) to piggyback signals for the networks .
 

carlton_bach

CalBear said:
This is the answer!

VHF doesn't really have enough channels to make this work without channels ghosting onto each other (aka split screen gone mad). UHF is so weak you couldn't get a picture from a transmitter 20 miles away.

Barring better reception you need some sort of cable system (maybe part of Civil Defense?) to piggyback signals for the networks .
Click to expand...

Wasn't this how they did it OTL? Transmitters every so often, and the signal piped there by cable?
 
Chris Oakley

Chris Oakley

Banned
CalBear said:
This is the answer!

VHF doesn't really have enough channels to make this work without channels ghosting onto each other (aka split screen gone mad). UHF is so weak you couldn't get a picture from a transmitter 20 miles away.

Barring better reception you need some sort of cable system (maybe part of Civil Defense?) to piggyback signals for the networks .
Click to expand...

Interesting concept.
 
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