1 of 1- mojo55
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Cable Should Bring Classic TV Networks to Canada
I'm a fan of old-time radio and classic TV. There are numerous old-time radio and classic TV shows available on internet archive sites as well as YouTube. When I'm visiting in the U.S. I am amazed at the various classic TV networks such as Antenna TV, ThisTV, Retro TV and MeTV that are easily accessible by cable or satellite. Why can't these networks be made available by cable/satellite in Canada? Since I live in a condo, an outdoor HD antenna is not an option. Maybe CHCH might consider affiliating with one of these networks as a viable format. Any comments?
- John D
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Re: Cable Should Bring Classic TV Networks to Canada
Just returned from Vancouver. I saw the best Classic TV station ever. KVOS or ME TV out of Seattle. Makes DejaVu and the others look really bad. If you really want great nostalgia TV filled with "A" programming; check it out when on the west coast.
- RadioActive
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Re: Cable Should Bring Classic TV Networks to Canada
ME TV is in this area - sort of. It's on WBBZ-TV, which claims to be a Buffalo station, but is actually on virtual channel 67 in Springville, N.Y. It has an almost non-existent signal into the GTA, although on a really good night in summer with an outdoor antenna, you can get them without any problem. I wish this channel was a lot easier to receive here, since I also like the ME TV schedule. They also carry THIS TV, which is more reliant on movies.
Retro TV used to be on WGRZ's powerful 2.3 channel, but they dropped it more than a year ago. Now Antenna TV runs on channel 2.2 and has some wonderful stuff, albeit not freshened very much with new additions.
There is one amazing newcomer that begins Jan. 1st and airs every night at 11 PM. It's the old original Johnny Carson Tonight shows as they were originally broadcast during the Late Night King's long reign. First time they've been shown anywhere on the tube since they were first broadcast on NBC. The first one is from Jan. 1, 1985 and features the unlikely duo of Eddie Murphy and McLean Stevenson as guests. There's a listing for an episode the following Monday at 1:30 AM from 1954 - although clearly Carson wasn't there then and it could be a misprint.
One other thing we're missing are the New Year's Eve marathons that cable stations in the U.S. run at this time of year. I'd like to get the Syfy channel, which is showing every episode ever made of the original Twilight Zone between now and Sunday at noon. I'm sure there are some I've missed over the years that rarely get rerun and those would certainly be worth watching.
But unfortunately, as usual, not in Canada.
Last edited by RadioActive (December 30, 2015 11:32 pm)
- Radiowiz
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Re: Cable Should Bring Classic TV Networks to Canada
Too bad no one from Channel zero posts here.
They do own Silverscreen TV.
They might know a little something about this topic...
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- Radiowiz
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Re: Cable Should Bring Classic TV Networks to Canada
RadioActive wrote:
One other thing we're missing are the New Year's Eve marathons that cable stations in the U.S. run at this time of year. I'd like to get the Syfy channel, which is showing every episode ever made of the original Twilight Zone between now and Sunday at noon. I'm sure there are some I've missed over the years that rarely get rerun and those would certainly be worth watching.
You can try catching the channel live online, but I honestly do not know if I've found the best link:
(if it works, it might be choppy)
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- ckg927
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Re: Cable Should Bring Classic TV Networks to Canada
RA: I've seen coverage maps of WBBZ, and their signal doesn't even make it into St. Catharines...never mind the GTA. Note, however, that 'BBZ cuts out decent chunks of Me's schedule for their own programming(a bit of syndicated, but the majority is locally-produced; the .3 subchannel carries the ENTIRE MeTV schedule.) As for Antenna, they've added quite a few shows recently besides Johnny Carson(Family Ties, Mork & Mindy, Dear John, etc.; Webster is coming on board in the near future.)
Radiowiz: I've often thought that Channel Zero, if they were inclined to do so, could very well create a classic TV network for Canada. They could take some tips from Weigel Broadcasting(who owns MeTV)and Tribune(who owns Antenna TV), get programming from all over the place(Canada, the U.S., etc.)and ensure that to stay true to it being classic TV, put in a rule(unwritten)that a show can be no younger than 25 years when it first began airing.
Last edited by ckg927 (January 1, 2016 10:14 pm)
- Radiowiz
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Re: Cable Should Bring Classic TV Networks to Canada
Radiowiz: I've often thought that Channel Zero, if they were inclined to do so, could very well create a classic TV network for Canada. They could take some tips from Weigel Broadcasting(who owns MeTV)and Tribune(who owns Antenna TV), get programming from all over the place(Canada, the U.S., etc.)and ensure that to stay true to it being classic TV, put in a rule(unwritten)that a show can be no younger than 25 years when it first began airing.
...and this is where it gets complicated. Who has the rights to what? If Channel zero can obtain the rights to the movies does this mean they can just as easily obtain the right to air the shows too? Or is that a whole new animal?
RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person.
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.
- Leslieville Bill
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Re: Cable Should Bring Classic TV Networks to Canada
My anti-virus is saying that the page you've given us contains malware or exploits. 
(It's actually a frame within the page that is causing the problem.)
One other thing we're missing are the New Year's Eve marathons that cable stations in the U.S. run at this time of year. I'd like to get the Syfy channel, which is showing every episode ever made of the original Twilight Zone between now and Sunday at noon. I'm sure there are some I've missed over the years that rarely get rerun and those would certainly be worth watching.
You can try catching the channel live online, but I honestly do not know if I've found the best link:
(if it works, it might be choppy)
Last edited by Leslieville Bill (January 2, 2016 12:31 pm)
- Not an industry person. Just a guy with a love of Toronto radio.
- ig
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Re: Cable Should Bring Classic TV Networks to Canada
Thanks for the heads up.
The 'time4tv' site is flagged as a dangerous site apparently because of suspicious content. I'm guessing the free streaming and plethora of scripts running on the page. For what it's worth, it's safe if people don't click the link. If they do, (I did) it's up to them. Best advice is the usual advice. Don't download and run anything you don't know exactly what it is.
My anti-virus is saying that the page you've given us contains malware or exploits.
One other thing we're missing are the New Year's Eve marathons that cable stations in the U.S. run at this time of year. I'd like to get the Syfy channel, which is showing every episode ever made of the original Twilight Zone between now and Sunday at noon. I'm sure there are some I've missed over the years that rarely get rerun and those would certainly be worth watching.
You can try catching the channel live online, but I honestly do not know if I've found the best link:
(if it works, it might be choppy)
Madness takes its toll. Please have exact change.
- Peter the K
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Re: Cable Should Bring Classic TV Networks to Canada
I think back to the original incarnation of TVLand in the U.S. which was a spin-off of Nick at Nite. Basically 24/7 vintage TV fare. It was one of my faves when I was hacking U.S. satellite in 1999. (I'll freely admit it. Often, the chase was better than the catch. 
)
These days, it's all available on DVD and streaming media, commercial-free and, most importantly, uncut. Keep in mind that a lot of these 30 minute shows were 24-26 minute episodes. Over the years, my wife and I have collected the shows we enjoy and they're even sitting on our media server in the basement available for instant access.
Having said that, it's amazing how, when a particular chestnut comes on broadcast TV, we have to watch it, despite the fact we already have it and can access it instantly. We found ourselves doing this with the movie White Christmas when it was on over the last week or so. Go figure.
On another note, there's a torrent site out there that features a lot of "tape dumps" of broadcast programming, some with original commercials intact. Among the chestnuts there is an afternoon of broadcast programming with original commercials (including an episode of the Mike Douglas Show) that aired on election day in 1972, and the new year's eve episode of the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson from 1965. It's amazing what people find as they go through old tape stock.