We didn’t have a remote when I was a kid. Our TV had a channel dial that you could pop out. There was a celluloid ring around the stem, with all the numerals on it. A light would shine through to show your channel in a small window. Of course it took us two seconds to figure out that you could turn the ring, and mix up the channels. What a practical joke on the next person who wanted to catch their favorite show!
Same for us, mostly. We had a few of the local stations in addition to the major networks. ‘Metromedia’ was on the channel that later carried FOX. Then there were those mysterious UHF stations.
I was the channel changer. We had CBC, KVOS-TV out of Bellingham and Channel 8. (CHEK-TV on clear days when the wind was blowing in the right direction).CBC still exists. And we learned from it if the world ened at 10 pm, it would end at 10:30 pm in Newfoundland. KVOS-TV is now ME-TV and shows ALL the old stuff. Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Batman etc. Grew up on their showings of Three Stooges and Soupy Sales. Channel 8 morphed into BCTV and now is Global TV. Shown right across the country. Not bad for a little company that started at the base of Burnaby Mountain. Their big break was broadcasting crom Expo 86 for the entire 6 months. And CHEK-TV closed its doors but the employees bought the station. After a few rough years they’re doing much better..And so ends today’s history lesson. …..I watch way too much tv.
My first remote control was on a junk TV where that’s about all that worked. We didn’t even have the actual remote. Just a button on the front that cycled an old-fashioned 12-step turret tuner with a stepper motor. Position one (or was it 12?) removed power from most of the set. Would have been nice….
Many years later, I bought a Heathkit Color TV kit that didn’t accept a remote, but was adaptable to one that was sold with another kit. Never did get the channel changer to work, but I was able to get the sound and picture controls going.
(My next set was inherited – a 19" Color “portable” with a real remote. I think I’ve got about seven now, all with some kind of remote.)
Even with the vast wasteland of 500 channels and nothing on, PVRs, VCRs (are you old enough to remember them?), DVRs, and games. I’m way too old to stand there and surf now. Down here in the man-cave, the 25" color set has a PVR, DVD, and VCR, along with remotes for each, and a remote for the widget that switches between them. Heaven forbid I’d have to get up and walk 12’ to do something….
My daughter (now 28) barely understands the concept of manually changing channels, and with cable boxes on just about everything, you can’t even use the device’s original remote in many cases. Forget, too, about any front-panel controls (my PVR and all of the cable boxes don’t even have any front panels). The wife can’t understand that to get from channel 7 to channel 9, you don’t use the buttons on the set…. Move it off channel 4 and you’re watching snow.
The kid really doesn’t know about snow, or test patterns….
That was always fun, too – coming home from school and watching the test patter (along with the audio tone) for a while until one of the local stations decided to go on the air.
Hilariously, about 35 years ago, give or take, before I had a VCR (never mind the other stuff), the wife and I raced home on evening to catch the latest episode of “I Cladius” on the local PBS station, only to come in and see the closing credits. Sunday night, and the kid who ran the station those nights decided that nobody wanted to see whatever was supposed to be on in that hour, and ran “I Claudius” instead….
All of that said, the kids need to spend more time outside terrorizing the neighborhood instead of watching TV, games, or the Web….
Stellagal about 11 years ago
When I was a kid, I became my dad’s remote control.
Thomas Scott Roberts creator about 11 years ago
We didn’t have a remote when I was a kid. Our TV had a channel dial that you could pop out. There was a celluloid ring around the stem, with all the numerals on it. A light would shine through to show your channel in a small window. Of course it took us two seconds to figure out that you could turn the ring, and mix up the channels. What a practical joke on the next person who wanted to catch their favorite show!
Comic Minister Premium Member about 11 years ago
Whatever you say Maria.
Thomas Scott Roberts creator about 11 years ago
Same for us, mostly. We had a few of the local stations in addition to the major networks. ‘Metromedia’ was on the channel that later carried FOX. Then there were those mysterious UHF stations.
Thomas Scott Roberts creator about 11 years ago
Too much effort. She’s looking to save work.
Alan Steenhouwer about 11 years ago
I like the way her laziness is portrayed, with the couch devouring her.
lightenup Premium Member about 11 years ago
That’s what little brothers/sisters are for.
Hunter7 about 11 years ago
I was the channel changer. We had CBC, KVOS-TV out of Bellingham and Channel 8. (CHEK-TV on clear days when the wind was blowing in the right direction).CBC still exists. And we learned from it if the world ened at 10 pm, it would end at 10:30 pm in Newfoundland. KVOS-TV is now ME-TV and shows ALL the old stuff. Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Batman etc. Grew up on their showings of Three Stooges and Soupy Sales. Channel 8 morphed into BCTV and now is Global TV. Shown right across the country. Not bad for a little company that started at the base of Burnaby Mountain. Their big break was broadcasting crom Expo 86 for the entire 6 months. And CHEK-TV closed its doors but the employees bought the station. After a few rough years they’re doing much better..And so ends today’s history lesson. …..I watch way too much tv.
SMMAssociates about 11 years ago
My first remote control was on a junk TV where that’s about all that worked. We didn’t even have the actual remote. Just a button on the front that cycled an old-fashioned 12-step turret tuner with a stepper motor. Position one (or was it 12?) removed power from most of the set. Would have been nice….
Many years later, I bought a Heathkit Color TV kit that didn’t accept a remote, but was adaptable to one that was sold with another kit. Never did get the channel changer to work, but I was able to get the sound and picture controls going.
(My next set was inherited – a 19" Color “portable” with a real remote. I think I’ve got about seven now, all with some kind of remote.)
Even with the vast wasteland of 500 channels and nothing on, PVRs, VCRs (are you old enough to remember them?), DVRs, and games. I’m way too old to stand there and surf now. Down here in the man-cave, the 25" color set has a PVR, DVD, and VCR, along with remotes for each, and a remote for the widget that switches between them. Heaven forbid I’d have to get up and walk 12’ to do something….
My daughter (now 28) barely understands the concept of manually changing channels, and with cable boxes on just about everything, you can’t even use the device’s original remote in many cases. Forget, too, about any front-panel controls (my PVR and all of the cable boxes don’t even have any front panels). The wife can’t understand that to get from channel 7 to channel 9, you don’t use the buttons on the set…. Move it off channel 4 and you’re watching snow.
The kid really doesn’t know about snow, or test patterns….
That was always fun, too – coming home from school and watching the test patter (along with the audio tone) for a while until one of the local stations decided to go on the air.
Hilariously, about 35 years ago, give or take, before I had a VCR (never mind the other stuff), the wife and I raced home on evening to catch the latest episode of “I Cladius” on the local PBS station, only to come in and see the closing credits. Sunday night, and the kid who ran the station those nights decided that nobody wanted to see whatever was supposed to be on in that hour, and ran “I Claudius” instead….
All of that said, the kids need to spend more time outside terrorizing the neighborhood instead of watching TV, games, or the Web….