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Oldest Extant Off-Air VHS/Beta Tape You Have

Well, of the tapes I got from the aforementioned Independence estate sale, only two of them ended up being worth keeping.
TAPE 1: Cousins (1989) taped from HBO in March 1990; The Take (1974) taped from USA in March 1990 with commercials. Certron T-120.

TAPE 2: Julio Iglesias in Concert: Starry Night taped from HBO on 11/24/1990 with promos; partial Movie 5 presentation of Fine Gold (1989) and partial broadcast of Into the Night with Rick Dees taped from WEWS in July 1990 with commercials; partial episode of General Hospital taped from WEWS on 3/2/1990 with commercials; most of Live on Five taped from WEWS on 10/20/1989 with commercials; partial episode of General Hospital taped from WEWS in October 1989 with commercials. Scotch T-120.


Just this past Friday, I picked up a bunch more VHS tapes spanning across an estate sale in North Royalton, a garage sale in Parma and a liquidation sale at a former Catholic high school building in Parma. The latter sale came with an interesting story. According to one of the workers from the company hosting the sale, one of the employees of the school had also worked at WJ(K)W at one point, hence why multiple U-matic and Betacam tapes were spotted at this sale--and not just that, but all kinds of other TV studio and broadcasting equipment as well! Most of the U-matics appeared to be broadcasts of or video taken for the local program PM Magazine. The Catholic school sale was actually held across a two-week period, and when I came in the first week (and picked up a few VHS tapes), only the first floor was open, but when I came in this past Friday for the second week of the sale, the second floor filled with much of the broadcasting equipment was open.
Ultimately, I ended up picking up five U-matic tapes and a portable U-matic recorder/player. However, when I posted about my finds to a Cleveland TV history group page on Facebook, someone informed me that there's a chance that portable deck might not be able to play back those tapes and that it is only used for recording. *But* I did notice the front of the unit had the same kinds of buttons found on a traditional studio U-matic deck (stop, play, rewind, fast forward, record and eject). One YouTube video I found showed a similar unit being successfully connected to a TV to play back a tape, so I'll have to see how this ends up panning out. Wish me luck!

As for the VHS tapes I found at that liquidation sale, much of what I ended up finding were classical music or opera specials on PBS, so they were probably used by the school's music teacher to screen as part of their curriculum. Here are the only two keepers.
TAPE 3: From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration 1993 taped from WVIZ on 12/31/1992, includes an intermission slide that ran for about three minutes in the middle of the program; Helmut Lotti Goes Classic II taped from WVIZ in March 1998 with one partial pledge break; partial broadcast of Frank Patterson: God Bless America taped from WNEO/WEAO on 3/5/2000 (I already have the full broadcast of this with pledge breaks from the same station). Scotch T-120

TAPE 4: The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess (special presentation of Great Performances) taped from WVIZ on 10/6/1993 with promos. Memorex T-120.


Meanwhile, on the radio side of things, I found a real treat at an estate sale in Copley this past Thursday--a cassette tape containing unscoped airchecks of WSLR (a.k.a. "The Whistler") in Akron from September 1974! Quite a find! AM 1350 was a frequency that went through quite a few format changes through the decades before it became the Fox Sports Radio affiliate that it is now ("The Gambler").
Speaking of vintage radio, several 8-track tapes were also spotted at this same sale, a few of which were home-recorded. One was marked "Radio Tape" while another supposedly contained one of the presidential debates between Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter in 1976! Oh, if only I had an 8-track player!
The listing for this same sale on estatesales.net did show one picture of several boxes full of VHS tapes, many of which were home-recorded, but when I got to the sale, very few of those tapes were there and none of the used blanks from that picture were there! But that cassette of WSLR is quite a gem in and of itself!
 
Somebody ran off with them before the sale - or they hid them away because they didn't think anyone wanted them. Reminds me of an estate sale last year north of Spokane. Tons of tapes in the pictures, but I didn't find them in the house when I got there. Luckily, they had been put in trash bags and the homeowners' kids wanted to throw them in the dumpster, but hadn't gotten around to doing so yet. They allowed me to take a few dozen for free. One of them has the 1985 Spokane Lilac Parade on it. Think I was glad to get them? (y)

Didn't go to Boise on Sunday because just after I posted the update(s) from that Wifi hotspot, my car wouldn't start! My starter is dead! So I'm out $300+ on another one. The mechanic in Yakima put a shoddy one in that only lasted 8 months and 20K miles. That starter should have lasted at least 100K.
 
pannoni1 said:
Well, I've decided to try another round of Beta tapes with that same local seller from the last lot. Even though there was still a lot of duds, with 80 tapes instead of 40 last time, I was apt to do a little better, and I did, which isn't a bad value for a quarter a piece. Almost everything was recorded in BIII mode.

TAPE 1: Fugitive Nights: Danger In The Desert, the NBC Friday Night Movie taped off WRC/NBC on 11/19/1993 with most commercials, followed by Madonna: The Girlie Show Live Down Under taped off HBO on 11/20/1993 with a few promos after the special, followed by a goood chunk of Walker, Texas Ranger taped off W*USA/CBS on 11/27/1993 with commercials (missing the first ten minutes and the closing).

TAPE 2: Starts off with four episodes of Agatha Christie's Poirot from Mystery! off WHMM in 1993 with a few promos, then it cuts back to about 50 minutes worth from the second installment of Judith Krantz's 'Til We Meet Again off W*USA/CBS on 11/20/1989 with commercials.

TAPE 3: Starts with several episodes of the Britcom As Time Goes By off WETA circa 1997 with no promos, then it cuts for around the last 25 minutes of the Super Bowl XXVII postgame show and about the first 30 minutes of the series premiere of Homicide: Life On The Street off WRC/NBC on 1/31/1993 with commercials.

TAPE 4: Starts with most of an encore presentation of the 1986 TV movie Houston: The Legend of Texas off WBAL/CBS on 6/29/1991 with commercials, then about ten minutes before the end, cuts off to some various PBS documentaries.

TAPE 5: Kicks off with Gone With The Wind (1939) taped off WFTY circa 1990 with no commercials, then it cuts to about half of The People's Court and around the first ten minutes of The Judge off WJLA in early June 1987 with commercials, then it jumps to around 20 minutes of footage from CBS News Nightwatch around late April/early May 1987 off W*USA with commercials.

TAPE 6: Features four hours of coverage from a special rebroadcast of the Apollo 11 moon landing from ABC News off WETA in 1994, followed by a few commercials off WFTY and an Incredible Inventions infomercial circa 1992.

TAPE 7: After a movie off HBO that I can't recall with no promos (no label on the tape), it continues on with Bob Newhart: Off The Record off Showtime on 4/12/1992 with a few promos

TAPE 8: Thunder Road (1958) recorded off TBS on 2/23/1989 with commercials, followed by Fatima (1984) and about 17 minutes of New Video Country taped off WMPT circa spring 1989 with promos between the programs (interestingly, one of the videos featured is John Denver's "Country Girl In Paris", but you'll probably not hear it at the Olympics).

TAPE 9: Matlock and In The Heat of the Night (credits cut) off WRC/NBC on 4/30/1991 with commercials, followed by an NBC News Special Report on President Bush's health, the NBC Sunday Movie premiere presentation of White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd, the WRC 11 PM News (features candid footage from the Mount Pleasant riots), and the first ten minutes of the George Michael Sports Machine from 5/5/1991 with commercials. In case you're wondering, the movie was continued in progress rather than in its entirety, so unless if you knew someone from the West Coast, you would have to wait until the 1994 rerun to see the first 15 minutes of that movie.

TAPE 10: The Best Years of Our Lives (1947) taped off WETA in 1988 with a couple intermission breaks, followed by around the first 15 minutes of an educational show called The Eagle.

TAPE 11: From Here To Eternity (1954) taped off WETA from around the mid-90s with no promos, followed by about 35 minutes of Sally Jessy Raphael (early days of the hourlong format) off WJLA on 8/16/1988 with commercials

TAPE 12: Years ago, I replied that I've never found any off-air content from a retail VHS or Beta tape. As it turns out, this lot had several, mostly comprised of classic film taken from HBO, PBS, or a non-Big 3 DC station with no commercials, but this tape, a retail copy of the 1969 film Stiletto, was taped over by the 1933 classic King Kong off WETA with no promos, followed by part five of the documentary "Making Sense of the Sixties" (Picking Up The Pieces, which was more about the early 1970s) along with about the first seven minutes of Technopolitics off WETA on 1/23/1991 with promos between the programs.

TAPES 13 and 14: Eight episodes each of the 1979 Maryland Center For Public Broadcasting-produced series on Socrates, recorded off MPT circa 1997 with very few promos, with one of the two tapes featuring the last few minutes of a network daytime rerun of Silver Spoons and the opening of $ale of the Century off WRC/NBC in July/August 1985 with a few commercials. Thankfully, a Californian taped most of those daytime $ale episodes at the time.

TAPE 15: Letter To Three Wives (1949) taped off WMPT in the mid-1990s with no promos, then it cuts to about the last eight minutes of the ABC News Weekend Report, New York Hot Tracks, and about the first 15 minutes of Hit City off WJLA on 7/13/1985 with commercials. Looking at my TV Guide collection, it turns out that WJLA had an eight-day delay compared to flagship WJLA based on the episode's description (profiles of Prince and Menudo). Still, it's my first complete find of this weekly music video show that I've only received in trades (which were edited in some way or another whether it was commercials or videos cut), and I've found most of another episode of Hit City previously from a friend who is also a trader.

TAPE 16: A long documentary on JFK off WETA circa 1992 with no promos, followed by most of Port Baltimore taped off WMPT in 1992 with no promos. If the Key Bridge didn't go down, I may have passed on this.

TAPE 17: Starts with a documentary of Rome off WETA in 2000 with a few promos, followed by part of the 1996 Fiesta Bowl (begins midway through the 3rd quarter) and about the first half of the W*USA 11 PM News off W*USA/CBS on 1/2/1996 with commercials

TAPE 18: Dead Calm (1988), America Undercover, Convicts on the Street: One Year of Parole, Cookie (1989), and about the first 20 minutes of Dream On, taped off HBO on 8/9/1990 with some promos between the shows

TAPE 19: Bill Cosby: Himself (1982) off HBO circa 1997 with no promos, the Marx Bros. short "Day at the Races" off an unknown station, followed by most of Seinfeld, ER, the WRC 11 PM News, and the monologue segment of The Tonight Show off WRC/NBC on 6/6/1996 with commercials

TAPE 20: Don't Tell Mom- The Babysitter's Dead (1991) recorded off HBO 8/16/1992 with some promos after the movie, followed by most of ESPN's coverage of the 1992 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction special on 8/1/1992 with commercials (missing about the first ten minutes).

TAPE 21: Starts with various clips of American Bandstand from 6/9/1984 with no commercials except for a small portion of a network promo after the credits (about ten minutes total, including much of the dance contest segment), followed by around another ten minutes of Soul Train from the same day, followed by more excerpts from American Bandstand on 6/30/1984 (once again, no commercials, but this time, about 30 minutes of the show were intact, including the closing credits), then about another six minute clip of Soul Train from the same day, including the Pointer Sisters' performance of "Automatic", then it cuts to about the last 18 minutes of an episode HBO's version of Consumer Reports from 1983 with no promos. Unlike most tapes which where L-750s, this was on an L-250. I'd wish some of the music shows didn't have skips like a worn out record, but content from this era, especially since a lot of these shows have non-circulating footage, is welcome to see.

Hopefully my lots on that new website that I've listed will sell soon despite cross-promoting my two lots on eBay that avoided the AI guillotine. Thankfully, these AI removals from what I've read don't count toward account suspensions as of yet.
Click to expand...

is that new site Craigslist then and if so can you link me to it please?
 
14 more Beta tapes from that local seller, despite the frequent near-misses and duds that characterize the last three lots, although this lot contained a full box of XXX content that's going straight to the landfill. There were about ten retail tapes included as well. Once again, since I didn't specifically check every tape's title, I'll provide the best details to each.

TAPE 1: Begins with a various movie starring Humphrey Bogart for WMPT's cinema, followed by an episode of Charlie Rose and about 25 minutes of Bloomberg Information TV off WMPT on 5/1-5/2/1997 with promos between the shows. Bloomberg's interface has surely changed a lot over the years, but it was truly mind boggling on the small screen at the time.

TAPE 2: Starts out with around 3 1/2 hours of Britcoms taped off WETA circa 1998, then it cuts back for most of an episode of America's Black Forum, Home Videos of the Stars, and the first few minutes of Firefighters off WRC in December 1993 with commercials

TAPE 3: Begins with part three on a documentary on MGM Studios, Agatha Christie's Poirot from Mystery! (both off DMV-area PBS stations from the mid- to late '90s), then it jumps to the last few minutes of part one of Return To Lonesome Dove along with about half of the W*USA 11 PM News on 11/14/1993 with a few commercials (I've already got the WCBS newscast from this same night already), then it cuts over to about the last five minutes of the WJLA 6 O'Clock News and most of ABC World News Tonight on 9/22/1993 with commercials

TAPE 4: Kicks off with almost for more hours of Agatha Christie's Poirot off WMPT/PBS during the mid-1990s with no promos, then it cuts to about the last 25 minutes of Entertainment Tonight off W*USA on 6/24/1993 with commercials, then it cuts to around 13 minutes of Not Just News off WTTG/FOX Kids in 1993 with a few commercials. My first find of this now obscure kids'-themed news/talk show.

TAPE 5: Far From The Madding Crowd (1967) taped off an unknown station with no promos, then it cuts to about 80% of In Living Color, Roc, and about the first seven minutes of Married.. With Children off WTTG/FOX on 11/1/1992 with commercials

TAPE 6: Begins with more PBS stuff including Dr. Finlay, then it cuts to around the last 20 minutes of the WMAR 6 PM News and about the first 20 minutes of the NBC Nightly News on Veterans Day 1991 with commercials

TAPE 7: Arsenic And Old Lace (1944) taped off WMPT from around the mid-90s with no promos, followed by part of OverBoard (1987) taped off Cinemax circa 1991 with no promos, then it cuts to the last several minutes of ABC News Nightline (featuring Madonna's interview with Ted Koppel), My Talk Show (an unsuccessful Fernwood 2-Night reboot), and about the first six minutes of Into The Night with Rick Dees off WJLA on 12/3/1990 with commercials. I've already got most of that episode of Into The Night from a lot I purchased last year, but it was missing the first several minutes, so it always helps to complete these episode via composite recordings.

TAPE 8: My Fair Lady (1964) recorded off Showtime on Christmas Eve 1988 with a few minutes of promos, then it cuts from that same silent night to around the last half hour of the Christmas mass from The Vatican and around the first 17 minutes of It's Showtime At The Apollo right as Santa Claus was coming down the chimney in many homes off WRC with some commercials. As far as I know, when Pluto picked up the rights to air ISATA, many episodes from the first two seasons didn't air, and this included this one which featured Paula Abdul as host, performing "Straight Up" right as most kids including me were dancing to visions of Sugar Plums. This hobby can be a lot like Christmas morning as a kid if things are nice.

TAPE 9: The Undefeated (1970) taped off an unknown station with no promos/ads, followed by 32 minutes from the 1988 Mrs. America off presumably WJLA/ABC on 11/1/1988 with no commercials (runtime of the special was 90 minutes with commercials), followed by Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939) copied from a rental

TAPE 10: Flying Leathernecks (1951) taped off WDCA on 2/28/1987 with commercials, followed by The Maltese Falcon (1941) also taped off WDCA on 2/5/1987 with ads, then it cuts to the last few minutes of a movie, a short talk interstitial, and sign-off from WJLA circa 1986 with a few commercials

TAPE 11: Begins with another installment of Agatha Christie's Poirot off WMPT circa 1995 with no promos, followed by A Walk In The Sun (1946) taped off WMPT circa 1995 with no promos, then it jumps to most of Growing Pains off WJLA/ABC on 1/27/1987 with some commercials (begins during the commercial break following the opening and ends during the commercial break before the credits).

TAPE 12: Starts with The Hustler (1961) taped off an unknown pay TV network circa 1990 with no promos, then it cuts to around 20 minutes worth of a summer rerun of Saturday Night Live off WRC/NBC in 1986 with a few promos, followed by most of Moonlighting off WJLA/ABC on 12/16/1986 with commercials (missing the first several minutes and the closing), then it cuts to about the last ten minutes of an episode of 20/20 and the first couple minutes of the WJLA 10 PM News from early 1986 with a few commercials

TAPE 13: Starts with nearly four hours of various "PBS junk" (Dr. Finlay and Rampole is what was written on the label), then it jumps for around 25 minutes of another repeat of SNL off WRC/NBC in August 1986 with a few commercials, followed by around the first eight minutes of an episode of the short-lived Fast Times off WDVM/CBS in March/April 1986 with a few commercials, then it jumps to about the last 12 minutes of an episode of Growing Pains from January 1986 off WJLA/ABC with a few commercials

TAPE 14: Starts with Rio Grande (1950) taped off WNUV circa 1990 with no commercials, followed by a biographical movie on Jean Harlow taped off an unknown station with no promos, followed by about 25 minutes from the NBC premiere movie Flash Gordon: The Greatest Adventure Of All taped off WRC on 8/21/1982 with two commercial breaks.

Well, I did take a chance on another Beta machine that I maybe shouldn't have, but it was one of those cheap Sanyo models with no stereo capability, and it was barely operational, with the rewind/fast forward functions non-functional outside of some tapes in Betascan mode (playback), and tapes are difficult to eject, plus the video heads are worn out. It did come with about a half dozen instruction manuals of various Betamax players that the seller owned, so at least it was a fair deal for an additional $25, and will try to sell the Sanyo with the manual some day. That's probably going to be it for a little while as I've got a trip to southern CA in a few weeks while I try to sell the two-remaining VHS lots off Mercari.
 
Another hefty update on tapes I've found in the last few weeks.

Garage sale--Parma, OH--been to this house a couple of times before, and some of this family's inventory included some recordings of Polish TV programs from channels on the Dish Network international package last time I was here...
TAPE 1: Death Hunt (1981), The Evil That Men Do (1984), The Stone Killer (1973) and partial broadcast of Bloodstone (1988) taped from Cinemax in January 1990 with promos. Unknown brand T-120.


Estate sale--North Royalton, OH--HUGE takeaway with even more tapes that I ended up leaving behind, all of these were found in a media storage cabinet!
TAPE 2: Cleveland Indians vs. Chicago White Sox (last game played in Cleveland Municipal Stadium!) taped from WUAB on 10/3/1993 with commercials; partial episode of This Old House taped from WVIZ circa 1993; partial broadcast of Nightly Business Report taped from WVIZ on 9/4/1995 with promos; partial episode of The New Yankee Workshop taped from WVIZ in December 1995; partial episode of The New Yankee Workshop taped from WVIZ in January 1996; partial broadcast of Nightly Business Report taped from WVIZ on 5/27/1997. Scotch T-120.

TAPE 3: Three episodes of Hometime taped from WNEO/WEAO circa 2010; partial broadcast of Egypt: Land of the Gods and episode of History's Mysteries taped from the History Channel in April 2002 with commercials; Egypt Beyond the Pyramids and partial episode of History's Mysteries taped from the History Channel in April 2002 minus most commercials; partial broadcast of The Real Scorpion King, History's Mysteries and partial episode of Secrets of the Ancient World taped from the History Channel on 4/23/2002 with commercials. Fuji T-160.

TAPE 4: Wall Street (1987) taped from CNBC (CNBC Cinema) in July 2010 with commercials; Cleopatra's World: Alexandria Revealed taped from the History Channel in May 2001 with commercials; Modern Marvels taped from the History Channel in June 2001 with commercials. Maxell T-120.

TAPE 5: 60 Minutes (the Julian Assange interview) taped from WOIO on 9/4/2011 with commercials; partial broadcast of Identity Theft: The Michelle Brown Story (2004 made-for-TV movie) taped from Lifetime in May 2011 with commercials; Extreme Makeover: Home Edition taped from WEWS on 10/17/2010 with commercials; most of an episode of All My Children taped from WEWS on 5/16/1997 with commercials; end of A Daytime to Remember and another episode of All My Children taped from WEWS on 5/19/1997 with commercials; All My Children taped from WEWS on 5/20/1997 with commercials. Scotch T-120.

TAPE 6: Movie 5 presentation of Somewhere in Time (1980) taped from WEWS circa 1987 minus commercials; Laura (1944) taped from AMC circa 1992; episode of Nova and Egypt's Dazzling Sun (local documentary special narrated by Cleveland radio legend Larry Morrow) taped from WVIZ on 11/4/1992 with promos; Nova taped from WVIZ on 11/11/1992 with promos; partial episode of One Life to Live taped from WEWS sometime in 1990 with commercials. Scotch T-120.

TAPE 7: Honeymoon in Vegas (1992) taped from WKYC on 11/13/1995 minus commercials; Amos & Andrew (1993) taped from TBS in November 1995 with commercials; Witchblade (2000 made-for-TV movie) taped from TNT on 8/27/2000 with commercials; partial episode of Bull taped from TNT on 8/22/2000 with commercials (already have this full episode); partial broadcast of Dateline Undercover: Caught in the Act taped from WKYC on 8/15/2000 with commercials. Scotch T-120.

TAPE 8: Sleepy Hollow (1999) taped from TNT on 8/6/2006 with commercials; partial broadcast of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003) and partial broadcast of 19 Action News at 11 taped from WOIO on 3/12/2006 with commercials; All My Children taped from WEWS on July 18 and 19, 2002 with commercials; partial episode of All My Children taped from WEWS on 7/22/2002 with commercials. TDK T-120.

TAPE 9: Stalin (1992 made-for-TV movie) taped from HBO on 11/21/1992; Time Machine taped from A&E in November 2002 with commercials; Titanic: Death of a Dream and partial episode of Law & Order taped from A&E in April 1998 with commercials; partial broadcast of Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991 Hallmark Hall of Fame movie) taped from WJW on 12/19/1992 with commercials. Sony T-120.

TAPE 10: Partial broadcast of The Sound of Music (1965) taped from WEWS on 12/21/2014 with commercials. Scotch T-120.

TAPE 11: Gran Torino (2008) taped from TNT in September 2011 with commercials; partial broadcast of Live Free or Die Hard (2007) taped from FX in August 2011 with commercials; partial episode of All My Children taped from WEWS on 1/3/2000 with commercials; All My Children taped from WEWS on January 5 and 6, 2000 with commercials; partial episode of All My Children taped from WEWS on 1/7/2000 with commercials. Scotch T-120.

TAPE 12: This Old House and Ask This Old House taped from WNEO/WEAO circa 2011; partial episode of Nature taped from WVIZ on 2/15/2004; partial episode of CSI: Miami and partial broadcast of 19 Action News at 11 taped from WOIO on 1/5/2004 with commercials; Navy NCIS taped from WOIO on 1/6/2004 with commercials; Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and start of Channel 3 News at 11 taped from WKYC on 1/6/2004 with commercials. Fuji T-120.

TAPE 13: Ancient Mysteries taped from A&E on 7/31/1997 minus most commercials; Ancient Mysteries taped from A&E on 8/14/1997 minus most commercials; Ancient Mysteries taped from A&E in October 1997 with commercials; Mysteries of the Bible taped from A&E in November 1998 minus most commercials; partial broadcast of Dateline NBC taped from WKYC on 10/23/1998 with commercials; partial broadcast of Dateline NBC taped from WKYC on 9/20/1998 with commercials; partial episode of Touched by an Angel taped from WOIO on 9/20/1998 with commercials. TDK T-120.

TAPE 14: Most of a broadcast of 20/20 taped from WEWS on 6/28/1999 with commercials; The Wonderful World of Disney presentation of The Jungle Book (1994) taped from WEWS on 7/18/1999 with commercials; partial broadcast of 20/20 taped from WEWS on 7/19/1999 with commercials; The King of Queens, Ladies Man, Everybody Loves Raymond, Becker and partial broadcast of 48 Hours taped from WOIO on 2/14/2000 with commercials. Sony T-120.

TAPE 15: America's Haunted Hotels and America's Most Haunted Places taped from the Travel Channel on 9/8/2001 with commercials; partial episode of All My Children taped from WEWS on 1/27/1997 with commercials; All My Children taped from WEWS on January 28, 29, 30 and 31, 1997 with commercials; partial episode of All My Children taped from WEWS on 2/3/1997 with commercials; All My Children taped from WEWS on 2/4/1997 with commercials. BASF T-160.

TAPE 16: Wheel of Fortune and start of Jeopardy taped from WEWS on 1/5/2012 with commercials, rough quality throughout, I suspect possibly a loose connection to the digital cable box; partial broadcast of The Cleveland Orchestra in Performance taped from WVIZ on 12/31/2011 with promos; partial episode of All My Children taped from WEWS on 11/20/2002 with commercials; All My Children taped from WEWS on 11/21/2002 with commercials; partial episode of All My Children and partial episode of One Life to Live taped from WEWS on 11/22/2002 with commercials; All My Children and partial episode of One Life to Live taped from WEWS on 11/25/2002 with commercials; All My Children taped from WEWS on 11/26/2002 with commercials; partial episode of All My Children taped from WEWS on 11/27/2002 with commercials. Maxell T-120.

TAPE 17: Partial broadcast of The Creation of the Universe taped from WNEO/WEAO on 11/20/1985; Nova taped from WVIZ on 1/31/1989; War and Peace in the Nuclear Age taped from WVIZ on February 20 and 27, 1989; partial episode of The Colbys and partial broadcast of 20/20 taped from WEWS on 3/5/1987 with commercials. Scotch T-120.

(Continued below)
 
Estate sale--Norton, OH
TAPE 18: Partial broadcast of Barney Live in New York City taped from WVIZ on 8/1/1994 with one partial pledge break; partial broadcast of Any Which Way You Can (1980) taped from unknown pay TV channel circa 1994. Fuji T-120.

TAPE 19: Partial broadcast of Dare the Wildest River and Positive Thinking: The Norman Vincent Peale Story taped from WNEO/WEAO in January 1995 with promos. Fuji T-120.

TAPE 20: Most of an episode of ER and partial broadcast of Channel 3 News at 11 taped from WKYC on 4/19/2001 with commercials; partial broadcast of 20/20 and most of News Channel 5 at 11 taped from WEWS on 5/24/2000 with commercials; Who Wants to Be a Millionaire taped from WEWS on May 25, 28 and 30, 2000 with commercials; about an hour of blue screen before cutting to a partial episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire taped from WEWS on 6/1/2000 with commercials. Sony T-160.

TAPE 21: Ally McBeal and partial broadcast of Fox 8 News at Ten taped from WJW on 8/23/1999 with commercials; partial episode of VH1 Legends (Led Zeppelin) and partial episode of Behind the Music (Bad Company) taped from VH1 on 8/29/1999 with commercials, afterward is a smattering of cable box channel surfing largely favoring The New Detectives on the Discovery Channel, Dateline NBC on MSNBC and Saturday Night Live on WKYC; partial episode of The West Wing, Law & Order and partial broadcast of Channel 3 News at 11 taped from WKYC on 9/29/1999 with commercials, cable box switches to WEWS for a partial broadcast of 20/20 during the Law & Order episode; partial episode of Donahue (gun control debate) and partial broadcast of Channel 3 News at 6 taped from WKYC on 3/21/1994 with commercials; partial episode of Oprah (debate on condoms in schools) taped from WEWS on 3/3/1994 with commercials; end of The Maury Povich Show (celebrity lookalikes) and partial episode of Donahue (high school sweethearts together again) taped from WKYC on 3/3/1994 with commercials. Focal T-120.

TAPE 22: Dateline NBC, The West Wing pilot episode, Law & Order and partial broadcast of Channel 3 News at 11 taped from WKYC on 9/22/1999 with commercials; partial broadcast of On Golden Pond (1981) taped from TNT on 12/21/1997 with commercials. Maxell T-120.


Garage sale--Hinckley, OH (my only find from the Hinckley community garage sales this year, and incidentally, this came from the same house where I found that homemade XXX video a couple of years ago)
TAPE 23: James Dean (2001 made-for-TV movie) taped from TNT on 8/5/2001 with commercials. Sony T-120.


Garage sale--Medina, OH (a few local finds from Milwaukee mixed into this set)
TAPE 24: Red 2 (2013) taped from TNT in January 2016 with commercials. RCA T-120.

TAPE 25: The Land That Time Forgot (1974) and partial broadcast of part two of Bare Essence (1983 BBC and NBC miniseries) taped from AMC in July 1997 with promos, the latter is part of the Romance Classics Sunday block; partial broadcast of The Russia House (1990) taped from unknown pay TV channel circa 1991. Unknown brand T-120.

TAPE 26: Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) copied from rental tape; partial broadcast of the 29th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards and most of Channel 3 News at 11 taped from WKYC on 5/3/1994 with commercials, plenty of coverage of the local primary election. Recoton T-120.

TAPE 27: The Five Pennies (1959) taped from AMC circa 1997; Calamity Jane (1953) taped from AMC in January 1997 with promos; Love with the Proper Stranger (1963) taped from TCM circa 1997; partial broadcast of Patton (1970) taped from AMC in January 1997 with promos; partial broadcast of An Old Fashioned Branson Christmas with Operation Blessing telethon segments taped from the Family Channel (presumably since this appears to be a CBN broadcast) in December 1996; partial broadcast of unknown movie (Sean Connery is one of the actors) taped from WOAC circa 1992 (one of my only finds from this local Canton station thus far!, also includes a scrolling message stating Headline News would be shown immediately following the movie). Universal T-120.

TAPE 28: Scattered clips from WITI Fox 6 News at 9:00 and WISN 12 News at 10:00 taped in September 1999; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) taped from WVTV on 10/2/1999 minus commercials; scattered clips from Fox 6 News in the Morning taped from WITI on 10/3/1999; Singin' in the Rain (1952) taped from WMVT on 10/3/1999; Jamaica Inn (1939) taped from WMVT in October 1999; Lawrence Welk's Favorite Holidays taped from WMVS on 10/30/1999. RCA T-120.

TAPE 29: Partial broadcast of Mobsters (1991) taped from AMC in September 2005 with commercials; Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985), Crush (2001) and partial broadcast of About Sarah (1998 CBS made-for-TV movie) taped from Lifetime Movie Network on 9/11/2005 with commercials. Sony T-120.

TAPE 30: Clip from the Weather Channel on 9/19/2005; Julia Misbehaves (1948) taped from TCM in September 2005; Love Is Better Than Ever (1952) and partial broadcast of Beau Brummell (1954) taped from TCM in September 2005 with promos. Sony T-120.

TAPE 31: Jaws (1975) and Jaws: The Revenge (1987) taped from TBS Superstation in June 1997 with commercials; partial broadcast of Alien (1979) taped from TNT in June 1997 with commercials. Unknown brand T-120, very rough quality throughout.
 
Well, I managed to snag one more lot of tapes from eBay before my California trip, which will include a visit to Universal Studios for my very first visit. Looking through these finds, I'd think it would still be cool to say "gag me with a spoon", even if the seller lives in a place I may fly over (Shreveport) before I get there. A pretty good find rate with 17 keepers out of 24, as well as two near misses that included one tape that included a CBS newsbreak, a commercial break, the opening of a syndicated rerun of One Day At A Time, and another commercial break off KSLA from August 1980 that followed an HBO presentation of "10". All tapes are in BII speed from 1983 on, with the 1980-82 recordings in BII.

TAPE 1: Barefoot In The Park (1967) and the first seven minutes of TBS News Tonight, taped off WTBS on 8/15/1983 with commercials.

TAPE 2: Most of The Bold & The Beautiful, As The World Turns, and Guiding Light recorded off KSLA on 4/20/1992 with commercials

TAPE 3: Terms of Endearment (1983), a Shirley MacLaine special, and a rerun of a first season episode of Brothers recorded off Showtime on 2/17/1985 with commercials. I've already found part of the same block from that NJ lot earlier this year, but it didn't include the long promo break and as well as that sitcom that wasn't straight enough for the Big Three at the time.

TAPE 4: And Justice For All (1979) and the second part of the special Martin Mull Presents The History Of White People In America, recorded off Cinemax in December 1986 with promos before and after the features

TAPE 5: The Bad News Bears (1976), Hondo (1954), and part of The Shootist (1976) taped off HBO on 2/25/1983 with promos after each movie

TAPE 6: A trio of Elvis specials: Graceland off Showtime and One Night With You off HBO on 1/8/1985 with promos after each special. I've already got the edited syndicated version of "Graceland" taken from a 1987 WWOR broadcast.

TAPE 7: Great tape! Features a full "All those who love great comedy" CBS Monday night sitcom block: Evening Shade, Brooklyn Bridge, Murphy Brown, and Designing Women, along with the first segment of Northern Exposure off KSLA on 4/20/1992 with commercials, then it jumps to about the last 15 minutes of Guiding Light and around first 45 minutes of The Oprah Winfrey Show off KSLA on 7/7/1989 with commercials. Not one, but TWO blocks from the same day from the same network and station in the same lot!

TAPE 8: The last couple minutes of Wheel of Fortune, Perfect Strangers (a rerun due to the writers' strike delaying the season) and the first five minutes of Full House taped off KTBS/ABC on 9/23/1988 with commercials, then it jumps back to most of Dr. Zhivago (1965) off HBO in December 1981, with some promos after the movie

TAPE 9: Begins with around 80 minutes of instructional Video Professor videos about Microsoft Excel Version 5.0 from 1995, then it cuts to a partial episode of St. Elsewhere circa 1986 off KTAL/NBC with no commercials, then it jumps to around the last 35 minutes of Guiding Light, Tattletales, classic Tom and Jerry Cartoons, Scooby-Doo (from the 1976 season), a syndie rerun of WKRP In Cincinnati, and about the first ten minutes of the KSLA 5 O'Clock News from 1/20/1984 with commercials.

TAPE 10: Little Miss Marker (1980) and the first several minutes of Snowball Express (1972) taped off HBO in December 1981, with around a 20 minute promo break between the movies.

TAPE 11: Grease (1980) taped off HBO circa summer 1980, followed by the closing of the CBS Evening News (Dan Rather was subbing for Cronkite), a commercial break, and around the first eight minutes of the KSLA 6 PM News from 6/4/1980.

TAPE 12: A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (1966) taped off Cinemax circa 1992 with no promos, then it jumps to around the last 35 minutes of Guiding Light and about the first 15 minutes of Geraldo from around mid-January 1991 off KSLA/CBS with commercials (sadly, the quality isn't the best), followed by most of Geraldo and Oprah Winfrey off KSLA on 1/6/1992 with commercials, followed by around the last 12 minutes of the KSLA 6 PM News on 1/3/1992 with a few commercials

TAPE 13: The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains (1987) and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) taped off HBO in 1987 with no promos, then it jumps to about the last half of a classic episode of Mission: Impossible before finishing with around the first eight minutes of Motorweek Illustrated off WTBS in 1983 with commercials

TAPE 14: Another great tape, with some possible lost media here! Starts with a couple of cable network promos for MTV and Daytime (one the predecessors to Lifetime) before a performance of pianist of Louise Dodson off Spectrum cable on 3/28/1983 (according to the label) with a few commercials, followed by a the KSLA 5 PM News, the CBS Evening News, the KSLA 6 PM News, PM Magazine, and around the first nine minutes of Ace Crawford off KSLA/CBS on 4/5/1983 with commercials

TAPE 15: Starts of with a summer rerun of Highway To Heaven, taped off KTAL/NBC on 6/24/1987 with commercials, then it jumps back to part of ANOTHER recording of "10" (1979) followed by a few minutes of promos and about the first five minutes of Burlesque U.S.A. off HBO on 9/27/1980. Yes, Carter-era content on his 100th birthday was indeed found!

TAPE 16: My first COMPLETE CBS soaps block (well, to east coast viewers as a lot of stations in Central Time aired the midday news between The Young & The Restless and Bold & The Beautiful, with the Noon newscast skipped out here). Still, it's a full assortment of Y&R, B&TB, ATWT, and GL as taped off KSLA/CBS on 8/14/1992 with commercials, followed by the last several minutes of another episode of ATWT and another episode of GL on KSLA/CBS on 1/22/1992 with commercials.

TAPE 17: Starts out with about half of the Tonight Show, including the monologue, Julio Iglesias appearance, and one of the comedy skits from 6/27/1986 as taped off KXAS (the only tape in the lot with DFW-area content) on 6/27/1986 with a few commercials, followed by a brief clip of Good Morning America featuring Julio Iglesias circa summer 1986, followed by most of the Solid Gold and Summer Love Special as recorded off KTVT on 8/10/1986 with some commercials, followed by Cover Story (once again, about Julio Iglesias) off USA on 8/2/1986 with no commercials, followed by a partial episode of Stephen Yan Cooking circa 1986 off an unknown station with no commercials (this was pre-Yan Can Cook), followed by most of Guiding Light (begins from the end of the intro sequence) and about the first 20 minutes of a second season episode of Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? off KSLA/CBS on 6/10/1985 with commercials

Overall, a nice mix of content from early pay cable intermissions and specials, soaps, sitcoms, talk shows, classic cartoons, news, a Goodson-Todman game show (yes, some of their shows had already gone on to the "A Mark Goodson Television Production" sign-off at this time, but this along with TPIR was one of the last holdouts), and a musical special on a tape that I hoped that would contain Friday Night Videos, but instead turned out to be Dionne Warwick's swan song for the show. When I come back, I should be receiving a lot that contains most Super Bowl games from 1989 to 1999 (except for 1991) where the seller mentioned that the commercials should be intact. Still, time to appreciate where so many of these great finds came from! The trip ends in the Coachella Valley, which sadly looks like I'll be running back into summer heat, though it beats the last 10 of 11 days where I haven't even seen a ray of sun.
 
As it turned out, those VHS tapes from Franklin, OH (one of the few on eBay to avoid the AI copyright bots) did come in yesterday, and it was quite fitting to have watched them instead of that miserable Orioles game. As it turns out, these tapes DID infact contain nearly every commercial break intact from Super Bowls XXIII through XXXIII, with the exception of XXV, which is a shame since that's personally the earliest Super Bowl game I have vivid memories of, watching it at my late paternal grandparents' house. Some of them featured various portions of the pregame shows. Most of the tapes did pause out some of the ads ironically during the postgame segments and most are missing the closing credits, with one only tape containing any post-Super Bowl content (about the first half of the short-lived sitcom Good Life following Super Bowl XXVII). The stations/networks represented on each as well as any pregame converge present are WTVG/NBC for XXIII (my only tape with Toledo content, with the last ten minutes of the NFL Live pregame show), WHIO/CBS for XXIV and XXVI, WLWT/NBC for XXVII (including the last 15 minutes of the pregame), WKEF/NBC for XXVIII, XXX, and XXXII, WKRC/ABC for XXIX, including two hours of the pregame show (the famous Budweiser frogs commercial appeared twice in that game, with its first appearance being the first spot of the first break in the second quarter), and WXIX/FOX for XXXI and XXXIII, with around three hours worth of the pregame shows on each. I also noticed that there was a BIG uptick in movie trailer spots for the big spring/summer releases in the late '90s that continues to this day. And of course, the full halftime breaks and shows were present on each!

But there were a few surprises as well. One tape contained an episode of Truckin' USA off TNN in early 1995 with commercials and even a personal video recording driving around some state park in Ohio. Another tape contained an episode of the MTV All-Request Show along with the first five minutes of Yo! MTV Raps from 10/14/1990 following the tape with Super Bowl XXVII, a tape that also included a portion of a Preview network broadcast of Masters of the Universe (1987) taped off WSTR in October 1990 with a couple commercial breaks, including a "Genesis Does" commercial as well as the first couple minutes of a Love Connection episode. The tape with Super Bowl XXVI featured a syndicated Inside The NFL special off WLWT from the same day as the big game. A couple other tapes featured portions of late season and earlier playoff round games, mostly from the last few minutes. I've found the entirety of XXVI, around two-thirds of XXIV, and around the last third of XXVIII previously as well as portions of the postgame shows of XXVII and XXIX, but this is certainly a nice addition to what is inarguably an essential part of a classic TV/sports collection, and best of all, none of the tapes are really recorded off of stations that featured one of the two participating teams that is often the case with major sporting championships.

Well, I'm off to California tomorrow for the weekend and following week!
 
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No new tapes since September 15th (and no internet since then - just got it back via Sparklight at the new house). They came from a sale in West Boise. 15+ tapes, with a lot of rental duds and pay duds but some surprises too, mostly from CA.

Tape 1 - 'That Darn Cat!' taped off unknown channel circa 1985 (Disney?); NOVA: The Plane That Changed the World taped off unknown PBS station circa 1986; part of Welcome to Pooh Corner, Mickey Mouse Club, Donald Duck Presents and first few minutes of New Animal World taped off The Disney Channel on 12/9/1985 with promos (great find!) TDK EHG T-120
Tape 2 - 'The Great Race' (1967) copied from rental tape; part of 'The Lost Boys' (1987) and part of 'Revenge of the Nerds' (1986) taped off HBO in December 1988 with promos. Maxell T-120
Tape 3 - 'Mad Max' (1979), 'The Road Warrior' (1981) and 'Risky Business' (1983) copied from rental tapes; after the last movie ends, the VCR reverts back to part of a Candid Camera episode and CNN Headline News taped off KCRA-3 Sacramento on 9/5/1985 with commercials. This was an overnight recording. TDK T-120
Tape 4 - Part of 'The Wages of Fear' (1953), 'Red Ball Express' (1953), 'Stand By for Action' (1942) and various cartoon 'in between' segments taped off TNT early on Memorial Day 1990 with commercials. TDK EHG T-120
Tape 5 - 'The Color Purple' (1985) taped off KCBS/CBS on 2/18/1990 with commercials. TDK T-120
Tape 6 - Watergate documentary taped off Discovery Channel in August 1994 with commercials. TDK T-120

I did find my oldest WTBS find in the tub of Ellensburg goodies from October 2023, where I found the 1979 Spokane recordings. It's both parts of the British miniseries 'Kidnapped', taped December 1st and 3rd, 1981 with commercials. Same tape also has the Washington Lottery $1,000,000 Drawing taped off KING-5 on 12-17-1982 with commercials. It was aired statewide (carried on KREM Spokane and KNDO/KNDU in central WA) and was watched by over 500,000 Washingtonians. It was the first time the Lottery gave away a million. They would never do anything like this again as far as I know, and there's no guarantee that the masters were lost after the giveaway either.
 
More tapes from the Shreveport-Bossier, LA area after coming back from a trip that included that much more famous LA (as well as the place where the very first YouTube video was created, the SD Zoo). Of course to make the most out of my trip, I didn't pick up any tapes out there, but still, 15 more keepers from another 24-tape lot, along with several near-misses with just a short premium cable promo break and several duds with nothing on them. Once again, BII speed for the early '80s recordings, and BIII for the 1983-1992 stuff. Everything included as commercials or pay-TV promos unless otherwise described.

TAPE 1: The last 40 minutes of As The World Turns (ATWT), Guiding Light (GL), and the first 17 minutes of Montel Williams (my earliest Montel find) off KSLA/CBS on 9/15/1992, followed by a nice early evening aircheck from the previous day off the same station: the last 13 minutes of the KSLA 5 PM News, The CBS Evening News, the KSLA 6 PM News, Inside Edition, and most of the one-hour series premiere of Hearts Afire, which was perhaps best known for being Markie Post's first starring role following the conclusion of Night Court.

TAPE 2: Young Bess (1953) off HBO circa 1985 with no promos, followed by Wuthering Heights (1939) off Showtime with no promos, followed by most of Scooby-Doo (the All-Stars episode featuring Batman) and about two-thirds of a syndicated rerun of The Jeffersons off KSLA on 9/11/1984 with commercials, then it wraps up with a 14-minute clip of MTV circa August 1984 with a few commercials

TAPE 3: (W)TBS content is usually peppered with old movies or sitcoms with commercials that usually feature a lot of direct response ads, but not this one! The tape begins with the 1986 HBO special Barbra Streisand: One Voice with no promos (I've already got this special), before it jumps to the Superstation that features part of the MLB game between the San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves (starts in the 4th inning), followed by the TBS Evening News and an episode of The Catlins from 8/11/1983. Interestingly, this tape was probably taped over by CBS daytime soaps as this is one of a few tapes in this lot that says "(day of the week) Stories" followed by the date which would match up with another tape in this lot that did feature those soaps. Still, The Catlins is a tough find, and that also marks my first full TBS newscast as well.

TAPE 4: Starts off with Bob Newhart of the Record off Showtime in April 1992 with no promos (another special that I've found in another lot earlier this year), then it jumps to a nice afternoon block with the KSLA Noon News, the Bold & The Beautiful, ATWT, and GL, off KSLA/CBS on 4/3/1992 with commercials, then it jumps over for the last several minutes of an Audobon Society special and around the first half-hour of the Best of WWF Championship Wrestling off WTBS on 2/9/1985 with commercials

TAPE 5: Begins with West Side Story (1961) off an unknown station with no commercials/promos, then it jumps for more classic CBS soap opera action with ATWT, Capitol, and just over half of GL off KSLA on 4/11/1985 with commercials

TAPE 6: Dot and the Kangaroo (1977) followed by 14 minutes of promos off HBO on 1/7/1981

TAPE 7: The complete MLB game between the Giants and Braves off TBS (the "W" had just been dropped) on 9/27/1987, followed by most of the Louisiana Super Derby VII off KTAL (simulcasted by ESPN with local commercials) from the same day

TAPE 8: I had recently visited her final resting place at Forest Lawn (it's really beautiful with the angel above it leading to that Last Supper replica), but this tape will last forever thanks to finding Elizabeth Taylor's first ever public Q&A session on the Oprah Winfrey Show on 3/4/1992 off KSLA, part of a block that also includes the 5 PM News, CBS Evening News, local 6 PM News, Hard Copy, and about the first ten minutes of Davis Rules before cutting back for about the last half of A Year In The Life off KTAL/NBC on 11/4/1987, followed by a fifth season of Highway to Heaven (1988-89) off presumably KTAL/NBC with no commercials

TAPE 9: Just You And Me Kid (1979) off HBO circa 1981 with no promos, followed by about the last 25 minutes of GL off KTLA/CBS from 11/18/1980 with commercials, before finishing up with the first several minutes of a network One Day At A Time rerun (the post-soap slot before that was later returned for game shows from 1982-1986). My oldest Guiding Light find so far.

TAPE 10: Starts off with a rerun of the 1984 TV movie The Last Honor of Kathryn Beck, followed by the KSLA 10 PM News, a syndicated rerun of The Jeffersons (a 1975 episode, so it probably doesn't exist on an off-air copy from its original broadcast), and about the first 30 minutes of a syndie rerun of Charlie's Angels (Angel Hunt from the final Kate Jackson-less season) off KSLA/CBS on 8/14/1985. I found the original broadcast of that movie off WCBS earlier this year, but this includes some promos for CBS' upcoming fall shows, including the rebooted Twilight Zone, The Equalizer, and the short-lived Charlie & Company.

TAPE 11: The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) off an unknown station circa 1992 with no promos, followed by approximately the last 40 minutes of GL off KSLA/CBS on 4/6/1992 with commercials, followed by the last 13 minutes of the KTBS 10 PM News and around the first 20 minutes of the ABC News Viewpoint special (on "Amerika", which pre-empted Nightline) on 2/23/1987 with commercials.

TAPE 12: Starts off with The Judds Farewell Concert off Request Pay-Per-View on 12/4/1991 with no promos, then it cuts for most of Geraldo and about the first half of Oprah off KSLA on 11/21/1991 with commercials, then it wraps up with around 50 minutes of erotic footage off the Spice network circa 1991.

TAPE 13: Starts off with the last several minutes of TBS Side Of The News, followed by Sergeant York (1941), a CNN Special Report on Chemical Warfare, and about the first hour of the Chicago Cubs/Braves baseball game off WTBS on 5/29/1983.

TAPE 14: Starts off with Tootsie (1982), followed by the HBO special Bette Midler: Art of Bust on 8/26/1984 with a few promos between the features, followed by a "heartbreaking" find of ATWT, Capitol, and about half of GL off KSLA/CBS on 8/6/1984 with the audio just about silent. I may still dub these for the fashions/decor of the era (the tracking isn't that great either, given it was a BASF.

TAPE 15: Splash (1984) taped off HBO circa 1985 with no promos, followed by about the last 35 minutes of GL and Body Language taped off KSLA/CBS on 8/8/1984 with commercials, followed by a few minutes of Laurel & Hardy shorts and a syndicated rerun of The Brady Bunch off KMCT circa summer 1984 with commercials. That episode of Body Language, which features future "Legends of the Hidden Temple" host Kirk Fogg as a contestant, never aired on GSN or BUZZR and an OB copy already exists off KPIX, but its still nice to find another classic Mark Goodson game show with Johnny Olson announcing.
 
All of these tapes I found at thrift stores over the years, some more recently than others. In this batch were some I found just last week, and others I found 5+ years ago, sometimes stuff just gets put in boxes and forgotten about I guess (funny coincidence that I am finding a lot of Star Trek TNG even years apart). Also, as an aside, for every one notable tape I probably have 1 or 2 duds. Then again I never pay more than .25 a piece for these so not a total loss.

Tape 229
1.Martin Lawrence standup (58m)
2.1995/2/6 Fresh Prince 5x15 (WRC) (11m partial)
3.1995? Def Comedy Jam (23m)
4.1995? Def Comedy Jam (22m)
5.1994? Montel Williams Show- Denying Paternity (WUSA) (1h)

Tape 230
1.Class Act (52m partial rental copy?)
2.1994/1/29 WWF Superstars (46m most) (WHLT)
3.1994/1/29 WHLT Signoff (4m)
4.3m dead air
5.1994? QVC Fashion Channel (25m partial)
6.Raising Cain (22m partial rental copy?)
7.Single White Female (1h50m rental copy)
TRT 4h22m EP

Tape 231
1.1996/9/12 Fran’s Fury (WRAL) (1h1m) including open to 48 Hours
2.1996/7/26 Summer Olympics Diving, Women’s 5000, Men’s Basketball, Shotput, Cycling (WNBC) (2h38m)
3.1996? Dallas- The Early Years (1h6m partial) (Encore)
4.1996? The Bob Mathias Story (1h23m) (Encore)
TRT 6h8m EP

Tape 232
1.New Jack City (1h45m) Rental Copy
2.Oprah episode (32m partial) commercials cut Armed Forces Network airing (AFN)
3.A Different World (20m) commercials cut (AFN)
4.1991? Oprah- Relationships between men and women (AFN) (44m)
5.1992/4/9 General Hospital (AFN) (47m) Christmas time period rerun?
6.1992/4/9 Guiding Light (AFN) (45m)
7.1992/4/9 Headline News (AFN) (5m partial)
8.1991/10/x NBA Friday Chicago at Philadelphia (TNT AFN feed) (9m partial)
TRT 5h12m EP

Tape 233
1.1988? Japan documentary Series Part 1 (58m) (WUNC)
2.1988? Japan documentary Series Part 2 (1h) (WUNC)
3.1988 Voices and Visions- T.S. Eliot (59m) (WUNC)
4.1988? Great Performances On The Move Central Ballet of China (WUNC)
5.1988? Japan documentary Series Part 3 (58m) (WUNC)
6.1988? Japan documentary Series Part 4 (55m) (WUNC)
7.1988? Masterpiece Theater (10m partial) (WUNC)
TRT 6h13m EP

Tape 234
1.Casper (1h34m rental copy)
2.Free Willy (1h2m partial rental copy)
3.1995/2/19 Silence of the Lambs (WRAL) (18m ending)
4.1995/2/19 WRAL 11PM News (30m)
5.1995/2/19 Andy Griffith Show (WRAL) (4m partial)
TRT 3h29m EP

Tape 235
1.1996? Nature- Parrots (WUNC) (32m)
2.1996/2/4 Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 premiere (WXII) (1h56m missing end)
3.1996/2/5 Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 premiere (WXII) (1h53m a few commercials cut)
4.1996/1/30 NYPD Blue 3x11 premiere (WTVD) (1h) fuzzy reception
TRT 5h25m EP

Tape 236
1.1995/11/27 The Nanny 3x11 (WRAL) (26m) missing open
2.1995/11/27 Murphy Brown 8x11 (WRAL) (30m)
3.1995/11/27 High Society 1x5 (WRAL) (30m) short lived sitcom
4.1995/11/27 Chicago Hope 2x10 (WRAL) (58m missing end)
5.1995/12/1 X Files 3x10 (WGHP) (58m)
6.1995/12/1 20-20 (WTVD) (1h)
7.1995/11/30 New York News 1x8 (WRAL) (1h) looks to be final aired episode of this short lived show
8.1995/11/30 48 Hours- Violent Athletes (WRAL) (48m most)
TRT 6h11m EP

Tape 237
1.Labyrinth rental copy (1h36m)
2.1994/2/20 Daytona 500 (KSAZ) (1h34m last half of race) FIRST Arizona affiliate find!
TRT 3h10m

Tape 238
1.2005/10/24 Human Trafficking Part 1 (Lifetime) (1h58m)
2.2005/10/25 Human Trafficking Part 2 (Lifetime) (2h2m)
3.2005? Mythbusters 1x16 (Discovery) (49m most)
4.2005? The Bird Cage (18m)
TRT 5h7m EP

Tape 239
1.1997? Stompoutloud (46m) (HBO)
2.1997/12/23 Aladdin and Dinosaurs partials (18m) (Disney Channel)
3.1997/12/23 Charlotte at Boston (TNT) (1h)
4.1993? Kickboxing (Showtime) (1h28m)

Tape 240
1.2004/2005? 4 hours of Free Speech TV (FSTV)
2.2004/12/5 Dramatic Reading of Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States (53m) (CSPAN2)
3.2005/3/1 Free Speech TV (1h8m)
4.2005? CSPAN2 clip
TRT 6h9m EP

Tape 241
1.2005? 6 hours combined of Free Speech TV and CSPAN 2, including the documentaries Call It Democracy, After Silence, and readings from the writers of Wilson’s War, War Made Easy, etc.
TRT 6h9m EP

Tape 242
1.2001/11/20 Fraiser (most), Scrubs, Dateline NBC- 9/11, WNCN 11PM News (partial) (2h2m)
TRT 2h2m SP

Tape 243
1.2004/12/1 Smallville 4x10 (WLFL) (59m)
2.2004/12/1 Jack & Bobby 1x11 (WLFL) (6m partial)
TRT 1h5m

Tape 244
1.2003/7/x The Breakfast Club (TBS) (2h)
2.2003/7/x Movie and a Makeover- Random Hearts (TBS) (5m partial)
3.Songcatcher (1h26m rental copy)
4.Glitter (1h33m rental copy)
5.2003/6 Sum of All Fears (Showtime) (2h4 including making of and promos)
6.2003/6 Street Time- unknown Season 1 episode (Showtime) (52m with promos)
TRT 8h12m EP.

Tape 245
1.1991/12/19 Guiding Light (WRAL) (1h2m with end of As The World Turns preceding it)
2.1991/4/25 Cosby Show 4x18 syndicated (WRAL) (28m)
3.1991/4/25 Whos The Boss 4x9 syndicated (WRAL) (30m)
4.1991/4/25 Andy Griffith Show 2x13 syndicated (WRAL) (30m)
5.1991/4/25 WRAL 530 News (30m)
6.1991/4/25 WRAL 6PM News (30m)
7.1991/4/25 CBS Evening News (WRAL) (28m)
8.1991/4/26 Guiding Light (WRAL) (1h2m)
9.1991/4/26 Cosby Show 5x16 (WRAL) (30m)
10.1991/4/26 Whos The Boss 4x10 syndicated (WRAL) (30m)
11.1991/4/26 Andy Griffith Show 2x16 syndicated (WRAL) (9m partial)
TRT 6h10m EP

Tape 246
1.2007/11/21 Jeopardy Bob/Scott/Diane (WTVD) (30m)
2.2007/11/21 Wheel of Fortune NYC Heroes Week (WTVD) (30m)
3.2007/11/21 Pushing Daisies 1x7 premiere (WTVD) (1h)
4.2007/11/21 Private Practice 1x8 premiere (WTVD) (1h)
5.2007/11/21 Dirty Sexy Money 1x8 premiere (WTVD) (1h)
6.2007/11/21 WTVD 11PM News (27m missing last few minutes of sports report)
7.2007/11/2x Jimmy Kimmel Show (47m most) (WTVD) Paul Reubens, Dwayne Johnson, etc.
8.2007/11/2x Oprah- Miley Cyrus (49m most) (WTVD)
TRT 6h8m EP

Tape 247
1.Rick Steve’s Europe- Austria (27m) (WJCT)
2.Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious Universe (22m commercials cut) (Discovery)
3.The Natural (WAWS) (1h29m commercials and ending cut)
4.Two For Survival (Discovery) (47m most commercials cut)
Late 1990s for these unsure of year though TRT 3h5m

Tape 248
1.1993/2/18 Matlock 7x8- The Fortune (WGHP) (2h)
2.Unknown soap opera clip (2m) (WXII)
3.1992/12 WKRP in Cincinnati syndicated 2 part episode 3x13, 3x14 (WXII) (57m)
TRT 3h LP

Tape 249
1.2014/5/ WRAL storm coverage (36m)
2.2014/4/29 NCIS 11x22 preempted (24m)
3.2014/4/29 NCIS LA 5x22 (WRAL) (1h)
TRT 2h3m SP

Tape 250
1.1988 It Was 20 Years Ago Today (rare documentary on Sgt Peppers album) (1h43m) (WUNC)
2.1988 The Compleat Beatles (2h with short promos after) (WUNC)
3.1988? 28 Up documentary (2h25m) (WUNC)
TRT 6h10m EP

Tape 251
1.2002/10/23 NFL’s Greatest Games Ice Bowl (ESPN2) (1h32m ending cut)
2.2002? Amazing Race unknown episode (WTKR) (24m partial)
3.2002/10/8 A Fine Mess (6m end) (HBO)
4.2002/10/8 Inside the NFL Week 5 (HBO) (57m)
TRT 2h59m EP
 
Tape 252
1.1985/9/7 Saturday Movie- Easy Come, Easy Go (Elvis) (WTVD) (1h30m shorter cut with commercials)
TRT 1h30m SP

Tape 253
1.1988/5/22 end of prior show then Elvis On Tour and beginning of National Geographic Explorer (2h5m) (TBS)
2.House rental copy (42m partial)
2.The Delta Force rental copy ~2 hrs
TRT 4h50m EP/SP

Tape 254
1.1988/1/5 Spinout (Elvis movie) plus Perry Mason open (TBS) (2h1m) tracking issues
TRT 2h1m SP

Tape 255
1.1994/2/15 Winter Olympics Coverage Pairs Skating, Moguls Skiing (WRAL) (1h30m partial)
2.1994/2/23 Winter Olympics Coverage Women’s Skating Harding vs Kerrigan, Slalom Skiing, Speed Skating (Bonnie Blair) (WRAL) (3h)
3.1994/2/24 Winter Olympics Coverage Cross Country Skiing, Freestyle Skiing etc (WRAL) (1h42m partial)
TRT 6h11m EP

Tape 256
1.2003/5/ Hitler- The Rise of Evil Part 1 (WRAL) (1h59m)
2.2003/5/ Hitler- The Rise of Evil Part 2 (WRAL) (2h)
3.Unknown movie on Sci Fi Channel (12m)
TRT 4h11m EP

Tape 257
1.1993/12/2 Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer (48m two commercial breaks and end cut) WFMY?
2.Nature episode on coral reefs (WUNC) (35m partial)
3.1995/12/1 Frosty The Snowman (WFMY) (30m)
4.1995/12/1 Frosty Returns (WFMY) (28m missing end credits)
5.1995/12/8 Peter and the Wolf (WTVD) (1h)
TRT

Tape 258
1.Jane Fonda Workout rental copy (49m)
2.1993/1/7 Really odd/cool Durham Public Schools closed circuit broadcast with Lunch Menu Scroll, they used UNC-TV PBS feed with “School TV” shows like Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow, etc. (4h54m)
TRT 5h43m EP

Tape 259
1.1992/5/30 Star Trek TNG 5x25 (WLFL) some commercials, end credits cut (52m)
2.1992/7/12 Star Trek TNG 5x15 (WLFL) (1h1m)
3.1992/6/19 Young and the Restless (WRAL) (47m partial)
4.1992/6/x Young and the Restless (WRAL) (28m partial)
5.1992/6/x Young and the Restless (WRAL) (28m partial)
6.1992/5/16 Star Trek TNG 5x23 (WLFL) (51m missing first part) SP?
TRT 4h28m

Tape 260
1.1995/2/14 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Special 1995 (WRDC) (1h)
2.1995/2/14 Cheers syndicated 11x6 (WRDC) (30m)
3.1995/2/14 Tonight Show with Jay Leno (WRDC) (29m partial)
4.? Unknown channel bad reception (4m)
TRT 2h3m SP

Tape 261
1.1988/11/20 The Never Ending Story WTVD Sunday Million Dollar Movie (WTVD) (1h57m)
2.1988/11/24 ABC Thursday Movie- Mary Poppins (WTVD) (3h)
3.1988/11/24 WTVD 11PM News (22m partial)
TRT 5h19m EP some tracking issues throughout as switches from EP to SP and back

Tape 262
1.1993/2/6 Duke at Notre Dame (WRDC NBC) (2h) some tape playback issues VCR stops
2.1993/2/ Georgia Tech at Duke (WRAL Raycom) (1h51m) tape playback issues
3.1995? Wishbone and Kratts Creatures partials (WUNC) (25m) SP
4.1993/2/6 WRAL 6PM News Partial, CBS Evening News Partial, Dr Quinn Medicine Woman Partial (WRAL) (1h3m)
TRT 5h12m EP/SP

Tape 263
1.1991/1/1x Star Trek TNG 3x15 repeat (KABB) (56m)
2.1991/1/1x Star Trek TNG 3x17 repeat (KABB) (57m)
3.1991/1/1x Star Trek TNG 3x18 repeat (KABB) (56m)
4.1991/1/1x Star Trek TNG 4x7 repeat (KABB) (56m)
5.1991? Unknown Star Trek TNG episode (KABB) (8m)
TRT 3h55m EP/SP

Tape 264
1.1990/2/7 Wiseguy 3x15 (WRAL) (58m)
2.1990/2/10 Mission Impossible 2x15 with Columbo opening (WTVD) (1h)
TRT 1h58m EP

Tape 265
1.2000/1/31 Matchup of the Millenium Steelers vs 49ers (ESPN2) (1h)
2.1993/5/24 Northern Exposure 4x25 (WISC) (15m partial)
3.1993/11/8 Northern Exposure 5x7 (WISC) (54m missing end)
4.1993/11/22 end of Love & War 2x10 then Northern Exposure 5x9 missing end (WISC) (1h1m total)
5.1995/7/12 Northern Exposure 6x21 and beginning of Under Suspicion (WISC) (1h total)
TRT 4h10m SP/EP FIRST NORTHERN EXPOSURE FIND AND WISCONSIN AFFILIATE FIND

Tape 266
1.1996? Postcards From the Edge- Cinema 5 (WRAL) ~1h52m
2.1996? The African Queen (WLFL) (1h49m) some commercials cut, most were promos for vinyl siding anyways
3.1996? Adam’s Rib- Movies Worth Taping (WUNC) (2h with 20 minutes of PBS promos after the movie)
4.1995/6/16 Guiding Light (WRAL) (28m partial)
TRT 6h8m
 
chandler0201 said:
All of these tapes I found at thrift stores over the years, some more recently than others. In this batch were some I found just last week, and others I found 5+ years ago, sometimes stuff just gets put in boxes and forgotten about I guess (funny coincidence that I am finding a lot of Star Trek TNG even years apart). Also, as an aside, for every one notable tape I probably have 1 or 2 duds. Then again I never pay more than .25 a piece for these so not a total loss.

Tape 229
1.Martin Lawrence standup (58m)
2.1995/2/6 Fresh Prince 5x15 (WRC) (11m partial)
3.1995? Def Comedy Jam (23m)
4.1995? Def Comedy Jam (22m)
5.1994? Montel Williams Show- Denying Paternity (WUSA) (1h)

Tape 230
1.Class Act (52m partial rental copy?)
2.1994/1/29 WWF Superstars (46m most) (WHLT)
3.1994/1/29 WHLT Signoff (4m)
4.3m dead air
5.1994? QVC Fashion Channel (25m partial)
6.Raising Cain (22m partial rental copy?)
7.Single White Female (1h50m rental copy)
TRT 4h22m EP

Tape 231
1.1996/9/12 Fran’s Fury (WRAL) (1h1m) including open to 48 Hours
2.1996/7/26 Summer Olympics Diving, Women’s 5000, Men’s Basketball, Shotput, Cycling (WNBC) (2h38m)
3.1996? Dallas- The Early Years (1h6m partial) (Encore)
4.1996? The Bob Mathias Story (1h23m) (Encore)
TRT 6h8m EP

Tape 232
1.New Jack City (1h45m) Rental Copy
2.Oprah episode (32m partial) commercials cut Armed Forces Network airing (AFN)
3.A Different World (20m) commercials cut (AFN)
4.1991? Oprah- Relationships between men and women (AFN) (44m)
5.1992/4/9 General Hospital (AFN) (47m) Christmas time period rerun?
6.1992/4/9 Guiding Light (AFN) (45m)
7.1992/4/9 Headline News (AFN) (5m partial)
8.1991/10/x NBA Friday Chicago at Philadelphia (TNT AFN feed) (9m partial)
TRT 5h12m EP

Tape 233
1.1988? Japan documentary Series Part 1 (58m) (WUNC)
2.1988? Japan documentary Series Part 2 (1h) (WUNC)
3.1988 Voices and Visions- T.S. Eliot (59m) (WUNC)
4.1988? Great Performances On The Move Central Ballet of China (WUNC)
5.1988? Japan documentary Series Part 3 (58m) (WUNC)
6.1988? Japan documentary Series Part 4 (55m) (WUNC)
7.1988? Masterpiece Theater (10m partial) (WUNC)
TRT 6h13m EP

Tape 234
1.Casper (1h34m rental copy)
2.Free Willy (1h2m partial rental copy)
3.1995/2/19 Silence of the Lambs (WRAL) (18m ending)
4.1995/2/19 WRAL 11PM News (30m)
5.1995/2/19 Andy Griffith Show (WRAL) (4m partial)
TRT 3h29m EP

Tape 235
1.1996? Nature- Parrots (WUNC) (32m)
2.1996/2/4 Gulliver’s Travels Part 1 premiere (WXII) (1h56m missing end)
3.1996/2/5 Gulliver’s Travels Part 2 premiere (WXII) (1h53m a few commercials cut)
4.1996/1/30 NYPD Blue 3x11 premiere (WTVD) (1h) fuzzy reception
TRT 5h25m EP

Tape 236
1.1995/11/27 The Nanny 3x11 (WRAL) (26m) missing open
2.1995/11/27 Murphy Brown 8x11 (WRAL) (30m)
3.1995/11/27 High Society 1x5 (WRAL) (30m) short lived sitcom
4.1995/11/27 Chicago Hope 2x10 (WRAL) (58m missing end)
5.1995/12/1 X Files 3x10 (WGHP) (58m)
6.1995/12/1 20-20 (WTVD) (1h)
7.1995/11/30 New York News 1x8 (WRAL) (1h) looks to be final aired episode of this short lived show
8.1995/11/30 48 Hours- Violent Athletes (WRAL) (48m most)
TRT 6h11m EP

Tape 237
1.Labyrinth rental copy (1h36m)
2.1994/2/20 Daytona 500 (KSAZ) (1h34m last half of race) FIRST Arizona affiliate find!
TRT 3h10m

Tape 238
1.2005/10/24 Human Trafficking Part 1 (Lifetime) (1h58m)
2.2005/10/25 Human Trafficking Part 2 (Lifetime) (2h2m)
3.2005? Mythbusters 1x16 (Discovery) (49m most)
4.2005? The Bird Cage (18m)
TRT 5h7m EP

Tape 239
1.1997? Stompoutloud (46m) (HBO)
2.1997/12/23 Aladdin and Dinosaurs partials (18m) (Disney Channel)
3.1997/12/23 Charlotte at Boston (TNT) (1h)
4.1993? Kickboxing (Showtime) (1h28m)

Tape 240
1.2004/2005? 4 hours of Free Speech TV (FSTV)
2.2004/12/5 Dramatic Reading of Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States (53m) (CSPAN2)
3.2005/3/1 Free Speech TV (1h8m)
4.2005? CSPAN2 clip
TRT 6h9m EP

Tape 241
1.2005? 6 hours combined of Free Speech TV and CSPAN 2, including the documentaries Call It Democracy, After Silence, and readings from the writers of Wilson’s War, War Made Easy, etc.
TRT 6h9m EP

Tape 242
1.2001/11/20 Fraiser (most), Scrubs, Dateline NBC- 9/11, WNCN 11PM News (partial) (2h2m)
TRT 2h2m SP

Tape 243
1.2004/12/1 Smallville 4x10 (WLFL) (59m)
2.2004/12/1 Jack & Bobby 1x11 (WLFL) (6m partial)
TRT 1h5m

Tape 244
1.2003/7/x The Breakfast Club (TBS) (2h)
2.2003/7/x Movie and a Makeover- Random Hearts (TBS) (5m partial)
3.Songcatcher (1h26m rental copy)
4.Glitter (1h33m rental copy)
5.2003/6 Sum of All Fears (Showtime) (2h4 including making of and promos)
6.2003/6 Street Time- unknown Season 1 episode (Showtime) (52m with promos)
TRT 8h12m EP.

Tape 245
1.1991/12/19 Guiding Light (WRAL) (1h2m with end of As The World Turns preceding it)
2.1991/4/25 Cosby Show 4x18 syndicated (WRAL) (28m)
3.1991/4/25 Whos The Boss 4x9 syndicated (WRAL) (30m)
4.1991/4/25 Andy Griffith Show 2x13 syndicated (WRAL) (30m)
5.1991/4/25 WRAL 530 News (30m)
6.1991/4/25 WRAL 6PM News (30m)
7.1991/4/25 CBS Evening News (WRAL) (28m)
8.1991/4/26 Guiding Light (WRAL) (1h2m)
9.1991/4/26 Cosby Show 5x16 (WRAL) (30m)
10.1991/4/26 Whos The Boss 4x10 syndicated (WRAL) (30m)
11.1991/4/26 Andy Griffith Show 2x16 syndicated (WRAL) (9m partial)
TRT 6h10m EP

Tape 246
1.2007/11/21 Jeopardy Bob/Scott/Diane (WTVD) (30m)
2.2007/11/21 Wheel of Fortune NYC Heroes Week (WTVD) (30m)
3.2007/11/21 Pushing Daisies 1x7 premiere (WTVD) (1h)
4.2007/11/21 Private Practice 1x8 premiere (WTVD) (1h)
5.2007/11/21 Dirty Sexy Money 1x8 premiere (WTVD) (1h)
6.2007/11/21 WTVD 11PM News (27m missing last few minutes of sports report)
7.2007/11/2x Jimmy Kimmel Show (47m most) (WTVD) Paul Reubens, Dwayne Johnson, etc.
8.2007/11/2x Oprah- Miley Cyrus (49m most) (WTVD)
TRT 6h8m EP

Tape 247
1.Rick Steve’s Europe- Austria (27m) (WJCT)
2.Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious Universe (22m commercials cut) (Discovery)
3.The Natural (WAWS) (1h29m commercials and ending cut)
4.Two For Survival (Discovery) (47m most commercials cut)
Late 1990s for these unsure of year though TRT 3h5m

Tape 248
1.1993/2/18 Matlock 7x8- The Fortune (WGHP) (2h)
2.Unknown soap opera clip (2m) (WXII)
3.1992/12 WKRP in Cincinnati syndicated 2 part episode 3x13, 3x14 (WXII) (57m)
TRT 3h LP

Tape 249
1.2014/5/ WRAL storm coverage (36m)
2.2014/4/29 NCIS 11x22 preempted (24m)
3.2014/4/29 NCIS LA 5x22 (WRAL) (1h)
TRT 2h3m SP

Tape 250
1.1988 It Was 20 Years Ago Today (rare documentary on Sgt Peppers album) (1h43m) (WUNC)
2.1988 The Compleat Beatles (2h with short promos after) (WUNC)
3.1988? 28 Up documentary (2h25m) (WUNC)
TRT 6h10m EP

Tape 251
1.2002/10/23 NFL’s Greatest Games Ice Bowl (ESPN2) (1h32m ending cut)
2.2002? Amazing Race unknown episode (WTKR) (24m partial)
3.2002/10/8 A Fine Mess (6m end) (HBO)
4.2002/10/8 Inside the NFL Week 5 (HBO) (57m)
TRT 2h59m EP
Click to expand...


I know I was talking to.pannoni. Also you mean the new WKRP?
 
Nice find on the WWF Superstars and the sign-off from WHLT Hattiesburg. That's a very small market!
That Durham Public Schools tape may have actually been from an educational access cable channel. Are you sure it mentioned 'closed-circuit' on the scrolls? Was there music also included on the bulletin board?
Think everybody taped CBS on February 23rd, 1994...given the Kerrigan/Harding saga. I have feeds from KIMA Yakima, KIRO Seattle, and AFRTS.
New York News is a rare find! And I have the Rudolph broadcast (1993) via KBCI Boise. Still has Rudolph and Hermey singing 'Fame & Fortune', which disappeared for many years until Freeform started airing it.
Speaking of AFN, was it Germany-based or off the Far East Network/FEN in Japan? The PSAs and announcements are fun to watch. For a lot of people, they were stuck with that ONE channel on the base. Soaps and primetime shows (minus newsmagazines) were delayed for MONTHS. You would see the 'season premiere' of Home Improvement around Christmas or even January. I have a couple of Guiding Light clips taped from AFN.

Some recent finds follow. Great estate sale on October 5th near McCall. The doctor who passed away lived in Highland CA prior to the '90s, so there are southern California finds on some tapes, and Boise on others. Some were found up in the attic bedroom, others in a dusty garage inside a dresser. Many Columbia House Waltons tapes too. He also had several thousand books ranging from an entire hardcover collection of Louis L'Amour, to entire Time-Life sets and religious books. It was like walking into a library.

Tape 1 - 'A Waltons Easter' (1997) taped off KBCI/CBS on Easter 1997 with commercials, poor quality off VHF translator in McCall. TDK T-120
Tape 2 - 'Danielle Steele's Mixed Blessings' (1998) taped off KTVB/NBC on 6/19/1998 with commercials. They had a translator in McCall on channel 13. Better quality than the KBCI translator. TDK T-120
Tape 3 - 'Coal Miner's Daughter' (1980) taped off KCOP-13 on 5/18/1986 with commercials (there's the inevitable SoCal find); 'In Search of the Castaways' (1962) taped off Disney Channel circa 1986-87. Maxell T-120
Tape 4 - Christy episode taped off KBCI/CBS on 7/12/1995 with commercials - the last 10 minutes have major E-skip interference as it was taped off the analog signal. That's the first time I've seen that happen on a home-recorded tape! Maxell T-120 in SP
Tape 5 - Part 1 of Danielle Steel's Jewels taped off KTVB/NBC on 8/12/1994 with commercials (repeat broadcast); part of 'Charles Dickens' David Copperfield' (1993 / animated) taped off KTVB/NBC on 12/10/1993 minus most commercials. Polaroid T-120
Tape 6 - Part of the Channel 2 News at 6 taped off KCBS-2 Los Angeles on 6/19/1985 with commercials; 'The Jazz Singer' (1980) taped off KTLA-5 later that night with commercials; some of part 1 of 'Jamaica Inn' taped off KTTV-11 on 6/3/1985 with commercials. Maxell T-120
Tape 7 - Several episodes of Touched By An Angel taped off KCBS/CBS in February and March 1996 minus commercials, except for the 3/9/1996 episode which was uncut. BASF T-130
Tape 8 - Several more episodes of Touched By An Angel taped off KCBS/CBS in May-June 1997, most without commercials, the 6/1/1997 and 6/8/1997 episodes do include commercials. Scotch T-120
Tape 9 - Broadcast of the 10:00 Report taped off KIVI-6 Boise on 12/14/1996 with commercials. Nothing else on the tape. Kodak T-120 in SP, runs 29 minutes.
Tape 10 - Part 1 of 'Jackie, Ethel, Joan' (2001) taped off KTVB/NBC on 3/4/2001 with commercials. Fuji T-120
There are 4-5 more out in the garage, including 1996 Olympics and a couple more marked with Boise local news clips and 20/20.

10/6 - One tape found at a moving sale in west Boise.
Contains: 'Gone with the Wind' (1939) taped off one of the December 1989 TBS broadcasts minus commercials; clip of KREM 2 News taped in September 1991; and part of 'High Noon Part II' (1980) taped off KSTW-11 Tacoma on 8/31/1991 with commercials. I'm 400 miles away and still getting Seattle on off-air recordings! Master T-120

10/19 - A few tapes found (2 keepers) at the local thrift store in Horseshoe Bend ID (half-hour north of Boise). You can't miss it because they used to be an old service station.
Tape 1 - 'Escape from New York' (1981) taped off WTIC-61 Hartford on 5/22/1986 with commercials (first Connecticut find!); 'Better Off Dead' (1985) taped off unknown pay-TV channel circa 1986. JVC T-120, LP
Tape 2 - Episode of The X-Files taped off WNYW/FOX on 1/12/1997 with commercials. Fuji T-120 in SP
 
I've searched one more round of 24 tapes from the same seller out of Northwestern Louisiana. The hit rate wasn't as good as last time, but there were still some good stuff to be found, even if the retape rate of the labels marked with those soaps were a bit more prevelant than last time. Included was a damaged slipcover of the Sony Video LP Vladimir Horowitz In London (classical performer), so that will go into a separate sell pile with some other retail Betas, as well as seven duds and three near-misses with only a couple minutes of cable promos or just a single commercial break off of WTBS on one tape from 1986. BII mode for the 1979-1981 recordings, BIII for everything else.

TAPE 1: Begins with a movie off of Cinemax in April 1992 (sorry, I forgot to write what it was) followed by around 18 minutes of promos after movie, then it cuts to a couple episodes of Faulty Towers off of an unknown PBS station, than it cuts for about five minutes of a broadcast of the KSLA 5 PM News from August 1985 with a few commercials

TAPE 2: The Natural (1984) recorded off HBO on 12/27/1985 with no promos, followed by The Seduction Of Joe Tynan (1979) recorded off The Movie Channel on 12/28/1985 with the short Up and a bunch of promos following the movie

TAPE 3: Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) taped off HBO circa March 1981 with about 14 minutes of promos following the movie, followed by about the last ten minutes of part 6 of Roots: The Next Generation and the first couple minutes of the KTBS 10 PM News from 2/24/1979 with a couple commercial breaks. Hopefully someone recorded the entire saga from its network airings (the main series more likely would come from the summer 1978 reuns).

TAPE 4: Back To School (1986) taped off HBO in June 1987 with about 17 minutes of promos after the movie, then it cuts to part of Gone With The Wind (1939) taped off presumably KSLA/CBS circa 1983 with no commercials

TAPE 5: The Miracle of Kathy Miller, the CBS Special Movie presentation recorded off KSLA on 10/5/1981 with no commercials, then it jumps to about a half hour's worth of footage from an NFL preseason game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys, taped off KSLA/CBS on 8/30/1980 with a couple commercial breaks. Too bad the recorder didn't buy an L-750 as the tape ended shortly into the start of the fourth quarter.

TAPE 6: Amadeus (1984), recorded off Showtime on 5/17/1986 with about 15 minutes of promos following the movie

TAPE 7: Oklahoma! (1955), taped off The Movie Channel circa 1985 with no proms, followed by about the last ten minutes of Guiding Light off KSLA/CBS on 9/20/1984 with a few commercials, followed by most of Body Language off KSLA/CBS on 8/29/1984 with commercials (ends right before the end of the first half of round 1), followed by The Tom & Jerry Show, The New Scooby-Doo Movies, a syndicated rerun of The Jeffersons, and about the first five minutes of the KSLA 5 PM News on 8/7/1984 with commercials. Who would of thought that I would find the Scooby-Doo episode starring Don Adams before I would find an episode of Inspector Gadget, whether first-run, later syndication or Nickelodeon?

TAPE 8: Into The Night (1985) taped off an unknown pay TV station with no promos, followed by a nice chunk of NBC's Saturday night sitcom block off KTAL on 9/29/1990 with commercials, with episodes of Parenthood, Working It Out, The Golden Girls, and Empty Nest, before cutting back for part of From Here To Eternity (1953) taped off an unknown station with no commercials. Many fond childhood memories of me playing board games with my mother while watching those sitcoms, and a promo for the season premiere of SNL also adds to the nostalgia.

TAPE 9: Leads off with the two-hour Atlanta Braves documentary "A Tale of Two Seasons", taped off WTBS on 3/25/1984 with commercials, followed by an episode of Yok With Yan off an unknown station circa 1989 with no commercials, then it wraps up with most of the KTBS 5 PM News and about the first half of ABC World News Tonight on 1/11/1989 with commercials

TAPE 10: Most of The HBO Theatre presentation of Camelot (ends just before the credits) circa late September/early October 1982 with no promos (it does contain the then-new In Space intro), followed by most of Guiding Light and Tattletales off KSLA/CBS on 9/28/1982 with commercials. Unfortunately, the recorder taped that partial CBS afternoon block with a black & white TV, but at least for that Bert Convy show, it's easy to understand which parts of the studio are red, yellow, blue, green, or white if you're a fan.

TAPE 11: About 2 1/2 hours of Showtime On Trial: Lee Harvey Oswald from November 1986 with no promos, followed by about the last ten minutes of a syndicated rerun of The Jeffersons off KSLA in October 1983 with a few commercials

TAPE 12: Xanadu (1980) recorded off HBO on 11/13/1981 with about 18 minutes of promos after movie, including two Video Jukebox songs

TAPE 13: A virtually complete CBS soap opera block (The Young and The Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful, As The World Turns, Guiding Light) from 4/21/1992 with commercials, including the KSLA Noon News this time between the first two soaps. The tape then it finishes up to about the first half of The Young & The Restless off the same station from the next day with some commercials.

I'll probably be going into selling mode once again pretty soon. Hopefully the Internet Archive will finally allow uploads again after being hacked a month ago as I've got a bunch of good stuff to post there, including some General Hospital clips from 1980, several '90s Entertainment Tonight episodes of various lengths, a partial Larry King Live with Ted Turner from 1986, and part of an Oprah Winfrey episode from 1993 with Diana Ross.
 
It's been a while since I've updated my list of finds over the last few weeks or so, and this may take more than one post, but here goes.

Estate sale--Bath Township, OH
TAPE 1: Partial episode of L.A. Law taped from WKYC on 11/17/1988 with commercials; The Nutcracker: A Fantasy on Ice (1984 made-for-TV movie) taped from HBO in December 1988; Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates (1958 NBC made-for-TV movie) taped from the Disney Channel circa 1988. Maxell T-120.

TAPE 2: Crocodile Dundee II (1988) taped from First Run (C-band Pay-Per-View channel) in April 1989; Gorillas in the Mist (1988) taped from First Run in April 1989 with promos--cool find! Universal T-120.

TAPE 3: Clara and the Why Not (1981) and partial broadcast of Kids Return (1996) taped from International Channel in September 2001 with commercials--another cool find! The first movie includes the French TV5 network bug on screen throughout. Sony T-160.

TAPE 4: The West Wing taped from WKYC on 11/24/2004 with commercials; The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Jon interviews Neil Young) taped from Comedy Central on 3/8/2006 with commercials, weak audio; partial episode of Law & Order taped from WKYC on 11/24/2004 with commercials; end of Guiding Light and partial broadcast of 19 Action News First at 4 taped from WOIO on 11/15/2004 with commercials (includes part of a teaser for Sharon Reed's [in]famous "Body of Art" sweeps piece, as we approach the 20-year anniversary of that rather interesting moment in Cleveland TV history); Jeopardy College Championship taped from WEWS on 11/15/2004 with commercials; partial episode of Guiding Light and start of 19 Action News First at 4 taped from WOIO on 10/25/2004 with commercials; end of Wheel of Fortune and partial episode of Jeopardy (Ken Jennings is one of the contestants) taped from WEWS on 10/25/2004 with commercials. RCA T-120.

TAPE 5: Some interesting recordings here--Eyes Wide Shut (1999), The Bone Collector (1999), In the Line of Fire (1993), Pokemon: Pikachu's Vacation (1998) and partial recording of Pokemon: The First Movie (1998) taped from the Ohio State University Movie Channel (in-house feed in the residence halls) circa 2000, includes bumpers promoting upcoming showings of movies with graphics similar to what you'd see on a community bulletin board on a public access cable channel. Sony T-160 (The Bone Collector is dubbed from a screener tape with a couple of watermarks shown on screen throughout).

TAPE 6: Similar to the last tape--Notting Hill (1999), Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) and As Good as It Gets (1997) taped from the Ohio State University Movie Channel circa 2000. Maxell T-120.

TAPE 7: Seton Hill Pirates vs. Duke Blue Devils taped from WJW on 3/26/1992 with commercials. Maxell T-120.

TAPE 8: Kate & Allie taped from WJW on 4/18/1988 with commercials; partial episode of Hunter, Channel 3 News at 11:00 and partial broadcast of WWF Saturday Night's Main Event taped from WKYC on March 12-13, 1988 with commercials. Unknown brand T-120.

An honorable mention goes to a tape of Shalom Sesame episodes copied from rental tapes. Not sure if that show ever aired on either of our PBS stations out here (WVIZ and WNEO/WEAO) or not.

Left a few other tapes behind mostly with movie titles on the labels.


Estate sale--Akron, OH (this one unmarked tape was found inside a VCR that was being sold, and the company running the sale went ahead and let me buy the tape itself)
TAPE 9: Criminal Minds, CSI and partial broadcast of 19 Action News at 11 taped from WOIO on 10/19/2011 with commercials; partial episode of Numb3rs and start of 19 Action News at 11 on WOIO on 1/29/2010 with commercials; partial episode of The Practice taped from FX in January 2010 with commercials; partial broadcast of Jesse Stone: On Thin Ice (CBS made-for-TV movie) and partial episode of Cold Case taped from WOIO on 12/27/2009 with commercials. Sony T-120.


Estate sale--Parma Heights, OH (evidently all the older stock tapes at this sale were home movies as opposed to what I ended up picking up)
TAPE 10: Another Cinderella Story (2008 made-for-TV movie) taped from ABC Family on 5/24/2009 with commercials; partial broadcast of Campbell Brown (Anderson Cooper fills in) and partial broadcast of Larry King Live (Anderson Cooper fills in here as well, maybe this one wasn't live after all) taped from CNN on 7/3/2009 with commercials; partial episode of Band of Brothers and partial broadcast of Stealing Lincoln's Body taped from the History Channel in March 2009 with commercials; partial broadcast of Fatal Error (1999) and partial broadcast of Out of Time (not the Denzel Washington movie) taped from WVPX in February 2009 with commercials. Sony T-120.

TAPE 11: The Great Waltz (1938) and The Rainbow Pass (1937) taped from TCM on 1/12/2010 with promos; The Mentalist taped from WOIO on 12/10/2009 with commercials; last few minutes of The Jay Leno Show and first few minutes of Channel 3 News at 11 taped from WKYC on 11/13/2009; partial broadcast of Ghost Town (Syfy made-for-TV movie) taped from Syfy on 10/24/2009 with commercials. Sony T-120.

TAPE 12: Partial broadcast of Piranha DD (2012) and partial broadcast of Piranhaconda (2012 Syfy made-for-TV movie) taped from Syfy in August 2015 with commercials. Sony T-120.

TAPE 13: Partial broadcast of Sharktopus (2010), Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda (2014) and partial broadcast of Sharktopus vs. Whalewolf (2015) taped from Syfy on 7/19/2015 with commercials. Sony T-120.

TAPE 14: Partial broadcast of 42 (2013), two episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and partial episode of The Game taped from BET on 6/30/2015 with commercials; partial broadcast of The Steel Helmet (1951) taped from TCM circa 2015. Sony T-120.

TAPE 15: Partial broadcast of Independence Day (1996), pilot episode of Humans, episode of Halt and Catch Fire and partial encore presentation of Humans taped from AMC on 6/28/2015 with commercials; partial broadcast of The Corsican Brothers (1941) taped from TCM in June 2015 with promos; partial episode of Investigating History taped from the History Channel on 4/19/2004 minus commercials. Sony T-120.

TAPE 16: Ladies in Retirement (1941), Desperate Journey (1942) and Where Eagles Dare (1968) taped from TCM in June 2015 with promos; partial broadcast of Quentin Durward (1955) taped from TCM on 5/19/2015 (date verified by an Emergency Alert System test from Cox Cable during the movie); partial broadcast of Bermuda Tentacles (2014 made-for-TV movie) and partial broadcast of Something Beneath (2007 made-for-TV movie) taped from Syfy in March 2015 with commercials. RCA T-120.

TAPE 17: Second half of the 2009 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, Fox 8 News at Ten, Seinfeld, TMZ on TV, Specialty Merchandise Corporation infomercial and partial Auto Finance Network infomercial taped from WJW on January 5-6, 2009 with commercials. Sony T-120.

TAPE 18: Rebroadcast of Fox's coverage of the 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, FSN Final Score, Hooters Best Damn Dream Girl Special and another broadcast of FSN Final Score taped from FSN Ohio on January 10-11, 2007 with commercials. Sony T-120.

Seven other tapes from this sale largely consisted of episodes of Seaquest DSV and Seaquest 2032 taped from the Sci-Fi Channel in December 2005 with commercials, shown during daytime marathons of said shows.
 
Estate sale--Middleburg Heights, OH
TAPE 19: Cops (the classic "I ain't your papi" episode in Passaic County, New Jersey) taped from WJW on 11/15/2003 with commercials; Average Joe taped from WKYC on 12/8/2003 with commercials, cable box briefly flips over to WEWS for Monday Night Football (Cleveland Browns vs. St. Louis Rams) with Al Michaels interviewing LeBron James at halftime; Extreme Makeover taped from WEWS on 11/26/2003 with commercials; partial episode of Days of Our Lives taped from WKYC on 11/5/2003 with commercials, cable box briefly flips over to Food Network for a partial episode of The Best of Country Cuisine; partial broadcast of Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Last Call with Carson Daly and partial NBC All Night rerun of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno taped from WKYC on 9/23/2003 with commercials; partial episode of Montel Williams ("Parents Paying the Price") taped from WKYC on 9/8/2003 with commercials, includes a partial promo for the premiere episode of Ellen's talk show; partial episode of Passions taped from WKYC on 9/5/2003 with commercials; partial episode of Pyramid (Willie Garson and Ricki Lake are the celebrity panelists), Channel 3 News at Noon and partial broadcast of Access Hollywood taped from WKYC on 9/3/2003 with commercials. TDK T-120.

TAPE 20: Partial episode of Montel Williams (true crime stories with Aphrodite Jones), Channel 3 News at 6, NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, Hard Copy and Entertainment Tonight taped from WKYC on 3/9/1998 with commercials; end of an episode of Melrose Place taped from WJW on 12/4/1995 with commercials; end of Beverly Hills 90210, Fantasy: Mariah Carey at Madison Square Garden and start of Ei8ht Is News at 10:00 taped from WJW on 11/29/1995 with commercials; end of Party of Five and start of Ei8ht Is News at 10:00 taped from WJW on 11/22/1995 with commercials. Maxell T-120.

TAPE 21: Partial broadcast of Game 7 of the 1992 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals (Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics) taped from WKYC on 5/17/1992 with commercials. Scotch T-120.

A Betamax tape supposedly containing part three of The Thorn Birds was also spotted at this sale, but I didn't pick it up because it was an Ampex brand, which many of us analog media aficionados know is prone to sticky-shed syndrome which can really mess up one's VCR.

Speaking of Betamax, on that same day, an estate sale in Medina was advertised online as having contained hundreds of Betamax tapes as well as some Betamax VCRs, but sure enough, once I got there, they were all gone. I did end up getting a cassette tape out of it though, supposedly containing Christmas music recorded from WQAL.


Estate sale--Strongsville, OH
TAPE 22: Ancient Prophecies (NBC documentary special) taped from WKYC on 3/1/1994 with commercials. TDK T-120.

I've also been going through a set of tapes I got from another estate sale in Berea, which hasn't yielded very many commercials or promos thus far. In the midst of all this, I've been noticing that my VCR's Hi-Fi audio mechanism has not been working right as of late. Some tapes I play that I know are recorded in Hi-Fi stereo sound play with the Hi-Fi on but with buzzy sound. Other tapes I've played back, including one studio-made tape, didn't play back with Hi-Fi audio, even though I know the tapes were recorded in Hi-Fi. My VCR/DVD recorder may be seeing a trip to the repair shop soon, as nothing I've tried here at home seems to have any effect.

My Reshow cassette tape player and digitizer has run into some issues as well. From that aforementioned estate sale in Akron, I did pick up a cassette tape, but it was one that must have messed up my player because when I played that tape, it stopped unexpectedly and the tape came out of the cassette upon ejection. While playing other cassettes, the reels would not run at the same speed and it again would stop unexpectedly at times. In this case, it might be better and cheaper for me just to buy a new Reshow since it only goes for about $40 on Amazon last I checked. Wish me luck on both of these issues.
 
Unfortunately, the issues that I've been having with my VCR (an Insignia IS-DVD10021 with a DVD recorder) have gotten worse rather than better since my last post. Just earlier today, one tape I played back briefly (a WCLQ recording of The Diary of Anne Frank) managed to mess up the inside of my machine somehow in that it will not properly play back any tapes at all. Another tape I tried playing, a newer one that I recorded ten years ago, had really messed up video and audio, which it didn't have before playing back the Anne Frank tape. Plus my VCR made some abnormal squealing noises when it played. Based on my observations, my best guess would be that, even though the tape that caused this was a Memorex rather than an Ampex, playing the tape probably caused the mechanisms inside to become sticky. I will be bringing the unit into the local electronics repair shop I've utilized a few times before sometime in the coming week.

Thankfully, I managed to digitize some of the contents of the tapes from the aforementioned Berea estate sale lot before that happened. Evidently these came from someone who preferred to pause out all the commercials nine times out of ten, but I did mention to find some here and there.

TAPE 1: Death of a Salesman (CBS made-for-TV movie) taped from WJKW on 9/15/1985 minus commercials (only one day before the station changed its call letters back to WJW); Wildcats (1986) taped from HBO on 2/14/1987 with promos. Scotch T-120.

TAPE 2: Mary Poppins (1964) and partial broadcast of America's Flying Aces: The Blue Angels' 50th Anniversary taped from the Disney Channel in April 1996 with promos. Fuji T-120.

TAPE 3: An Affair to Remember (1957) taped from WCLQ sometime in 1986 minus most commercials (obviously taped sometime before August when the station picked up the Home Shopping Club affiliation); Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) taped from unknown pay TV channel circa 1986; partial Movie 5 presentation of Magnum Force (1973) taped from WEWS circa 1986 minus commercials. JVC T-120.

TAPE 4: Saturday Afternoon Movies presentation of Julius Caesar (1970) taped from WAKC on 12/17/1988 with commercials, only two 90-second commercial breaks ran during the entire movie, also includes an ABC News Special Report regarding a plane crash in Southern California; Great Expectations (1946) and partial broadcast of The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) taped from AMC circa 1988, no promos in between, just an interstitial with Bob Dorian leading directly into the next movie. Scotch T-120.

TAPE 5: Hamlet (1946) taped from the Movie Channel in March 1986 with promos; Moonlighting taped from WEWS on 11/25/1986 minus commercials. Scotch T-120.

TAPE 6: Hans Christian Andersen (1952) taped from HBO circa 1986; The New Adventures of Heidi (1978 NBC made-for-TV movie) taped from HBO in October 1986 with promos. Memorex T-120.

Hopefully this VCR problem can be fixed. I'd really like to hang onto this make and model. I got it a couple of years ago at an estate sale for $20, and it's served me much better than the Magnavox ZV427MG9 I've had for way too long. I did see a few listings online for the same make and model, but of course, some are pricier than others. Wish me luck.
 


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