The Final Curtain for Classic TV
The Final Curtain for Classic TV

It was the year CBS killed everything with a tree in it.

- Pat Buttram, aka Mr. Haney from “Green Acres”, on the Rural Purge (of 1971)

The 1970-71 season is usually regarded as the final season of classic television, because it marked a number of important milestones for the medium. First and foremost, a brand new regulation was enacted that completely changed the nature of primetime network television.

This regulation, the Prime Time Access Rule (PTAR), continued the proud American tradition of antitrust legislation. In essence, it existed because there were only three broadcast networks on American television – and had been since 1956, as it happened; though, as was so often the case, it took the while for the law to catch up with the changing times. The PTAR enacted a number of new restrictions to prevent the three networks from exercising too much power over their affiliate stations – many of which were not (and, under already existing antitrust laws, could not be) owned and operated by them. It also prevented simultaneous control of broadcasters and syndicates [1], in anticipation of a relationship forming that would be analogous to that between the theatres and the studios in the Golden Age of Hollywood, outlawed by the Miracle Decision of 1952. But the most important aspect of the new regulations was the effect that it would have on the primetime network schedule: Starting on September 13, 1971, it would begin at 8:00, instead of the customary 7:30 (7:00 on Sundays). [2] This meant that each network would lose four hours of primetime, for a total of twelve lost hours on the weekly aggregate network schedule. Therefore, the standard round of cancellations at the end of the season would have to be more drastic than usual, given the premium on timeslots. NBC and ABC were forced to be discriminating in choosing which shows to renew. CBS, on the other hand…

CBS had an image problem. Though it was still the #1 network in terms of overall ratings, many of its most popular programs were considered over-the-hill; most of the hot, new shows with all the buzz were on the other two networks. And with all the buzz came the favourable demographics. A new paradigm had emerged among the mass of advertisers who funded the television industry: it just wasn’t enough to get eyeballs any more; they needed to be attached to young, affluent, and urban viewers, who weren’t watching CBS, derisively nicknamed the “Country Broadcasting System”. It was the network for old fogies and hayseed bumpkins. And this was a reputation would need to be overhauled in order to move forward. Enter Fred Silverman, the new Vice-President of Programming. Relatively young, and with an unusually keen talent for tapping into the zeitgeist, he had already set the network on the right track with “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, and more recently Those Were the Days. But taking a risk on new shows was only half the battle; as far as Silverman was concerned, those old shows that continued to hang around the network like an albatross needed to go, yesterday. There would be no sacred cows at the new CBS, and the PTAR provided a golden opportunity for him to put his radical plans into action.

Thus, the Rural Purge came into being. Under Silverman’s watch, at the conclusion of the 1970-71 season, virtually all programs that were perceived to appeal to primarily rural (or older) audiences were cancelled. Among the many shows on the chopping block were:

“Beverly Hillbillies”, which had been one of the highest-rated programs of the 1960s, along with sister series “Green Acres”. Additionally, the rural-tinged variety show “Hee Haw”, another cornerstone of the CBS Tuesday night lineup, got the axe; though it was successfully revived in first-run syndication, and would continue to run for many years thereafter. It also had the dubious distinction of being the top-rated casualty of the Purge, finishing in the Top 20 that season, and standing as proof positive of the value of viewer demographics.

“Family Affair” [3] and “Hogan’s Heroes”, neither of which had a rural setting, were both cancelled because of unfavourable demographics, particularly with regards to their decidedly “un-hip” reputations, and poor critical reviews. Tentative attempts were made to revive both shows, neither of which really went anywhere, much to the consternation of their legions of fans.

“Lassie”, the longest-running of the shows targeted by the Purge, having aired since 1955. The famous show about a boy and his dog, based on the beloved series of films, was considered unbelievably quaint and even trite. It, like “Hee Haw”, survived in first-run syndication. “Mayberry R.F.D.”, a spinoff of “The Andy Griffith Show”, was also eliminated, as was “The Jim Nabors Hour”, another variety show starring the one-time “Gomer Pyle” star. [4]

“Gunsmoke”, famously rescued from oblivion in 1967 by none other than the network CEO, William Paley, was finally cancelled for good, becoming perhaps the most notorious victim of the Rural Purge. [5] But it had fallen out of the Top 30, thanks to the tough competition from Star Trek, and even though that show would not be returning in the following season, Silverman’s mind was made up. This time, Paley did not come to his beloved program’s rescue. After 16 years, it was finally time to get the hell out of Dodge.

The combined factors of the PTAR and the Rural Purge would result in a completely revamped network schedule for CBS in the coming 1971-72 season, with a turnover of over 38% – or nearly two-fifths – from the previous season. [6] Without a doubt, Silverman’s solution to the problems facing the network was an extremely risky one, but with great risks, there would surely come great rewards. But when it came to bringing an era to a definite close, he was without question one of the primary agents responsible.

ABC and NBC, though far less comprehensive in meeting their own needs to make tough cancellation calls, also tended to eliminate shows with older, rural audiences. Lawrence Welk, Andy Williams, and Johnny Cash, all of whom hosted variety programs, saw their shows cancelled at the end of the season. Welk, like “Hee Haw” and “Lassie”, was able to continue in first-run syndication. Surprisingly enough, however, NBC did bring back all three of its flagship Western series, “Bonanza”, “The Virginian”, and “The High Chaparral”, for the following season. [7] This was in stark contrast to much of the other programming on its schedule, which would form the core of an emerging identity crisis for the network as it continued to move into the 1970s.

The combination of the PTAR and the Rural Purge resulted in a natural dividing line between what had come before and what would come after. This was complemented by several other, lesser milestones that only served to solidify the sense of two distinct “eras” of television.

Star Trek, one of the most popular and influential programs on television, fittingly ended its run in 1971 – July, as it happened, making it the final product of that season and, therefore, “The Last of the Classic TV shows”. This unique legacy was bolstered by its association with Desilu, which had also produced the pioneering “I Love Lucy”, and it was seen as fitting that the bounds of “Classic TV” were bookended by those two equally groundbreaking series. [8] In addition, several products from the twilight years of the Classic era would find prominence in the era of “Modern TV”, and indeed would come to define it: PBS, launched in 1970, would only gradually take shape as a cohesive network, with a strong brand of programming; “Mary Tyler Moore” and Those Were the Days, two shows that had a profound influence on much of the programming of the 1970s, and especially the shift in situation comedy from ridiculous and broad “madcap” plots to relatable, character-based stories. There were some enduring trends that bridged the gap between old and new, such as the continuing popularity of the science-fiction genre; but all things considered, there was a surprisingly potent air of finality involved for such an inherently fluid medium. It was truly the end of an age…

---

[1] This combination of syndicates independent of the networks, and a strong presence of unaffiliated stations (along with more free timeslots for those that did have a network affiliation) would result in the rise of the first-run syndication market; this became the first widespread method of disseminating original television programming that did not involve the conventional broadcast networks.

[2] The FCC allowed the networks to reclaim their lost hour of Sunday primetime in 1975 IOTL. On all nights of the week, primetime ends at 11:00, typically followed by the local nightly news, and then late night programming (in this era, that’s Johnny Carson on NBC, against all comers on the other two networks). Worth noting is that the concept of a “watershed” has never really existed in the United States.

[3] “Family Affair” was almost brought back by ABC IOTL, because it was considered along the same lines as “The Brady Bunch” and “The Partridge Family”. The Bradys never aired ITTL, and in their place we have “Barefoot in the Park”, about a young married couple. Therefore, “Family Affair” would be less attractive to ABC, though “The Partridge Family” did finish in the Top 30 for the 1970-71 season.

[4] “Mayberry R.F.D.” was the highest-rated casualty of the Purge IOTL, finishing at #15 for the 1970-71 season, and with that ranking still stands as one of the most popular shows ever to be cancelled in all of broadcast history. However, it only ran for three seasons, and followed in the footsteps of the beloved “Andy Griffith”, which explains its lack of staying power, even among classic TV buffs.

[5] “Gunsmoke” finished at #5 in the 1970-71 season IOTL, and indeed, had seen something of a renaissance in the ratings in the late 1960s. But with Star Trek as competition ITTL, this doesn’t happen. Indeed, it quickly became very clear that all the attractive viewers were watching Star Trek, and all the unattractive ones were watching “Gunsmoke”. IOTL, given the show’s much higher ratings, it survived until 1975, with every indication that it would continue for a twenty-first season until the very last minute. With an original run of 20 seasons, it set a record that was finally tied by Law & Order in 2010.

[6] That rate is calculated from eight new hours of programming out of twenty-one on the post-PTAR schedule. At eight hours out of twenty-five, measured according to the traditional schedule, that’s a turnover of “only” 32%. IOTL, the turnover was seven hours (one-third and 28%, respectively), given the survival of “Gunsmoke”.

[7] IOTL, both “The Virginian” (renamed “The Men from Shiloh”) and “The High Chaparral” were cancelled at the end of the 1970-71 season. Both had higher ratings ITTL, particularly “Chaparral”, which had an attractive berth at the end of the now-legendary NBC Monday night lineup from 1968 onward, and duly benefitted from that.

[8] This defines the bounds of “Classic TV” as being from 1951 – 1971. The era prior to that becomes known ITTL as “Experimental TV”, though many standards and conventions were firmly in place by the late 1940s. IOTL, the end of “Classic TV” is also traditionally defined as 1971, given the combined impact of the PTAR and the Rural Purge; but it was never as widely used as ITTL and, given all the time that has passed since then, the end boundary is continually shifting forward.

---

And thus ends the 1970-71 cycle! And if I were inclined to divide this timeline into "Parts", in the vein of epic novels, then this would be as good a place as any to mark the end of "Part I". Thank you all for your continued interest in this timeline! Please join me as we continue the story with an exploration of the 1971-72 cycle. Until then, may all your channel-surfing end with something worth watching :)
 
Last edited:
Brainbin said:
It was the year CBS killed everything with a tree in it.

- Pat Buttram, aka Mr. Haney from “Green Acres”, on the Rural Purge (of 1971)

The 1970-71 season is usually regarded as the final season of classic television, because it marked a number of important milestones for the medium. First and foremost, a brand new regulation was enacted that completely changed the nature of primetime network television.

This regulation, the Prime Time Access Rule (PTAR), continued the proud American tradition of antitrust legislation. In essence, it existed because there were only three broadcast networks on American television – and had been since 1956, as it happened; though, as was so often the case, it took the while for the law to catch up with the changing times. The PTAR enacted a number of new restrictions to prevent the three networks from exercising too much power over their affiliate stations – many of which were not (and, under already existing antitrust laws, could not be) owned and operated by them. It also prevented simultaneous control of broadcasters and syndicates [1], in anticipation of a relationship forming that would be analogous to that between the theatres and the studios in the Golden Age of Hollywood, outlawed by the Miracle Decision of 1952. But the most important aspect of the new regulations was the effect that it would have on the primetime network schedule: Starting on September 13, 1971, it would begin at 8:00, instead of the customary 7:30 (7:00 on Sundays). [2] This meant that each network would lose four hours of primetime, for a total of twelve lost hours on the weekly aggregate network schedule. Therefore, the standard round of cancellations at the end of the season would have to be more drastic than usual, given the premium on timeslots. NBC and ABC were forced to be discriminating in choosing which shows to renew. CBS, on the other hand…

CBS had an image problem. Though it was still the #1 network in terms of overall ratings, many of its most popular programs were considered over-the-hill; most of the hot, new shows with all the buzz were on the other two networks. And with all the buzz came the favourable demographics. A new paradigm had emerged among the mass of advertisers who funded the television industry: it just wasn’t enough to get eyeballs any more; they needed to be attached to young, affluent, and urban viewers, who weren’t watching CBS, derisively nicknamed the “Country Broadcasting System”. It was the network for old fogies and hayseed bumpkins. And this was a reputation would need to be overhauled in order to move forward. Enter Fred Silverman, the new Vice-President of Programming. Relatively young, and with an unusually keen talent for tapping into the zeitgeist, he had already set the network on the right track with “The Mary Tyler Moore Show”, and more recently Those Were the Days. But taking a risk on new shows was only half the battle; as far as Silverman was concerned, those old shows that continued to hang around the network like an albatross needed to go, yesterday. There would be no sacred cows at the new CBS, and the PTAR provided a golden opportunity for him to put his radical plans into action.

Thus, the Rural Purge came into being. Under Silverman’s watch, at the conclusion of the 1970-71 season, virtually all programs that were perceived to appeal to primarily rural (or older) audiences were cancelled. Among the many shows on the chopping block were:

“Beverly Hillbillies”, which had been one of the highest-rated programs of the 1960s, along with sister series “Green Acres”. Additionally, the rural-tinged variety show “Hee Haw”, another cornerstone of the CBS Tuesday night lineup, got the axe; though it was successfully revived in first-run syndication, and would continue to run for many years thereafter. It also had the dubious distinction of being the top-rated casualty of the Purge, finishing in the Top 20 that season, and standing as proof positive of the value of viewer demographics.

“Family Affair” [3] and “Hogan’s Heroes”, neither of which had a rural setting, were both cancelled because of unfavourable demographics, particularly with regards to their decidedly “un-hip” reputations, and poor critical reviews. Tentative attempts were made to revive both shows, neither of which really went anywhere, much to the consternation of their legions of fans.

“Lassie”, the longest-running of the shows targeted by the Purge, having aired since 1955. The famous show about a boy and his dog, based on the beloved series of films, was considered unbelievably quaint and even trite. It, like “Hee Haw”, survived in first-run syndication. “Mayberry R.F.D.”, a spinoff of “The Andy Griffith Show”, was also eliminated, as was “The Jim Nabors Hour”, another variety show starring the one-time “Gomer Pyle” star. [4]

“Gunsmoke”, famously rescued from oblivion in 1967 by none other than the network CEO, William Paley, was finally cancelled for good, becoming perhaps the most notorious victim of the Rural Purge. [5] But it had fallen out of the Top 30, thanks to the tough competition from Star Trek, and even though that show would not be returning in the following season, Silverman’s mind was made up. This time, Paley did not come to his beloved program’s rescue. After 16 years, it was finally time to get the hell out of Dodge.

The combined factors of the PTAR and the Rural Purge would result in a completely revamped network schedule for CBS in the coming 1971-72 season, with a turnover of over 38% – or nearly two-fifths – from the previous season. [6] Without a doubt, Silverman’s solution to the problems facing the network was an extremely risky one, but with great risks, there would surely come great rewards. But when it came to bringing an era to a definite close, he was without question one of the primary agents responsible.

ABC and NBC, though far less comprehensive in meeting their own needs to make tough cancellation calls, also tended to eliminate shows with older, rural audiences. Lawrence Welk, Andy Williams, and Johnny Cash, all of whom hosted variety programs, saw their shows cancelled at the end of the season. Welk, like “Hee Haw” and “Lassie”, was able to continue in first-run syndication. Surprisingly enough, however, NBC did bring back all three of its flagship Western series, “Bonanza”, “The Virginian”, and “The High Chaparral”, for the following season. [7] This was in stark contrast to much of the other programming on its schedule, which would form the core of an emerging identity crisis for the network as it continued to move into the 1970s.

The combination of the PTAR and the Rural Purge resulted in a natural dividing line between what had come before and what would come after. This was complemented by several other, lesser milestones that only served to solidify the sense of two distinct “eras” of television.

Star Trek, one of the most popular and influential programs on television, fittingly ended its run in 1971 – July, as it happened, making it the final product of that season and, therefore, “The Last of the Classic TV shows”. This unique legacy was bolstered by its association with Desilu, which had also produced the pioneering “I Love Lucy”, and it was seen as fitting that the bounds of “Classic TV” were bookended by those two equally groundbreaking series. [8] In addition, several products from the twilight years of the Classic era would find prominence in the era of “Modern TV”, and indeed would come to define it: PBS, launched in 1970, would only gradually take shape as a cohesive network, with a strong brand of programming; “Mary Tyler Moore” and Those Were the Days, two shows that had a profound influence on much of the programming of the 1970s, and especially the shift in situation comedy from ridiculous and broad “madcap” plots to relatable, character-based stories. There were some enduring trends that bridged the gap between old and new, such as the continuing popularity of the science-fiction genre; but all things considered, there was a surprisingly potent air of finality involved for such an inherently fluid medium. It was truly the end of an age…

---

[1] This combination of syndicates independent of the networks, and a strong presence of unaffiliated stations (along with more free timeslots for those that did have a network affiliation) would result in the rise of the first-run syndication market; this became the first widespread method of disseminating original television programming that did not involve the conventional broadcast networks.

[2] The FCC allowed the networks to reclaim their lost hour of Sunday primetime in 1975 IOTL. On all nights of the week, primetime ends at 11:00, typically followed by the local nightly news, and then late night programming (in this era, that’s Johnny Carson on NBC, against all comers on the other two networks). Worth noting is that the concept of a “watershed” has never really existed in the United States.

[3] “Family Affair” was almost brought back by ABC IOTL, because it was considered along the same lines as “The Brady Bunch” and “The Partridge Family”. The Bradys never aired ITTL, and in their place we have “Barefoot in the Park”, about a young married couple. Therefore, “Family Affair” would be less attractive to ABC, though “The Partridge Family” did finish in the Top 30 for the 1970-71 season.

[4] “Mayberry R.F.D.” was the highest-rated casualty of the Purge IOTL, finishing at #15 for the 1970-71 season, and with that ranking still stands as one of the most popular shows ever to be cancelled in all of broadcast history. However, it only ran for three seasons, and followed in the footsteps of the beloved “Andy Griffith”, which explains its lack of staying power, even among classic TV buffs.

[5] “Gunsmoke” finished at #5 in the 1970-71 season IOTL, and indeed, had seen something of a renaissance in the ratings in the late 1960s. But with Star Trek as competition ITTL, this doesn’t happen. Indeed, it quickly became very clear that all the attractive viewers were watching Star Trek, and all the unattractive ones were watching “Gunsmoke”. IOTL, given the show’s much higher ratings, it survived until 1975, with every indication that it would continue for a twenty-first season until the very last minute. With an original run of 20 seasons, it set a record that was finally tied by Law & Order in 2010.

[6] That rate is calculated from eight new hours of programming out of twenty-one on the post-PTAR schedule. At eight hours out of twenty-five, measured according to the traditional schedule, that’s a turnover of “only” 32%. IOTL, the turnover was seven hours (one-third and 28%, respectively), given the survival of “Gunsmoke”.

[7] IOTL, both “The Virginian” (renamed “The Men from Shiloh”) and “The High Chaparral” were cancelled at the end of the 1970-71 season. Both had higher ratings ITTL, particularly “Chaparral”, which had an attractive berth at the end of the now-legendary NBC Monday night lineup from 1968 onward, and duly benefitted from that.

[8] This defines the bounds of “Classic TV” as being from 1951 – 1971. The era prior to that becomes known ITTL as “Experimental TV”, though many standards and conventions were firmly in place by the late 1940s. IOTL, the end of “Classic TV” is also traditionally defined as 1971, given the combined impact of the PTAR and the Rural Purge; but it was never as widely used as ITTL and, given all the time that has passed since then, the end boundary is continually shifting forward.

---

And thus ends the 1970-71 cycle! And if I were inclined to divide this timeline into "Parts", in the vein of epic novels, then this would be as good a place as any to mark the end of "Part I". Thank you all for your continued interest in this timeline! Please join me as we continue the story with an exploration of the 1971-72 cycle. Until then, may all your channel-surfing end with something worth watching :)
Well done, as usual.:cool: I knew about the "Rual Massacre" (so to speak), but didn't realize it was so total.:eek: One question: did nobody think about the money the older-skewing demos had? (Which is what keeps golf on the air as I understand it...) Or was that not understood yet? (That said, except "Gunsmoke" & "Hogan's Heroes", I wouldn't have missed any of them...& I still don't know how "Beverly Hillbillies" ever got past a rejected pilot to begin with.:confused::confused:)

It does look like the PTAR led to the rise of the independent studios & indirectly to the fall of the networks. I've a sense also the change cost them millions of dollars in lost ad revenue every year. Which would suggest a lowering in quality of programming purchased...

One other thing: the "watershed". I've never heard that one before.
Brainbin said:
may all your channel-surfing end with something worth watching :)
:rolleyes: Aren't you the wide-eyed optimist?;) 200 channels of nothing to watch, more like.
 
As regards the opening Wawa segment if that's really what her interviews are like, no wonder I didn't like it! :)

The FCC allowed the networks to reclaim their lost hour of Sunday primetime in 1975 IOTL. On all nights of the week, primetime ends at 11:00, typically followed by the local nightly news, and then late night programming (in this era, that’s Johnny Carson on NBC, against all comers on the other two networks). Worth noting is that the concept of a “watershed” has never really existed in the United States.

Anybody know why that is (the watershed, apparently called "safe harbour" in the USA)? I'm in Canada and once we hit the watershed anything goes. In the USA it seems like not so much.

In fact anything goes so much in that I'm convinced that when I was in Uni there were two people in charge of CBC's late night movies. One guy played banal boring stuff (not even the "good" bad stuff), the other guy played incredibly trippy nudity filled art films dealing with all kinds of weird and sometimes taboo stuff (I was deeply surprised to hear the word "c**t on network TV, until I checked and learned about the watershed).

And thus ends the 1970-71 cycle! And if I were inclined to divide this timeline into "Parts", in the vein of epic novels, then this would be as good a place as any to mark the end of "Part I". Thank you all for your continued interest in this timeline! Please join me as we continue the story with an exploration of the 1971-72 cycle. Until then, may all your channel-surfing end with something worth watching :)

Kaboom! (Cookie booze to anybody that gets the reference to a modern day show).

I'm super excited for the new era of television. Aside from (what else) Star Trek I never watched much in the way of '60s shows, but now we're entering stuff that I've seen & greater ripple effects from the change in programming.

In particular, I can't wait to see what the post-Star Trek science fiction landscape is.


One other thing: the "watershed". I've never heard that one before.

After a certain time (usually 11pm) broadcast networks are free to play what they want in most countries. In other words nudity, language, etc….
 

Falkenburg

Monthly Donor
Well at least The High Chaparral made it through. I always had a soft spot for Buck. :D

For what it's worth, in the UK (and Ireland) the 'Watershed' is generally from 9PM onwards.
There's usually a 'fade' to stronger material or a Announcer will basically say "Are you sure? Well, you've been warned."

The edgier Channel Four used to go out of it's way when it first started (1982) to be as provocative as it could.
Although that could be a trick of memory. It was probably just in comparison to what was available elsewhere. :eek:
Mind you, this was back when the National Anthem was played before 'Closedown' (On BBC & RTE).

Just out of interest, did US TV broadcast around the clock?
One of the most familiar television images to British/Irish viewers of a certain age would be The Test Card.
Broadcast to enable better tuning and calibration of sets, probably had more airtime than anything else on British television. :D

test%20card%202.jpg


Falkenburg
 
After a certain time (usually 11pm) broadcast networks are free to play what they want in most countries. In other words nudity, language, etc….

Interesting. Normally considered as 9pm in Britain. Although you do tend to get complaints if something too nasty turns up before 10pm.;)

Steve
 
Electric Monk said:
After a certain time (usually 11pm) broadcast networks are free to play what they want in most countries. In other words nudity, language, etc….
TY.:) I take that's different from the "9 PM witching hour" where more adult programs can start?
Electric Monk said:
I'm in Canada and once we hit the watershed anything goes. In the USA it seems like not so much.
Agreed. Watching late night CBC in the mid-late '70s, it never ceased to surprise me how far they could go. U.S. TV, never so far. (We didn't have HBO...)
Electric Monk said:
In fact anything goes so much in that I'm convinced that when I was in Uni there were two people in charge of CBC's late night movies. One guy played banal boring stuff (not even the "good" bad stuff), the other guy played incredibly trippy nudity filled art films dealing with all kinds of weird and sometimes taboo stuff
Agreed.;) The CBC French network was the best for that.:cool: (You could turn the sound off & watch, & not worry about subtitling:cool: ...or the terrible scripts.:eek::p Where do you think I first learned who Sophie Marceau was?;) "L'etudiante", anyone?:cool: Call the cops?:p) Hasn't been that good in 20yr.:(
Falkenburg said:
did US TV broadcast around the clock?
One of the most familiar television images to British/Irish viewers of a certain age would be The Test Card.
I've a sense that depended on the local station. Certainly out here, they went off the air til into the '80s. I distinctly remember as a kid being up early with the test pattern on & music under it ("Midnight at the Oasis", every time:cool:) & the VO, "From left to right: gray, yellow, cyan, green, magenta, red, & blue" (the "target" pattern before that, with what I recall as an Indian headdress at the center, but that's a very vague, very young recall:().
Falkenburg said:
Broadcast to enable better tuning and calibration of sets, probably had more airtime than anything else on British television. :D
It was more deserving than some of the garbage that got on Canadian TV. CanCon is a bane.:eek:
 
Just out of interest, did US TV broadcast around the clock?
One of the most familiar television images to British/Irish viewers of a certain age would be The Test Card.
Broadcast to enable better tuning and calibration of sets, probably had more airtime than anything else on British television. :D

test%20card%202.jpg


Falkenburg

At the time, U.S. television did not broadcast 24/7. Many of the transmitters were tube-based, and needed overnight maintenance, so around 1 or 2 a.m., the broadcasting station would "sign off" with something like this:

  • Official callsign, frequency, studio and transmitter location;
  • A plaque noting the station was a member of the National Association of Broadcasters;
  • A short film made by the U.S. Air Force called "High Flight";
  • The "Star Spangled Banner";
  • Carrier wave off.

Around 5 or 5:30, depending on the station, the carrier would come on and a test pattern (the American term for a test card) would appear. Many of them were "Indian Head" variations with the station's callsign and channel number in the corner or in the center of the test card:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Head_test_card.

At 5:58 the station would repeat its official callsign, frequency, studio, and transmitter location, with local programming starting at 6:00.

This went on until transmitters grew more reliable and needed less maintenance.
 

Falkenburg

Monthly Donor
At the time, U.S. television did not broadcast 24/7.
~SNIP~

Cool. It's the little things that fill in the blanks that help complete the picture. :cool:

Speaking of which, did North America have an equivalent of Ceefax? If so was the music as dementedly groovy?
From what I can see the US approach was similar to their dealings with the Metric System. :p

Falkenburg
 
Cool. It's the little things that fill in the blanks that help complete the picture. :cool:

Speaking of which, did North America have an equivalent of Ceefax? If so was the music as dementedly groovy?
From what I can see the US approach was similar to their dealings with the Metric System. :p

Falkenburg

No; there wasn't an equivalent service, though the data could have been transmitted through the unused lines of the 525-line raster of the NTSB system. Television stayed off. What was I doing up watching the stuff?
 
TY.:) I take that's different from the "9 PM witching hour" where more adult programs can start?

Yep. The USA does loosen restrictions from 8 to 9 to 10 to 11, but at 11 (or 10 on Fox) is local news. That might be why, now that I think of it, the USA doesn't have a proper watershed.

Agreed.;) The CBC French network was the best for that.:cool: (You could turn the sound off & watch, & not worry about subtitling:cool: ...or the terrible scripts.:eek::p Where do you think I first learned who Sophie Marceau was?;) "L'etudiante", anyone?:cool: Call the cops?:p) Hasn't been that good in 20yr.:(

Heh. I did the same thing, although I usually left the sound on because I appreciate terrible scripts :).

Are you sure? I have a vague recollection of one in Canada. Never successful, & maybe only a proposal.

You're right.

The CBC ran a teletext service, IRIS, accessible only in Calgary, Toronto and Montreal. It ran from 1983 until about 1986, and used the Canadian-developed Telidon system, which was developed in 1980. Like Antiope, Telidon allowed significantly higher graphic resolution than standard teletext.
 
Electric Monk said:
Yep. The USA does loosen restrictions from 8 to 9 to 10 to 11, but at 11 (or 10 on Fox) is local news. That might be why, now that I think of it, the USA doesn't have a proper watershed.
Might be. Might also be because, here, we tended to go national & local news from 2300-0000, then anything goes. And CBC would've mainly been coming from Toronto, not local, as I understand it (tho here, IIRC, it was CBC provincial French, so I may be wrong).
Electric Monk said:
Heh. I did the same thing
Welcome to the club.:D
Electric Monk said:
although I usually left the sound on because I appreciate terrible scripts :).
If you actually understand French, maybe it helps.:rolleyes::p I sometimes felt a lot got lost in translation, reading the subtitles of some films, but sometimes...:rolleyes::confused: (I used to joke I only understood about 3 words of French: "La Chambre Rouge".:p And two of Italian: Greta Scacchi.:p:cool: Best ad for Coke I've ever seen.:p {I will say Gail's Pepsi ad was mighty good.:p}) I was probably the only one of my peer group who knew who Alain Delon, Gerard Depardieu, & Marcello Mastroianni were, too.;) (Of course, I knew who Abbott & Costello were, but had no idea about Cheech & Chong, so...:rolleyes:)
Electric Monk said:
I'm hearing a Scottish accent there.:p
 
Possibly the reason UK TV developed a 9 and 10 watershed would be that traditionally the BBC showed its late evening news at 9pm, with ITV broadcasting its at 10pm.
Basically the newstime became the watershed.
 
Thank you all for your great response to my most recent update! I'm really enjoying the direction that the discussion is taking a result, but I'm first going to address the past comments before I move on to the present ones.

I have a reasonable selection of single malts but name your poison and I'll see what I can do. ;)
Anything that's smooth and goes down easy, but warms the cockles of your heart at the same time. You're a bartender, I'm sure you can recommend something ;)

Falkenburg said:
One Hand Grenade with a Dead Salmon pin coming up. :cool:
A trade secret? Who do they think they are, Flaming Moe's?

Bourbon, but I like single malts just fine.
What a funny coincidence! That's Dr. McCoy's favourite drink as well. "Beam me up, Jim." :p

Well, assuming the show still makes Caine a Buddhist monk trained at the Southern Shaolin temple in the aftermath of the First Opium war, it won't matter much at the time in America outside of Asian communities if Mr. Lee employed his signature style rather than a more classical Shaolin one. However, to those Asian communities, particularly in Chinatowns and other places with a lot of people with Southern Chinese ancestry (Especially from Guangzhou and Hunan provices) it will be jarringly obvious. (Hence my reference to The Princess Bride).
It's an unfortunate reality that cultural sensitivity toward Asian-Americans in Hollywood has always been suspect. I've mentioned Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's before. The obvious solution is to create a fictional monastery that just so happens to teach a martial arts style strikingly similar to that of Bruce Lee. That way, Lee isn't disrespecting his heritage, and the producers aren't offending anyone.

Kalvan said:
What I'm really looking forward too is the future career of Terry Nation. Will Blake's Seven still happen in a world without Watergate, or will it have to wait until Margret Thatcher? Of course, Maggie will place a stamp of disaproval on the BBC, so maybe Nation, on a holiday in the States, meets this "kid" named Rockne O'Bannon, and while talking with him in a bar, Jim Henson overhears them while looking for followup to The Muppet Show, and then one thing leads to another...
Excellent questions, although your leaps of logic are truly astounding :eek: No, there won't be a Watergate; and I must say, you're rather getting ahead of yourself to assume that Mrs Thatcher will be living at No 10. But as to "Blake's Seven", fortunately that's not a question I'll have to answer for quite some time.

I was getting at how unlikely I thought it would be most people here would recognize the Desilu name. You would. I would. I doubt we're anything like even a pluarlity.;)
Unfortunately, I think you're right - which is a shame, because even IOTL, Desilu is almost certainly the most influential television production studio in history. "I Love Lucy" and Star Trek, all by themselves, would see to that.

phx1138 said:
(When you get done here, Brainbin...?:cool:;))
That won't be for a looooong time :eek:

Well, catching up after a while away. Quite a lot of discussion and plenty of names of attractive ladies that stir up a few memories.
Welcome back, Steve! I was wondering where you had gotten to.

stevep said:
However interested enough in something different from the usual military/political POD to keep reading.
And now you all know why I went with this story idea :D

stevep said:
Probably it was already a few pages long by then when I came across it and once I realised the series in question was ST I subscribed. The rest is history.;)
Page 4, if I remember correctly. And indeed it is! Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Well done, as usual.:cool: I knew about the "Rual Massacre" (so to speak), but didn't realize it was so total.:eek: One question: did nobody think about the money the older-skewing demos had? (Which is what keeps golf on the air as I understand it...) Or was that not understood yet?
I've alluded to this before, so now I'll say it outright: the reason advertisers prefer younger audiences over older ones - even though older ones, as you point out, have more disposable income - is because the conventional wisdom has it that older people are more set in their ways, and less susceptible to advertising. Conversely, younger audiences are more easily influenced. Advertisers and marketers are generally good at what they do - I don't doubt that this is true, otherwise they would have found out about it by now. As to why golf is successful, it's actually affluent viewers that follow golf. There are plenty of young golfers out there; it's the perfect opportunity to network and get close to the boss. Golf is the classic symbol of leisure time, and therefore luxury and wealth.

phx1138 said:
It does look like the PTAR led to the rise of the independent studios & indirectly to the fall of the networks.
It certainly opened the door and let in an awful draft.

phx1138 said:
I've a sense also the change cost them millions of dollars in lost ad revenue every year. Which would suggest a lowering in quality of programming purchased...
Of course, the networks can simply raise standard advertising rates to compensate ;)

As regards the opening Wawa segment if that's really what her interviews are like, no wonder I didn't like it! :)
Oh, believe me, she and her ilk really are that terrible.

Electric Monk said:
Anybody know why that is (the watershed, apparently called "safe harbour" in the USA)? I'm in Canada and once we hit the watershed anything goes. In the USA it seems like not so much.
Simple. The FCC places such tight restrictions on television content that it makes the MPAA seem downright neglectful by comparison, and the American population tolerates it in large part due to the "think of the children" mindset.

Electric Monk said:
(I was deeply surprised to hear the word "c**t on network TV, until I checked and learned about the watershed).
Given CTV airing both "The Sopranos" and "The Osbournes" uncut, I think it's safe to say that Canadian viewers don't share that mindset...

Electric Monk said:
I'm super excited for the new era of television. Aside from (what else) Star Trek I never watched much in the way of '60s shows, but now we're entering stuff that I've seen & greater ripple effects from the change in programming.
Thank you very much. I'll try not to disappoint :)

Electric Monk said:
In particular, I can't wait to see what the post-Star Trek science fiction landscape is.
That information will be gradually revealed over the course of the next few cycles.

Well at least The High Chaparral made it through. I always had a soft spot for Buck. :D
Well, there you go. Never let it be said that I don't take requests :p

Falkenburg said:
The edgier Channel Four used to go out of it's way when it first started (1982) to be as provocative as it could.
No, I've heard about Channel Four's reputation, and I'm not even British. It may have openly cultivated that image, the same way that the (eventual) "fourth network" in the United States (FOX) did in its early years (as tame as "Married... with Children", "The Simpsons", and "In Living Color" seem today, they were rather edgy for the time).

Aw, shortened Gunsmoke? You've probably made my family very unhappy people.:p
What can I say? Star Trek takes no prisoners! And if it's any consolation, "Gunsmoke" did still run for 16 seasons (and over 500 episodes). And really, they were getting rather old towards the end. Maybe ITTL they can have a little more dignity.

It was more deserving than some of the garbage that got on Canadian TV. CanCon is a bane.:eek:
Oh, but how else would Gordon Pinsent, Peter Keleghan, Jayne Eastwood, and Sonja Smits keep getting work?

This went on until transmitters grew more reliable and needed less maintenance.
Welcome aboard, GAB-1955, and thank you for your insight! You're absolutely right, of course.

Cool. It's the little things that fill in the blanks that help complete the picture. :cool:
That's been one of my philosophies in writing this timeline. Though that owes much to my general love of trivia and facts.

What was I doing up watching the stuff?
Do you have an answer for that? Did you want us to guess? :confused:

Heh. I did the same thing, although I usually left the sound on because I appreciate terrible scripts :).
Oh man! Oh God oh man! Oh God oh man oh God oh man oh God oh man oh God!

I'm hearing a Scottish accent there.:p
I'm hearing a Klingon attempting to affect a Scottish accent for the sake of mocking someone :cool:

Basically the newstime became the watershed.
I think that's a very reasonable explanation :)

Just as before, the next post (the first update of the 1971-72 cycle!) should be ready sometime this weekend. In the interim, I'll also provide you with my customary list of what's "Coming Up Next!". And you just might find me popping up in the most unlikely places! ;)
 
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At the time, U.S. television did not broadcast 24/7. Many of the transmitters were tube-based, and needed overnight maintenance, so around 1 or 2 a.m., the broadcasting station would "sign off" with something like this:

  • Official callsign, frequency, studio and transmitter location;
  • A plaque noting the station was a member of the National Association of Broadcasters;
  • A short film made by the U.S. Air Force called "High Flight";
  • The "Star Spangled Banner";
  • Carrier wave off.

Around 5 or 5:30, depending on the station, the carrier would come on and a test pattern (the American term for a test card) would appear. Many of them were "Indian Head" variations with the station's callsign and channel number in the corner or in the center of the test card:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Head_test_card.

At 5:58 the station would repeat its official callsign, frequency, studio, and transmitter location, with local programming starting at 6:00.

This went on until transmitters grew more reliable and needed less maintenance.

I think that, in major markets, TV stations had started going to 24-hour broadcasting by the latter half of the 1970's. I remember when I was living in North Carolina at that time (1977 through 1985, though my family moved to the D.C. suburbs in 1981) that the network TV stations in Raleigh, which was the closest major town to Fayetteville (where I lived) broadcast around the clock, though the programs on from 1 to 5 am were disposable filler at best. In the early days of cable, several stations, notably Ted Turner's WTCG in Atlanta (Channel 17), the ancestor of TBS and TNT, specifically advertised themselves as being 24-hour stations. My family got cable around, I think, 1978 or 1979 when it became available in Fayetteville, and I am pretty sure that HBO was running a 24-hour schedule even then.
 
Interesting. Normally considered as 9pm in Britain. Although you do tend to get complaints if something too nasty turns up before 10pm.;)

Steve

I don't subscribe to Cinemax at this point so I can't tell you for sure if this is still the case, but back in the 1990's, Cinemax (one of the major U.S. movie cable channels) was famous, or notorious, for running soft-core erotic movies and other programming after midnight, to the extent that it was nicknamed "Skinemax".
 
Simple. The FCC places such tight restrictions on television content that it makes the MPAA seem downright neglectful by comparison, and the American population tolerates it in large part due to the "think of the children" mindset.

Given CTV airing both "The Sopranos" and "The Osbournes" uncut, I think it's safe to say that Canadian viewers don't share that mindset...

Another comment about Japanese TV may be in order here. Japan may be notorious for censoring pubic hair from Playboy, but I can tell you that their TV shows in the mid-70's - and I'm talking about shows running in the afternoon; whereas the U.S. runs, or used to run, soaps in the afternoon, Japan runs, or ran, samurai series, which are analogous to the American Westerns - there were sex scenes which would have gotten a "R" rating slapped on them if they'd been part of a movie Stateside. That was a real, ahem, eye-opener to a boy going into puberty...

"Married With Children" is today likely a textbook case of "Seinfeld Is Unfunny", but back in the day, which is to say the early 1990's, it was the most controversial thing going on TV, maybe not so much for its content - though that raised a huge furor; remember Terry Rakolta? - as for its savage deconstruction of the "family sitcom" genre.
 

Falkenburg

Monthly Donor
Anything that's smooth and goes down easy, but warms the cockles of your heart at the same time. You're a bartender, I'm sure you can recommend something ;)

Really depends on personal taste and palate.
However if it's a recommendation you're after, perhaps a Bunnahabhain <Boon-na-Hav-unn>?
I can sort a 12yo or an 18yo ;) (Sadly I can't justify stocking the 25yo :()

A trade secret? Who do they think they are, Flaming Moe's?

Not hardly. :D
'Dead Salmon' is a little something I cook up myself for staff parties - Not for the faint-hearted.
Take some Poteen (if you can get it), or a Cocktail Vodka (Ultra Strong 70%+ ABV)
'Dilute' to taste with liquers of your choice (Amaretto, Frangelico, Jaegermeister, etc)
Don't be stingy with the Mix as it will take a LOT to make (Good) Poteen palatable.

Test your Mix by smell and VERY small sips (5ml max), as you may have to work on the combination and you will quickly be much worse for wear.

Once you think it's about right, add Grenadine to sweeten and colour.
I prefer a disarming pinkish colour, just to mess with peoples perceptions.
When they take a Full Shot (50ml) their face will tell you why I call it a Dead Salmon. :p

A 'Hand Grenade' is a Complex Shot, (Usually) comprising 2 Spirits and a mixer.
Think 'Elaborate Jaeger-Bomb'.

Take a wide-mouth (deep) glass, put a small amount (75-100ml) of your 'Chaser' in the bottom.
(Most people prefer an energy drink like Red Bull or an equivalent but tastes vary)

Take 2 Large Shot Glasses (50ml), fill with your poisons of choice (Jaegermeister, Goldschlager, Rumpleminz, etc).
In this case we'll fill one with Goldschlager ('The Charge') and the other with Dead Salmon ('The Pin').

Place the two Shot Glasses in the mouth of the first glass so that the 'Pin' sits higher and the 'Charge' sits lower.

To drink them you pull (and down) the 'Pin', followed immediately by downing the second half of the drink.

Takes longer to read than to do. Speed is your friend (as in alacrity, not amphetamine) 3-4 seconds max.

Rack 'em up and gather your victims, err, I mean friends. ;)

And Thank You for sparing The High Chapparal (for now).

Falkenburg
 
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Brainbin said:
Anything that's smooth and goes down easy, but warms the cockles of your heart at the same time. You're a bartender, I'm sure you can recommend something ;)
A vote for Laphroaig, if I may? If only because of the name.;) (And the proposition the reason haggis is best with scotch is because you'd need to have drunk a fifth to think haggis is a good idea.:p)
Brainbin said:
What a funny coincidence! That's Dr. McCoy's favourite drink as well. "Beam me up, Jim." :p
:rolleyes: I think we can rule out bourbon: it was Scotty doing the work, after all...:p (Romulan ale, now...:cool: {"It's...green." "Who do you think gave it to Guinan?":p})
Brainbin said:
It's an unfortunate reality that cultural sensitivity toward Asian-Americans in Hollywood has always been suspect. I've mentioned Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany's before. The obvious solution is to create a fictional monastery that just so happens to teach a martial arts style strikingly similar to that of Bruce Lee. That way, Lee isn't disrespecting his heritage, and the producers aren't offending anyone.
Nor would it be entirely out of bounds, IMO. How many different styles were practised in how many different places? Who's to say a temple didn't do what Bruce did & adopt/adapt different techniques from many schools?
Brainbin said:
Unfortunately, I think you're right - which is a shame, because even IOTL, Desilu is almost certainly the most influential television production studio in history. "I Love Lucy" and Star Trek, all by themselves, would see to that.
No argument. It's the same as for other shows: how many notice the producer, ever? Or event the writer? (I'm embarassed to say I don't even notice, always, even on shows whose writing I treasure, like "House".:eek::eek:) Ask 100 people who produced "Streets of San Francisco", you might get one who noticed. Or "Simon & Simon". Or "House" (& that one I can't answer, either....:eek::eek: I know who created the show, but...)
Brainbin said:
That won't be for a looooong time :eek:
I did anticipate being past retirement age before I see it.:p
Brainbin said:
I've alluded to this before, so now I'll say it outright: the reason advertisers prefer younger audiences over older ones - even though older ones, as you point out, have more disposable income - is because the conventional wisdom has it that older people are more set in their ways, and less susceptible to advertising. Conversely, younger audiences are more easily influenced. Advertisers and marketers are generally good at what they do - I don't doubt that this is true, otherwise they would have found out about it by now. As to why golf is successful, it's actually affluent viewers that follow golf. There are plenty of young golfers out there; it's the perfect opportunity to network and get close to the boss. Golf is the classic symbol of leisure time, and therefore luxury and wealth.
I do know that.;) And the idea is, get them as children & keep them for a lifetime. (It works, too, often enough.) I just think there's a niche for a network, & for advertisers, that's been neglected, especially with the Baby Boom: when the Boomers get to their 60s, it's going to be the biggest mass market for old people the world has ever seen.:eek:
Brainbin said:
It certainly opened the door and let in an awful draft.
An understatement, to be sure.;)
Brainbin said:
Of course, the networks can simply raise standard advertising rates to compensate ;)
Hmm... "You want me to pay higher advertising rates on lower rated shows because you just cancelled half your schedule? And didn't fire your programming department? Who's head of the network over there, Timothy Leary?":p ("Play the playlist. Play part of the playlist.":p)
Oh, believe me, she and her ilk really are that terrible.
Brainbin said:
due to the "think of the children" mindset
Yep, let's treat the entire viewership like 6 year old morons.:rolleyes:
Brainbin said:
Oh, but how else would Gordon Pinsent, Peter Keleghan, Jayne Eastwood, and Sonja Smits keep getting work?
Gordon, I daresay, would do it on talent. The others would deservedly be unknowns outside of Toronto's theatre crowd. And, just maybe, we could have kept Graham Yost (frex) in Canada, & shot "Speed" in, IDK, Toronto? Would it have been so miraculous? Or a show like "NYPD Blue" (arguably without the smacks; it's a Canadian show...:rolleyes: Network is in denial. {Like they are about corruption & graft in the States, so not just us.:rolleyes:})
Brainbin said:
I'm hearing a Klingon attempting to affect a Scottish accent for the sake of mocking someone :cool:
Och, laddie, y'knooo wha' happen' ta haim.:p (He decided to start beating up chess pieces.:p)
joea64 said:
"Married With Children" is today likely a textbook case of "Seinfeld Is Unfunny", but back in the day, which is to say the early 1990's, it was the most controversial thing going on TV, maybe not so much for its content - though that raised a huge furor; remember Terry Rakolta? - as for its savage deconstruction of the "family sitcom" genre.
The same can be said for "Soap". I recall protests & calls for boycotts when it debuted. Now? "Tame" maybe it's not, but controversial?:rolleyes:
Falkenburg said:
Take some Poteen (if you can get it)
Helps to know a leprechaun or two, or you visit Central Park a lot.:p
 
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