Drabble by Kevin Fagan for July 03, 2016

SEVEN CHANNELS?Wow! Must have been nice. We had only 4.And one of them was what later became PBS.

That beats the “I walked 5 miles to school in the snow” stories.

How’s this for fun: as a kid, stations were not 24 hours. I would get up and watch the test patterns. whoo hoo! Then, when the station came on air, they would usually start with the Star Spangled Banner. Can you imagine TV being so patriotic today?

Here in Italy in the 60es we had only one B&W channel broadcasting from 5PM to 11PM

Back where I was from (Savannah, GA), we had only 2 TV stations: WSAV-TV Channel 3 (NBC) and WTOC-TV Channel 11 (CBS). Both had to “share” ABC-TV until 1970.

In Chicago we had 4. Then they came out with ON TV. I think it was about $20 a month with no commercials.

The remote was me. “Tom, go turn to channel 9.”

Anybody remember the late night test patterns?

Aw, Poor Ralph! Some people really had it awful! (LOL!)

In Denver, we had 5 until the early-1980s and then by 1990, we had 8.

And what about having to adjust the picture quality with the little outer knob?

Man I’m feeling old. Yes I remember when there was no cable tv or color. Instead of getting quality shows like Breaking Bad & Game of Thrones we got such gems as Gilligans Island & Lost in Space. No HBO or Netflix offering us now a truly golden age in television.

Obviously Mr. Fagan is not very old if he had seven channels and ANY of them in color.

“Son, turn the tv to Bonanza. Oh, and get me another beer and empty my ashtray.”

One channel. Then we got two, in my little west Texas town. One was from Sweetwater, and the channel came from Abilene.

3 most of the time when I was a kid. Anyone remember the cardboard “Please Stand By” signs when there was a problem with the station?

7? More like 3, 4 if PBS was coming in clear that day

When I was a kid in Santa Clara, CA, we could get five channels from San Francisco and San Jose. Then one day my dad was on the roof adjusting the antenna to try to get a better signal and he slipped. The antenna spun partway around and we ended up with all 12 channels (2 to 13) from SF, SJ, Sacramento, Stockton, and Salinas.

Growing up in Seattle with 6 channels, in the morning after the Indian test pattern changed to the montage of scenes of locations around the country while the National Anthem played, then have the morning Farm Grange Report so you’ll know what you can get for your pork bellies..

And the screen was only 19 in.

Seven!? I had THREE!!!