EXTRA STATIONS RECEIVED WITH EARLY 70'S BASIC CABLE

[bpatrick]

Canada doesn't have CB anymore?  What about CBET Windsor?

[w9wi]

Canada doesn't have CB anymore?  What about CBET Windsor?

Canada never had CB officially, it's always belonged to Chile.  Apparently they had some kind of arrangement with Chile -- certainly there's not much chance of anyone mistaking a CBC station (either official language) for a Chilean station or vice-versa.  In any case, call letters are MUCH less important for broadcasters in most other countries.

[JakeLongwell]

I've been on the info boards for quite a while now, but only recently started exploring this particular board. It's quickly becoming one of my favorites.

I wasn't going to resurrect this thread, until I saw the post about the Elmira cable system. I grew up in Bath, NY in the 1980s. Here is the lineup offered to subscribers of Bath Television and Service Co-op Inc. at that time.

2. WENY, Elmira (ABC)
3. WETM Elmira (NBC)
4. WIVB Buffalo (CBS)
5. WPIX New York (Ind)
6. WOR New York (Ind)
7. WKBW Buffalo (ABC)
8. WROC Rochester (NBC)
9. WSKG Binghamton (PBS)
(The signal was actually taken from a local translator, W60AD) Before that, the company attempted to receive NET/PBS programming from WXXI in Rochester, but reception was always problematic.
10. WHEC Rochester (CBS)
11. ESPN
12. WNEW New York (Ind)
13. CNN

In addition, one could also pay extra for HBO. In that case, you were issued a special set top box with push buttons for channels 14 to 22. HBO was on 22, while all other channels were blank. Clearly, they had plans for expanded offerings, eventually. Later, Cinemax appeard on channel 21, and The Disney Channel on 20. The rest of the slots would remain empty until 1988 when they were filled with the following:

14. MTV
15. WTBS
16. TNN
17. WGN
18. USA Network
19. Public Access (with audio from the local radio station, WVIN)

This was the second attempt by Bath TV to put TNN on the system. In 1986, they removed WIVB from the lineup, citing OTA reception issues. TNN was its replacement. There was such an outcry over this change, however, that WIVB was put back on the system after a very short time. Eventually, though, WIVB was taken off the system in the early 90s, and replaced by the CBN Family Channel. Again, there were protests, but the management at Bath TV made it quite clear that they were standing firm this time around.

As time passed, other out-of-market network affiliates would be dropped to make room for more cable offerings. This continued right up until Bath TV sold out to Time Warner in 2004. They were the last system in the area to sell out, I believe.

I'm always looking to learn more about local broadcast history. I am extremely curious as to what the cable lineup in Bath, NY looked like before 1980 (which I am assuming was the year both ESPN and CNN were added). What stations were sacrificed to make room for these new offerings? I was told by a relative several years ago that WOKR (13, Rochester, ABC) was carried in Bath at one point, but I never got confirmation of this.

If anyone has any ideas as to where I could find an old channel guide/listing for this system, please post your suggestions here.

[visaman]

Canada doesn't have CB anymore?  What about CBET Windsor?

CBUT Vancouver

[azumanga]

Canada doesn't have CB anymore?  What about CBET Windsor?

CBUT Vancouver

Here are the lists of all of the CBC's assets, including lists of the "CB" stations (excluding repeaters):

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

[M.J.]

Canada doesn't have CB anymore?  What about CBET Windsor?

Canada never had CB officially, it's always belonged to Chile.  Apparently they had some kind of arrangement with Chile -- certainly there's not much chance of anyone mistaking a CBC station (either official language) for a Chilean station or vice-versa.  In any case, call letters are MUCH less important for broadcasters in most other countries.

If you've ever seen actual broadcast callsigns from Chile, they don't resemble CBC's callsigns at all. Chile uses CB + numbers, such as CB12. A number of South American countries use this format, or three letters plus three numbers.

[Kent T]

Oak Ridge, TN circa 1977:

Channel 2: WSJK-TV Sneedville, TN PBS
Channel 3: WRCB-TV Chattanooga, TN NBC
Channel 4: Home Box Office
Channel 5: WLOS-TV Asheville, NC ABC
Channel 6: WATE TV NBC
Channel 7: WTCG TV Atlanta, GA Independent
Channel 8: Public Access
Channel 9 WTVC-TV Chattanooga, TN
Channel 10 WBIR-TV CBS Knoxville, TN
Channel 11: WTVK-TV Knoxville, TN ABC
Channel 12: WDEF-TV Chattanooga, TN

Cable System was Oak Ridge Cablevision (now Comcast)