Retro Cable Channel Lineups

[hipman2]

Here's an idea. Anyone remember when cable TV once had 12 or 35 channel lineups way back before
they started offering 300-400 channel lineups?

If you have any old cable channel lineups of the past, you can reply here. Let us know what city and cable system (even if they're defunct) that they were for and what year they were in effect.

Off the top of my head, here's what I remember from Cox Cable in 1979 in the San Diego area.
2 Cable 2/KNXT 2 (CBS)
3 KCST 39 (NBC)
4 KNBC 4 (NBC)/Christian Communications Network
5 KTLA 5 (IND)
6 XETV 6 (IND)
7 KABC 7 (ABC)/Shopper's Guide
8 KFMB 8 (CBS)
9 KHJ 9 (IND)
10 KGTV 10 (ABC)
11 KTTV 11 (IND)
12 KPBS 15 (PBS)
13 KCOP 13 (IND)
14 KMEX 34 (SIN-Spanish Information Network)
15 KPBS 15 (PBS)
16 KWHY 22 (IND) 6am-2pm/XEWT 12 (IND-Spanish)
17 AP News text
18 Electronic Program Guide / ESPN (Sep)
19 Local Weater/Test Channel
20 HBO
21 text
22 not used yet
23 ITV (local origination educational channel)
24 Public Access
25 CSPAN / text
26 Christian Communications Network (24 hour version)
27-36 not used yet

 

[Madmansam]

When my family first got Cable TV in 1974, It was operated by BIG VALLEY CABLEVISION (which was gobbled up by CONTINENTAL CABLEVISION which was gobbled up by MEDIA ONE which was gobbled up by AT&T BROADBAND which was gobbled up by COMCAST) and it consisted of Local Channels from SACRAMENTO and Long Distance Channels from the BAY AREA. We had 24 channels as our Cable company used Dual Coaxial Cables with an A/B small box. Example 2A was KMUV-31 and 2B was KTVU-2 and 3A was KLOC-19 and 3B was KEMO-20, etc... In 1975, They started their own PAY TV service called CHANNEL 100 which actually was on Cable Channel 4B. In 1978, HBO replaced that and in 1979, we got NICKELODEON and ESPN. Each year, they would drop a Bay Area Channel and replaced it with a Satellite Channel. In 1986, They added Fiber Optic and eliminated the A/B Boxes in favor of the traditional Digital TV Top Box and had a total of 39 channels and it has expanded ever since.....

 

[hipman2]

Cox when it was once called Mission Cable had Channel 100 (which was really unscrambled on cable 21). It did well until many people discovered that they can get it for free by buying a Curthis Mathes set with the 12 presets that can be set to any of the VHF or UHF channels, selecting say channel 7, and turning the fine-tuning back until they get to the frequency that it was transmitting on, so people could watch it for free. This was bad for Channel 100 in the Mission Cable system. I'm not sure what happened to the company or if it morphed into another pay serivce or went silent. Anyone know?

 

[LKellerIII]

I can remember most of the 12 channel cable line-up on little Seven Hills Cable that served the LA suburb in which I grew up. Circa 1967. I can't remember two of them, so they may have been unused:

2 - KNXT (CBS)
3 - KWHY (Ind - Channel 22) then a really low-rent English language UHF.
4 - KNBC (NBC)
5 - KTLA (Ind - Golden West Broadcasters)
6 - KCET (NET - now PBS - channel 28)
7 - KABC-TV (ABC)
8 - KMEX (Spanish language - channel 34)
9 - KHJ-TV (Ind - RKO General)
10- ?
11-KTTV (Ind - MetroMedia)
12- ?
13-KCOP (Ind - Chris Craft)

 

[djj]

August 1971, when I was almost 10, we first got cable-TV in
Vallejo, CA, at North Bay Cable Television...my memory's shot
but here goes what was there over the years (1971-79, more
or less):

We, too, had the Line A/Line B switch:
2A - KTVU Oakland (2, ind.)
2B - Local weather channel, consisting of a live B/W camera
panning several analog meters showing temp, humdity, etc.
3A - In 1977, "The G Channel," showing one "new" movie a few times a week
(a poor man's "premium" movie channel, but we did not pay extra for)
3B - KCRA, Sacramento (3, NBC)
4A - KRON, SFO (4, NBC)
4B - Local; mostly Vallejo City Council and PSA scrolls
5A - KPIX, SFO (5, CBS)
5B - Religion audio with local PSAs
6A - ?
6B - ?, I wanna say it was KGSC, San Jose (36, ind., now KICU)
7A - KGO, SFO (7, ABC)
7B - ?
8A - ?, I wanna say it was KEMO, SFO (20, ind., pre James Gabbert)
8B - KTXL, Sacto (40, ind.)
9A - KQED, SFO (9, PBS)
9B - ?
10A - KTSF, SFO (26, ind; watched Al Jazzbeaux Collins' morning
TV show in '79)
10B - KXTV, Sacto (10, CBS)
11A - KNTV, San Jose (11, ABC)
11B - KMUV, Sacto (31, Ind., all movies, then Spanish; later KRBK,
now KMAX-TV)
12A - ?
12B - mostly ?, but for a VERY short time, we had KHSL, Chico (12, CBS/ABC)
13A - KBHK, SFO (44, ind)
13B - KOVR, Stockton (13, ABC)

VERY BRIEFLY in the mid-1970s, we had a weakly-fed KFTY, Santa Rosa
(50, ind.) feed on 10A, before it went off for awhile. I remember seeing
Rod Sherry, former KPIX newsman, doing news for KFTY. By the time KFTY
returned to the airwaves, our family moved to Lodi in December 1979. When
we moved back to the North Bay in 1984, I was surprised to see Sherry was
still there!...

And since we're talking retro, let's bring back the Saturday Night Bullfights
on Channel 36!
;D
--jay

 

[radio dx]

And the all night movie go round for you night owels with Jay Brown. Sponsored by MMM carpets.

 

[radio dx]

And on the subject of cable in the south bay does anyone remember GIll cable with their movie channel called "the G channel" (15-A) then it was taken over by Heritage cable then TCI?

 

[djj]

And the all night movie go round for you night owels with Jay Brown. Sponsored by MMM carpets.

Actually, wasn't that Jay Brown's Spartan Dodge who sponsored the all-night
movies on 36, and then on 11? I distinctly 'member his spots on the Saturday
Night Bullfights, too! LOL!

MMM Carpets (still around, I see) had Gary Ferry (and, before that, he and Andy
Moore in the "Old Sourdough" skits:
http://www.ga3ry.com/bios.html

Speaking of Jay Brown, take a gander at this 1974 video, about 16 or 18 minutes
into it, and you'll see our old friend Jay Brown being interviewed!
http://www.mediaburn.org/Video-Preview.128.0.html?uid=4248

And on the subject of cable in the south bay does anyone remember GIll cable with their movie channel called "the G channel" (15-A) then it was taken over by Heritage cable then TCI?

Wow...I didn't think "The G Channel" was on in the South Bay, too!
It looked too "small-market" when we had it on our cable TV in Vallejo...
--jay

 

[XRQKFM]

Storer Cable TV in Thousand Oaks, California
Line up up to mid 70's
2 KNXT
3 KEYT Santa Barbara
4 KNBC
5 KTLA
6 KMEX 34
7 KABC
8 Blank Became MSI weather in late 78 and Public Access
9 KHJ
10 KWHY 22/KBSC 52 Became KTBN 40 in 78
11 KTTV
12 KCET 28
13 KCOP
I & H Showtime added in late 70's
Some midband channels appeared for a short time in the late 70's, but were never advertised
E CNN, F WTBS 17 Then turned off in the early 80's
Easily the worst cable company; until Falcon came along.

 

[Michael Rivers Kramer]

Oceanic Cable Pacifica, CA
1969

I was only 5. I confirmed most of this in old Cablecasting Yearbook from around 1970 about 4 years ago. It's scary that I was already a geek by then, because my recollections were mostly confirmed by that book.

2 KTVU Ind.
3 KCRA Sac NBC / Shared with KGSC 36 Ind
4. KRON NBC
5 KPIX CBS
6 KEMO 20 Ind.
7 KGO-TV ABC
8 Local Weather Wheel
9 KQED PBS
10 KXTV Sac CBS/ Shared With KBHK 44 Ind.
11 KNTV SJ ABC
12 KNEW 32 Ind.
13 KOVR 13 Stn-Sac ABC/ Shared with ?

Not sure where KUDO 38, Ind. was.



Foster City United Cable 1983

2- KTVU Ind
3. ESPN Shared with the Sports Channel
4. KRON NBC
5 KPIX CBS
6 USA Shared with C-SPAN/ Playboy at Night
7 KGO-TV ABC
8 Nickelodeon
9 KQED PBS
10 KXTV Sac (CBS)
11 KNTV SJ (ABC)
12 Foster City TV
13 KTZO-20 Ind.
14 HBO
15 KQEC 32 PBS
16 KBHK 44 Ind.
17 ??
18 KCSM 60 PBS
19 KDTV 14 SIN ?
20 KTEH 54 PBS
21 KCRA 3 Sac NBC
22 Showtime
23 KICU 36 SJ Ind
24 KTXL 40 Sac Ind.
25 MTV
26 CNN
27 Local Government
28
29
30

 

[Madmansam]

August 1971, when I was almost 10, we first got cable-TV in
Vallejo, CA, at North Bay Cable Television...my memory's shot
but here goes what was there over the years (1971-79, more
or less):

We, too, had the Line A/Line B switch:
2A - KTVU Oakland (2, ind.)
2B - Local weather channel, consisting of a live B/W camera
panning several analog meters showing temp, humdity, etc.
3A - In 1977, "The G Channel," showing one "new" movie a few times a week
(a poor man's "premium" movie channel, but we did not pay extra for)
3B - KCRA, Sacramento (3, NBC)
4A - KRON, SFO (4, NBC)
4B - Local; mostly Vallejo City Council and PSA scrolls
5A - KPIX, SFO (5, CBS)
5B - Religion audio with local PSAs
6A - ?
6B - ?, I wanna say it was KGSC, San Jose (36, ind., now KICU)
7A - KGO, SFO (7, ABC)
7B - ?
8A - ?, I wanna say it was KEMO, SFO (20, ind., pre James Gabbert)
8B - KTXL, Sacto (40, ind.)
9A - KQED, SFO (9, PBS)
9B - ?
10A - KTSF, SFO (26, ind; watched Al Jazzbeaux Collins' morning
TV show in '79)
10B - KXTV, Sacto (10, CBS)
11A - KNTV, San Jose (11, ABC)
11B - KMUV, Sacto (31, Ind., all movies, then Spanish; later KRBK,
now KMAX-TV)
12A - ?
12B - mostly ?, but for a VERY short time, we had KHSL, Chico (12, CBS/ABC)
13A - KBHK, SFO (44, ind)
13B - KOVR, Stockton (13, ABC)

VERY BRIEFLY in the mid-1970s, we had a weakly-fed KFTY, Santa Rosa
(50, ind.) feed on 10A, before it went off for awhile. I remember seeing
Rod Sherry, former KPIX newsman, doing news for KFTY. By the time KFTY
returned to the airwaves, our family moved to Lodi in December 1979. When
we moved back to the North Bay in 1984, I was surprised to see Sherry was
still there!...

And since we're talking retro, let's bring back the Saturday Night Bullfights
on Channel 36!
;D
--jay

Jay, you mention that your family moved to Lodi in 1979 until 1984. Did your Family get Cable there? I think at that time it was KING CABLE?

 

[RBA]

Let's see if I can remember what was on Teleprompter Cable in Santa Maria in the mid 1970's

This might not be accurate, but here goes...

2: KNXT CBS LA
3: KCET PBS LA
4: KNBC NBC LA
5: KTLA IND LA
6: KSBY NBC SAN LUIS OBISPO
7: KABC ABC LA
8: KEYT ABC SANTA BARBARA
9: KHJ-TV IND LA
10: KCOY CBS SANTA MARIA
11: KTTV MUTLI-MEDIA IND LA
12: KCOP IND LA
13: KMEX 34 spanish LA (KWHY 22 LA during the day broadcasting biz news)

and tuning the TV knob and locking it in between Channel's 6 and 7, you could pick up HBO for free unscrambled. This is before most people had digital tuners and the higher cable channels and had to use a cable box for HBO.

And when they started having the cable converter boxes, I figured how to daisy chain two converter boxes together. The box would output to channel 2. Since channel 2 was not scrambled, you could output one box to channel 2 on the other box and whatever scrambled picture you had on the first box would be de-scrambled by the second box.

 

[djj]

Jay, you mention that your family moved to Lodi in 1979 until 1984. Did your Family get Cable there? I think at that time it was KING CABLE?

Yup...we had King Videocable (Seattle), engineered by Toby Nightengale,
where I did local sports play-by-play for a time in 1983/84...

The only channels we had from the Bay Area were KTVU 2 on Cable 2, and
Cable 4 did a bizarre thing: shared KRON 4 in the day, with KBHK at night,
7-11 p.m....

This changed in 1983 when they proudly proclaimed the adding on of 4
channels, Nashville Network and USA Network among them...
--jay

 

[kenrayc]

Back when we got cable in Fresno in 1978 they only had 12 channels.
RATES $6.95 a month ,Home Theater $5.00 a month.

2-KTVU(2) IND. Oakland
3-KFSN(30) CBS Fresno
4-KTXL(40) IND. Sacramento
5-Home Theater ,later became Showtime.
6-KMPH(26) IND Fresno
7-KJEO(47) ABC Fresno
8-KMTF(18) PBS Fresno
9-KQED(9) PBS San Francisco
10-KMJ(24) NBC Fresno
11-Community channel
12-KFTV(21) SIN Fresno
13-KAIL(53) IND. Fresno

 

[EmpressDR]

OK, at LAST I have my ability to ask! ???
I was in the SF Bay Area in the 1970s-80s and watched Jay Brown when he was on channel 11. Actually, I think he began on channel 11, then moved to 36. While on Channel 11, his movie-go-round was watched by inmates at Vacaville and such; but I wanted to ask WHAT is the name of the instrumental song that was the theme song of the show? It was a popular song of the 1960's -early 1970s ( no later than 1972, though ). It had a Spanish sound to it --mostly guitar strumming, then the mid-part had horns, and it finished with guitar strumming. I think it was featured on a "gold" instrumental CD, but I never did get it. I've been trying to figure out the title of this piece for YEARS!

Jay Brown was nice. He used to talk about his beefs with Gill Cable right on the show. He had balls! Good for him. ???

And the all night movie go round for you night owels with Jay Brown. Sponsored by MMM carpets.

Actually, wasn't that Jay Brown's Spartan Dodge who sponsored the all-night
movies on 36, and then on 11? I distinctly 'member his spots on the Saturday
Night Bullfights, too! LOL!

MMM Carpets (still around, I see) had Gary Ferry (and, before that, he and Andy
Moore in the "Old Sourdough" skits:
http://www.ga3ry.com/bios.html

Speaking of Jay Brown, take a gander at this 1974 video, about 16 or 18 minutes
into it, and you'll see our old friend Jay Brown being interviewed!
http://www.mediaburn.org/Video-Preview.128.0.html?uid=4248

And on the subject of cable in the south bay does anyone remember GIll cable with their movie channel called "the G channel" (15-A) then it was taken over by Heritage cable then TCI?

Wow...I didn't think "The G Channel" was on in the South Bay, too!
It looked too "small-market" when we had it on our cable TV in Vallejo...
--jay

 

[rricci]

OK, at LAST I have my ability to ask! ???
I was in the SF Bay Area in the 1970s-80s and watched Jay Brown when he was on channel 11. Actually, I think he began on channel 11, then moved to 36. While on Channel 11, his movie-go-round was watched by inmates at Vacaville and such; but I wanted to ask WHAT is the name of the instrumental song that was the theme song of the show? It was a popular song of the 1960's -early 1970s ( no later than 1972, though ). It had a Spanish sound to it --mostly guitar strumming, then the mid-part had horns, and it finished with guitar strumming. I think it was featured on a "gold" instrumental CD, but I never did get it. I've been trying to figure out the title of this piece for YEARS!

Jay Brown was nice. He used to talk about his beefs with Gill Cable right on the show. He had balls! Good for him. ???

The song in question is "Classical Gas" by Dave Mason.

And the all night movie go round for you night owels with Jay Brown. Sponsored by MMM carpets.

Actually, wasn't that Jay Brown's Spartan Dodge who sponsored the all-night
movies on 36, and then on 11? I distinctly 'member his spots on the Saturday
Night Bullfights, too! LOL!

MMM Carpets (still around, I see) had Gary Ferry (and, before that, he and Andy
Moore in the "Old Sourdough" skits:
http://www.ga3ry.com/bios.html

Speaking of Jay Brown, take a gander at this 1974 video, about 16 or 18 minutes
into it, and you'll see our old friend Jay Brown being interviewed!
http://www.mediaburn.org/Video-Preview.128.0.html?uid=4248

And on the subject of cable in the south bay does anyone remember GIll cable with their movie channel called "the G channel" (15-A) then it was taken over by Heritage cable then TCI?

Wow...I didn't think "The G Channel" was on in the South Bay, too!
It looked too "small-market" when we had it on our cable TV in Vallejo...
--jay

 

[hipman2]

Retro:

Cox Cable [South], San Diego, 1983

2 USA
3 ESPN
4 KNBC
5 KTLA
6 XETV
7 KCST (now KNSD)
8 KFMB
9 KUSI
10 KGTV
11 KTTV
12 KPBS
13 KCOP
14 KMEX
15 Galavision
16 KWHY/XEWT
17 Cinemax
18 Disney Channel
19 Showtime
20 HBO
21 Pay Per View/Padres
22 Playboy
23 ITV
24 Public Access/KCBS/Daytime/other filler?
25 CSPAN
26 Christian Communications Network (San Diego cable systems)
27 WTBS
28 ? (I forgot, sorry)
29 TNN
30 MTV
31 CNN
32 HLN (was HN)
33 Cox cable 33 (local origination, etc.)
34 CBN
35 KSCI 18
36 reserved for KTTY 69 which signed on the following year

 

[Robnoxious]

Jones Intercable, Palmdale, CA (circa 1979)

2 - KNXT (CBS) Los Angeles
3 - KCET (PBS) Los Angeles
4 - KNBC (NBC) Los Angeles
5 - KTLA (IND) Los Angeles
6 - KTBN (TBN) Fontana
7 - KABC (ABC) Los Angeles
8 - KBAK (ABC) Bakersfield
9 - KHJ (IND) Norwalk/Los Angeles
10 - KERO (NBC) Bakersfield
11 - KTTV (IND) Los Angeles
12 - KMEX (SIN) Los Angeles
13 - KCOP (IND) Los Angeles

Showtime and/or HBO were available via a A/B channel converter box

This was pre SYNDEX era so during primetime channels 7 & 8 and channels 4 & 10 would air ABC and NBC programming concurrently. During the NFL season, Palmdale sometimes got two different game feeds for the NBC Sunday games. Also, Bakersfield's KBAK was never subject to Los Angeles blackouts for ABC's Monday Night Football while KABC had to comply.

 

[ShawnHill1]

Jones Intercable, Palmdale, CA (circa 1979)

2 - KNXT (CBS) Los Angeles
3 - KCET (PBS) Los Angeles
4 - KNBC (NBC) Los Angeles
5 - KTLA (IND) Los Angeles
6 - KTBN (TBN) Fontana
7 - KABC (ABC) Los Angeles
8 - KBAK (ABC) Bakersfield
9 - KHJ (IND) Norwalk/Los Angeles
10 - KERO (NBC) Bakersfield
11 - KTTV (IND) Los Angeles
12 - KMEX (SIN) Los Angeles
13 - KCOP (IND) Los Angeles

Showtime and/or HBO were available via a A/B channel converter box

This was pre SYNDEX era so during primetime channels 7 & 8 and channels 4 & 10 would air ABC and NBC programming concurrently. During the NFL season, Palmdale sometimes got two different game feeds for the NBC Sunday games. Also, Bakersfield's KBAK was never subject to Los Angeles blackouts for ABC's Monday Night Football while KABC had to comply.

I'm kind of surprised that Jones didn't carry Bakersfield's Channel 17 (which was then KPWR-TV, and affiliated with CBS); I would imagine back then that 2 and 17 would carry the same NFL games, although Bakersfield was outside of the 75-mile blackout zone, they would have been eligible to receive all of the Rams Sunday telecasts.

I guess that would also explain why 17's listings weren't carried in the L.A. Daily News' TV listings, although KERO (23) and KBAK (29) were.

 

[wolfdreamer]

Warner Cable (then later, Warner-AMEX) Bakersfield, CA - the 1970's:

2 - KNXT (CBS) [2] Los Angeles
3 - KJTV/KPWR (CBS) [17] Bakersfield
4 - KNBC (NBC) [4] Los Angeles
5 - KTLA (Ind) [5] Los Angeles
6 - KMPH (Ind) [26] Fresno
7 - KBAK (ABC) [29] Bakersfield
8 - KERO (NBC) [23] Bakersfield
9 - KHJ (Ind) [9] Los Angeles
10 - KCET (PBS) [28] Los Angeles
11* - KTTV (MM) [11] Los Angeles / KABC (ABC) [7] Los Angeles (*shared channel slot)
12 - KMEX (SIN) [34] Los Angeles
13 - KCOP (Ind) [13] Los Angeles

+ + +