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Oldest Extant Off-Air VHS/Beta Tape You Have

Good evening!

My name is Fus Sanchez, I’m seventeen years old, and I’ve been editing for over six years and dabbling in graphic design for three. Recently, I’ve gotten myself into video restoration and archival preservation. I started with 8mm films of The Beatles and have ventured into videotape. I have created and currently manage two YouTube channels: “The Beatles: Media Archive” and “Soft Cell - Hits & Pieces”. And it’s this latter one, “Soft Cell - Hits & Pieces” that I’m in need of this group’s assistance with.

"Soft Cell - Hits & Pieces" is a community-driven channel that aims to preserve Soft Cell archival video and audio material. As well as uploading the few albums that haven’t made it to streaming, I’ve been in contact with collectors around the world for footage of the group which I’ve remastered and uploaded to YouTube for the public to enjoy in the best format possible.

I’ve managed to track down various British and European TV performances, but there are a few American TV programs that they’ve appeared on that I have yet to find source files for. Two that I know for sure they’ve appeared on is the July 24th, 1982 episode of Solid Gold and July 27th, 1982 episode of The Merv Griffin Show.

There are video copies online of these two performances, both in less-than-stellar condition:
Solid Gold:
Merv Griffin Show: Soft Cell - The Merv Griffin Show, 1982

Additionally, a database search of the Reelin' In The Years archives reveals two more television appearances. The last two are segments from the Merv Griffin Show mentioned earlier, but two new dates from 1981 are revealed here, likely to also be American TV performances.

couldhegetlost.png

Do you happen to have or know anyone in possession of any of the above episodes (Solid Gold, Merv Griffin, etc.)? I'm willing to pay a "finder's fee" depending on what the footage is and how it looks. If you have the capacity to digitize the media yourself, feel free to do so - if not, I can pay for it to be professionally transferred at a service near you.

Thank you once again!
Fus S.
 
OK, it's finally time for me to share most (but not all) of the VHS tapes I've found since the Montana trip. This goes back to April 21st. I am rapidly selling tapes and digitizing a bunch too.

4/21 - Several tapes found at the Yakima Genealogical Society Yard Sale, 12th/Washington Ave. Plenty of old stock tapes too...1980s Maxells, Scotch, JVC etc. Lots of out-of-market stuff, and not necessarily the same state...

Tape 1 - Half of Walt Disney Presents, 'Ferngully: The Last Rainforest' (1992) and part of a Betty Boop special taped off Disney Channel on 3/20/1993 with promos in between; 'Sidekicks' (1974) and partial Ronco Food Dehydrator infomercial taped off KSTW-11 on 3/18/1993 with commercials; part of 'Return of the Jedi' (1983) taped off Showtime that same afternoon; lots of channel surfing follows from TCI's Yakima system, with a few minutes on Oprah Winfrey (KAPP), and brief clips of Andy Griffith (TBS), an unknown western movie, and Maury Povich (KIMA), most of the promo break from Showtime and open to Anchors Aweigh, Popeye (FAM), finally deciding on In Search Of on A&E, with commercials. JVC T-120 originally marked w/ Peter the Great
Tape 2 - Another great find: Super Bowl XXI taped off KIRO/CBS on 1/25/1987 with national anthem, commercials, and halftime show featuring George Burns, Mickey Rooney and the USC Marching Band. Afterwards is a partial broadcast of 'The Sound of Music' (1965), Eyewitness News and part of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson taped off WBZ-4 Boston/NBC on 3/28/1986 with commercials. This is the first find I've made from WBZ, and New England TV recordings are tougher than nails to find here in eastern WA. Zenith T-120
Tape 3 - 'Moving Violation' (1976), 'Pinocchio' (1940) and 'The Sword in the Stone' (1963) copied from rental tapes; part of 'Toughlove' (1985) taped off KNTV-11 San Jose/ABC on 10/13/1985 with commercials, Jason Patric's acting debut. Was surprised this wasn't taped from KGO, and it's my first KNTV find prior to the NBC affiliation. Scotch T-120
Tape 4 - 'The Shootist' (1975) copied from rental tape; partial episode of Star Trek taped off KCPQ-13 on 4/16/1987 with commercials; brief clip of 'Dallas: The Early Years' (1986) taped off unknown CBS station; partial episode of Miami Vice taped off KING/NBC on 3/21/1986 with commercials (already have this); 'Matchless' (1967) taped off KCPQ-13 the same night (3/21-22/1986) with commercials; ends with a brief clip of BizNet News taped off USA Network in January 1986. This was an early morning business newscast, which I believe later morphed into 'First Business', also carried by USA. Extremely rare find here. Unknown branded T-120, maybe Konica?
Tape 5 - Starts with a little girl's birthday party (and the audio is very distorted and loud for some reason); cuts to part of 'Buford's Beach Bunnies' (1993) and start of 'Backfire!' (1987) taped off USA Network's Up All Night with Rhonda Shear, on 9/13/1997 with commercials; cuts to part of The Smurfs and Snorks taped off Cartoon Network in January 1996 with commercials (still inventoring this one...but it's a really good tape!)
Tape 6 - Mad Money and part of The Kudlow Report taped off CNBC on 3/3/2010 with commercials; most of 'The Color Purple' (1985) taped off BET on 1/4/2009 with commercials; partial broadcast of NHRA Top Fuel taped off ESPN2 in May 2002 with commercials. TDK T-120
Tape 7 - Both parts of Stephen King's It taped off KAPP/ABC on 8/2 and 8/3/1992 with commercials. I have the original broadcast but not this summer repeat. Ends with 20 minutes of Maury Povich taped off KIMA-29 in April 1992 with commercials. Tozai T-120
Tape 8 - Men's and women's finals at the 2009 Skate America taped off KNDO-DT/NBC on 11/15/2009 with commercials; part of Mad Money taped off CNBC on 9/26/2009 with commercials; part of the final round of the Memorial Tournament and most of a Slim in 6 taped off KIMA-DT/CBS on 6/7/2009 with commercials. Sony T-120
A ninth tape was marked with As the World Turns. I ended up finding the 7/26/1986 Y&R AND the 7/26/1986 ATWT off KIRO/CBS with commercials. The latter was the tribute episode for Don MacLaughlin, who played Chris Hughes (Nancy's husband) from 1956 up to his death in May of 1986. There seems to be more on this tape, but I haven't checked due to lack of time and subbing in schools. Now that's over for the summer, and I'll have more time.

4/22 - Zillah Community Yard Sale, all were found at the same estate sale in town, apparently they lived in northern CA until the late '80s
Tape 1 - 'George of the Jungle' (1997), Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and part of The Practice taped off KAPP/ABC on 12/17/2000 with commercials; most of Beverly Hills, 90210, Models, Inc. and open to Fox 49 News at 10 taped off KPDX-49 Portland/FOX on 10/26/1994 with commercials; part of Quantum Leap taped off KNDO/NBC circa May 1993 with commercials. Chrome Pro T-120
Tape 2 - 'Robin Hood: Men in Tights' (1993), 'Dennis the Menace' (1993) and 'Dave' (1993) taped off HBO on 9/11/1994 with promos (it was the Sure Thing Free Preview weekend). Maxell T-120
Tape 3 - 'Dragnet' (1987) taped off KSTW-11 on 11/24/1991 with commercials; most of 'Sands of Iwo Jima' (1949) taped off TBS on 11/14/1991 with commercials; 'Rooster Cogburn' (1975) taped off WGN-9 (national feed) on 11/16/1991 with commercials. Master T-120
Tape 4 - 'The World's Greatest Lover' (1977) minus commercials; various Bugs Bunny cartoons minus commercials; 'The Great Muppet Caper' (1981) minus commercials; Yogi Bear's All-Star Comedy Christmas Caper taped off KPIX/CBS on 12/18/1984 with commercials; part of 'Escape from Alcatraz' (1979) taped off KGO/ABC on 12/2/1984 with commercials. RCA VK-250
Tape 5 - 'The World According to Garp' (1982) taped off KPIX/CBS on 2/13/1985 with commercials; 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan' (1982) taped off KGO/ABC minus commercials - March of 1985 I think? BASF T-120 that surprisingly hasn't shed oxide...yet!
Tape 6 - 'Uptown Saturday Night' (1974) taped off KGO-7 on 8/24/1986 with two commercial breaks left in; 'Going Ape!' (1981) taped off KRON/NBC on 9/9/1986 with commercials. There's also a third movie from KTVU on this tape, and I can't remember which one it is. Maxell T-120
Tape 7 - Garfield in the Rough and It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown taped off KPIX/CBS on 10/26/1984 with commercials; Raccoons on Ice taped off unknown station (I think KRON) in November 1984 minus commercials. Scotch T-30, taped over a Zenith Data Systems promotional video. A great find regardless. I love finding these little T-30 and T-60 tapes, as they often have random TV programs if they were originally blank - most people didn't use T-60s to record movies on them.
There are a few more including one that is listed with Liberty Weekend, and another one that says X-Files and a few other programs on it. Again, I've had little time to digitize and go through these.

4/29/23 - There are still a few tapes that I haven't finished going through, but these all came from a large yard sale near 32nd and Nob Hill in Yakima. Family buys out storage units and there were over 300 tapes at this tape. I only got about 15, maybe 20. '90s stuff is mostly Tri-Cities while post-1999 recordings are from Yakima.

Tape 1 - 'Tales from the Hood' (1995) and 'House of Frankenstein '97' (1997) taped off Sci-Fi Channel on 10/13/2002 with commercials; partial broadcast of Local News at 11, Nightline and first few minutes of Politically Incorrect taped off KAPP/ABC on 7/5-6/2000 with commercials. Laser T-120
Tape 2 - 'A Memory in My Heart' (1999) taped off KIMA/CBS on 3/2/1999 minus commercials; special episode of Inside Edition taped off KAPP-35 (presumed) in early 1999 with a few commercials, featuring crazy moments from the Inside Edition archives; partial episode of Married...with Children taped off K66BW/FOX on 4/10/1994 with commercials; partial clip of a Hindenburg disaster documentary; another episode of Married...with Children minus commercials; partial clip of Today taped off KNDU/NBC in May 1991 with commercials; episode of Oprah Winfrey taped off KVEW-42 circa 1993 minus commercials; partial broadcast of 'Villa Rides' (1968) taped off TBS on 8/5/1989 with commercials, but gets taped over briefly several times - by a minute or two of Bold and the Beautiful, a scene at the end of a Roseanne episode, about 30 seconds of Donahue, and in the middle of that movie is an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents taped off Nick at Nite sometime in 1993 with commercials; ends with an unknown airplane documentary from the 1970s. Scotch T-120
Tape 3 - Various sitcoms (Murphy Brown, Roseanne, Golden Girls) minus commercials start the tape; leads into a broadcast of the Billy Graham Crusade taped off KEPR-19 circa 1992; clip of a Michael Jackson concert; Barbara Mandrell special taped off TNN circa 1993 with some commercials; episode of A Current Affair circa 1992 minus commercials (KEPR); partial episode of The Young and The Restless taped off KEPR/CBS sometime in 1992 minus commercials; partial episode of Roseanne and summer repeat of Coach taped off KVEW/ABC on 8/6/1992 with commercials; partial broadcast of the Billy Graham Crusade taped off KEPR-19 in March 1992 with a few commercials afterwards; partial episode of As the World Turns taped off KEPR/CBS on 2/28/1992 with commercials. Memorex T-120
 
more from 4/29
Tape 4 - 'Us' (1991) taped off KEPR/CBS on 9/20/1991 minus commercials; half of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno taped off either KNDO or KNDU/NBC on 10/5/1998 minus commercials - monologue, Headlines, and Bette Midler interview; part of the Mesquite Championship Rodeo taped off TNN in September 1991 minus commercials; partial broadcast of the KAPP/KVEW Weekend Report taped from KVEW-42 on 9/21/1991 with commercials, briefly taped over by another Mesquite Championship Rodeo clip; part of 'Tough Guys Don't Dance' (1987) taped off K66BW Kennewick (Fox) on 6/29-30/1990 with commercials; partial episode of The Young and the Restless taped off KEPR/CBS circa July 1990 minus commercials; 'Razorback' (1986) taped off USA Network on 6/30/1990 with commercials; last few minutes of 'My Name is Bill W.' (1989), commercials, and open to the ABC News Weekend Report taped off KVEW/ABC on 4/30/1989. Kodak T-120
Tape 5 - Brief clip of a CBS News Special Report on the Sioux City United plane crash; episode of Cops taped off KAYU/FOX on 7/29/1989 with commercials; 'Hostage' (1988) taped off presumed KEPR/CBS on 8/8/1989 minus commercials; 'The River' (1984) taped off WGN-9 Chicago on 8/9/1989 with commercials; episode of The Rifleman taped off CBN Family Channel in July 1989 with commercials; episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show taped off KAYU-28 on 7/2/1989 with commercials. Memorex T-120
Tape 6 - Diagnosis Murder taped off KEPR/CBS on 12/2/1994 with commercials; broadcast of SportsCenter taped the same night on ESPN with commercials; partial broadcast of Real Stories of the Highway Patrol taped off K66BW in August 1994 with commercials (more to come, still digitizing)
Tape 7 - FINALLY...finally, a WB 100+ recording! Episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show taped off WB100+ (KWYP Cable 31) on 6/29/2004 with commercials; Guns & Ammo TV taped off Outdoor Channel later that day with commercials, then Touched By An Angel taped off Hallmark Channel with commercials (more to come)
Tape 8 - 'Snow Kill' (1990) taped off KSTW on 5/25/2003 minus commercials; 'Scarface' (1983) taped off TNN on 6/17/2003 with commercials. TDK T-120
Tape 9 - Grace Under Fire episode minus commercials (syndicated repeat, I think); partial clip of Before They Were Stars; two episodes of Frasier taped off KNDO/NBC on 3/18/1999 with most commercials included; Jay Leno clip with exotic animals; part of Christy taped off KEPR/CBS on 9/9/1994 with commercials; repeat of Murphy Brown taped off KEPR-19 in August 1994 with commercials; summer repeat of Roseanne and She TV taped off KAPP/ABC on 8/23/1994 with commercials; partial syndicated repeat of Murphy Brown and episode of Roseanne (Dan's Birthday Bash) taped off KEPR-19 on 8/3/1994 with commercials. Memorex T-120
Tape 10 - 'National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1' (1993) taped off USA Network on 6/16/2002 with commercials; 'The Fear Inside' (1992) taped off Lifetime on 6/18/2002 minus commercials; 'The Verdict' (1982) taped off AMC in June 2002; partial episode of Saturday Night Live and about 30 min. of a classic Saturday Night Live (from 1980 with Buck Henry) taped off KNDO/NBC on 9/26/1999 with commercials. Polaroid *T-130*
Tape 11 - 'A Fish Called Wanda' (1987) taped off KNDO/NBC minus commercials; Greg the Bunny taped off KCYU-LP/Fox on Easter 2002 with commercials; Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law & Order: SVU taped off KNDO/NBC later that night with commercials; partial broadcast of KIMA News at 5 taped in March 2002 with commercials; episode of Martha Stewart Living taped off KAPP-35 in March 2002 minus commercials; KIMA News at 5 taped 4/1/2002 with commercials; ends with a clip of a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode. Unknown branded T-120
Tape 12 - Multiple programs taped on 9/26/2003 with commercials: Wanda at Large taped off KCYU-LP/Fox, the series premiere of Hope & Faith and Less Than Perfect taped from KAPP/ABC, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno taped off KNDO/NBC; coverage of the Ellensburg Rodeo Xtreme Bulls taped off ESPN2 in late September 2003 minus commercials. TDK T-120 in Hi-Fi

5/5 - Three tapes from an estate sale in Moxee...

Tape 1 - 'The Philadelphia Story' (1940) taped off TNT on 11/8/1990 with one commercial break left behind; part of 'Lost in America' (1985) taped off unknown channel with no commercials. TDK EHG T-120
Tape 2 - Great Performances: Show Boat and first 13 min. of The Hawaiians taped off KCET-28 L.A./PBS on 10/27-28/1989 with promos. Scotch T-120
Tape 3 - Several episodes of All in the Family taped off Nick at Nite on 10/29/1999 with commercials. They ran a marathon that night. Sony T-160

and six more from a sale up on Naches Heights, estate of the longtime owner of a fruit packing company

Tape 1 - 'Blazing Saddles' (1974) taped off KSTW-11 circa 1989 minus commercials; episode of Hunter taped off KNDO/NBC in January 1990 with some commercials; 'A Handful of Dust' (1988) and part of 'The Spoilers' (1942) taped off The Movie Channel on 10/1/1990 with a few minutes of promos afterwards. Panasonic T-120
Tape 2 - 'Soapdish' (1991) taped off HBO circa 1993; 'Whispers in the Dark' (1992) and part of 'Mississippi Masala' (1991) taped off HBO on 8/31/1993 with over 15 minutes of promos afterwards. Scotch T-120
Tape 3 - NBC Sports coverage of a diving competition taped off KNDO/NBC in summer 1990 with a few commercials; season premiere of Twin Peaks taped off KAPP/ABC on 9/30/1990 with commercials; partial Seoul Summer Olympics coverage and most of The Andy Griffith Show taped off KNDO/NBC on 10/1/1988 with commercials. Andy Griffith aired at 4PM during a half-hour break in network coverage. Memorex T-120, unlabeled
Tape 4 - 'Stand and Deliver' (1988) taped off unknown channel; The Life of Art (short film) taped off The Movie Channel in 1989; Jessica Mitford: Portrait of a Muckraker, Jack Horkheimer: Star Hustler and 11:05PM sign-off taped off KYVE/PBS on 9/22/1989 with promos. Rest of tape is static. Scotch T-120
Tape 5 - 'The Bedroom Window' (1987) taped off The Movie Channel on 4/23/1989 with several minutes of promos afterwards. Fuji T-120 (SP)
Tape 6 - Donahue episode (Katharine Hepburn interview) taped off KAPP-35 on 12/20/1991 with commercials. Maxell T-120, blank afterwards.
 
5/11 - Eight tapes from an eBay lot that came from Florence, MT, 15 mi. S of Missoula - remember that I was just in this area in April. Spokane television stations were carried on cable out there until SyndEx went into effect. Likewise, Butte viewers received SLC TV stations. Primetime on Spokane stations went from 9 to midnight given the timezone difference.

Tape 1 - A GEM of a first tape!! Starts with the oldest episode of Wheel of Fortune I've found so far, also the first I've found during the 'shopping' era - the 4/3/1987 episode taped off KHQ-6 Spokane with commercials; channel flip to KPAX/CBS for the first few minutes of Dallas with commercials, then taped over by The Charmings and Webster taped off KXLY-4 Spokane/ABC with commercials...I believe that's the first Webster episode I've ever found too; another episode of Wheel of Fortune, Kate & Allie and My Sister Sam taped off KPAX/CBS on 4/6/1987 with commercials; cuts to part 1 of Jesus of Nazareth taped off KHQ/NBC on Easter 1987 with commercials; part 2 of Jesus of Nazareth taped off KHQ/NBC on 4/13/1987 minus commercials. Memorex T-120
Tape 2 - Famous Families: The Cassidys and Famous Families: The Osmonds taped off Fox Family on 1/4/1999 with commercials; episode of Brother's Keeper taped off KTMF/ABC on 11/6/1998 with commercials; episode of Law & Order taped off A&E the same night with commercials. Magnavox T-120 (Hi-Fi)
Tape 3 - Episode of Whose Line is it Anyway?, two early repeats of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (from the August 1999 run), 20/20 Downtown, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Nightline, Politically Incorrect, National Enquirer TV and part of Grace Under Fire taped off KTMF/ABC on 6/29-30/2000 with commercials...NO news department at KTMF until 2002, when it was operated by Independent News Network in Davenport IA; end of AgDay, Early Today and Montana Today taped off KECI/NBC on 4/6/2000 with commercials - it is *not* common to find a VHS recording from this time of morning, especially from a small Montana market. Unknown branded T-120, maybe Polaroid?
Tape 4 - Season finale of Murder, She Wrote and 'There Was a Little Boy' (1993) taped off KPAX/CBS on 5/16/1993 with commercials; last half-hour of A Capitol Fourth and Patriotic Brass taped off KRMA-6 Denver/PBS on Independence Day 1993 with promos; the KPAX 10:00 News taped 7/29/1993 with commercials...anchor Jill Valley is *STILL* at KPAX to this day; final results of the Miss America Pageant taped 9/18/1993; part of the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks taped off KECI-13 on Independence Day 1993 with commercials; NBC Nightly News and first few minutes of The News at 6 taped off KECI/NBC on 3/30/1993 with commercials. Kodak T-120
Tape 5 - Another great find: the entire broadcast of night 1 of Liberty Weekend, hosted by Peter Jennings & Barbara Walters, taped off KXLY/ABC on 7/3/1986 with commercials; most of Today taped off KECI/NBC on Independence Day 1986 with commercials; Boston Pops performance at Liberty Weekend later that night; ends with a continuation of the KECI aircheck, with part of Wimbledon. Polaroid T-120
Tape 6 - Two episodes of Reunion taped off KMMF/Fox on 10/20/2005 with commercials (ch 17 in Misoula, now defunct); commercials and open to 20/20 taped off KTMF/ABC in November 2004; partial episode of Law & Order and part of Without a Trace taped off TNT in November 2004 with commercials (including local ads for Hamilton, MT); partial Election Night 2004 coverage from Fox News Channel, starting around the time when Kerry conceded to President Bush for a 2nd term; episodes of Joey, Will & Grace and The Apprentice taped off KECI/NBC on 11/4/2004 with commercials; partial episode of Law & Order taped off KECI/NBC on 10/27/2004 with commercials. Maxell T-120
Tape 7 - Great Old Amusement Parks, Remembering the Columbia Gardens (former amusement park in Butte) and 2/3rds of Masterpiece Theatre: Aristocrats taped off KUFM/PBS on 10/17/1999 with promos in between. Sony T-120 blank after 3:01
The eighth tape has more Liberty Weekend '86 coverage from KXLY. It is damaged at the start, however, and I haven't finished going through this one.

6/2 -A few tapes found at a yard sale on Longfibre Rd in Union Gap. This was the same grandma and kids who sold storage unit lots (they had a sale around Labor Day last year). New stock this time around, mostly retail tapes, but a few home-recorded mixed in too. Most of these tapes were in rough shape. No boxes on most, and some tapes had immense cobwebs, dirt, and gunk on the cassettes. Those tapes should be trashed.
Tape 1 - Pilot movie for Little House on the Prairie taped off KSTW-11 circa 1991 minus commercials; part of 'Avalanche' (1978) taped off KSTW-11 on 9/16/1991 with commercials. TDK EHG T-120, '80s stock
Tape 2 - 'Spencer's Mountain' (1963) taped off AMC circa late 1998 with a Nick Clooney intro; part of 'My Favorite Wife' (1940) and 'His Girl Friday' (1940) taped off AMC on 11/29/1998 with plenty of promos in between; ends with a partial episode of Real Stories of the Highway Patrol taped off *Foxnet* on 6/1/1998 with commercials...FINALLY, I find a Foxnet recording! Oddly enough, this was found in a market that already had an OTA Fox station (Yakima), yet I couldn't find any recordings in Missoula/Kalispell or from the last eBay lot from Florence MT, where Foxnet was the only way to watch the network until 2000. TDK AQ T-120
Tape 3 - 'Yolanda and the Thief' (1945) and 'The Pirate' (1948) taped off The Movie Channel circa late 1991; 'The Belle of New York' (1952) taped off The Movie Channel on 12/17/1991 with several minutes of promos after the movie. Safeway T-120

6/3 - Two more found at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church's yard sale (7809 Tieton Dr) and the Yakima Valley Fairgrounds yard sale.

Fairgrounds
Tape 1 - 'Last Action Hero' (1993) copied from rental; 'The Sandlot' (1993) copied from rental tape; Sealab 2021 clip taped off Adult Swim circa 2002; most of 'Batman Returns' (1992), George Michael Sports Machine and part of Jack Van Impe taped off KNDO/NBC on 3/24/1996 with commercials (I already have the 2/12/1995 broadcast of the movie). Kodak T-120

Mt. Olive Lutheran Church
Tape 2 - End of an episode of Nightline and Rush Limbaugh taped off KAPP-35 in January 1995 with commercials; part of another Rush Limbaugh taped off KAPP-35 in late 1994 with commercials; cuts to 20 minutes of the KAPP-35 'sunset' ID slide that they left on after sign-off one night circa 1994 (probably was a previous Rush Limbaugh recording); part of 'Witness' (1985) and 'Internal Affairs' taped off HBO on 3/13/1992 with promos in between. Maxell T-120

On top of this, I will be back in Montana June 22nd-25th for the Sanders County 100 Mi. Sale and the Bitterroot 50-Mi. Garage Sale! I'm hoping for more awesome finds from MT. Sanders County is home to Thompson Falls, Plains, and Noxon, along MT Highway 200. The Bitterroot Valley is south of Missoula on US Highway 93.
 
Great finds there, especially on the tape with the Wheel episodes from a season that has never been seen on GSN or at this moment, on its PlutoTV channel, as well as the sitcoms (you too Scott with that 1991 NBC Thursday Night sitcom block; it really makes you feel like you're actually reliving that night again, and I'd imagine there's a Gulf War newsbreak or two in there). Actually, that Today show broadcast from the Fourth of July actually was four hours long much like it has been in recent years, so you've probably got less than half of it, given that the first night of ABC's Liberty Weekend was three hours and A Capitol Fourth was 90 minutes. With the midday news pre-empted in addition, NBC's daytime programming that day pre-empted all soap operas and game shows for just news and tennis. CBS did air all of its soaps and ABC aired its "Big Three" (AMC, OLTL, GH), but the former didn't carry game shows and the latter didn't air its half-hour soaps for the holiday (Loving, Ryan's Hope), and also didn't carry The New Love, American Style.

I still haven't found any home-recorded audiocassette tapes yet that were taped off the radio, but I still have one that was given from my uncle about my late grandfather's retirement from 1979.
 
Lot of awesome finds for both of you guys, crainbebo and pannoni1. That eBay lot from Montana was small but mighty with some cool stuff, especially the overnight recordings. I believe National Enquirer TV only lasted for one season if I'm not mistaken.
Real Stories from its final season? And it was on Foxnet? If memory serves me right, WJW booted that show in the 1997-98 season so it wasn't shown in Cleveland. That must have been when Maury Hannigan did outros to the segments rather than intros. And then you've got the first season episode of Cops from 1989, and those early episodes don't run on cable anymore. The oldest Cops episodes I've seen air on Reelz are from the 1996-97 season.

Pannoni, I've actually found quite a few audiocassettes with radio recordings. Granted, most of them just consist of songs being recorded with a couple seconds of DJ banter before or after them, but I have found some unscoped recordings as well. Didn't think I'd find many talk radio recordings on these cassettes, but I have found some. I once found two tapes containing Rush Limbaugh's post-Election Day broadcast from November 9, 1994 complete with commercials and local news updates from WWWE (now WTAM). On the flip side, I wonder if anyone in this neck of the woods ever recorded any Howard Stern shows on tape from WNCX. I've found some episodes of his TV show from the late '90s but not his radio show.
I actually didn't find very many news briefs during that partial NBC prime time block from January 12, 1991, although Desert Shield/Desert Storm was mentioned in local news promos from WKYC shown during those programs. There was more Gulf War news material on that Channel 3 News broadcast from three days later. I was just shy of three years old at the time, so as you can imagine, I didn't really know anything about it until I took my high school history classes.
 
Rather minuscule amount of content found on my part since my last entry, both of these found at one of the community garage sales in Seville a few weeks ago.
TAPE 1: Partial episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit taped from USA in April 2011 with commercials; two partial episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit taped from USA on 4/4/2011 with commercials; WWE Tough Enough (first episode on USA) taped from USA on April 4-5, 2011 with commercials, partial encore presentation follows. RCA T-120

TAPE 2: NBC Movie of the Week presentation of Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) taped from WKYC on 5/20/1988 with commercials; tape ends with the music video of Extreme's "More Than Words" taped from MTV circa 1991. Unknown brand T-120.

Today I went to an estate sale in Parma that didn't include any VHS tapes but rather shelves full of recorded DVDs. Most had movie titles written on the discs (most are one movie per disc, with a couple of them holding two movies). I was hesitant to take any of them because of the suspicion that they could have very easily been bootlegged movies downloaded from the Internet. I did take one labeled "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charley Brown" (obviously misspelled in the labeling) thinking that could have potentially been recorded off-air, but no dice. Not only was it a downloaded bootleg, it wasn't even the right movie--it was actually "You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown" with no menu and subtitles/closed captions included in the recording.
So far I've only found one DVD of off-air TV recordings at one of these sales and it included a couple of Discovery HD Theater documentaries and an episode of Lost, all recorded in 2006. Just shows how much media in and of itself has changed since I started collecting these things and is already starting to fade into obsolescence (and how old we're all getting! 😖)
One conversation I heard while browsing through the house hinted that there was a LOT of other merchandise that I missed out on yesterday, the first day of the sale, and the photos shown in the listing on estatesales.net backs that up. Makes me wonder if there were any VHS tapes in that sale that someone else may have purchased.
Even before I started collecting VHS tapes secondhand and dubbing them to DVDs, I had recorded A LOT of TV onto DVDs since I got my first DVD recorder in 2006--Academic Challenge episodes from WEWS, Cops episodes, Glee in its original run on Fox, numerous talk shows and other programs featuring Kristin Chenoweth, BGSU football games, the Tony Awards every year from 2010 to 2017, etc. Then about halfway through 2017, Spectrum started copy-protecting all of their channels and I couldn't record directly from the cable box onto DVDs anymore.

On another topic, one thing I've learned recently is that Hi8 and 8mm videotapes were not always used for camcorders but rather for off-air videotaping as well. In the '90s, Sony did release VCRs specifically for such formats that could connect to cable, satellite and/or antenna. Additionally, Sony released the Video Walkman, a portable device that played such tapes. Many even had a terrestrial tuner and antenna built in so people could use them to record off-air TV.
I recently spotted an eBay listing for a Video Walkman bundled with about 100+ recorded Hi8 tapes containing movies. My understanding is those tapes could hold up to five hours of content in LP mode (slowest recording speed for Hi8), so given the fact that most tapes in this lot had two movies each, it's doubtful many of them had commercials included, but I could be wrong. The lot has since been sold...and given how hard Video Walkmans are to find and the fact that it was bundled with 100+ tapes, it was sold for much more money than I'd want to pay for it.
On the extremely slim chance that I do find any Hi8 tapes of TV recordings in the wild, I do still have my late father's Sony Handycam that I could play such tapes on and connect to my DVD recorder. That's how we were able to transfer some of our old family home movies onto VHS with our VCR.

The prize for the oldest off-air Hi8 recording I've found online thus far goes to this commercial reel from broadcasts of ABC World News Tonight and Jeopardy on WABC in 1993.
 
I do not take Hi8s, and I do not take 8mm tapes. They are always home movies, and I can't convert them (no Video 8 camera to use). VHS tapes with vacation footage are fair game given that locales have changed over the years. Think about Epcot and how much of that area at WDW is obsolete. Innoventions, Wonders of Life, Horizons, etc. all gone. Christmas and birthdays are not fair game because I didn't know the family. Those tapes are the responsibility for surviving family members, and it's too bad that some kids and grandkids don't want to share those memories with future generations in their family.

Latest finds are below. Starting with the Montana trip from June 22nd-June 26th. Far fewer tapes than last time. The Bitterroot 50 Mile sale was a complete dud, visited 60-70 sales with no luck. This also included storage unit sales, I believe an estate sale, and some multi-family sales. Plenty of Disney tapes, however. How many, I bet, will go up on eBay for extremely inflated prices - PSA: THEY ARE NOT WORTH $1,000!! 🤷‍♂️


Trout Creek MT estate sale on the 23rd. This is in between Noxon and Thompson Falls on Hwy 200. The entertainment center was filled with VHS tapes, probably 60% home-recorded. I picked up a nice handful of tapes here. The homeowner had C-Band, being out in the middle of nowhere, as well as antenna.
Tape 1 - Part 2 of Jesus of Nazareth taped off KCNC/NBC on 4/9/1990 with commercials (off C-Band). TDK HS T-120, SP
Tape 2 - Partial B.L. Stryker episode taped off KXLY/ABC minus commercials; 'Rough Cut' (1980) taped off KXLY/ABC on 6/11/1990 with some commercials (KXLY had a translator here on ch 10); ends with part of an unknown crime drama film with no commercials. Scotch T-120
Tape 3 - The 1st inauguration of President Bill Clinton taped off unknown CBS station (assumed KMGH, on C-Band) on 1/20/1993 with a few commercials, but not many were included; partial episode of The Love Boat taped off (assumed) WWOR EMI Service circa 1992 with two commercials - one for Ronco's Food Dehydrator and one for Veterans Life; partial episode of Who's the Boss? taped off WWOR-9's EMI superstation feed in July 1992 with commercials; another partial episode and a full episode of Who's the Boss?, Gimme a Break!, New York at Night and a few minutes of Quincy taped off WWOR EMI Service on 4/15/1992 with commercials (interesting part is how WWOR's local ads stayed on the feed for Who's the Boss and disappeared during the SyndEx-separated program for EMI promos and direct-response ads. NYaN was a short-lived evening talk show hosted by Clint Holmes. I think this is my first find from the WWOR EMI feed!) Focal T-120
Tape 4 - Walker, Texas Ranger pilot taped off KMGH/CBS on 4/21/1993 minus commercials; partial 1992 Winter Olympics opening ceremonies taped off KMGH/CBS on 2/8/1992 with commercials. Focal T-120

Thompson Falls MT - two sales, first sale had four tapes, three duds and one keeper.

Tape from sale #1 - Tim Allen special taped off Showtime; most of Game 3 of the 1991 World Series and 7 News at 10 taped off KMGH/CBS on 10/22/1991 with commercials (the 12-inning masterpiece, via C-Band with lots of 'sparklies' in the picture). BASF T-120
Tape from sale #2 - 2005 Orange Bowl taped off KXLY/ABC on 1/4/2005 with commercials (KXLY had a translator here on ch 9). BASF T-160 with half of it blank.

Goodwill Outlet tape (found 6/22) - Broadcast of Hour of Power taped off unknown station on 11/7/2004; partial infomercial for 6 Second Abs follows; channel flips to KREM/CBS for part of The NFL Today with commercials; then over to ESPN2 for coverage of The Tour Championship with commercials, followed by another channel flip to KXLY/ABC for about an hour more of coverage from The Tour Championship with commercials (there is one commercial break edited as the taper flipped between several movie channels). TDK T-160, stops around 4 hours in at EP speed.

6/30/23 - Four tapes found at an estate sale near 16th and Summitview in Yakima.

Tape 1 - Episodes of Invention, The Secret Life of Machines, Endangered World: A Zimbabwan Tragedy, Zoo Life, and six late-night infomercials (Psychic Friends, Lasting Kiss, another Psychic Friends, Karaoke Classic, Personal Power, a third Psychic Friends, and The Secrets of Making Love from Playboy) taped off The Discovery Channel on 1/12-13/1993 with commercials. Master T-120
Tape 2 - 'Foxfire' (1987) taped off KIMA/CBS on 12/15/1990 with commercials -- oddly enough, the halfway break did not include a slot for local advertising. There's a half-hour of 'The Tender Trap' (1955) afterwards, the Saturday Starlight Cinema film, I have this broadcast with one or two commercial breaks included. Maxell T-120
Tape 3 - Pavarotti Plus! concert taped off KYVE/PBS on 1/6/1986 with multiple intermission breaks in-studio. I already have this from a 2017 estate sale, so it goes straight to eBay. Kodak T-120
Tape 4 - Episodes of Mobile Fighter G Gundam and Ruruoni Kenshin taped off Cartoon Network's Toonami block circa June 2003 with commercials; partial episode of Dexter's Laboratory and Jackie Chan's Adventures taped off Cartoon Network in April 2003 with commercials. This is a far cry from the contents of the last few tapes, and was completely unlabeled! Fuji T-120

And then today, one tape found at another estate sale in Yakima, around the same area. PHENOMENAL FIND made, oldest Yakima footage found since April 2021

- Episode of Fridays taped off KAPP/ABC early on 2/21/1981 with commercials (the Andy Kaufman incident episode...my first-ever find of this program!); a repeat of the series premiere of Saturday Night Live (from 1975) taped off KNDO/NBC on 8/29-30/1981 with commercials...another great find! Also has 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' (1975) copied from rental tape, and there's some behind-the-scenes content and a profile of the Fan Club afterwards, I'm not sure if this came from TV or another VHS/Beta tape; several minutes of static follow; cuts to part of another Saturday Night Live episode taped off KNDO/NBC on 3/14-15/1981 with commercials - it's another season 1 repeat with Richard Pryor!! It also includes the sign-off, a completely different one compared to 1984. Fuji T-120 in the earliest example of SLP I've ever found. It's 5 1/2 hours of content recorded (plus 30 min. of static after KNDO signed off).

I talked with the proprietor, who is a friend of the man who lived here. This sale was just loaded with ham radio magazines, satellite TV equipment, and arcade machines. Oh, also an early DISCOVISION Laserdisc player!! CED players, a Beta player, 10-15 VHS VCRs, and more satellite TV equipment. Then there were DVD players, and what else - more satellite TV equipment (several Videocipher II decoders). There was a C-Band dish, Primestar dish, and a few 18" DirecTV/Dish Network dishes in the backyard. I even found three issues of Satellite TV Week and one issue of Satellite Orbit, all dating from 1999-2001. This is a video enthusiast's dream come true. Also there were a few 1980s Playboys and National Lampoon magazines. And of course, the basic household stuff - clothes, tools, etc. plus 100s of 45 RPMs and a few Commodore 64 units...
All satellite dishes were free. I picked up an 18" dish because I am hoping to paint it over and turn it into a birdbath eventually once I have my own place.
This man has approximately six more boxes of Betas and VHS tapes that he acquired from this house. Stay tuned for updates...there may be more fantastic finds coming. We will keep in touch.
 
Would certainly be something to find more C-band content on my end. Even though I live in a rural community, it's doubtful many people out here had C-band satellite dishes, although growing up I do remember seeing one house in particular in our neighborhood that had one of those giant dishes outside.
You mentioned the one estate sale you visited had some Playboy magazines from the '80s. One estate sale I visited recently had several issues of Playgirl from the '70s, and while I was there, one lady showed interest in those magazines...and even opened one up to the centerfold right in front of others shopping at the sale! 😳

Coming up in September, I plan on revisiting Bowling Green State University on homecoming weekend, and while I'm in that neck of the woods that weekend, I'm hoping to make a stop at this flea market about a half-hour away from campus. No, this is not the Stormin' Norman's Flea Market in Toledo I mentioned before, this one's in the same county as the university. Looking at all these photos, at least one of the vendors at this place has a whole plethora of miscellaneous media and electronics to pick from. Here's hoping I can bring enough cash with me when I go so I can hopefully unearth as much vintage gold from this comparatively small market as possible.
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Northwood Flea Market

Northwood Flea Market, Northwood, Ohio. 1,235 likes · 10 talking about this. Northwood Fea Market has a wide selection of tools and hardware for home, work, or hobby projects. Home repair,...
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Locally speaking, and in the nearer future, next week is Litchfield's community garage sales--same town as the Litchfield Flea Market, which is another one of my personal hot spots. Last year I came home from Litchfield with a pretty hefty amount of VHS tapes from a couple of sales in town, as well as a cassette tape of Christmas music on Moody Radio station WCRF...which I still have yet to digitize to my computer. At one of the sales I got VHS tapes from that year, the male homeowner saw me paying his wife for the tapes I got and brought out two big plastic bags full of more tapes offering to make a good deal to sell them to me. Thinking I was going to find more at other sales in town, I ended up just taking what I got. Probably could have taken advantage of those extras looking back.
 
crainbebo said:
I talked with the proprietor, who is a friend of the man who lived here. This sale was just loaded with ham radio magazines, satellite TV equipment, and arcade machines. Oh, also an early DISCOVISION Laserdisc player!! CED players, a Beta player, 10-15 VHS VCRs, and more satellite TV equipment. Then there were DVD players, and what else - more satellite TV equipment (several Videocipher II decoders). There was a C-Band dish, Primestar dish, and a few 18" DirecTV/Dish Network dishes in the backyard. I even found three issues of Satellite TV Week and one issue of Satellite Orbit, all dating from 1999-2001. This is a video enthusiast's dream come true. Also there were a few 1980s Playboys and National Lampoon magazines. And of course, the basic household stuff - clothes, tools, etc. plus 100s of 45 RPMs and a few Commodore 64 units...
All satellite dishes were free. I picked up an 18" dish because I am hoping to paint it over and turn it into a birdbath eventually once I have my own place.
This man has approximately six more boxes of Betas and VHS tapes that he acquired from this house. Stay tuned for updates...there may be more fantastic finds coming. We will keep in touch.
Click to expand...
I wish that we had sales, like that one, in my area (Carrollton, MO.).
 
Another successful haul from this year's Litchfield community garage sales and some sales in some other locations last weekend. Evidently not only did Litchfield have its township-wide sales, but the Cleveland suburbs of Middleburg Heights and Parma Heights held their annual citywide garage sales last weekend. I've already found more than my fair share of media treasures from those two suburbs. I also found out my Insignia VCR/DVD recorder dual unit can apparently play S-VHS tapes, which I wish I knew earlier.

Wadsworth, OH garage sale:
TAPE 1: Parts two, three and four of Lonesome Dove taped from WJW on February 6, 7 and 8, 1989 with commercials. Maxell T-120.


Strongsville, OH estate sale--five dollars for a shoebox containing ten unmarked tapes, a few of which turned out to be videos recorded from a home surveillance system:
TAPE 2: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), Channel 3 News at 11 and partial broadcast of McDonald's Sports Tonight taped from WKYC on December 18-19, 2005 with commercials, all three programs were delayed due to a presidential address that night. Maxell T-160.

TAPE 3: Conspiracy Theory (1997) taped from TBS Superstation in December 2003 with commercials. Maxell T-160.

TAPE 4: Episodes of Becker taped from WBNX on March 14, 15, 16 and 17, 2005 with commercials. Unknown brand ST-120 (S-VHS).

TAPE 5: Movie and a Makeover presentation of Summer Rental (1985) taped from TBS in June 2005 with commercials. Unknown brand ST-120 (S-VHS).

TAPE 6: Partial broadcast of Dumb and Dumber (1994) taped from TBS in July 2005 with commercials. Unknown brand ST-120 (S-VHS).


Litchfield, OH garage sale #1:
TAPE 7: The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992) taped from the Movie Channel in January 1993 with promos; The Taking of Beverly Hills (1991) taped from the Movie Channel in April 1993 with promos; The Untouchables (1987) and partial broadcast of The Roaring Twenties (1939) taped from the Movie Channel in April 1993 with promos. BASF T-160.

TAPE 8: Big Chuck and Lil John movie presentation of Red Dawn (1984) taped from WJW in November 1991 minus most commercials (also includes one partial Big Chuck and Lil John skit); Movie 5 presentation of Walking Tall (1973) taped from WEWS in November 1991 minus commercials; partial episode of All My Children taped from WEWS in November 1991 with commercials; ends with a partially taped-over home video of a Christmas party from December 1989. Memorex T-120.

TAPE 9: Eight O'clock Movie presentation of American Ninja 2: The Confrontation (1987) taped from WUAB in January 1993 minus most commercials; partial episode of All My Children taped from WEWS on 12/29/1992 with commercials; All My Children taped from WEWS on December 30 and 31, 1992 with commercials, the latter has a long closing accompanied by Christmas music; partial broadcast of the 1993 Florida Citrus Bowl taped from WEWS on 1/1/1993 with commercials; All My Children taped from WEWS on 1/4/1993 with commercials; partial episode of All My Children taped from WEWS on 1/5/1993 with commercials. Unknown brand T-120.


Litchfield, OH garage sale #2:
TAPE 10: Part two of The Awakening Land (1978 NBC miniseries) taped from TNT on 12/29/1996 with commercials. Polaroid T-120.

TAPE 11: Conan the Barbarian (1982) taped from USA in December 1993 with commercials; ABC Sunday Night Movie presentation of Heartbreak Ridge (1986) taped from WEWS on 1/2/1994 with commercials. Polaroid T-120.

TAPE 12: The Robe (1953) and start of In Touch with Charles Stanley taped from the Family Channel in March 1994 with commercials. Polaroid T-120.

TAPE 13: Part four of Jesus of Nazareth (1977 NBC miniseries) and start of The 700 Club taped from the Family Channel in March 1994 with commercials. Polaroid T-120.

TAPE 14: Billy Jack (1971) and Born Losers (1967) taped from TBS in January 1994 with commercials; Movie 5 presentation of Rocky V (1990) taped from WEWS in January 1994 with commercials. Polaroid T-120.

TAPE 15: Parts one and two of Joseph (TNT miniseries) taped from TNT on April 16 and 17, 1995 with commercials; partial episode of Rescue 911 (syndicated) taped from WBNX in February 1995 with commercials; Mighty Morphin Power Rangers taped from WBNX on 2/15/1995 minus most commercials. Maxell T-120.


The two estate sales among the many garage sales I went to last weekend had one thing in common that I don't see at these sales very often, for good reason--pornographic videos being sold in the open. At the Strongsville sale where I bought the shoebox full of tapes, a box full of adult DVDs was spotted among the items for sale, and while I was there, I saw a mom attending the sale with her two kids. What could possibly go wrong there?
Remember when I mentioned last weekend was also the Parma Heights citywide garage sales? There was also an estate sale held that weekend that I went to where I spotted two NSFW VHS tapes that were distributed by a company called Direct Video and DVD. Neither were in cases, but both labels had the disclaimer that all actors featured in the videos were 18+. I did spot one unmarked recorded VHS at that sale, but I didn't buy it because it was a bit moldy. It was a Sony T-120.
Speaking of Parma Heights, though, one garage sale I stopped by there yielded two cassette tapes containing Christmas music supposedly taped from radio stations WSHH and KDKA in Pittsburgh. Haven't listened to either yet.
 
A lot of 30 tapes from an eBay seller from Louisville arrived this week. Not too many OTA finds, but there were a few, as well as a couple fine camcorder finds.

TAPE 1: Four episodes of the original Star Trek series recorded off WAVE between February and May 1989 with commercials, with each episode featuring the closing segment of the local high school quiz bowl show Hi-Q, with the final episode also including the first several minutes of a local realtor's Sunday Showcase of Homes (back when you could get a house for five figures in a decent area!) LP mode.

TAPE 2: The ABC Sunday Movie premiere presentation of Call Me Anna off WHAS on 11/11/1990 with commercials, followed by The Wonder Years also off WHAS/ABC on 11/18/1990 with ads, followed by Dear John off WAVE/NBC from that same night. EP mode.

TAPES 3-5: Approximately 30 episodes total of Denise Austin workout shows Fit Lite and the Daily Workout off Lifetime in July/August 1999 with about two-thirds of commercial breaks intact, with partial episodes of Designing Women found at the end of each tape, although the third tape was only halfway recorded. At a time when the network's original focus of offering health-based programming was all but dead, Denise Austin, previously on ESPN in the late '80s and early-mid '90s with Getting Fit, provided Lifetime's final health-related show that traced its roots back to the Cable Health Network days in the early '80s. EP mode.

TAPES 6-10: Promo breaks mainly off AMC and The Disney Channel ranging from February 1990 to March 1993, ranging from 15-40 minutes worth of promos total on each break, with most programming on those tapes otherwise consisting of various mid-20th century films. EP mode.

TAPE 11: No TV content, but on a tape labeled "TV PRODUCTION CLASS Seneca High School 1985", we're treated to about 2 1/2 hours worth of footage from that very year at a Suburban Louisville high school, ranging from various interviews about school life (including class policy and fashion), to a puppet show, to even students dancing or singing along to hits from a radio including Prince's "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy" and Teena Marie's "Lovergirl". I find these far more enticing than just watching The Breakfast Club over again, since it provides a true, non-fictional look at teenage life in the Reagan Era. LP mode on a Samsung T-60.

TAPE 12: While most game show contestants would be happy to visit a single island on a trip, this one features several, courtesy of a family vacation in the Caribbean from June 1992 aboard the Starward. Among the islands visited include Barbados, Martinique, St. Maarten, Antigua, and St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. Everything from scuba diving, shots from some of the resort towns, and entertainment aboard the ship are featured for well over two hours worth of footage, making this another great home video recording. A couple of Benetton stores were featured in some of the towns, something that really dates this recording considering that chain was once everywhere instead of being down to only a few European cities these days. Maxwell HGX-Gold T-120 in LP.

Another video I kept was an American release of the 1994 Manchester United promotional video for Eric The King, distributed by Soccer Learning Systems of San Ramon, CA. There was also tape that featured three episodes of The History Channel's The History Of Sex from February 2009 with commercials that I placed in the pass file, with the channel having clearly "jumped the shark" by that point. Several tapes with just a few minutes of pay TV promos from the 1990s were also placed into the pass pile. There was one home recording dud that featured home footage of an infant girl (with a couple songs from Whitney Houston's The Bodyguard soundtrack playing in the background) as well as a partial instructional film for baby formula. Nearly half of the lot was just typical movie finds with little or no pay TV promo-type duds. At least the tapes were cheap and considering the shipping costs, it could have been worse.
 
I would like to show them a VHS recording from October 1979 that has little dropouts...better yet, how about those 1" Type Cs, U-Matics, even Quadruplex tapes that are still being restored to this day? Unfortunately, there are very few Quad players left and digitizing them takes a lot of work. Remember, that was *THE* tape format for the networks in the late 1950s through the 1970s. They were very expensive, thus, a lot of them were used again and again (why so many game shows and pre-1972 Johnny Carson got wiped).
 
crainbebo said:
I would like to show them a VHS recording from October 1979 that has little dropouts...better yet, how about those 1" Type Cs, U-Matics, even Quadruplex tapes that are still being restored to this day? Unfortunately, there are very few Quad players left and digitizing them takes a lot of work. Remember, that was *THE* tape format for the networks in the late 1950s through the 1970s. They were very expensive, thus, a lot of them were used again and again (why so many game shows and pre-1972 Johnny Carson got wiped).
Click to expand...
The cost of the tapes was not the primary factor. Like weekly studio wrestling shows, TV executives couldn't conceive of anyone wanting to watch game or talk show episodes a month later, let alone 50 years later, nor did they think that sale of affordable video recorders to the general public would ever be permitted. Historical news coverage was preserved for use by the stations/networks in documentaries or other news-oriented programming. Johnny Carson talking to Jonathan Winters? Hugh Downs hosting a rebus game? No one gave a second thought to taping over those shows. They were thought of as having a shelf life of 24 hours.

Of course, you collect old TV shows for their COMMERCIALS, so what I'm saying here must sound like heresy to you, lol.
 
crainbebo said:
I would like to show them a VHS recording from October 1979 that has little dropouts...better yet, how about those 1" Type Cs, U-Matics, even Quadruplex tapes that are still being restored to this day? Unfortunately, there are very few Quad players left and digitizing them takes a lot of work. Remember, that was *THE* tape format for the networks in the late 1950s through the 1970s. They were very expensive, thus, a lot of them were used again and again (why so many game shows and pre-1972 Johnny Carson got wiped).
Click to expand...
There is a fascinating website that deals with all those vintage videotape formats. Not sure the moderators here would let me provide a link as the site includes a discussion forum, but PM me if you want that link…or mods, am I allowed to post that? (it deals with vintage equipment, not broadcasting specifically.)
 
I need to get better at making these updates more often...

Tape 109
1.1992/7/x Funny Farm (1h40m) (HBO)
2.1992/7/x Class of 1999 (1h32m) (HBO)
3.1992/7/x Seven Days To Judgment (1h40m with promos) (HBO) TRT 4h53m

Tape 110
1.2002/8/12 Celebrity Fear Factor (1h) (WNBC)
2.2002/8/12 Dog Eat Dog (58m) (WNBC) Anyone remember that reality competition show?
3.2002/8/x Hard Knocks 2x1 Cowboys Season (27m partial) (HBO)
4.1999/9/20 MNF Atlanta at Dallas (1h54 ends 3rd Qtr) (WABC) TRT 4h21m

Tape 111
1.1991/3/30 Final 4 Kansas vs UNC (WUSA) (2h29m)
2.1991/3/30 Newsbreaks/CBS Coverage (WUSA) (15m)
3.1991/3/30 Final 4 Duke vs UNLV (WUSA) (2h13m)
4.1991/4/1 Sportscenter (ESPN) (1h)
5.1991/4/1 Final 4 Pregame Special (ESPN) (13m partial) TRT 6h11m

Tape 112
1.1996/6/8 McLaughlin Group (9m partial) (WRC)
2.1996/6/8 Mysterious Origins of Man (1h) (WRC)
3.1996/6/8 Prophecies IV: The Final Prophecies (2h) (WRC) both are rare prototype Ancient Aliens docs
4.1995/10/10 Alien Nation- Body & Soul (1h34 most commercials and ending cut) (WTTG)
5.1995/10/8 Sightings 4x5 (45m most) (WJLA)
6.1995/11/14 Mystery ending host segment, Jack Horkimer Star Hustler, and sign off (14m) (MPT)
7.18 minutes of blue screen from the prior signoff on cable box TRT 6h6m
Tape 113
1.1991/2/18 Mary Tyler Moore 20th Anniversary (1h30m) (WRAL)
2.1991/9/30 MNF Philadelphia at Washington (3h4m) (WTVD)
3.1991/9/30 WTVD 11PM News (3m partial)
4.1991/9/8 Darkwing Duck pilot episode premiere (11m partial) (WLFL)
-This was partially recorded by my dad and recorded over by me, take a guess as to which TRT 4h51m

Tape 114
1.1992/3/15 ACC Tournament Championship Duke vs UNC (1h52m missing first few mins) (WRAL)
2.1992/3/15 CBS Sports NCAA Tournament Selection Show (6m partial) (WRAL)
3.1992/4/6 NCAA Championship Game Duke vs Michigan (2h39m) (WRAL)
4.1992/4/7 The Young and the Restless (1h) (WRAL)
5.1992/4/x Wall Street Week (12m partial) (WUNC)
6.1992/4/x Movies Worth Taping- Red River (6m partial) (WUNC) TRT 5h54m

Tape 115
1.?? Return to Mayberry (3m partial)
2.1986/4/27 Wonderful World of Disney- Robin Hood (1h47m) (WTVD)
3.1986/6/29 Wonderful World of Disney- Donald Duck (34m partial) (WTVD)
4.?? BJ & The Bear (17m partial)
5.1986? 2 episodes of Fawlty Towers with promos (1h1m) (WUNC)
6.1986/10/6 Alf 1x3 (30m) (WPTF) tape recorded by my dad and taped over by me in parts TRT 6h6m
 
chandler0201 said:
Tape 115
1.?? Return to Mayberry (3m partial)
2.1986/4/27 Wonderful World of Disney- Robin Hood (1h47m) (WTVD)
3.1986/6/29 Wonderful World of Disney- Donald Duck (34m partial) (WTVD)
4.?? BJ & The Bear (17m partial)
5.1986? 2 episodes of Fawlty Towers with promos (1h1m) (WUNC)
6.1986/10/6 Alf 1x3 (30m) (WPTF) tape recorded by my dad and taped over by me in parts TRT 6h6m
Click to expand...
Return to Mayberry aired, on April 13, 1986, on NBC, & was likely recorded off of WPTF.
 
Goodness knows some of these earlier videotape formats are not easy to find in the wild. I do, however, recall seeing a U-matic tape being among the various media sold at a local thrift store in Parma Heights that has since closed down. At the Internet radio station I volunteer at, one colleague of mine brought a Quasar VX VCR and a tape to the house where the station is located because the station owner repairs computers and other electronics by trade.

Speaking of the VX VCR, there's one YouTuber in particular who collects different kinds of videotape formats, including the VX. He's uploaded demonstration videos of his VCR and programs recorded onto the tapes used for it.
He's also collected D-VHS VCRs and tapes, and I found out D-VHS VCRs play back standard VHS tapes as well, as Dave's Archives owns one as well and uses it for his transfers and his livestreams.

Anyone here familiar with the Vanderbilt University Television News Archive in Nashville? One portion of this Wikipedia article shows the different types of videotapes that were used to record national newscasts since the archive's inception in 1968.

Vanderbilt Television News Archive - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

In the vein of more professional-grade media, this guy has a lot of Betacam SP tapes of commercials and infomercials.

On a completely different topic, I wish I was visiting my old college stomping grounds this weekend because this estate sale about a half hour away in Toledo is LOADED with home-recorded VHS tapes. If anyone in that area is reading this, the sale resumes tomorrow.
www.estatesales.net

Point Place once again in Toledo, OH starts on 7/29/2023

View information about this sale in Toledo, OH. The sale starts Saturday, July 29 and runs through Sunday, July 30. It is being run by Two Blondes With Junk In The Trunk Estate Sales.
www.estatesales.net www.estatesales.net
The Toledo market sure could use a good boost in vintage TV content on YouTube ever since Cosmo Squire closed his account, although Rene Gonzalez (mentioned above) does have some in his collection. Add to that the fact that several Detroit stations have been and still are carried on Buckeye CableSystem, along with CBET north of the border in Windsor, Ontario.
 
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I spy several Beta tapes, a vintage Sony L-500 mixed in. I've been in probably 300 estate sales here and in other areas, and only a tiny handful had any Betas.
 


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