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Think You Record A Lot Of TV? You Have Nothing On This Woman
How often do you use your DVR? A few times a day? Several hours a week?
That's nothing compared to Marion Stokes. The now deceased Ms. Stokes was what Bill Brioux describes as a "TV hoarder" back in Pennsylvania. Get this: she owned 8 VCRs and taped news channels 24 hours a day, every single day for 34 straight years! That equals 70,000 tapes.
I've kept a lot of stuff over the decades, but I'm in the 200 tapes range. And with the exception of Walter Cronkite's last newscast and the great ABC series "Our World," almost none of it is news.
Which brings me to one of our posters, who I'm grateful pointed out that PBS has an upcoming 90 minute Independent Lens documentary about this lady and her amazing collection. It will air on WNED here Sunday night, June 21st, at 11 PM, and again the following Friday at the ungodly hour of 3:30 in the morning. (Although if Ms. Stokes were still here, I'm sure she'd be taping it!)
Brioux outlines how her collection is an incredible snapshot of three decades, and how the medium, the coverage and the world changed in that time.
Bill Brioux: Tale of the tapes: meet news hoarder/archivist Marion Stokes
If this interests you, set your DVR.
Or in honour of Marion, your VCR, if you still have one.
From the WNED page:
Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project
Activist Marion Stokes secretly recorded American television 24 hours a day from 1975 to 2012, creating an invaluable comprehensive archive of the media. Her 70,000 VHS tapes reveal how television shaped - and continues to shape - our world.
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Re: Think You Record A Lot Of TV? You Have Nothing On This Woman
When I was at CP-BN we got a letter from a person who claimed to have some 600 recordings of the news scroll known as Cablestream. I kid you not.
"Life without echo is really no life at all." - Dan Ingram
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Re: Think You Record A Lot Of TV? You Have Nothing On This Woman
I wonder if the writer will get their own PBS special?
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Thread Starter- Dale Patterson
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Re: Think You Record A Lot Of TV? You Have Nothing On This Woman
=12px>> the great ABC series "Our World."
OMG! Someone else remembers that. Remember "The Time Machine" with Jack Perkins on A&E? This is back when A&E actually had Arts programming.
Last edited by Dale Patterson (June 16, 2020 1:57 am)
"Life without echo is really no life at all." - Dan Ingram
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Re: Think You Record A Lot Of TV? You Have Nothing On This Woman
I somehow missed Time Machine but glad to see there are examples of it online. Our World exists on YouTube as well, and is just as great as I remember, with Linda Ellerbee and Ray Gandolf as hosts. As I recall, it was on opposite the Cosby Show on NBC's Must See TV Thursday, which was untouchable at the time. So even though it was cannon fodder and cheap to make, it didn't last long.
Our World on YouTube
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Thread Starter- mace
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Re: Think You Record A Lot Of TV? You Have Nothing On This Woman
Non OTA viewers can also watch this documentary on KCTS Seattle Sunday June 21st at 2:30AM.
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Re: Think You Record A Lot Of TV? You Have Nothing On This Woman
If you have a VPN and can set it to the U.S., you can actually watch it right now online. PBS is very good about putting up most of its shows on the Internet. I'm not sure if Canadians will have access to it after it airs here locally, since WNED makes sure to include Toronto as part of its branding. But you can try the address below after WNED shows it next weekend and see if the geoblocking has been removed.
The site says it will remain online for free viewing until July 14th.
Independent Lens: The Marion Stokes Project
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Thread Starter- Tickle Trunk
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Does anyone feel guilty for illegally accessing content not meant for them due to country and copyright issues? Sure the VPN is legal, but by using it, you are messing with artists talents and efforts. Sorry, I watch Netflix CANADA and not circumvent the system and tune into the American feed.
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PBS is slightly different, though, because of WNED's reliance on Canadian donors. It's the only American TV station I know that includes a Canadian city in its ID and branding (although Detroit and Seattle may do the same.) They actually WANT Canadians to watch and actively seek them out. And PBS usually doesn't geoblock its website into Canada. I'm guessing once WNED and the others show it, it will be available here over the web.
So yes, technically, getting an early preview via VPN isn't completely kosher. But I suspect once it's been on the border outlets, anyone in North America may be able to watch it. It's not quite as egregious as accessing a U.S.-only video site, but everyone's moral mileage will vary.
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Dale Patterson wrote:- Davester
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Re: Think You Record A Lot Of TV? You Have Nothing On This Woman
+1 for "Our World".
Back in 1987, I got my first VCR for my birthday at the end of summer and was able to record the last 2 reruns of the show. Well done show that was more interesting than Cosby.
Davester.