http://www.pbs.org/wnet/makeemlaugh/episodes/history/cable-television/33/ Just another Wpmu.thirteen.org Blogs weblog Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:42:18 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/makeemlaugh/episodes/history/cable-television/33/comment-page-1/#comment-90 John Bialas Sun, 18 Jan 2009 19:17:51 +0000 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/makeemlaugh/?p=33#comment-90 Jeff speaks the truth. To clear up the confusion, I would substitute the phrase 'kinescope film' for 'tape' in the first paragraph. Videotape wasn't used to rebroadcast a live variety show until 1957's "Edsel Show", and even then it was too pricey to be used on a weekly basis until 1959. Jeff speaks the truth. To clear up the confusion, I would substitute the phrase ‘kinescope film’ for ‘tape’ in the first paragraph. Videotape wasn’t used to rebroadcast a live variety show until 1957’s “Edsel Show”, and even then it was too pricey to be used on a weekly basis until 1959.

]]> http://www.pbs.org/wnet/makeemlaugh/episodes/history/cable-television/33/comment-page-1/#comment-80 Jeff Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:06:07 +0000 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/makeemlaugh/?p=33#comment-80 There is one major flaw in this treatise. Videotape did not exist commercially until the late 1950's and early 1960's. Early TV shows were "recorded" on film, and these films were called kinescopes, literally, a filmed transcript of a live show, photographed from a TV monitor by a motion picture camera, complete with soundtrack. It was not instant, as videotape would be. It could take an hour or two to develop the black-and-white movie film, and then the films would be sent by either Railway Express, UPS, rail or truck from one TV station to the next...it was a distant precursor to what we now know as syndication. Except for that one flaw, the above was highly illustrative of early TV comedy. There is one major flaw in this treatise. Videotape did not exist commercially until the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Early TV shows were “recorded” on film, and these films were called kinescopes, literally, a filmed transcript of a live show, photographed from a TV monitor by a motion picture camera, complete with soundtrack. It was not instant, as videotape would be. It could take an hour or two to develop the black-and-white movie film, and then the films would be sent by either Railway Express, UPS, rail or truck from one TV station to the next…it was a distant precursor to what we now know as syndication. Except for that one flaw, the above was highly illustrative of early TV comedy.

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