Vintage Cable TV in Boston- August 1981

[highwayman128]

Here is a vintage Cable TV lineup in Boston from Cablevision

Source: Boston Globe, August 13, 1981

2 - WGBH, Boston (Public Broadcasting System)
3 - WLVI, Boston (Independent)
4 - WBZ, Boston (NBC)
5 - WCVB, Boston (ABC)
6 - WQTV, Boston (Ind.)
7 - WNAC, Boston (CBS)
8 - Boston City Channel: local origination programs
9 - C-Span/Assembly Channel - US House, local public meetings
10 - Cable News Network: all-day world news coverage
11 - New York Stock Exchange
12 - American Stock Exchange
13 - Reuters news/readings for the blind
14 - To be announced
15 - To be announced
16 - Entertainment and Sports Programming Network: 24-hours sports
17 - UPI News and Sports wire: national, local sports
18 - Racing results
19 - USA Network/AP news: mostly sports
20 - Boston Special Interest Programming: including Black Entertainment Television
21 - Foreign Language Channel: multilingual programming
22 - National Religion Channel
23 - Boston Religion Channel
24 - Senior Citizens Channel
25 - WXNE, Boston (Ind.)
26 - WGN, Chicago superstation with sports and old movies
27 - WSMW, Worcester (Ind.)
28 - WTBS, Atlanta superstation with sports and old movies
29 - National and local health programming
30 - National and local women's programming
31 - National children's programs, including Nickelodeon and Calliope
32 - Local children's programming
33 - American Educational Television Network: continuing accredited education
34 - Campus Boston: local programming for post-secondary institutions
35 - CBS Cable/Boston Arts: cultural programming
36 - Telefrance/ARTS/The English Channel: arts and culture from US and Europe
37 - The Music Channel: 24-hour videotaped music performances
38 - WSBK, Boston (Ind.)
39 - National, regional satellite weather
40 - Regional radar weather
41 - Time and alphanumericweather reports
42 - WPRI, Providence (ABC)
43 - WJAR, Providence (NBC)
44 - WGBX, Boston (PBS)
45 - WSBE, Providence (PBS)
46 - WVIA, Scranton, Pa. (PBS)
47 - Municipal access channel for, about local government
48 - Public access/Comparison shopping: compares local prices on grocery, pharmaceutical items
49 - Access/Comparison shopping
50 - Access/Swap 'n shop: classified ads free to subscribers
51 - Access/Paid classified ads
52 - Access/Local job listings
53 - Directory Channel: channel-by-channel listings
54 - Home Box Office: additional $7/month; movies and entertainment.Omnibus tierFor $8 a month and a $55 installation charge, Cablevision will provide two-way capability and the following channels in addition to the basic tier: Channel
55 - Directory of premium programs
56 - Modern Satellite Network: homemaker, consumer programs
57 - Appalachian Satellite Network
58 - Satellite Programming Network: public affairs, entertainment
59 - Times-Mirror Shopping: two-way catalogue buying
60 - WTEV, Providence (CBS)
61 - WENH, Durham, N.H. (PBS)
62 - WOR, New York superstation with sports
63 - WPIX, New York (Ind.), with sports and classic movies
64 - WUTV, Buffalo, N.Y. (Ind.)
65 - WPHL, Philadelphia (Ind.)
66 - WTAF, Philadelphia (Ind.)
67 - WKBS, Philadelphia (Ind.)
68 - 74 - To be announcedPremium programsThe following are optional premium programs offered by Cablevision and their monthly costs. Home Box Office is available on either tier but all other premiums are available only on the Omnibus tier.
Home Box Office: movies, entertainment, $7
Home Theatre Network: family entertainment, $4
Montage: foreign films, $4
Showtime: new movies, $8
The Movie Channel: current movies, $8
Boston SportsChannel, $8
Bravo!: arts, culture, $8
Escapade: adult films, $8
Cinemax: current movies, $8
Rockefeller Center TV: $8
Las Vegas Entertainment: $8
Galavision: Hispanic movies, entertainment

 

[jjkktj]

> Here is a vintage Cable TV lineup in Boston from Cablevision

> 7 - WNAC, Boston (CBS)

When did Boston's Ch 7 become WNEV. They had the best logo during the 1980's.


> 61 - WENH, Durham, N.H. (PBS)


Interesting they carried WENH but not WMUR.

 

[highwayman128]

> > Here is a vintage Cable TV lineup in Boston from
> Cablevision
>
> > 7 - WNAC, Boston (CBS)
>
> When did Boston's Ch 7 become WNEV. They had the best
> logo during the 1980's.

Channel 7 became WNEV on Saturday morning, May 22nd, 1982!
>
> > 61 - WENH, Durham, N.H. (PBS)
>
>
> Interesting they carried WENH but not WMUR.
>

 

[rugrats1]

> > Interesting they carried WENH but not WMUR.
> >
>

Also, WPRI (ABC at the time), and not WMUR. Maybe they were trying to limit themselves to two of each network?

I also find it interesting that Boston's cable system offered Pennsylvania and Buffalo locals on their system.

 

[pqgeorge]

Ah, the days of Independent "Superstations". The Philly trio (WPHL, WTAF and WKBS) were probably some of the best indies ever available. BUT, in came the "Copyright Tribunal" in 1983 and magically stopped all of this. WTBS, WOR and WPIX were the only ones to survive. WTBS got by the Copyright Tribunal rules by making the SuperStation WTBS and Atlanta local WTBS/17 unique. Basically, they created their own cable network with the SuperStation. This allowed the cable systems to keep two New York SuperStations (WPIX and WOR) on line. According to
the Copyright Tribunal Police, cable systems could only have two out-of-town signals. Usually, systems would have WTBS and WOR, or WTBS and WPIX. Some rare cases allowed both WPIX and WOR. Some systems had WGN in lieu of WOR or WPIX. Needless to say, I was BULL when the various out-of-town stations were dumped due to the Tribunal Police.

WKBS-TV in Philly left the air in 1983 due to a family feud with the Field Brothers. All Field Communications stations (except WKBS) were sold. WKBS was unable to find a suitable buyer so the Field Brothers killed it due to their own greed.

>
> 62 - WOR, New York superstation with sports
> 63 - WPIX, New York (Ind.), with sports and classic movies
> 64 - WUTV, Buffalo, N.Y. (Ind.)
> 65 - WPHL, Philadelphia (Ind.)
> 66 - WTAF, Philadelphia (Ind.)
> 67 - WKBS, Philadelphia (Ind.)<P ID="signature">______________
Peter Q. George (K1XRB)
Whitman, Massachusetts</P>

 

[KML0224]

How did that "Copyright Tribunal" differ from SYNDEX which started in 1990? I blame SYNDEX, UPN and WB for killing off most of the great independent stations. (Our cable here in New Britain, CT once carried WSBK from Boston, WPIX from New York City and WWOR from Secaucus, NJ.)

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

IMO it looks amazing that a cable system, even in a city the size of Boston, had the capability for their lineup to reach as high as cable channel 74 even back in 1981. Any other cable systems with that many channels on their lineups around that time?

 

[blackgold]

Hey, Boston didn't cable until 1983!

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

Hey, Boston didn't cable until 1983!

So could this lineup, originally posted in 2005, actually be a hoax? Especially considering a 70+ channel lineup in 1981 that's depicted here. (Even those systems that went to about channel 36 seemed rare, at least in the Midwest, until about the mid/late-80s--and I didn't see an analog channel lineup that went above channel 70 around here until about the late '90s).

Or did it take until 1983 for the entire city of Boston to be wired for cable?

 

[JeeperOne]

One question - Has WLVI 56 always been on cable 3 ??

Cheers & 73

 

[VoiceofWayne]

Some of the first 400 MHZ systems were not installed until the early 80s, allowing for 54 channels. Later 450 mHz systems allowed for upwards of 75. Cablevision was an early adopter of technology, but I also wonder about the Philly independents (and they were great stations) showing up in Boston -- was there a microwave backbone in place that allowed this?

 

[JeeperOne]

How did that "Copyright Tribunal" differ from SYNDEX which started in 1990? I blame SYNDEX, UPN and WB for killing off most of the great independent stations. (Our cable here in New Britain, CT once carried WSBK from Boston, WPIX from New York City and WWOR from Secaucus, NJ.)

Umm....Me thinks "Copyright Tribunal Police" was meant only as a FIGURATIVE TERM for Syndex )(Though I could be mistaken )

cheers & 73