Non-News Classic Video

[Jess 1115]

Someone posted an idea for a "sports classic video" thread on the shoutbox a few days ago. I like the idea, but I wanted to expand it a little bit.

 

The focus of the existing classic video thread is on news and broadcast TV stations. This is, essentially, "everything else". Premium cable promos, MTV "vidchecks", sports promos and graphics, everything within reason. Obviously let's not post full game shows or compilations of production company logos.

 

So! I'll start with three examples of the above.

 

 

I had, like, five examples of premium cable promos but I ultimately went with this one. Why? I think mid-80s Movie Channel stuff is underrated. The theme music is great and the movie open is fantastic, and it's interesting to see bits of a channel that never quite found a niche. (Even a rebrand effort from the great Fred Seibert and Alan Goodman didn't really quite take off.)

 

 

Here's a nice and long MTV "vidcheck" from 1982. For those who don't quite get the concept, it's sort of similar to a "scoped aircheck" of a radio station. In other words, the songs are more or less removed (well, most of them - there's enough to let you know what the song is), but everything else isn't. So this is the VJ banter, commercials, and promos from that era.

 

It's interesting to note how tame it is in comparison to how MTV was later in the decade. The formatics are very, very similar to radio. Lots of VJ segments, lots of promos, pretty high on the music content (and before I get the obligatory "well, duh, this is when they actually played music" comments, I want to stress that this is in comparison to how they were much later in the decade, when there were much more commercials, promos, and news breaks.)

 

 

Ok, so "full sports broadcast" might not exactly be "within reason" but bear with me here. I wanted to spotlight the 1993-95 ABC Sports look, and the best way to do it was with this, a full bowling telecast from 1993. Cheesy Professional Bowlers Tour theme song aside, this look has aged like fine wine. I've mentioned ABC Sports' theme music from this period many, many times... but I'm going to mention it again because it is simply my favorite piece of television production music. Period.

 

But I also wanted to note the graphics, which is why I'm posting this in full. Like I said, it's aged like fine wine. With a few adjustments you could be using these today - and more or less, Fox Sports IS using these graphics today. The resemblance is striking. I'll take crisp and clean graphics like these over overdone gloss and dancing robots any day of the week.

[onthesea 292]

Some excerpts of the long-running soccer show Fútbol de Primera from 1998.

Take a look at those timelapse views of Buenos Aires (shot in film) and the flashy graphics!

[onthesea 292]

Intro and segment from Canal 13's broadcast of 2000 Today, on Friday, December 31st, 1999.

The clip was directed by filmmaker Carlos Sorín and the music was composed and performed by Lito Vitale.

 

And some excerpts of that broadcast, which is seen here from 12:15pm (Buenos Aires time; subtract 2 hours for Eastern Standard Time)

[MikePulse 318]

Everybody knows Space Station HBO. It’s one of those sequences that really needs no introduction. Even the network itself has it on their YouTube page.

 

 

Then in 1999, as stop motion animation was seen as dated (with the exception of “Chicken Run”), a new sequence emerged. From the theater to the small town, the tundra, the desert, and back into the city, it’s won over its share of viewers too.

 

 

Then came 2011. Things got muted. Extravagance was dulled in favor of

and

. Until last year.

 

With the introduction of the “HBO in Focus” motif (see any one of their current promos), a new Feature Presentation sequence was created, with a couple notable callbacks, and that classic 12-note signature as loud and proud as ever.

 

[Georgie56 3293]

Everybody knows Space Station HBO. It’s one of those sequences that really needs no introduction. Even the network itself has it on their YouTube page.

 

 

Then in 1999, as stop motion animation was seen as dated (with the exception of “Chicken Run”), a new sequence emerged. From the theater to the small town, the tundra, the desert, and back into the city, it’s won over its share of viewers too.

 

 

Then came 2011. Things got muted. Extravagance was dulled in favor of

and

. Until last year.

 

With the introduction of the “HBO in Focus” motif (see any one of their current promos), a new Feature Presentation sequence was created, with a couple notable callbacks, and that classic 12-note signature as loud and proud as ever.

 

 

I see your HBO and raise you 2 Showtime “No Limits” feature presentations:

 

 

[onthesea 292]

Intro and segment from Canal 13's broadcast of 2000 Today, on Friday, December 31st, 1999.

The clip was directed by filmmaker Carlos Sorín and the music was composed and performed by Lito Vitale.

 

And some excerpts of that broadcast, which is seen here from 12:15pm (Buenos Aires time; subtract 2 hours for Eastern Standard Time)

A short compilation of the bumpers used to rejoin the program after the commercials:

[MEDIA=vimeo]266390180[/MEDIA]

 

The station collected a PromaxBDA Award in 2000 thanks to this beautiful graphic image.

[johnnya2k6 171]

Lorimar, in between producing Dallas, Knots Landing, and Falcon Crest in the '80s -- and before they were absorbed into Warner Bros. Television -- also brought us college basketball under the ad-hoc "Lorimar Sports Network" (typeface was the same as CBS Sports' at the time):

 

(I wonder if there was a DC Sports Network as well... (DC being Dick Clark [Productions]))

[dman748 1256]

I'll begin with 2 of my all-time favorite Sports promos (and I have a lot of the sports promos from every network (except CBS) on my YouTube channel

As narrated by late Hal Douglas:

 

"The NFL, the NBA, Major League Baseball, Notre Dame Football, the PGA Tour, Wimbledon, the USGA Championships and the 2000 and 2002 Olympic Games.

All on America's Sports Leader, NBC."

 

This is the one I like the most:

 

"The NFL and the Super Bowl, the Breeders Cup, the PGA Tour, the NBA and the NBA Finals, Notre Dame Football, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008 Olympic Games.

All on America's Sports Leader, NBC."

[johnnya2k6 171]

The early beginnings of two popular cable channels; first, Daytime:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-PmHnQn8kg

Of course, Daytime would merge with Cable Health Network in 1984, and Lifetime was born.

 

Hearst/ABC also brought us ARTS (Alpha Repretory Television Service), which once upon a time shared channel space with Nickelodeon:

(no need to explain A&E’s history even further)

[Chris Hadley 129]

On the set of the soon-to-be concluded NEW GIRL, Fox's midseason affiliate presentation from December 2012:

[Chris Hadley 129]

WEEK-TV (Peoria, Illinois)'s sales presentation from 1990:

[Chris Hadley 129]

Longtime KTRK announcer, the late Bill Young (still misidentified on NMSA as Doug Tisdale) voices this recap of Fox's successful promotional efforts during the 1998-99 season.

[Chris Hadley 129]

From the very early days of the then 1-year old movie channel Encore:

[Samantha 2895]

That is cringeworthy!

[Chris Hadley 129]

Then-independent (now CBS) station KTVT in Dallas' sales presentation reel from 1977, featuring a look at the station's studio/on-location production department:

[Chris Hadley 129]

WPTF (Raleigh/Durham, N.C.)'s sales presentation to potential local and national advertisers from 1991.

[Georgie56 3293]

Some HBO multiplex stuff from the early 2000s, when each HBO channel had its own identity.

 

HBO:

 

 

Plus (HBO2):

 

 

Signature:

 

 

Family:

 

[onthesea 292]

Old KYW 1060 commercial from 1984.

[onthesea 292]

Old radio commercials from Argentina:

Radio 10 (AM710, 1999; before becoming Buenos Aires' leading AM station)

 

Continental (AM590, 1997; still focused on news and talk)

[johnnya2k6 171]

A 1981 Viacom syndication sales tape for (the original) Hawaii Five-O:

 

WBBM-TV sales tape from 1975 (featuring Dinah Shore), four years before they would become #1:

 

And in honor of their 70th anniversary...WBZ’s sales tapes from 1984, 1985, and 1993:

[MikePulse 318]

Looks like ‘BZ wants to join in on posting classic commercials too.

[onthesea 292]

From 1992: a bit of an episode of The Simpsons, Canal 5 Rosario's ID and a Friday night movie opener from Telefe in Buenos Aires (Canal 5 is now one of its owned and operated stations), with a remix of K-Jee (MFSB) as the background theme.

The movie was "The Trial of the Incredible Hulk", that aired on NBC in 1989.

[onthesea 292]

In 1996, Telefe purchased the rights to air Beavis and Butthead late at night (weeknights at 12am), but I don't know why they decided to air small segments dubbed by local voice actors making fun of the Argentinian TV programming. Take a look!

[qunewsguy 377]

Looks like ‘BZ wants to join in on posting classic commercials too.

 

Man it was good to see that Riverside commercial. That's the amusement park I grew up with, just about 15 minutes down the road from me.

[hmaxhanson 650]

Bob Costas' Later is over and now it's time for dual ABC-NBC affiliate KTEN to end its day:

 

I know it was camcorder recorded, but still a rare treat!