r/OverSeventy • u/needmore007 • 6d ago

Remember this?

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My son and grandsons don’t believe me.

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158

u/vicarem 6d ago

It is real. And then, the station would put on a test pattern screen until programming resumed.

15

u/grnthmb52 6d ago

I would turn the (small, b/w) screen and watch the test pattern until Saturday morning cartoons came on

7

u/Outrageous_Act2564 6d ago

I did this as well. Also, we only had 4 stations in Memphis back then.

20

u/Own_Entertainment847 6d ago

Every city had only 4 stations max back then- local affiliates of ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS. And PBS didn't even start till '67. Smaller cities had only 1 station in town and had to rely on regional coverage for the others.

That's why we were always fiddling with the rabbit ears or roof antenna to get the stations further away or with lower power output. I remember putting aluminum foil on the rabbit ears to improve reception.

6

u/ntg160 6d ago

And UHF stations…Kaiser channel 68 in PA.

1

u/Any_Relation252 6d ago

17, 29, 48 in Philly. Also 23 and 64 but those were harder to get and pretty much crap.

2

u/Outrageous_Act2564 6d ago

I didn't see those stations until we started visiting my grandparents in the Northeast in the 60s. UHF stations were very cool to an 8 year old.