If audio counts, and it's soap opera related, in 1968, Dan Ahearn of Methuen, MA, ([email protected]) started taping portions of Another World using an old reel-to-reel audio recorder. Those snippets are the earliest stuff i've got from AW, complete with longtime announcer Bill Wolff, and the organ music too. I downloaded those fairly recently. I've also got some Concertation eps with Hugh Downs, but those are kines.
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Oldest Extant Off-Air VHS/Beta Tape You Have
- Thread starter Stanislav
- Start date
"TAPE 32: This nearly complete primetime block off WJMN/ABC from 10/3/1991 starts with Gabriel's Fire: Pros & Cons, followed by FBI: The Untold Stories, American Detective, and about 3/4ths of Primetime Live, including an interview with Fred Savage. The tape then ends with most of 20/20 from the following night, but the quality is unwatchable at times due to wear."
Very interesting find here, Gabriel's Fire, FBI Untold Stories, and American Detective are 3 shows that never got a DVD release, and do not seem to be on Archive or any of the private trackers for old content, so quite the find on those!
Also that TGIF preview from 1991 is a rarity I've never seen before and I know how nostalgia collectors salivate over TGIF stuff.
Lastly, interesting that The Windmills of the Gods was later re-run on NBC, I have the original airing that was on CBS from February 1988.
Overall that was quite the lot of material, when I find large lots of tapes I'd estimate that 1/2 to 2/3 are either direct rental dubs or HBO/Cinemax/PPV channel recordings of movies. Further still, when it is network recordings of stuff, half the time the commercials are either fully edited out, or half edited out, recorded at EP, with still 3-4 hours still left on the tape. At least when I was regularly zapping commercials it was to save on blank tapes, that way I could fit 3-4 college basketball games on a 6 hour tape or 3 football games on a 8 hour tape, back when 2-3 tapes easily cost as much as my weekly allowance.
One last point you mentioned more than a few times that the tape length did not match the tape shell, my guess is that since these recordings were late 80s and early 90s, and since Beta was declining as a format from 1986 on, that the manufacturer was reusing tape shells and whatever leftover parts that were available. This same issue came up with late releases of CED discs, as mono and hifi shell colors were used or mismatched with the wrong films.
Very interesting find here, Gabriel's Fire, FBI Untold Stories, and American Detective are 3 shows that never got a DVD release, and do not seem to be on Archive or any of the private trackers for old content, so quite the find on those!
Also that TGIF preview from 1991 is a rarity I've never seen before and I know how nostalgia collectors salivate over TGIF stuff.
Lastly, interesting that The Windmills of the Gods was later re-run on NBC, I have the original airing that was on CBS from February 1988.
Overall that was quite the lot of material, when I find large lots of tapes I'd estimate that 1/2 to 2/3 are either direct rental dubs or HBO/Cinemax/PPV channel recordings of movies. Further still, when it is network recordings of stuff, half the time the commercials are either fully edited out, or half edited out, recorded at EP, with still 3-4 hours still left on the tape. At least when I was regularly zapping commercials it was to save on blank tapes, that way I could fit 3-4 college basketball games on a 6 hour tape or 3 football games on a 8 hour tape, back when 2-3 tapes easily cost as much as my weekly allowance.
One last point you mentioned more than a few times that the tape length did not match the tape shell, my guess is that since these recordings were late 80s and early 90s, and since Beta was declining as a format from 1986 on, that the manufacturer was reusing tape shells and whatever leftover parts that were available. This same issue came up with late releases of CED discs, as mono and hifi shell colors were used or mismatched with the wrong films.
WLUK never aired The Young & The Restless, I assume that you meant WLUC, also, Roseanne & Homefront would have aired on WFRV & WJMN, instead of WLUK.TAPE 7: Episodes of Sally, The People's Court, and The Young & The Restless off WLUK on 10/21/1991, then cuts back to about 3/4 of Geraldo and about half of Donahue off WFRV and WLUK respective from March 1990.
TAPE 8: Episodes of Sally, The People's Court, and Y&R off WLUK on 2/1/1991, then a syndicated rerun of Highway to Heaven off WLUK circa August 1990, then wraps up with about half of Donahue off WLUC circa August 1990
TAPE 9: Most of Brooklyn Bridge and the first 3/4ths of the CBS Sunday Movie "Stranger At My Door" off WLUC on 9/27/1991, followed by about 2/3 of Oprah, The People's Court, most of Roseanne, and about half of the premiere of Homefront off WLUK and WJMN.
Sorry for the confusion, especially when you're just one letter off!
Meanwhile, went to my first yard sales in four months today, and all I found in terms of VHS were Disney clamshells and retail at about two out of about 50 vendors (yes, VHS is becoming harder to find, but it makes sense since it took place in a community where the first homes weren't constructed until 2004). That said, I did pick up a 1980 Miller High Life analog wall clock with the dial moving constantly for $3, a sealed DVD seat of the first season of Bewitched for $1, and a huge collection of CDs (over 350) for $70. A nice assortment of genres, artists, and eras, including an original 1983 U2 War CD, the oldest item in that lot and one of the first rock CDs ever released. The newest CD was Donna Summer's Crayons album from 2008 (sadly her last one before her passing four years later). Its interesting that the popularity of the CD roughly paralleled that of the VHS, yet VHS had a slower start due to its high price relative to early CDs. I'll probably sell off the compilation, country and 2000s discs, but I still have a stereo with a CD player, a DVD drive to this computer that accepts CDs, a car that has a CD player, a Discman, and a home intercom system that plays CDs, so I'll keep the rest. Sure, they're seen as a relic of the 1990s, but since a lot of CDs came after the vinyl era, but it's still a quick way to listen to a lot of great stuff. Conditions varied from near mint to moderate scratches (equivalent to the vinyl grade of "Good"). But I'll definitely keep the Pearl Jams, Stone Temple Pilots, dance artists like 2 Unlimited and Real McCoy, and Alice In Chains that I found. But at less than 20 cents a piece, its hard to beat.
Meanwhile, went to my first yard sales in four months today, and all I found in terms of VHS were Disney clamshells and retail at about two out of about 50 vendors (yes, VHS is becoming harder to find, but it makes sense since it took place in a community where the first homes weren't constructed until 2004). That said, I did pick up a 1980 Miller High Life analog wall clock with the dial moving constantly for $3, a sealed DVD seat of the first season of Bewitched for $1, and a huge collection of CDs (over 350) for $70. A nice assortment of genres, artists, and eras, including an original 1983 U2 War CD, the oldest item in that lot and one of the first rock CDs ever released. The newest CD was Donna Summer's Crayons album from 2008 (sadly her last one before her passing four years later). Its interesting that the popularity of the CD roughly paralleled that of the VHS, yet VHS had a slower start due to its high price relative to early CDs. I'll probably sell off the compilation, country and 2000s discs, but I still have a stereo with a CD player, a DVD drive to this computer that accepts CDs, a car that has a CD player, a Discman, and a home intercom system that plays CDs, so I'll keep the rest. Sure, they're seen as a relic of the 1990s, but since a lot of CDs came after the vinyl era, but it's still a quick way to listen to a lot of great stuff. Conditions varied from near mint to moderate scratches (equivalent to the vinyl grade of "Good"). But I'll definitely keep the Pearl Jams, Stone Temple Pilots, dance artists like 2 Unlimited and Real McCoy, and Alice In Chains that I found. But at less than 20 cents a piece, its hard to beat.
Nice find on the rare PBS Tape! Those two PBS shows (Quilting for the 90's and Sew Many Quilts have not aired in a LONG time). I wonder who produced both shows since i noticed that the break you posted doesn't have the credits to Quilting for the 90's.Recent finds from the last couple of weeks...
Estate sale #1--Wadsworth, OH
TAPE 1: Three episodes of Insomniac with Dave Attell, Insomniac Seasons One and Two Clip Show Special and another episode of Insomniac taped from Comedy Central on December 31, 2002-January 1, 2003 with commercials; original broadcast of an episode of Insomniac taped from Comedy Central on 1/1/2003 minus commercials; partial episode of Insomniac taped from Comedy Central in January 2003 minus most commercials, but does include a promo for an upcoming episode filmed in Cleveland! Sony T-120.
Estate sale #2--Wadsworth, OH--11 keepers out of 13 tapes picked up, a few others were left behind, labels on those hinted toward family home video footage
TAPE 2: Partial broadcast of PM Magazine taped from WJKW on 12/14/1984 minus commercials; partial episode of Agri Country taped from WAKC on 7/6/1991 with commercials; home video of a Smith's Dairy Company gathering. RCA VK-250 T-120.
TAPE 3: Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Paris (1992 CBS made-for-TV movie) taped from WJW on 1/30/1994 with commercials; Regarding Henry (1991) taped from WKYC (NBC Sunday Night Movie) on 2/6/1994 with commercials; first few minutes of Christy (the movie that started the CBS series) taped from WJW on 4/3/1994. Kodak T-120.
TAPE 4: 1989 Iditarod Sled Dog Race taped from WEWS on 3/26/1989 minus most commercials; partial pilot episode of Aaron's Way taped from WKYC on 3/9/1988 with commercials; episodes of Aaron's Way and Highway to Heaven taped from WKYC on 3/16/1988 with commercials, the latter program is interrupted by an NBC News Special Report. Fuji T-120.
TAPE 5: Partial broadcast of part one of Anne of Green Gables taped from WVIZ on 3/13/1992; partial broadcast of the 1992 Iditarod Sled Dog Race taped from WEWS on 3/14/1992 with a few commercials; partial episode of The Lawrence Welk Show taped from WVIZ on 3/14/1992; part two of Anne of Green Gables taped from WVIZ on 3/14/1992, one pledge break is included; part three of Anne of Green Gables taped from WVIZ in March 1992 with pledge breaks. Kodak T-120.
TAPE 6: Episode of Second Noah taped from WEWS on 4/8/1996 with commercials; tape then reverts to blank picture (static) accompanied by distorted audio from WZIP 88.1 (University of Akron radio station) circa 1995 for about 15 minutes or so. My Shazam app was unable to identify some of the songs played due to the distorted audio, but "Funny How Time Flies (While You're Having Fun)" by Janet Jackson and "Red Light Special" by TLC were two of the songs that were heard--strange find. RCA T-120.
TAPE 7: Home video of a gathering of people viewing the solar eclipse of 6/30/1992; partial episode of Cops taped from WUAB in July 1994 with commercials; partial broadcast of Good Morning America on location in Alaska taped from WAKC on 5/18/1994 with commercials (during the 8AM hour, so WEWS up north was airing The Morning Exchange at that time); episode of Nature (Kingdom of the Ice Bear) taped from WVIZ sometime in 1994, one partial promo block is included; video of a Wadsworth High School choir concert taped from a public access channel (Wadsworth Cable, I'm guessing?) circa 1994; partial episode of Home Improvement taped from WEWS on 3/16/1994 with commercials; partial broadcast of Day One and partial broadcast of Spenser: Ceremony (1993 ABC made-for-TV movie) taped from WEWS on 3/14/1994 with commercials. Kodak T-120.
TAPE 8: Part four of Anne of Green Gables taped from WVIZ in March 1992 with pledge breaks; Perlman in Russia taped from WVIZ in March 1992 with pledge breaks; partial broadcast of Horowitz in Moscow taped from WVIZ in March 1992 with pledge breaks; partial episode of Wheel of Fortune and episode of Jeopardy taped from WEWS on 3/26/1992 with commercials. Kodak T-120.
TAPE 9: O Pioneers (CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame Movie) taped from WJW on 2/2/1992 with commercials; clip from Newscenter 8 at 6:00 (during John O'Day's Money Matters report) taped from WJW on 2/3/1992; partial broadcast of ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings and episodes of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy taped from WEWS on 2/3/1992 with commercials; last segment of News Channel 5 at 6:00 and most of ABC World News Tonight taped from WEWS on 2/4/1992 with commercials; episodes of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy taped from WEWS on 2/4/1992 with commercials; partial broadcast of ABC World News Tonight and episodes of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy taped from WEWS on 2/5/1992 with commercials; partial broadcast of ABC World News Tonight and partial episode of Wheel of Fortune taped from WEWS on 2/6/1992 with commercials. Kodak T-120.
TAPE 10: Partial broadcast of Today in Cleveland taped from WKYC on 10/21/1992 with a few commercials; partial broadcast of Today in Cleveland (Del Donahoo and Tom Haley broadcast live from the Geauga County Fair) taped from WKYC in August 1994 minus commercials; partial broadcast of Today in Cleveland taped from WKYC on 10/4/1994 with a few commercials; partial broadcast of Today in Cleveland taped from WKYC on 10/5/1994 minus commercials; partial episode of Quilting for the '90s and episode of Sew Many Quilts taped from WNEO/WEAO in February 1995 with promos; partial broadcast of Newscenter 8 at 10:00 taped from WJW on 2/22/1995 with commercials; partial broadcast of Newscenter 8 at 10:00 taped from WJW on 2/23/1995 with commercials; partial broadcast of Newscenter 8 at 10:00 taped from WJW on 2/24/1995 with commercials; partial broadcast of The Morning Exchange (discussion on educating children with ADHD) taped from WEWS on 4/26/1995 with commercials; partial episode of Jeopardy, My So-Called Life, Matlock and partial broadcast of Prime Time Live taped from WEWS on 10/20/1994 with commercials. Memorex T-120.
TAPE 11: The Yearling (CBS Kraft General Foods Premier Movie), Newscenter 8 at 11:00, Siskel & Ebert and the Movies, Home Videos of the Stars, Inside Edition Weekend, Court TV: Inside America's Courts, CBS Sunday Night News with Bill Plante, rebroadcast of Newscenter 8 at 11:00 (this one had the weather and sports segments omitted), Personal Power with Anthony Robbins infomercial and partial broadcast of CBS News Up to the Minute taped from WJW on April 24-25, 1994 with commercials. Kodak T-120.
One tape I didn't pick up from the box I found these in had a Medina Chorus concert from 1989, footage that was edited together by a local company called Weygandt Video Productions. Would have been interesting to see that since I once sang in the Medina Chorus myself--in much more recent years, of course.
Will continue in another post because apparently there's a 10,000 character limit.
Also, nice to see you found another long aircheck taped off WJW back when it was a CBS affiliate. And I think this was before they became a FOX affiliate too.
The WZIP one was another cool find! Nice to see you found another radio aircheck.
Meanwhile, I spent my weekend traveling to a bunch of yard and estate sales in Ellensburg, Yakima and Selah, only to come up with tapes at one sale in Ellensburg. This was the estate of Frank Beard, who won a bunch of rodeo competitions all over the West as a bronc rider and then started Beard Rodeos in the '70s. Beard's bulls went to the NFR in Las Vegas many times and won awards, as well as other rodeos all over the west coast. Six tapes found here. Three keepers.
Tape 1 - 'Oklahoma!' (1956) taped off The Disney Channel in June 1991 with promos (Summer Preview); Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella taped off The Disney Channel in June 1991 with promos; 'Strange Brew' (1983) taped off TBS in the early morning hours of 7/20/1991 with commercials; ends with about 15 minutes of an unknown family movie taped off The Disney Channel circa summer of 1991. Maxell T-120
Tape 2 - Several hours of coverage from the 1999 PBR World Finals taped off TNN in October 1999 with some commercials, they are paused out in the last hour and a half; ends with part of 'The Amazing Dobermans' (1976) copied from rental tape. BASF T-120
Tape 3 - Most of an episode of America's Funniest Home Videos taped off KAPP/ABC on 5/10/2002 with commercials; coverage of the 2003 Pace ProRodeo Classic taped off KIMA/CBS on 11/22/2003 with commercials; ends with about a half-hour of Today and a clip of Starting Over taped off KNDO/NBC on Christmas 2003 with commercials (both recordings not at the same time). Gemini T-120
There were a couple of others that had rodeos on them that had the commercials pulled out. They included ESPN2 coverage of the 1995 NFR, the 1988 Calgary Stampede taped off CBC, and local coverage of the 1991 Calgary Stampede taped off CKKX 2/7, which is now the Global affiliate in Calgary. Again, no ads anywhere on those tapes, but cool finds regardless.
Other non-tape finds made...
- 2003 NFR program and the 2000 Ellensburg Rodeo program, both from the Beard estate, along with a Bucking Bronco Avon bottle in the box. Yours truly has tickets for the 2021 Ellensburg Rodeo ready to go, just waiting for Labor Day at this point! Yee-haw!
- A clean Coleman Personal 8 cooler for $5 and a Who Framed Roger Rabbit golden book for 50 cents. These were both found today at the University Historic District yard sales in Ellensburg, about 14 homes participated. The majority were baby clothes, adult clothes, toys the kids grew out of, some DVDs, random housewares, and expensive furniture. I was in need of a travel cooler. The big Rubbermaid cooler I have is too cumbersome for keeping drinks cold on day trips.
- A Safeway toy truck bank with the original box. Dates to 1990 and still had six cents in it!
- Multiple vintage postcards, including another Disneyland postcard with Big Thunder Mountain on it and a 1983 mailed postmark.
Tape 1 - 'Oklahoma!' (1956) taped off The Disney Channel in June 1991 with promos (Summer Preview); Rogers & Hammerstein's Cinderella taped off The Disney Channel in June 1991 with promos; 'Strange Brew' (1983) taped off TBS in the early morning hours of 7/20/1991 with commercials; ends with about 15 minutes of an unknown family movie taped off The Disney Channel circa summer of 1991. Maxell T-120
Tape 2 - Several hours of coverage from the 1999 PBR World Finals taped off TNN in October 1999 with some commercials, they are paused out in the last hour and a half; ends with part of 'The Amazing Dobermans' (1976) copied from rental tape. BASF T-120
Tape 3 - Most of an episode of America's Funniest Home Videos taped off KAPP/ABC on 5/10/2002 with commercials; coverage of the 2003 Pace ProRodeo Classic taped off KIMA/CBS on 11/22/2003 with commercials; ends with about a half-hour of Today and a clip of Starting Over taped off KNDO/NBC on Christmas 2003 with commercials (both recordings not at the same time). Gemini T-120
There were a couple of others that had rodeos on them that had the commercials pulled out. They included ESPN2 coverage of the 1995 NFR, the 1988 Calgary Stampede taped off CBC, and local coverage of the 1991 Calgary Stampede taped off CKKX 2/7, which is now the Global affiliate in Calgary. Again, no ads anywhere on those tapes, but cool finds regardless.
Other non-tape finds made...
- 2003 NFR program and the 2000 Ellensburg Rodeo program, both from the Beard estate, along with a Bucking Bronco Avon bottle in the box. Yours truly has tickets for the 2021 Ellensburg Rodeo ready to go, just waiting for Labor Day at this point! Yee-haw!
- A clean Coleman Personal 8 cooler for $5 and a Who Framed Roger Rabbit golden book for 50 cents. These were both found today at the University Historic District yard sales in Ellensburg, about 14 homes participated. The majority were baby clothes, adult clothes, toys the kids grew out of, some DVDs, random housewares, and expensive furniture. I was in need of a travel cooler. The big Rubbermaid cooler I have is too cumbersome for keeping drinks cold on day trips.
- A Safeway toy truck bank with the original box. Dates to 1990 and still had six cents in it!
- Multiple vintage postcards, including another Disneyland postcard with Big Thunder Mountain on it and a 1983 mailed postmark.
I have a tape of Duel, Steven Spielberg's first movie. There's a spine label with MCA-Universal Home Video on it. But the glue has been coming off and below it is the barcodes and tape length for The Flintstones. Were they really recycling tapes at the duplicators? I'm guessing it was due to lack of sales.One last point you mentioned more than a few times that the tape length did not match the tape shell, my guess is that since these recordings were late 80s and early 90s, and since Beta was declining as a format from 1986 on, that the manufacturer was reusing tape shells and whatever leftover parts that were available. This same issue came up with late releases of CED discs, as mono and hifi shell colors were used or mismatched with the wrong films.
Acquired a copy of a recording of Revenge of the Nerds off WTXF-TV Fox 29 on 5/9/89 w/ commercials. Includes commercials for Roy Rogers and Thriftway and promos for Arsenio Hall, Star Trek: TNG on 5/10/89, A Stranger is Watching on 5/13/89, and the network premiere of The Fly (1986) on 5/15/89. Scotch T-120 VHS.
More new finds, this time from an estate sale in Strongsville on Wednesday (believe it or not). Nine keepers out of 11 tapes picked up. Left several others behind--mostly movie titles on the labels.
TAPE 1: Last couple minutes of Inside the NFL, Mannequin (1987) and partial broadcast of The Goonies (1985) taped from HBO on 1/12/1991 with promos. Memorex T-120.
TAPE 2: Malone (1987) taped from Showtime in May 1988; Tai-Pan (1986) and partial broadcast of Thunder Run (1986) taped from Showtime in May 1988 with promos; few minutes of coverage of figure skating at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary taped from WEWS on 2/27/1988 with a few commercials. Panasonic T-120.
TAPE 3: 50 Years of NBC Late Night and first few minutes of Channel 3 News at 11 taped from WKYC on 4/7/2002 with commercials; David Blaine: Street Magic, Ultimate 10 (Martial Arts), Secrets of Forensic Science, Carleton Sheets infomercial, Internet Treasure Chest infomercial and partial Making Money Secrets infomercial (hosted by Cindy Margolis) taped from TLC in April 2002 with commercials. Maxell T-120.
TAPE 4: Clip from the 1993 Arthritis Foundation Telethon taped from WOIO (Laura Branigan performs "Gloria" before a partial local segment from WOIO is shown); episode of Married with Children (prime time rerun of "Mr. Empty Pants") taped from WOIO on 6/20/1993 with commercials. Maxell T-120.
TAPE 5: Stone Cold (1991) taped from HBO on 4/25/1992 with promos. Maxell T-120.
TAPE 6: Rumble in the Bronx (1995) taped from TNT on 2/6/2004 with commercials. Maxell T-120.
TAPE 7: Partial ABC News coverage of Bill Clinton's Presidential Address, Billy Ray Cyrus: Dreams Come True and most of News Channel 5 at 11:00 (recording stops halfway through the late Nev Chandler's sports segment) taped from WEWS on 2/17/1993 with commercials--already have a partial recording of this concert special on another tape, but now I have the completed broadcast. Maxell T-120.
TAPE 8: Pretty in Pink (1986) taped from Showtime in April 1987 with promos; Gotcha! (1985) and partial episode of It's Showtime taped from Showtime in April 1987 with promos; partial Star Movie presentation of The Main Event (1979) taped from WUAB in March 1987 with commercials. TDK T-120.
TAPE 9: How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) taped from Cinemax circa 1991 with promos. Maxell T-120.
TAPE 1: Last couple minutes of Inside the NFL, Mannequin (1987) and partial broadcast of The Goonies (1985) taped from HBO on 1/12/1991 with promos. Memorex T-120.
TAPE 2: Malone (1987) taped from Showtime in May 1988; Tai-Pan (1986) and partial broadcast of Thunder Run (1986) taped from Showtime in May 1988 with promos; few minutes of coverage of figure skating at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary taped from WEWS on 2/27/1988 with a few commercials. Panasonic T-120.
TAPE 3: 50 Years of NBC Late Night and first few minutes of Channel 3 News at 11 taped from WKYC on 4/7/2002 with commercials; David Blaine: Street Magic, Ultimate 10 (Martial Arts), Secrets of Forensic Science, Carleton Sheets infomercial, Internet Treasure Chest infomercial and partial Making Money Secrets infomercial (hosted by Cindy Margolis) taped from TLC in April 2002 with commercials. Maxell T-120.
TAPE 4: Clip from the 1993 Arthritis Foundation Telethon taped from WOIO (Laura Branigan performs "Gloria" before a partial local segment from WOIO is shown); episode of Married with Children (prime time rerun of "Mr. Empty Pants") taped from WOIO on 6/20/1993 with commercials. Maxell T-120.
TAPE 5: Stone Cold (1991) taped from HBO on 4/25/1992 with promos. Maxell T-120.
TAPE 6: Rumble in the Bronx (1995) taped from TNT on 2/6/2004 with commercials. Maxell T-120.
TAPE 7: Partial ABC News coverage of Bill Clinton's Presidential Address, Billy Ray Cyrus: Dreams Come True and most of News Channel 5 at 11:00 (recording stops halfway through the late Nev Chandler's sports segment) taped from WEWS on 2/17/1993 with commercials--already have a partial recording of this concert special on another tape, but now I have the completed broadcast. Maxell T-120.
TAPE 8: Pretty in Pink (1986) taped from Showtime in April 1987 with promos; Gotcha! (1985) and partial episode of It's Showtime taped from Showtime in April 1987 with promos; partial Star Movie presentation of The Main Event (1979) taped from WUAB in March 1987 with commercials. TDK T-120.
TAPE 9: How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) taped from Cinemax circa 1991 with promos. Maxell T-120.
A few tapes found at an estate sale in Yakima earlier today. This was out in West Valley. An awful lot of newer recordings on very old tape stock. Some as late as April 2013! I took out four tapes that did just that - because there is no way that I would copy off 2011 or 2012 programming.
Tape 1 - Series premiere of Hawthorne taped off TNT on 6/16/2009 with commercials; season finale (which turned out to be the series finale) of Without a Trace and start of KIMA/KEPR Action News taped off KIMA-DT/CBS on 5/17/2009 with commercials; the very end of Medium and open to KNDO Local News taped off KNDO-DT/NBC in April 2009; syndicated rerun of Everybody Loves Raymond and part of Frasier taped off KCYU-LD 41 on 4/21/2009 with commercials. Sony T-160
Tape 2 - Meet the Press taped off KNDO/NBC on 7/29/2007 with commercials; Face the Nation taped off KIMA/CBS on 4/29/2007 with commercials; part of CSI: NY taped off KIMA/CBS in April 2007 with commercials; last 20 minutes of 'Call Northside 777' (1948) and several minutes of promos taped off AMC on 8/10/1998; part of The Rockford Files taped off A&E in August 1993 with commercials. Memorex T-105 (This is the first time I have found a T-105 that was used as a blank tape. All the others I've seen were studio movies that were duplicated from the masters onto T-105s.)
Tape 3 - 'The Bucket List' (2007) taped off HBO on 5/16/2009 with promos before and after; partial broadcast of Doc Martin taped off KYVE/PBS in March 2009 with promos; partial broadcast of Seconds from Death taped off National Geographic Channel in May 2008 with commercials. Sony T-160
One tape at another estate sale in Yakima was a blank. But I did pick up a video produced by CBS affiliate KRCG in Jefferson City, MO, on the Flood of '93. It was entitled 'Flood Watch '93.' This may be similar to the KIMA Flood of '96 video I picked up a few years back.
That's how it goes with this strange hobby. You win some. Then you lose some.
Tape 1 - Series premiere of Hawthorne taped off TNT on 6/16/2009 with commercials; season finale (which turned out to be the series finale) of Without a Trace and start of KIMA/KEPR Action News taped off KIMA-DT/CBS on 5/17/2009 with commercials; the very end of Medium and open to KNDO Local News taped off KNDO-DT/NBC in April 2009; syndicated rerun of Everybody Loves Raymond and part of Frasier taped off KCYU-LD 41 on 4/21/2009 with commercials. Sony T-160
Tape 2 - Meet the Press taped off KNDO/NBC on 7/29/2007 with commercials; Face the Nation taped off KIMA/CBS on 4/29/2007 with commercials; part of CSI: NY taped off KIMA/CBS in April 2007 with commercials; last 20 minutes of 'Call Northside 777' (1948) and several minutes of promos taped off AMC on 8/10/1998; part of The Rockford Files taped off A&E in August 1993 with commercials. Memorex T-105 (This is the first time I have found a T-105 that was used as a blank tape. All the others I've seen were studio movies that were duplicated from the masters onto T-105s.)
Tape 3 - 'The Bucket List' (2007) taped off HBO on 5/16/2009 with promos before and after; partial broadcast of Doc Martin taped off KYVE/PBS in March 2009 with promos; partial broadcast of Seconds from Death taped off National Geographic Channel in May 2008 with commercials. Sony T-160
One tape at another estate sale in Yakima was a blank. But I did pick up a video produced by CBS affiliate KRCG in Jefferson City, MO, on the Flood of '93. It was entitled 'Flood Watch '93.' This may be similar to the KIMA Flood of '96 video I picked up a few years back.
That's how it goes with this strange hobby. You win some. Then you lose some.
This is a strange hobby indeed, I'd say from recollection that the biggest gap between tape stock (late 70s early 80s RCA VK250) and the actual recording content was ~30 years with some 2010 History Channel stuff. You'd think by then people would realize the more you tape over stuff the lower quality the recording becomes, but I digress. 3 random pulls from a box of home recording stuff I've compiled over the years, and am way behind on reviewing:
1) MARKED GOLDFINGER with TRACKS AHEAD scratched through (Kodak T120) actual contents:
-1991/3/5 Goldfinger (2h15m) (TBS) missing some opening and end credits, this was from the 7 Days of Bond marathon they were running then, though from recollection of hanging out at friends' houses back then, they probably ran each of these Bond films 100x throughout the 90s on TBS.
-2 episodes of the hard to find PBS syndicated (out of Milwaukee PBS no less) show Tracks Ahead (all about model railroading!), the Bond film taped over part of the 1st episode, though there were some promos between episodes, from what I could tell from these promos these episodes aired in December 1990 on WUNC-TV4. The Tracks Ahead episodes were recorded at SP, the movie EP, so the tape ran out at only 3h10m.
2) MARKED MOVIE NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN LP 3 HOURS (all typed on actual labels pasted on tape box not actual tape, which was curious to say the least, JC Penney HG T-120, a tape stock I've never seen before)
-1986/11/2 ABC Sunday Night Movie: Never Say Never Again (KOAT-TV7 my first New Mexico find!) Network Premiere of this?
What was interesting about this tape is that the ABC block for this movie was 3 hours, but it ended at the 2h46m mark, so they had 14 minutes to fill. What did they fill it with? Well, 8 minutes of promos of ABC shows and specials for November 1986 then a 5 minute fireside chat by President Reagan at the White House on the upcoming 1986 midterms in 2 days. Does anyone else recall ABC or other networks doing this with programming? I know the Bond films always ran long if they were not edited, but 3 hours for a Bond film seems a bit strange, especially since less commercials were run back then. Tape ended right at 3h mark.
3) This tape was in a hardshell protective case, unknown tape stock, marked MARTIN on the tape window in marker, contents:
-1h21m worth of channel switching on what I think was 2009/5/31 based on the premiere of Maneater Pt2 on Lifetime, plus some Thats So Raven on Disney Channel and a partial of Ordinary Miracle on Hallmark Channel, UGHHH
-1995/3/24 Family Matters episode 6x20 (WZZM13) 25m
-1995/3/24 On Our Own episode 1x17 (WZZM13) 27m (looks like taper skipped middle parts of this TGIF block)
-1995/4/6 Martin episode 3x22 (WXMI17) 30m (included promo with Will Smith for Bad Boys premiering next day)
-1995/4/7 COMPLETE TGIF BLOCK!!! Family Matters, Sister Sister, Step By Step, On Our Own (WZZM13) 2h, it even included the intros and wraparounds with 2 of the stars from Step By Step.
So oddly enough only one episode of Martin on here (a 90s favorite of mine btw) and some junk in the beginning, but it was all made up for with a complete TGIF block and 2 episodes of the impossible to find show On Our Own, which is more infamous these days for the debut of Jussie Smollet. Of note, Tape 1 was found at one of the 2 local thrift stores that still sells home recorded tapes (literally only 2 in a 30 mile radius from me) and Tapes 2 and 3 were found at the Goodwill bins for .49 each.
1) MARKED GOLDFINGER with TRACKS AHEAD scratched through (Kodak T120) actual contents:
-1991/3/5 Goldfinger (2h15m) (TBS) missing some opening and end credits, this was from the 7 Days of Bond marathon they were running then, though from recollection of hanging out at friends' houses back then, they probably ran each of these Bond films 100x throughout the 90s on TBS.
-2 episodes of the hard to find PBS syndicated (out of Milwaukee PBS no less) show Tracks Ahead (all about model railroading!), the Bond film taped over part of the 1st episode, though there were some promos between episodes, from what I could tell from these promos these episodes aired in December 1990 on WUNC-TV4. The Tracks Ahead episodes were recorded at SP, the movie EP, so the tape ran out at only 3h10m.
2) MARKED MOVIE NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN LP 3 HOURS (all typed on actual labels pasted on tape box not actual tape, which was curious to say the least, JC Penney HG T-120, a tape stock I've never seen before)
-1986/11/2 ABC Sunday Night Movie: Never Say Never Again (KOAT-TV7 my first New Mexico find!) Network Premiere of this?
What was interesting about this tape is that the ABC block for this movie was 3 hours, but it ended at the 2h46m mark, so they had 14 minutes to fill. What did they fill it with? Well, 8 minutes of promos of ABC shows and specials for November 1986 then a 5 minute fireside chat by President Reagan at the White House on the upcoming 1986 midterms in 2 days. Does anyone else recall ABC or other networks doing this with programming? I know the Bond films always ran long if they were not edited, but 3 hours for a Bond film seems a bit strange, especially since less commercials were run back then. Tape ended right at 3h mark.
3) This tape was in a hardshell protective case, unknown tape stock, marked MARTIN on the tape window in marker, contents:
-1h21m worth of channel switching on what I think was 2009/5/31 based on the premiere of Maneater Pt2 on Lifetime, plus some Thats So Raven on Disney Channel and a partial of Ordinary Miracle on Hallmark Channel, UGHHH
-1995/3/24 Family Matters episode 6x20 (WZZM13) 25m
-1995/3/24 On Our Own episode 1x17 (WZZM13) 27m (looks like taper skipped middle parts of this TGIF block)
-1995/4/6 Martin episode 3x22 (WXMI17) 30m (included promo with Will Smith for Bad Boys premiering next day)
-1995/4/7 COMPLETE TGIF BLOCK!!! Family Matters, Sister Sister, Step By Step, On Our Own (WZZM13) 2h, it even included the intros and wraparounds with 2 of the stars from Step By Step.
So oddly enough only one episode of Martin on here (a 90s favorite of mine btw) and some junk in the beginning, but it was all made up for with a complete TGIF block and 2 episodes of the impossible to find show On Our Own, which is more infamous these days for the debut of Jussie Smollet. Of note, Tape 1 was found at one of the 2 local thrift stores that still sells home recorded tapes (literally only 2 in a 30 mile radius from me) and Tapes 2 and 3 were found at the Goodwill bins for .49 each.
I have a 1987 broadcast of 'The Dark Crystal' on CBS where they filled the last few minutes with the "CBSpirit" music video for the next season. And somewhere I have a broadcast of North & South from '88, that has a Dukakis campaign ad at the end of the show. I think it was 5 minutes long.
Nice find on the KOAT regardless, and the TGIF block, wow. Those are HTF. My goal for this month is to get my butt down to the Pasco (WA) Goodwill Outlet and sort through the bins. WITH GLOVES. Even if masks weren't required, I am not getting my fingers cut by broken glass in the bins. I have chances at programming from three (really it's four, but we simulcast stations) different markets because of Goodwill's coverage area down there. They serve Tri-Cities (and the same market), Sunnyside (Yakima market), Walla Walla (Spokane was carried for some years), and Wenatchee (Spokane/Seattle mixed).
But this weekend I have a plethora of neighborhood yard sales down in the Yakima area. Tancara (Tieton / 56th) returns again, every year I've found tapes there. Also a huge 40+ home sale in Moxee, another one in the Sun Country Estates mobile home park in Terrace Heights, and up this way, 40+ homes in the golf course area SW of Cle Elum are doing sales...albeit I may not go that way just because of the multitude of sales in the Yakima Valley.
Nice find on the KOAT regardless, and the TGIF block, wow. Those are HTF. My goal for this month is to get my butt down to the Pasco (WA) Goodwill Outlet and sort through the bins. WITH GLOVES. Even if masks weren't required, I am not getting my fingers cut by broken glass in the bins. I have chances at programming from three (really it's four, but we simulcast stations) different markets because of Goodwill's coverage area down there. They serve Tri-Cities (and the same market), Sunnyside (Yakima market), Walla Walla (Spokane was carried for some years), and Wenatchee (Spokane/Seattle mixed).
But this weekend I have a plethora of neighborhood yard sales down in the Yakima area. Tancara (Tieton / 56th) returns again, every year I've found tapes there. Also a huge 40+ home sale in Moxee, another one in the Sun Country Estates mobile home park in Terrace Heights, and up this way, 40+ homes in the golf course area SW of Cle Elum are doing sales...albeit I may not go that way just because of the multitude of sales in the Yakima Valley.
The Goodwill bins are your best bet for home recorded stuff by far. One tip I learned from someone else regarding them---if you can find a golf club, grab it and use it to sift through the bin. Gloves are good too, but I've learned I have a hard time grabbing stuff with them so I just take them off within half an hour. I did get a nasty cut from the bins once, not even broken glass but actually a paper cut from the edge of a magazine (yes they are mixed media bins here, so books, magazines, DVDs, VHS tapes, 8 tracks, records, cassettes, basically any physical media you can think of all gets put in the same bin here).
This was an interesting weekend. Tancara skunked me for the first time ever, but there were some wild finds made. Meanwhile, the Moxee Community sales and the Sun Country Golf Course sales up in Cle Elum were also skunks. Yes, I put 180 miles on my car today traveling to and from Kittitas and Yakima County sales. Yes, I might be a tad insane. Yes, I love the Saturday morning routine. And yes, I left the house at 7:30 this morning to hit sales.
But first, we start with Friday, a church was doing a massive sale in Yakima's West Valley, I had to be down there anyway for business, so why not see what they had? Well, it was fantastic.
Tape 1 - Great find! America's Castles taped off A&E on 9/1/1996 with commercials; then cuts to several minutes of a Burt Wolf broadcast from PBS (KYVE? no ID); then cuts back to an episode of Doug (Doug sees the 'Beets' in concert) and part of The Muppet Show taped off Nickelodeon in December 1994 with commercials! Bernadette Peters was the guest on The Muppet Show. Afterward, it cuts to an episode of Guiding Light taped off KIMA/CBS on 8/10/1994 with commercials; ends with 20 minutes of another Guiding Light episode taped off KIMA/CBS on 7/19/1994 with commercials. Tape goes blank at 2:55. Sony T-120
Tape 2 - Episodes of Bewitched, I Love Lucy, I Dream of Jeannie, The Munsters, Dragnet taped off Nick at Nite in August 1995 with commercials; broadcast of Avonlea taped off The Disney Channel in August 1995 with promos. Another stellar tape! Polaroid T-120
And today, the only place where I found any tapes was a fundraiser sale that was being held in the parking lot of KIMA-TV, 2801 Terrace Heights Dr. The fundraiser was organized by a group looking to take kids to camp and was not organized by any of the news staff or employees of KIMA nor their families. KIMA just let them use the parking lot for about 5 hours. Multiple duds as well...I had to cherry-pick through the tapes because some of them were four movies on a 6-hour tape. It's obvious that they were pause-friendly. There was also a tape with the entire Scarlett miniseries, which I already have.
Tape 3 - 'Little Miss Marker' (1980) taped off K53CY (Fox) on 5/13/1991 with commercials. Maxell T-120
Tape 4 - 'Honey, I Blew Up the Kid' (1992) taped off KAPP/ABC on 5/20/1995 with commercials. SLP, blank after 2 hours. TDK HS T-120
Tape 5 - About half of Tony Hawk's Skatepark Tour and part of NFL 2 Night taped off ESPN2 on 8/1/2000 with commercials. Blank at 0:48, EP. Unbranded T-120 with no case.
Tape 6 - Erased content for first 45 minutes, then cuts over to '8MM' (1999) copied from rental tape; 'Life' (1999) taped off Direct Ticket PPV in early 2000 with several minutes of a DIRECTV bumper (and smooth jazz music) afterward, followed by a 5-minute countdown to the next showing; part of 'Au Pair' (1999) taped off Fox Family on 8/22/1999 with commercials. TDK EHG T-120
Meanwhile, I was able to score a cute handmade elk figurine for a dollar, a gently-used Sony DVD player for $5.00 (I have my Funai combo but solely use it for copying VHS to DVD); and a bunch of beer coasters for really cheap...25-50c each.
On to next week...and sometime this month I will be reporting from Tri-Cities and try my luck at the Outlet + Atomic City Thrift in Richland, which takes in literally any tape people bring in - https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=2bd744642e08010d1e77a5ad5d69d627&oe=60E23F17
But first, we start with Friday, a church was doing a massive sale in Yakima's West Valley, I had to be down there anyway for business, so why not see what they had? Well, it was fantastic.
Tape 1 - Great find! America's Castles taped off A&E on 9/1/1996 with commercials; then cuts to several minutes of a Burt Wolf broadcast from PBS (KYVE? no ID); then cuts back to an episode of Doug (Doug sees the 'Beets' in concert) and part of The Muppet Show taped off Nickelodeon in December 1994 with commercials! Bernadette Peters was the guest on The Muppet Show. Afterward, it cuts to an episode of Guiding Light taped off KIMA/CBS on 8/10/1994 with commercials; ends with 20 minutes of another Guiding Light episode taped off KIMA/CBS on 7/19/1994 with commercials. Tape goes blank at 2:55. Sony T-120
Tape 2 - Episodes of Bewitched, I Love Lucy, I Dream of Jeannie, The Munsters, Dragnet taped off Nick at Nite in August 1995 with commercials; broadcast of Avonlea taped off The Disney Channel in August 1995 with promos. Another stellar tape! Polaroid T-120
And today, the only place where I found any tapes was a fundraiser sale that was being held in the parking lot of KIMA-TV, 2801 Terrace Heights Dr. The fundraiser was organized by a group looking to take kids to camp and was not organized by any of the news staff or employees of KIMA nor their families. KIMA just let them use the parking lot for about 5 hours. Multiple duds as well...I had to cherry-pick through the tapes because some of them were four movies on a 6-hour tape. It's obvious that they were pause-friendly. There was also a tape with the entire Scarlett miniseries, which I already have.
Tape 3 - 'Little Miss Marker' (1980) taped off K53CY (Fox) on 5/13/1991 with commercials. Maxell T-120
Tape 4 - 'Honey, I Blew Up the Kid' (1992) taped off KAPP/ABC on 5/20/1995 with commercials. SLP, blank after 2 hours. TDK HS T-120
Tape 5 - About half of Tony Hawk's Skatepark Tour and part of NFL 2 Night taped off ESPN2 on 8/1/2000 with commercials. Blank at 0:48, EP. Unbranded T-120 with no case.
Tape 6 - Erased content for first 45 minutes, then cuts over to '8MM' (1999) copied from rental tape; 'Life' (1999) taped off Direct Ticket PPV in early 2000 with several minutes of a DIRECTV bumper (and smooth jazz music) afterward, followed by a 5-minute countdown to the next showing; part of 'Au Pair' (1999) taped off Fox Family on 8/22/1999 with commercials. TDK EHG T-120
Meanwhile, I was able to score a cute handmade elk figurine for a dollar, a gently-used Sony DVD player for $5.00 (I have my Funai combo but solely use it for copying VHS to DVD); and a bunch of beer coasters for really cheap...25-50c each.
On to next week...and sometime this month I will be reporting from Tri-Cities and try my luck at the Outlet + Atomic City Thrift in Richland, which takes in literally any tape people bring in - https://scontent-sea1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=2bd744642e08010d1e77a5ad5d69d627&oe=60E23F17
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Few finds from this weekend, one sale yesterday and one sale today.
Friday--yard sale--Wadsworth, OH:
TAPE 1: Episode of Great Performances (Pavarotti: A Life in Seven Arias) taped from WVIZ in Cleveland on 9/10/2008 with promos; partial episode of Guiding Light and partial broadcast of 19 Action News First at 4 taped from WOIO in Cleveland on 9/8/2008 with commercials. JVC T-120 ('90s stock).
Saturday--flea market-style yard sale--Wadsworth, OH--one keeper out of four tapes found (most of these were hunting videos and I ended up having to clean my VCR heads to get the Hi-Fi Stereo sound working again after playing the one "keeper," so this one I actually won't be holding onto):
TAPE 2: Partial recording of the 1987 Top 100 Super B.A.S.S. Pro-Am Tournament taped from TNN in November 1987 minus commercials; episode of Buckmasters Whitetail Magazine taped from TNN in July 1990 minus most commercials; episode of Bill Dance Outdoors taped from TNN circa 1990 minus commercials; partial broadcast of The Old Man and the Sea (NBC made-for-TV movie) taped from WPXI in Pittsburgh on 3/25/1990 with commercials (mostly GM ads, as they were the sole national sponsor of this presentation); episode of Bill Saiff's Rod & Reel taped from WPSX in State College in March 1990 with promos; episode of Fishing with Roland Martin and Fishin' with Orlando Wilson taped from TBS in March 1990 with commercials. Radio Shack Supertape T-120.
Bath Township (LeBron's old stomping grounds) will hold its annual community garage sales next Saturday, so we'll see how well I fare in that neck of the woods. It's been a few years since I've been to that community sale and I ended up not finding any recorded VHS tapes last time I went to that one. I have, however, found such tapes at estate sales and garage sales in Bath Township that were not on the day of the community sale--go figure.
Friday--yard sale--Wadsworth, OH:
TAPE 1: Episode of Great Performances (Pavarotti: A Life in Seven Arias) taped from WVIZ in Cleveland on 9/10/2008 with promos; partial episode of Guiding Light and partial broadcast of 19 Action News First at 4 taped from WOIO in Cleveland on 9/8/2008 with commercials. JVC T-120 ('90s stock).
Saturday--flea market-style yard sale--Wadsworth, OH--one keeper out of four tapes found (most of these were hunting videos and I ended up having to clean my VCR heads to get the Hi-Fi Stereo sound working again after playing the one "keeper," so this one I actually won't be holding onto):
TAPE 2: Partial recording of the 1987 Top 100 Super B.A.S.S. Pro-Am Tournament taped from TNN in November 1987 minus commercials; episode of Buckmasters Whitetail Magazine taped from TNN in July 1990 minus most commercials; episode of Bill Dance Outdoors taped from TNN circa 1990 minus commercials; partial broadcast of The Old Man and the Sea (NBC made-for-TV movie) taped from WPXI in Pittsburgh on 3/25/1990 with commercials (mostly GM ads, as they were the sole national sponsor of this presentation); episode of Bill Saiff's Rod & Reel taped from WPSX in State College in March 1990 with promos; episode of Fishing with Roland Martin and Fishin' with Orlando Wilson taped from TBS in March 1990 with commercials. Radio Shack Supertape T-120.
Bath Township (LeBron's old stomping grounds) will hold its annual community garage sales next Saturday, so we'll see how well I fare in that neck of the woods. It's been a few years since I've been to that community sale and I ended up not finding any recorded VHS tapes last time I went to that one. I have, however, found such tapes at estate sales and garage sales in Bath Township that were not on the day of the community sale--go figure.
Gah, I hate when there's big neighborhood sales (like today's big one in Moxee) and 90% of the sales are the following:
Clothes
Baby clothes
Toys
More clothes
More baby clothes
More kids clothing
A couple of random housewares nobody really wants
Old shoes
More old shoes, this time in kids' sizes
And more clothes
I still think we've gotten to the point where most sales aren't going to have VHS tapes anymore, or even DVDs. 1 out of 20+ homes I checked in Moxee had any type of VHS, and it was just a tub full of Disney movies. Many collections have been dumped to landfills or Goodwills - and then straight to landfills if no one dug them out at the Outlet stores. Out of a hundred yard sales, let's say, 90 will have no tapes, 5 will have Disney movies, 2 or 3 will have some random store-bought comedy and drama blockbusters (give or take mixed with Disney), and the other two will have home-recorded mixed with store-bought movies. I wonder what these sales were like in the later half of the '00s when the movie studios stopped doing VHS releases. The numbers of sales with videos were probably a lot higher.
Clothes
Baby clothes
Toys
More clothes
More baby clothes
More kids clothing
A couple of random housewares nobody really wants
Old shoes
More old shoes, this time in kids' sizes
And more clothes
I still think we've gotten to the point where most sales aren't going to have VHS tapes anymore, or even DVDs. 1 out of 20+ homes I checked in Moxee had any type of VHS, and it was just a tub full of Disney movies. Many collections have been dumped to landfills or Goodwills - and then straight to landfills if no one dug them out at the Outlet stores. Out of a hundred yard sales, let's say, 90 will have no tapes, 5 will have Disney movies, 2 or 3 will have some random store-bought comedy and drama blockbusters (give or take mixed with Disney), and the other two will have home-recorded mixed with store-bought movies. I wonder what these sales were like in the later half of the '00s when the movie studios stopped doing VHS releases. The numbers of sales with videos were probably a lot higher.
And of the toys, mostly stuff made since 2000. Also magazines that are just from the past decade. Occasionally I'll see Hot Wheels or other diecast cars from the '80s-'90s, but loose and nothing like the collectible Redlines of the late '60s and '70s. No TMNT, MMPR, NES/SNES/Sega Genesis/N64, and as you may expect, 98% of what you'll find is junk at fleas/community/personal yard sales. You'll have slightly better luck at estate sales in terms of quality content, especially those run with a pro. That said, home-recorded tapes were designed to be ephemeral. You can really see the price of random lots jumping on eBay, even if there's no clue about commercials or quality content. My family didn't really do a ton of VCR recording, but I pretty much converted all of my parents, my grandparents, one of my aunts, and several tapes from an uncle (though a few years too late after he trashed the majority of his finds). Just enjoy the lots that turn up while it lasts.Gah, I hate when there's big neighborhood sales (like today's big one in Moxee) and 90% of the sales are the following:
Clothes
Baby clothes
Toys
More clothes
More baby clothes
More kids clothing
A couple of random housewares nobody really wants
Old shoes
More old shoes, this time in kids' sizes
And more clothes
I still think we've gotten to the point where most sales aren't going to have VHS tapes anymore, or even DVDs. 1 out of 20+ homes I checked in Moxee had any type of VHS, and it was just a tub full of Disney movies. Many collections have been dumped to landfills or Goodwills - and then straight to landfills if no one dug them out at the Outlet stores. Out of a hundred yard sales, let's say, 90 will have no tapes, 5 will have Disney movies, 2 or 3 will have some random store-bought comedy and drama blockbusters (give or take mixed with Disney), and the other two will have home-recorded mixed with store-bought movies. I wonder what these sales were like in the later half of the '00s when the movie studios stopped doing VHS releases. The numbers of sales with videos were probably a lot higher.
On Friday, while it isn't a new tape I just noticed, I discovered that a Beta tape that I received from a trader last year had an episode of The Joker's Wild, recorded off WNCT on 6/8/1984 w/commercials. The tape began with the beginning of a Star Trek rerun, an episode of MTV's 120 Minutes from June 1988 with unfortunately the audio worn away, an episode of Days of our Lives from 1988 also with the audio worn off, then, back to most of another OG Star Trek episode without commercials off an unknown station, then cutting to the last few minutes of the CBS Evening News on 6/8/84 off WNCT, continuing with The Joker's Wild, then finishing up with about the first ten minutes of the short-lived daily syndicated music show Solid Gold Hits with the first commercial break. That episode of TJW was a rerun of an episode that aired the previous fall with the 1983 copyright as well a contestant during the audience game at the end of the episode mentioning about a new baby coming in late October. I've found a 1985 summer rerun broadcast from the following season featuring Bill Cullen as host, but this is my first find with the late Jack Berry.
To follow the point about lack of older items at thrifts/yard sales, I've been regularly going to thrift stores since the late 1980s and what they had then vs now is quite striking--I'd say 20-25 years old is about as old as something is at a thrift store, I remember buying an early 1970s Tudor Electric Football game in the mid 90s at a thrift store for instance, that's something I haven't seen in decades since. I remember regularly seeing Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and Genesis games, now I see that stuff only a handful of times a year, though high value is probably why you don't see stuff like that anymore on shelves, if it comes out its snatched up within minutes.
Another random tape find, and a fun one:
MARKED CHEERS AND NEWS on a Scotch PHG T120
-Week of May 10 1993 (could not tell exact date but it was the Boston week of Wheel of Fortune which dates to then)...
Oprah--episode topic was gynecological exams and women's sexual health, complete WOC (1:00) (WTVD11). I learned a few things and was again reminded how much I abhor current Oprah, she was much better when she didn't attempt to be all high and mighty and the next Barbara Walters. The shows then were cheesy and almost Jerry Spring lite with the topics presented.
-1993/5/20 Cheers block of Last Call (hosted by Bob Costas) and the 3 part series finale WOC (2:00) (WRDC28). I was a bit too young to realize what an event the series finale of Cheers was (though I do remember the Seinfeld finale spectacle), I mean what other sitcom finale was given a full 2 hour block by a major network? Jay Leno even did a live show from the Cheers bar in Boston that same night, though it was sadly missing on this tape. Commercials were outstanding, from the gross Zima (I still remember the ******y hipster guy getting shutdown at the bar) to the huge lineup of famous films that came out in May and June 1993, I cannot remember a film lineup of releases this strong in my lifetime: Last Action Hero, Cliffhanger, Jurassic Park, Sleepless in Seattle, and Posse. I think the Super Mario Bros movie came out around this time too, no wonder it bombed at the box office with that competition.
-Even though they were a relatively large NBC affiliate, WRDC28 did not have a local news team at this point, just 30-60 second newsbreaks, so at the 11pm EST time slot they aired the pilot of Cheers right after the series finale. Lots of local commercials were in this block, and a badly created song to mourn the passing of Cheers to the tune of a certain Eric Clapton song...unfortunately the tape ended abruptly at this point right as Jay Leno was coming on, EP at 3:33.
Another random tape find, and a fun one:
MARKED CHEERS AND NEWS on a Scotch PHG T120
-Week of May 10 1993 (could not tell exact date but it was the Boston week of Wheel of Fortune which dates to then)...
Oprah--episode topic was gynecological exams and women's sexual health, complete WOC (1:00) (WTVD11). I learned a few things and was again reminded how much I abhor current Oprah, she was much better when she didn't attempt to be all high and mighty and the next Barbara Walters. The shows then were cheesy and almost Jerry Spring lite with the topics presented.
-1993/5/20 Cheers block of Last Call (hosted by Bob Costas) and the 3 part series finale WOC (2:00) (WRDC28). I was a bit too young to realize what an event the series finale of Cheers was (though I do remember the Seinfeld finale spectacle), I mean what other sitcom finale was given a full 2 hour block by a major network? Jay Leno even did a live show from the Cheers bar in Boston that same night, though it was sadly missing on this tape. Commercials were outstanding, from the gross Zima (I still remember the ******y hipster guy getting shutdown at the bar) to the huge lineup of famous films that came out in May and June 1993, I cannot remember a film lineup of releases this strong in my lifetime: Last Action Hero, Cliffhanger, Jurassic Park, Sleepless in Seattle, and Posse. I think the Super Mario Bros movie came out around this time too, no wonder it bombed at the box office with that competition.
-Even though they were a relatively large NBC affiliate, WRDC28 did not have a local news team at this point, just 30-60 second newsbreaks, so at the 11pm EST time slot they aired the pilot of Cheers right after the series finale. Lots of local commercials were in this block, and a badly created song to mourn the passing of Cheers to the tune of a certain Eric Clapton song...unfortunately the tape ended abruptly at this point right as Jay Leno was coming on, EP at 3:33.
I've got that complete Cheers finale night from KNDO (NBC), including the Leno at the Cheers bar in Boston, and Letterman. My local NEVER cleared Bob Costas 'Later', they went off at 1:35 AM instead. I can see why, even though it was an NBC program. Most of the local ads aired during Letterman were PSAs and promos. Can't make money at 1AM in a small town like Yakima. We didn't get Later until 1996, and by that point, Greg Kinnear was winding down his run on that show. We also lost Friday Night Videos when they moved to 1:30. The 12:30 seasons were cleared, but once it moved after Letterman - it was never to be seen again, just the national anthem and static instead.
Still trying to pull off previous YouTube videos back to Pepsi9072's AVTB account + my Archive. Currently, I have completed over 1,700 videos with thousands more to come. Personal prediction: it will take until Halloween at the earliest to restore everything to at least the Archive, and at least this is everything posted 3/24/21 and prior...
One thing I fondly remember about thrift stores in my childhood was the number of analog TVs they had available. There was one store that had them turned on for display, playing whatever court or trash talk show that was on Seattle OTA TV during the midday hours. Another store hooked a VCR up and played Disney or Nick Jr. tapes over the monitors (probably to keep the little kids distracted while Mommy shopped). Most won't even take TV's anymore except for HD. And yes, it was easy to find Sega Genesis or early computer games in the thrift stores of the '00s. Not to mention, a whole lot more VHS tapes. Vintage goods were easier to find too. Goodwill didn't even bother with newly-packaged junk either, like half of their store stock nowadays.
I also remember when they charged way too much for VHS tapes...I think it was Value Village that charged a whopping $3.00 a tape in those days. Keep in mind, these were just store-bought movies.
Even the board game selection has shriveled at most of the chain thrift stores. Once upon a time, you could find '70s editions of Monopoly and Sorry! mixed with game show board games like Win, Lose, or Draw, or Family Feud, and tons of vintage puzzles. You're lucky to find any board games before the '00s nowadays.
Chandler...when did thrift stores start putting VHS tapes on the shelves? Would it be around the early '00s when DVD was taking off? My mind was still developing and I can't remember, but I do remember that MASSIVE display of tapes at a defunct Lynnwood (or south Everett) thrift store called Shop and Save when I was younger. I think this would have been about 2003. I remember mom bought 'George of the Jungle' on VHS from that store. Now that I remember, more than once, mom bought tapes from the thrift stores for me. I had a New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh tape that came from a thrift store if I recall.
Still trying to pull off previous YouTube videos back to Pepsi9072's AVTB account + my Archive. Currently, I have completed over 1,700 videos with thousands more to come. Personal prediction: it will take until Halloween at the earliest to restore everything to at least the Archive, and at least this is everything posted 3/24/21 and prior...
One thing I fondly remember about thrift stores in my childhood was the number of analog TVs they had available. There was one store that had them turned on for display, playing whatever court or trash talk show that was on Seattle OTA TV during the midday hours. Another store hooked a VCR up and played Disney or Nick Jr. tapes over the monitors (probably to keep the little kids distracted while Mommy shopped). Most won't even take TV's anymore except for HD. And yes, it was easy to find Sega Genesis or early computer games in the thrift stores of the '00s. Not to mention, a whole lot more VHS tapes. Vintage goods were easier to find too. Goodwill didn't even bother with newly-packaged junk either, like half of their store stock nowadays.
I also remember when they charged way too much for VHS tapes...I think it was Value Village that charged a whopping $3.00 a tape in those days. Keep in mind, these were just store-bought movies.
Even the board game selection has shriveled at most of the chain thrift stores. Once upon a time, you could find '70s editions of Monopoly and Sorry! mixed with game show board games like Win, Lose, or Draw, or Family Feud, and tons of vintage puzzles. You're lucky to find any board games before the '00s nowadays.
Chandler...when did thrift stores start putting VHS tapes on the shelves? Would it be around the early '00s when DVD was taking off? My mind was still developing and I can't remember, but I do remember that MASSIVE display of tapes at a defunct Lynnwood (or south Everett) thrift store called Shop and Save when I was younger. I think this would have been about 2003. I remember mom bought 'George of the Jungle' on VHS from that store. Now that I remember, more than once, mom bought tapes from the thrift stores for me. I had a New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh tape that came from a thrift store if I recall.