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May 19, 2023 3:53 pm  #1


Remember When These Shows Were Simulcast On TV & Radio?

The May 24 long weekend means fireworks, which put me in mind of the days when radio stations in Toronto used to broadcast an audio track that was meant to sync with the late light show, as you stood there at Ashbridges Bay or City Hall.

I guess technology and heavy format restrictions put an end to that. But does anyone remember when you were told to tune to your local FM station to get the soundtrack for the show? When did this stop happening? It seemed to be all the promotable rage for a while before stereo TV and smartphones became the norm. 

Here's another example from March 1983, a symmetry between co-owned City TV and CHUM-FM. I'm not sure this would ever happen today. 

By the way, it was just two months after this ad was placed that City moved down the dial to Channel 57. That happened on May 18th. 

 

May 19, 2023 6:57 pm  #2


Re: Remember When These Shows Were Simulcast On TV & Radio?

According to the History of Canadian Broadcasting, May 18, 1983 was the day CITY received CRTC approval to move from Ch 79 to ch 57. The actual move came in July 1983.

 

May 19, 2023 7:48 pm  #3


Re: Remember When These Shows Were Simulcast On TV & Radio?

Rock 102 (once it went live), did a sync up broadcast of Miami Vice alongside WGRZ-TV in Buffalo.  I think it was in 1986


Cheers,
Jody Thornton
 
 

May 19, 2023 9:20 pm  #4


Re: Remember When These Shows Were Simulcast On TV & Radio?

Goddo Live at the Church - CHUM/CITY TV SIMULCAST  March 29, 1979 : )) .. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2kDceyFxPQ&ab_channel=GregGodovitz 

 

May 20, 2023 2:45 pm  #5


Re: Remember When These Shows Were Simulcast On TV & Radio?

Jody Thornton wrote:

Rock 102 (once it went live), did a sync up broadcast of Miami Vice alongside WGRZ-TV in Buffalo.  I think it was in 1986

Both CFMI and CFOX at different points did simulcasts of Miami Vice with BCTV in Vancouver.  I didn't know it was done elsewhere.

 

May 20, 2023 9:33 pm  #6


Re: Remember When These Shows Were Simulcast On TV & Radio?

I heard the final episode of "Cheers" while driving north on the QEW, listening to the Global audio feed on 87.7.
 


"Life without echo is really no life at all." - Dan Ingram
 

May 20, 2023 10:06 pm  #7


Re: Remember When These Shows Were Simulcast On TV & Radio?

Dale Patterson wrote:

I heard the final episode of "Cheers" while driving north on the QEW, listening to the Global audio feed on 87.7.

That wasn't a simulcast. That was the old analogue Global signal on Channel 6 in Paris, Ont. Channel 6 shows up on FM at 87.7, the only VHF station that did that. So you were actually listening to the show as it aired on Global TV. I remember tuning in The Simpsons back in the day before the HD conversion and even CBLT, before it moved to Channel 5. I miss that option!

Funny you would mention the last episode of Cheers. The anniversary of that show's airing just happens to be tonight, May 20th. It was 1993, and it got a huge send-off on NBC and not surprisingly, garnered a massive audience. The problem began that same night, when Jay Leno took his Tonight Show to the real Cheers - the Bull & Finch in Boston - to do his show live to celebrate the end of the series. 

It was a huge mistake. By the time they got to air at 11:30 PM, the cast was plastered and the show quickly went off the rails. 


Speaking of finales, May 20th, 2015 also marked the last episode ever of David Letterman's Late Show on CBS. Quite a historic date in TV history.

     Thread Starter
 

May 20, 2023 10:36 pm  #8


Re: Remember When These Shows Were Simulcast On TV & Radio?

RadioActive wrote:

Dale Patterson wrote:

I heard the final episode of "Cheers" while driving north on the QEW, listening to the Global audio feed on 87.7.

That wasn't a simulcast. That was the old analogue Global signal on Channel 6 in Paris, Ont. Channel 6 shows up on FM at 87.7, the only VHF station that did that. So you were actually listening to the show as it aired on Global TV. I remember tuning in The Simpsons back in the day before the HD conversion and even CBLT, before it moved to Channel 5. I miss that option!

Funny you would mention the last episode of Cheers. The anniversary of that show's airing just happens to be tonight, May 20th. It was 1993, and it got a huge send-off on NBC and not surprisingly, garnered a massive audience. The problem began that same night, when Jay Leno took his Tonight Show to the real Cheers - the Bull & Finch in Boston - to do his show live to celebrate the end of the series. 

It was a huge mistake. By the time they got to air at 11:30 PM, the cast was plastered and the show quickly went off the rails. 


Speaking of finales, May 20th, 2015 also marked the last episode ever of David Letterman's Late Show on CBS. Quite a historic date in TV history.

=12px>>> So you were actually listening to the show as it aired on Global TV.

That's what I thought.
 


"Life without echo is really no life at all." - Dan Ingram
 

May 20, 2023 10:37 pm  #9


Re: Remember When These Shows Were Simulcast On TV & Radio?

RadioActive wrote:

Dale Patterson wrote:

I heard the final episode of "Cheers" while driving north on the QEW, listening to the Global audio feed on 87.7.

That wasn't a simulcast. That was the old analogue Global signal on Channel 6 in Paris, Ont. Channel 6 shows up on FM at 87.7, the only VHF station that did that. So you were actually listening to the show as it aired on Global TV. I remember tuning in The Simpsons back in the day before the HD conversion and even CBLT, before it moved to Channel 5. I miss that option!

Funny you would mention the last episode of Cheers. The anniversary of that show's airing just happens to be tonight, May 20th. It was 1993, and it got a huge send-off on NBC and not surprisingly, garnered a massive audience. The problem began that same night, when Jay Leno took his Tonight Show to the real Cheers - the Bull & Finch in Boston - to do his show live to celebrate the end of the series. 

It was a huge mistake. By the time they got to air at 11:30 PM, the cast was plastered and the show quickly went off the rails. 


Speaking of finales, May 20th, 2015 also marked the last episode ever of David Letterman's Late Show on CBS. Quite a historic date in TV history.

I remember 30 years ago being in the North Bay area and flipping around on the radio looking for something to listen to. There were very few choices on FM there back then, but they had TVO on Channel 6, so I ended up listening to TVO kids shows on 87.7.

I also remember getting Global in London on 87.7 back then.

Last edited by MJ Vancouver (May 20, 2023 10:39 pm)

 

May 21, 2023 6:51 am  #10


Re: Remember When These Shows Were Simulcast On TV & Radio?

I seem to recall a time when CFNY 102 FM used to "team up" with channel 11, but I honestly do not recall if there was an actual simulcast. 


RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person. 
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.

 
 

May 21, 2023 11:26 am  #11


Re: Remember When These Shows Were Simulcast On TV & Radio?

When did 87.7 switch from CBC audio to Global audio? And could it be used again?


"Life without echo is really no life at all." - Dan Ingram
 

May 21, 2023 11:47 am  #12


Re: Remember When These Shows Were Simulcast On TV & Radio?

Some of us here who are cable or sat subscribers receive Detroit's NBC station, WDIV ch. 4. On Canada Day 1986, for the Windsor-Detroit International Freedom Festival, channel 4 and radio station WMJC 94.7 did a simulcast during the fireworks show that night, with the TV coverage hosted by long-time WDIV news anchor Carmen Harlan and weather reporter Brian Teigland. The YouTube clip below also shows some behind-the-scenes stuff, including the various camera positions on both sides of the border, and a quick look at channel 4's production control room downtown. Note the use of the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack here... Harold Faltermeyer's "Axel F" and Glenn Frey's "The Heat Is On". How many TV stations did *not* use Axel F for background music at one point or another in the '80s?


 

 

May 21, 2023 12:47 pm  #13


Re: Remember When These Shows Were Simulcast On TV & Radio?

Dale Patterson wrote:

When did 87.7 switch from CBC audio to Global audio? And could it be used again?

It wasn't really an audio switch per se. The frequency that any station on analogue channel 6 uses just happens to be receivable on a standard FM receiver, the only VHF that does that.

CBLT switched to Channel 5 in Sept. 1972 to make way for the Global signal sign-on out of Paris, Ont. So when the switch came, CBC disappeared from your FM and Global's audio took its place.

Some refer to these as Franken-FMs. In the U.S., Weigel Broadcasting's WRME-TV, a low power station in Chicago, created a huge controversy by turning its Channel 6 frequency into a full-time radio station, reaching people there in their cars. And it does OK in the ratings.

They're required to put up some kind of picture, which consists of text-based information, so that the radio station stays on the air unaffected. 

From Wikipedia:

"After the 2009 digital television transition for full-power stations, WRME-LP became one of several such "Franken-FM" stations that were actually analog TV stations on channel 6; the video signal aired unrelated material to the audio, including a loop of weather and traffic information. When low-power stations were required to transition to digital, Venture Technologies Group obtained special temporary authority to convert the station to ATSC 3.0 Next Gen TV and also maintain an analog audio signal on 87.7 FM. The ATSC 3.0 channel occupies the lower 5.509 MHz of the 6 MHz channel."

     Thread Starter
 

May 21, 2023 1:01 pm  #14


Re: Remember When These Shows Were Simulcast On TV & Radio?

Radiowiz wrote:

I seem to recall a time when CFNY 102 FM used to "team up" with channel 11, but I honestly do not recall if there was an actual simulcast. 

Correct.  This would be during the period when both CFNY and CHCH were under the same ownership of Westcom Radio or Western International or WIC (it kinda kept changing...)

CFNY built a custom multi track recording mobile, I forget the console, but recall that it had a couple of Sony multi track recorders. The CFNY truck ended up being parked/maintained at CHCH as it was in regular use. 

CHCH  had a long history of having enhanced audio facilities in the moblie units.  The original SuperCruiser was equipped with a 16 track Studer recorder which (when required) would be used for the original location recording, and then the recorder would move back into the Jackson Street buildings for post audio / edit purposes. 

The Delta 1 truck had a Euphonix audio console. Multiple upon multiple in/out paths, auxes, inserts... so it could work well with the CFNY mobile. 

The CFNY mobile was sold, and I think it still resides down along Polson Pier/Cherry St. ???


 

 

May 21, 2023 1:38 pm  #15


Re: Remember When These Shows Were Simulcast On TV & Radio?

CJOH Ottawa was also granted use of RF Channel 6 for the Deseronto re-broadcast transmitter. It was analog until the bitter end... eventually shutting down in 2019.

Spin your tuner down to the bottom of the FM band and you could hear CJOH TV.  
 

 

May 21, 2023 4:39 pm  #16


Re: Remember When These Shows Were Simulcast On TV & Radio?

RadioActive wrote:

Dale Patterson wrote:

When did 87.7 switch from CBC audio to Global audio? And could it be used again?

It wasn't really an audio switch per se. The frequency that any station on analogue channel 6 uses just happens to be receivable on a standard FM receiver, the only VHF that does that.

CBLT switched to Channel 5 in Sept. 1972 to make way for the Global signal sign-on out of Paris, Ont. So when the switch came, CBC disappeared from your FM and Global's audio took its place.

Some refer to these as Franken-FMs. In the U.S., Weigel Broadcasting's WRME-TV, a low power station in Chicago, created a huge controversy by turning its Channel 6 frequency into a full-time radio station, reaching people there in their cars. And it does OK in the ratings.

They're required to put up some kind of picture, which consists of text-based information, so that the radio station stays on the air unaffected. 

From Wikipedia:

"After the 2009 digital television transition for full-power stations, WRME-LP became one of several such "Franken-FM" stations that were actually analog TV stations on channel 6; the video signal aired unrelated material to the audio, including a loop of weather and traffic information. When low-power stations were required to transition to digital, Venture Technologies Group obtained special temporary authority to convert the station to ATSC 3.0 Next Gen TV and also maintain an analog audio signal on 87.7 FM. The ATSC 3.0 channel occupies the lower 5.509 MHz of the 6 MHz channel."

Thanks RA.

I remember listening to the CBC late-night sportscast on 87.7 when I was in high school in the late '60s-early '70s. That would follow CFRB's 11:20 p.m. sportscast - with Dave Hodge at one time - as part of The World Tonight.
 


"Life without echo is really no life at all." - Dan Ingram
 

May 21, 2023 5:06 pm  #17


Re: Remember When These Shows Were Simulcast On TV & Radio?

Many years ago, I had a small portable Sangean radio - I think it was the 200DT - which not only got AM and FM but VHF. It was fantastic. I could take the dog for a walk and listen to whatever TV stations came in. Generally, that was CFTO, CBLT, and CHCH, but sometimes WGRZ & WKBW (it did not get UHF.)

Once everything went to HD, the good times were over.  But it sure was fun while it lasted.

     Thread Starter
 

May 23, 2023 9:15 pm  #18


Re: Remember When These Shows Were Simulcast On TV & Radio?

It ultimately wouldn't have mattered with the switch to HD, but imagine if this had happened.

From Feb. 1944:

     Thread Starter