Worst TV stations ever

[IM42A]

WBJA/WMGC Ch 34 Binghamton, New York, the pre-WIVT era 1962-98
When Binghamton got an ABC affiliate, they had NO color system until January 1966. When they got color, the color volume was only 1% into the mid 70s. Since they're on Ingram Hill Road (still there to this day), most of the ABC network programs came from the signal of WABC-TV New York. After the Ch 34 slide, it was a blink & you missed it Circle 7 logo for only a half second. Some ABC programs came from WNYS Ch 9 Syracuse. The local newscasts were in B&W until 1975 and they had a one person news/sports/weather anchor. The station had no on location film reports until the WMGC era. In the WMGC era, the graphics looked generic look like they bought from K-Mart instead of Radio Shack. Ch 34 signed off every night and never aired World News Now until the late 90s. From 1994-98 when ABC Sports was on downtime, the only shows they aired was infomercials.

WOUB-20 in Athens OH did not have color capabilities for many years, not sure if they passed through NET/PBS in color or not.

They really need to have a translator in far southern Ohio, possibly Ironton or Jackson. That area has been without in-state PBS ever since WOSU shut down WPBO Portsmouth a few years back.

 

[Dondd]

There are a few WKYH videos on youtube from Labor Day 1985 from cable

Of course, it wasn't large market quality, but considering the few resources the station had, and the overworked employees, it was probably par for the course.
And that station wasn't unique. Many rural ones in the 70s looked that way.
It's actually interesting.

 

[Dondd]

1-800-338-3030
GIT ON THE TELEPHONE!!!
His widow is still preaching

He was certainly a nutball.
"If you don't accept MY narrow religion, I will BEAT YOU UP..."

 

[IM42A]

Of course, it wasn't large market quality, but considering the few resources the station had, and the overworked employees, it was probably par for the course.
And that station wasn't unique. Many rural ones in the 70s looked that way.
It's actually interesting.

They gave it their best shot, kept it going on a shoestring, and then eventually WKYT came along, bailed them out, and now their local news product compares favorably with that of any small market in the country, very crisp and professional. (Of course, having the resources of WKYT, as well as WSAZ, helps.)

 

[Dondd]

While that Kentucky small market newscast was primitive compared to other newscasts, in 1980, one of the leading New York stations, through 21st Century eyes, seems older and not really with the times.
Of course, the New York newscast is world's better, but, in terms of set, graphics, the anchor reading the top stories without accompanying graphics, isn't as advanced as today.

 

[bpatrick]

Charlotte was like southern Ohio until 1967. WBTV, nominally the CBS affiliate, carried a fair number of NBC shows ("Get Smart," "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," and Andy Williams come to mind); WSOC, nominally NBC, probably carried more ABC shows than NBC ones; WCCB got all the leftovers from all three heritage networks. NBC told WSOC to start clearing more of the Peacock Network's shows or find another network (it did when it went to ABC in 1978). But from 1967 to 1978 WBTV was exclusively CBS (and still is); WSOC, NBC; WCCB, ABC.

Re The Today Show: WHSV Harrisonburg carried just the second hour after it dropped CBS and Captain Kangaroo. That continued until Good Morning America debuted in 1975. WHSV carried ABC's newscast, roughly from about the time Chet Huntley retired and NBC's became NBC Nightly News.

 

[Miss Tuned]

Channel M, Manchester, UK! It was one of those mid-2000s stations where they knew they had nobody watching (it was always a snowy analog picture), and they were having fun and spending someone else's money while it lasted.

I particularly liked the overnight test card:

 

[IM42A]

Channel M, Manchester, UK! It was one of those mid-2000s stations where they knew they had nobody watching (it was always a snowy analog picture), and they were having fun and spending someone else's money while it lasted.

I particularly liked the overnight test card:

Aside from localized news, I don't normally think of UK broadcasting as having any origination outside the main network. Ditto mainland Europe.

 

[Miss Tuned]

Aside from localized news, I don't normally think of UK broadcasting as having any origination outside the main network. Ditto mainland Europe.

This was an independent station, part of an experiment in independent local TV in the 2000s. It was actually modeled after (and, I think, had some involvement from) the Canadian CHUM/CityTV network. It had the same "...everywhere" slogan (see the video below), and carried some MuchMusic stuff during off-hours.

 

[Mike in Destin]

Being originally from the north, I never experienced anything like what others have. My only complaint is WCBS TV2 NYC. For years their colors looked very "drab" or dreary. Everything looked like it was raining or something. I never noticed this on other NY or Philly stations. They just lacked vivid colors is the only way I can describe it. Their 880 KC station also had an issue. The audio sounded like a traffic report from a helicopter using a headset a pilot would use. An engineer from another site literally said it sounded like "a telephone. " I agree.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Charlotte was like southern Ohio until 1967. WBTV, nominally the CBS affiliate, carried a fair number of NBC shows ("Get Smart," "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," and Andy Williams come to mind); WSOC, nominally NBC, probably carried more ABC shows than NBC ones; WCCB got all the leftovers from all three heritage networks. NBC told WSOC to start clearing more of the Peacock Network's shows or find another network (it did when it went to ABC in 1978). But from 1967 to 1978 WBTV was exclusively CBS (and still is); WSOC, NBC; WCCB, ABC.

I sure don't remember this but I have a book called Charlotte Today which had an ad for WCCB showing that it had programs from all three networks. I'm thinking we had this book because my grandmother was moving to assisted living there.

WBTV was our only CBS affiliate so I would think we'd have known if anything was missing. I do know they had a bad habit of showing movies instead of the CBS show. Oh, wait ...

But we had WSJS for NBC and WGHP for ABC. I don't remember WSOC showing anything that wasn't NBC.

 

[IM42A]

Being originally from the north, I never experienced anything like what others have. My only complaint is WCBS TV2 NYC. For years their colors looked very "drab" or dreary. Everything looked like it was raining or something. I never noticed this on other NY or Philly stations. They just lacked vivid colors is the only way I can describe it. Their 880 KC station also had an issue. The audio sounded like a traffic report from a helicopter using a headset a pilot would use. An engineer from another site literally said it sounded like "a telephone. " I agree.

Different networks have different video standards, and they prescribe these for their affiliates. The O&O stations, which WCBS is, would certainly have to adhere to these standards. This is why CBS shows have a more "muted" look, ABC shows tend to be more "bright", and NBC and Fox are somewhere in the middle, kind of a "rich" look. (The CW looks similar to NBC or Fox as well.) This can be seen in any market, not just New York.

If I had to guess, I'd say this is what was going on with WCBS.

 

[Mike in Destin]

Different networks have different video standards, and they prescribe these for their affiliates. The O&O stations, which WCBS is, would certainly have to adhere to these standards. This is why CBS shows have a more "muted" look, ABC shows tend to be more "bright", and NBC and Fox are somewhere in the middle, kind of a "rich" look. (The CW looks similar to NBC or Fox as well.) This can be seen in any market, not just New York.

If I had to guess, I'd say this is what was going on with WCBS.

Thank you.

 

[Gravel Switch]

Different networks have different video standards, and they prescribe these for their affiliates. The O&O stations, which WCBS is, would certainly have to adhere to these standards. This is why CBS shows have a more "muted" look, ABC shows tend to be more "bright", and NBC and Fox are somewhere in the middle, kind of a "rich" look. (The CW looks similar to NBC or Fox as well.) This can be seen in any market, not just New York.

If I had to guess, I'd say this is what was going on with WCBS.

Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, I thought NBC had a “harsh” look in terms of its network feed, while CBS had a “smoother” look.

 

[Dondd]

WBJA/WMGC Ch 34 Binghamton, New York, the pre-WIVT era 1962-98
When Binghamton got an ABC affiliate, they had NO color system until January 1966. When they got color, the color volume was only 1% into the mid 70s. Since they're on Ingram Hill Road (still there to this day), most of the ABC network programs came from the signal of WABC-TV New York. After the Ch 34 slide, it was a blink & you missed it Circle 7 logo for only a half second. Some ABC programs came from WNYS Ch 9 Syracuse. The local newscasts were in B&W until 1975 and they had a one person news/sports/weather anchor. The station had no on location film reports until the WMGC era. In the WMGC era, the graphics looked generic look like they bought from K-Mart instead of Radio Shack. Ch 34 signed off every night and never aired World News Now until the late 90s. From 1994-98 when ABC Sports was on downtime, the only shows they aired was infomercials.

Was that signal via microwave, like many signals were carried to reach rural cable systems?
I ask because Binghamton seems like a long ways from WABC's signal.

 

[ftballfan]

Was that signal via microwave, like many signals were carried to reach rural cable systems?
I ask because Binghamton seems like a long ways from WABC's signal.


View attachment 8692

WNEP would have been an easier grab than WABC

 

[IM42A]

WNEP would have been an easier grab than WABC

Perhaps it was because WABC could be counted on to carry the entire ABC network lineup in-pattern without pre-emptions, whereas WNEP might not have?

Just a guess.

Or maybe a VHF signal was seen as more stable in those days?

 

[IM42A]

After the Ch 34 slide, it was a blink & you missed it Circle 7 logo for only a half second. Some ABC programs came from WNYS Ch 9 Syracuse.

Once in a great, great while, back in the day, you might see the station ID for WCBS or WNBC preceding the network program on affiliates of those networks. I recall seeing this happen (don't recall WABC). It just slipped through.

I'm referring to the eastern US in general, not Binghamton.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Different networks have different video standards, and they prescribe these for their affiliates. The O&O stations, which WCBS is, would certainly have to adhere to these standards. This is why CBS shows have a more "muted" look, ABC shows tend to be more "bright", and NBC and Fox are somewhere in the middle, kind of a "rich" look. (The CW looks similar to NBC or Fox as well.) This can be seen in any market, not just New York.

If I had to guess, I'd say this is what was going on with WCBS.

I was always able to tell if a show was on CBS by the video quality. And "Due South", even when it was no longer on CBS, still had that same video quality.

 

[TVWorldwide]

Once in a great, great while, back in the day, you might see the station ID for WCBS or WNBC preceding the network program on affiliates of those networks. I recall seeing this happen (don't recall WABC). It just slipped through.

I'm referring to the eastern US in general, not Binghamton.

A bit over a decade ago, I watched the Oscars on a Slovenian channel. The first few breaks included U.S. commercials, including local L.A. advertising and promos for KABC's late news. (For the rest of the broadcast, the commercial breaks were covered up with an Academy Awards logo.)