TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: Cable TV Advertising (was 'Transitional Fair Use'...)

Re: Cable TV Advertising (was 'Transitional Fair Use'...)

Neal McLain (nmclain@annsgarden.com)
Mon, 20 Dec 2004 00:37:04 -0600

I wrote:

> Gee, I'd sure like to know who "they" are.

PAT wrote:

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, I do not know who 'they'
> were either, but I distinctly remember sometime the late 1950's
> hearing about how 'cable television stations will not have
> commercials since the fee you pay for service takes care of all
> that ..." PAT]

I think whoever told you that was either misinformed or pulling your
leg.

In the late 1950's, very few cable TV systems carried anything other
than broadcast stations (which, of course, included advertising).
Although a few cable systems originated some programming, it was
pretty primitive stuff.

As it happens, the "Weather Scan" was introduced in 1958 -- the
industry's first attempt at automated programming. The Cable Center's
history-of-cable page describes this device as follows:

1958-59
Systems begin carrying FM radio stations and
"weather scans" (a stationery camera pans between
gauges showing local temperature, barometric
pressure, wind, etc.). Weather scans provide an
additional opportunity to sell local advertising
with the advertiser's message printed on a fixed
placard beside the gauges. Customers can also
listen to background music while they watch the
weather information.

Source: "Cable History: 1950." Denver: The Cable Center, 2004.
http://www.cablecenter.org/history/timeline/decade.cfm?start=1950
This link includes a photograph of the device.

The Weather Scan should sound familiar to PAT: it's the same "weather
dials" device that Coffeyville Community College used on their Channel 4
station back in the 60s. See:
http://massis.lcs.mit.edu/archives/back.issues/recent.single.issues/V23_%23529

Note that the Weather Scan, primitive though it was, established a
precedent for advertising support of local-origination programming:

"Weather scans provide an additional opportunity
to sell local advertising with the advertiser's
message printed on a fixed placard beside the
gauges."

Neal McLain

Post Followup Article Use your browser's quoting feature to quote article into reply
Go to Next message: phoner@company.com: "Cell Phone Company Records the Tower Handling Call"
Go to Previous message: DevilsPGD: "Re: AFA (Flight Attendants) Opposes In-Flight Cell Phone Use"
May be in reply to: Neal McLain: "Cable TV Advertising (was 'Transitional Fair Use'...)"
Next in thread: Barry Margolin: "Re: Cable TV Advertising (was 'Transitional Fair Use'...)"
TELECOM Digest: Home Page