I wonder if anyone else used to have a cable system that did the following.....
In Orlando in the 1970's, they had a basic 12-channel cable system. One of the channels (13, I believe) was used as a sort of "catch-all" for miscellaneous purposes -- some semi-public access, time and temp, etc.
When one of the three local network affiliates pre-empted a network program, they would pick up that show from one of the Tampa-St. Pete stations and put it on the miscellaneous channel. They had a fairly basic off-air pickup that produced acceptable signals (with occasional fades) from 8 and 13, and only a fair-to-middling signal from 10 (more distant). The system was rigged to an automatic timer that always seemed to be about a minute off, so you might get a couple of local promos and ads plus the ID just prior to program start.
It was a nice arrangement, since I liked some of the shows that the locals refused to carry. The set-up also came in handy when the tower that supported antennas for WDBO-6 (now WCPX) and WFTV-9 collapsed one day. 6 switched to their old facilities, but 9 was off-air for several days while waiting on a temporary tower to be trucked in. The cable system received permission to carry the Tampa ABC station full-time in the interim (putting it on the same channel that WFTV normally occupied).
Anyway, were there other CATV systems that did this sort of cafeteria-style picking and choosing to pick up blacked-out network offerings?
In Orlando in the 1970's, they had a basic 12-channel cable system. One of the channels (13, I believe) was used as a sort of "catch-all" for miscellaneous purposes -- some semi-public access, time and temp, etc.
When one of the three local network affiliates pre-empted a network program, they would pick up that show from one of the Tampa-St. Pete stations and put it on the miscellaneous channel. They had a fairly basic off-air pickup that produced acceptable signals (with occasional fades) from 8 and 13, and only a fair-to-middling signal from 10 (more distant). The system was rigged to an automatic timer that always seemed to be about a minute off, so you might get a couple of local promos and ads plus the ID just prior to program start.
It was a nice arrangement, since I liked some of the shows that the locals refused to carry. The set-up also came in handy when the tower that supported antennas for WDBO-6 (now WCPX) and WFTV-9 collapsed one day. 6 switched to their old facilities, but 9 was off-air for several days while waiting on a temporary tower to be trucked in. The cable system received permission to carry the Tampa ABC station full-time in the interim (putting it on the same channel that WFTV normally occupied).
Anyway, were there other CATV systems that did this sort of cafeteria-style picking and choosing to pick up blacked-out network offerings?