UK TV in America - back in time ..

[msmob]

Can you guys help me out here ? !

Back in the late eighties and early nineties I was a much more frequent visitor to the US - mainly California ( San Diego, SF Bay Area) and Florida ... I worked in Media Comms tech - buying stuff from the US as the Dollar / Sterling rate was more attractive.

Some ancient Greek chap is trying to suggest that back then US cable channels took live feeds from the BBC and ITV ( a channel relying on advertising revenue )

Given that such a scenario would have meant a permanent SAT feed link from the UK to US - VERY expensive in those days - and even CNN didn't start doing such things from other countries ( who was the only channel giving live feeds from Baghdad during the first Gulf War hours )

I'm TRYING to point out that only taped content was used ... but hey ..

[GQBlues]

Can you guys help me out here ? !..

I'll try but admit it'll be a stretch as that's a long time ago...


What I remember is, in the LA market, cable TV were a premium 'subscriber' options. Companies I remember were ONTV, Z Channel, American/Rainbow channel IIRC. The latter was the one that provided feeds from BBC. You're provider a decoder, and your TV had to be tuned to channel 3.


None of these cable channels provided 24 hr/TV. Schedules were announced on public TV, or in their own monthly schedule magazines. They earn their revenue via subscribers, and thus the highlight of their campaign were the channels were commercial free. Like Sirius/XFM on radios today.


The only 'live' feed BBC showed were current news broadcast. I remember this because it was during the Falklands' war. They reported news live...then would show tapes. But even then, they're signed off the majority of the day.


Today, BBC-America broadcast live news and market report in a certain time slots. Most of the time, they show re-runs of the X-Files, Sir David Attenborough's documentary, old movies, and running series like 'Killing Eve'. Bombarded with commercials of course.

[DaveNY]

The marriage ceremony between Chuck and Di was live feed to the US and that was 81 so live feeds were certainly possible then. How common it was probably depended on how much could be made from the broadcast.

[BdHvA]

A year before we got our own cable we watched as a sort of garden party the wedding of Charles and Dianna live in Greenwich on the BBC.

As I recall the coverage was rather subdued.

All the British women folk were goggle eyed and I tasted my first Pim's. For what it is worth I thought Diana was rather cute.

[msmob]

A year before we got our own cable we watched as a sort of garden party the wedding of Charles and Dianna live in Greenwich on the BBC.

As I recall the coverage was rather subdued.

All the British women folk were goggle eyed and I tasted my first Pim's. For what it is worth I thought Diana was rather cute.

1/ You have  a persona in the ether that needs to address his 'correcting me' ....    Your info was as accurate as suggesting Connors won the America's Cup in 82

2/ Diana was indeed hot ...she tried to race me in her Jag Cabriolet having given my White Coupe the nod of approval ...  Her's was a six cylinder 4 litre - mine was 6 litre and a V12 .. I was not very ecologically minded, them

I gave her a head start and then floored it - zooming up inside her and backing off - she slowed to give a thumbs up and tore off again and I was in a fine mood until a Rover SD1 V8 with two guys - both clearly Police / Security officers came along side and one made a note of my reg no. ( license plate )

I waited for a Court Summons  - but none came - so I always thought she'd made sure of that ...



Within a year John Major announced the 'spilt'

...and it's PimMs - tow M's

Thanks to all for the responses


 

[BdHvA]

Your info was as accurate as suggesting Connors won the America's Cup in 82

Were you part of the crew?

[msmob]

Is that an apology ?