Old Cable TV Line ups(New thread)

[Deleted User 15835]

So the old one got a bit cluttered up, so I figured I'd start again. I grew up in Southern Monroe County, just a couple of minutes from The state line. The cable TV we had was first known as Phoenix cable services, then frontier vision, and later Adelphia. Around 2000, Buckeye cable was finally allowed to cross the state line and bring it's FAR superior service to Bedford twp.

The band Less Than Jake has a song called Growing Up On The Couch, which was pretty much me . So I watch a ton of TV. So here goes:

2-WJBK Detroit
3-Community Access
4-WDIV Detroit
5-WKBD Detroit Ch 50
6-WUPW Toledo Ch 36
7-WXYZ Detroit
8-WNWO Toledo Ch 24
9-CBET Ch9 Windsor Ontario
10- CSPAN
11- WTOL Toledo
12-WGTE Toledo Ch 30 PBS
13-WTVG Toledo

14-Open/Pay Per View
15- The Movie Channel
16-Disney
17-Cinemax
18-Playboy
`19-Showtime
20-AMC
21-HBO
22-Pass Sports

23-Open Community access
24-Nickelodean
25 -CNN
26-INSP
27-Family Channel
28-Super Station TBS
29-Open Community Access
30-The Weather Channel
31-ESPN
32-MTV
33-VH1
34- WGN 9 Chicago(I think??)
35-Open Community Access
36-Open Community Access
37-USA
38-CNBC
39- ?
40-Lifetime
41-HLN
42-Discovery
43-TNN
44-?
45-Comedy Central
46-?
47-TNT

By the time the 90s rolled around, many considered Bedford cable to a joke. The higher channels were fuzzy and it went out often. In fact, when small satellite dishes became commonplace, many in Bedford twp dumped cable for a dish in droves. Once Buckeye came in and shut Bedford cable down, it was a relief to many.

[km1125]

....
By the time the 90s rolled around, many considered Bedford cable to a joke. The higher channels were fuzzy and it went out often. In fact, when small satellite dishes became commonplace, many in Bedford twp dumped cable for a dish in droves. Once Buckeye came in and shut Bedford cable down, it was a relief to many.

I don't know the exact history of that system, but I'd bet the original Bedford system was built to only handle 36 or 40 channels. They stretched it to try and do more, which probably resulted in a lot of problems on those higher channels. This was not untypical of systems in the 90's that were built in the 80's. I'd bet that when Buckeye acquired the system that they did a whole rebuild on the plant to provide 80 or more channels, and also make it capable of digital TV.

[Deleted User 15835]

That's very possible on why the upper channels were fuzzy, obviously were looking at technology that has long since been obsolete.

I believe Bedford cable started around 1981-1982. They had there office on Lewis and Dean rd in Temperance MI. A real estate office now resides in that building.

[Mega Hertz]

I miss the days when the cable line ups would vary sometimes from neighborhood to neighborhood. When I was a kid, depending on whose house we were at, the system and line up could change literally around the block. Then your Comcasts and Ameritech's bought it all up and now it's all uniform. The system I had where I was growing up was a POS. PASS was on 16, The Movie Channel on 17 and Showtime on 18. No HBO, no MTV, we didn't even get VH1 until 1990 and Nickelodeon until 1993.

That was when you could still have black boxes and filters. No more of that, Kemo Sabe.

[organman95]

I don't know the exact history of that system, but I'd bet the original Bedford system was built to only handle 36 or 40 channels. They stretched it to try and do more, which probably resulted in a lot of problems on those higher channels. This was not untypical of systems in the 90's that were built in the 80's. I'd bet that when Buckeye acquired the system that they did a whole rebuild on the plant to provide 80 or more channels, and also make it capable of digital TV.

Sounds somewhat similar to when Charter bought TCI in most of Michigan. TCI had started to move to digital when it went under in the mid-90s, and Charter used the massive Motorola boxes (with VOD guide and so forth) clear into the 2010s. Those boxes were glitchy as hell, and often would brick up during an EAS test/warning or while watching a PPV movie.

I went through three of those boxes before the head-end office gave me the "new" (in 2012) small box. No more issues!

[km1125]

Sounds somewhat similar to when Charter bought TCI in most of Michigan. TCI had started to move to digital when it went under in the mid-90s, and Charter used the massive Motorola boxes (with VOD guide and so forth) clear into the 2010s. Those boxes were glitchy as hell, and often would brick up during an EAS test/warning or while watching a PPV movie.

I went through three of those boxes before the head-end office gave me the "new" (in 2012) small box. No more issues!

Just in the interest of "historical accuracy", TCI never "went under". They were acquired by AT&T for $48 billion in 1998. That portion of the company was called "AT&T Broadband" when it eventually acquired the MediaOne Group. All of "AT&T Broadband" was acquired by Comcast a few years later for $72 Billion.

[Deleted User 15835]

The cable boxes in Bedford twp were these:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/125360833050

https://www.reddit.com/r/nostalgia/comm ... converter/

https://www.ebay.com/itm/304333244667

[ChrisWL1980]

Found this lineup for Monroe Cablevision from late 1981-early 82, courtesy the 1982 Broadcasting Yearbook.

2 – WJBK 2 CBS Detroit
3 – WKBD 50 IND Detroit / HBO (presumably aired after ch 50 signed off; HBO became a 24/7 service in January 1982)
4 – WDIV 4 NBC Detroit
5 – WXON 20 IND Detroit
6 – WDHO 24 ABC Toledo
7 – WXYZ 7 ABC Detroit
8 – ESPN
9 – CBET 9 CBC Windsor
10 – WTOL 11 CBS Toledo
11 – WTVS 56 PBS Detroit
12 – WTVG 13 NBC Toledo
13 – WGTE 30 PBS Toledo

[ChrisWL1980]

Also from late 1981-early 82, this was the system I grew up watching, Comcast in Clinton Township. I suspect this listing is full of errors:

2 - WJBK
3 - WTVS
4 - WDIV
5 - WKBD
6 - The Movie Channel
7 - WXYZ
9 - CBET / WOR (both listed as channel 9; maybe WOR aired after CBET signed off?)
17 - WTBS / HBO (both listed as channel 17)
20 - WXON
22 - WGPR

I didn't move to the area until 1985 but for the most part some of this jibes with my memory. I remember Cinemax on channel 19, Disney on 21, Showtime on 22 (we subscribed to HBO, Cinemax and TMC but not Disney or Showtime), MTV on 25, Nickelodeon on 26, WTBS on 29, The Weather Channel on 29, CBN/Family on 34, VH1 on 35 and I think Discovery on 37 and CMT on 51. One thing I specifically remember is that our system did not carry WGN. I had to visit my great-aunt in St. Clair Shores in order to watch WGN. An indoor antenna on a non-cable-ready TV also brought in WFUM 28, CICO 32 and a few other channels. My grandparents in Romeo had an outdoor antenna which could pick up stations I couldn't watch even OTA at home, such as CFPL 10 London, Global 29, CBLN 34 and CKCO 42 from Sarnia, CBC French on 54 and Detroit's SIN/Univision translator on 66. But I digress.

In 1998, we moved to Saline. I don't remember much of that lineup except that the only additional local channels we received that hadn't been carried in Clinton Township were WFUM 28 and WPXD 31. Ann Arbor subscribers also got WGTE, but no other Toledo stations. OTA, Toledo stations came in better than Detroit with an indoor antenna and I often watched WGTE for PBS programming instead of WTVS. When I moved to Whitmore Lake ten years ago, Charter carried WLNS 6 and WKAR 23 in addition to the Detroit stations, but both were eventually dropped. I've since cut the cord.

[ftballfan]

Cable Michigan Manistee, MI (late 1990s)

2 - Local Access
3 - WGKI (FOX 33 Cadillac)
4 - WPBN (NBC 7 Traverse City)
5 - TBS SuperStation
6 - WCMW (PBS 21 Manistee)
7 - Prevue/TV Guide Channel
8 - WGTU (ABC 29 Traverse City)
9 - QVC
10 - WWTV (CBS 9 Cadillac)
11 - Real Estate Showcase
12 - Superstation WGN (WB)
13 - Toon Disney
14 - TLC
15 - ESPN
16 - Disney Channel
17 - Lifetime
18 - VH1
19 - TBN
20 - USA
21 - E!
22 - Sneak Prevue
23 - A&E
24 - MTV
25 - TNN
26 - Nickelodeon
27 - Weather Channel
28 - Comedy Central
29 - Animal Planet (I think C-SPAN was here before Animal Planet came on)
30 - Headline News
31 - ESPN2
32 - AMC
33 - CNN
34 - Discovery Channel
35 - PASS -> Fox Sports Detroit
36 - TNT
37 - CNBC
38 - HGTV
39 - Pay-Per-View
40 - Pay-Per-View
41 - Showtime
42 - Starz!
43 - Encore
44 - HBO2
45 - HBO
46 - Cinemax
47 - Cinemax 2
48 - History Channel
49 - Fox News Channel
50 - Cartoon Network
51 - TCM
52 - FX
53 - MSNBC
54 - Sci-Fi Channel
55 - Food Network
56 - CMT (in the mid-90s, it shared 35 with PASS)
95 - Adult Pay-Per-View
96 - C-SPAN 2
97 - C-SPAN
98 - Court TV (replaced with OLN in late 1990s; Court TV would return in 2002)
99 - Family Channel

[rugratsonline]

Found this lineup for Monroe Cablevision from late 1981-early 82, courtesy the 1982 Broadcasting Yearbook.
3 – WKBD 50 IND Detroit / HBO (presumably aired after ch 50 signed off; HBO became a 24/7 service in January 1982)

Also from late 1981-early 82, this was the system I grew up watching, Comcast in Clinton Township. I suspect this listing is full of errors:
17 - WTBS / HBO (both listed as channel 17)

HBO on both systems could have been broadcasting in the cable band, which can be automatically tuned in with a special box set to a particular channel -- for example, tune in channel 3 without a box or with the box turned off, you got whatever channel was on channel 3 (in Monroe's case, WKBD); turn on the box on that channel, you get HBO.

I know that was how Gerity Cablevision in Bay City got HBO, also on channel 3, where a regular channel aired for non-subscribers or non-viewers (in this case, WUCM (WDCQ)). This method ended when more viewers owned cable-ready sets, VCRs and cable boxes, and were able to tune in HBO without subscribing; at that point, they began scrambling.

9 - CBET / WOR (both listed as channel 9; maybe WOR aired after CBET signed off?)

Considering that CBET signed off after the late movie, I would think they used WOR as a filler, until CBET lit up again later that morning.

[mtburb]

Here's the system I grew up watching, Wayne Cablevision, which most of Downriver (Southgate, Taylor, Allen Park to name a few communities), from August 1981:

2 - WJBK (CBS 2 Detroit)
3 - TV3 (Local Access)
4 - WDIV (NBC 4 Detroit)
5 - WKBD (Independent 50 Detroit)
6 - WTVS (PBS 56 Detroit)
7 - WXYZ (ABC 7 Detroit)
8 - CNN
9 - CBET (CBC 9 Windsor)
10 - CICO (TVOntario 32 Windsor)
11 - WTBS (Independent 17 Atlanta)
12 - WGPR (Independent 62 Detroit)
13 - WOR (Independent 9 New York)
14 - Cable Guide
15 - Bulletin Board
16 - Cinemax Guide
17 - Cinemax
18 - Showtime Guide
19 - Showtime
20 - HBO Guide
21 - HBO
22 - UPI/Slo-Scan
23 - USA
24 - Nickelodeon
25 - WXON (Independent 20 Detroit)
26 - PTL
27 - CBN
28 - CBEFT (SRC 78 Windsor)
29 - Sports/Financial
30 - Time/Weather
31 - ESPN
32 - Weather Radar
33 - AP News
34 - Public Access
35 - Educational Access
36 - Municipal Access

[ChrisWL1980]

Here's the system I grew up watching, Wayne Cablevision, which most of Downriver (Southgate, Taylor, Allen Park to name a few communities), from August 1981:

2 - WJBK (CBS 2 Detroit)
3 - TV3 (Local Access)
4 - WDIV (NBC 4 Detroit)
5 - WKBD (Independent 50 Detroit)
6 - WTVS (PBS 56 Detroit)
7 - WXYZ (ABC 7 Detroit)
8 - CNN
9 - CBET (CBC 9 Windsor)
10 - CICO (TVOntario 32 Windsor)
11 - WTBS (Independent 17 Atlanta)
12 - WGPR (Independent 62 Detroit)
13 - WOR (Independent 9 New York)
14 - Cable Guide
15 - Bulletin Board
16 - Cinemax Guide
17 - Cinemax
18 - Showtime Guide
19 - Showtime
20 - HBO Guide
21 - HBO
22 - UPI/Slo-Scan
23 - USA
24 - Nickelodeon
25 - WXON (Independent 20 Detroit)
26 - PTL
27 - CBN
28 - CBEFT (SRC 78 Windsor)
29 - Sports/Financial
30 - Time/Weather
31 - ESPN
32 - Weather Radar
33 - AP News
34 - Public Access
35 - Educational Access
36 - Municipal Access

I find it interesting you got the CBC French channel on your cable system. Even though the Detroit Free Press listed channel 78 (later 54) in its TV Book in the '80s, I was under the impression not too many cable systems on the U.S. side actually carried it. CBET was the only Canadian station carried on the cable systems I grew up watching. I could get TVO on 32 OTA, but not CBEFT. It doesn't appear cable systems in Port Huron or Sault Ste. Marie (MI) carried the CBLFT (Toronto) repeaters from just over the border there. (Even CHBX 2 does not appear to have even been carried on the Sault MI system. According to old listings from the '80s, not even WGTQ 8 was carried on cable in either of the Twin Saults, with systems in both cities opting for WJRT from Flint instead.)
I wonder what other cable systems in the Detroit metro carried channel 78/54. Or the SIN/Univision translator on channel 66.
I know some cable systems in New England used to carry SRC stations out of Montreal and Sherbrooke, but that was probably for the benefit of Quebecers who would visit the area to ski and could keep up on programs/info from home.

[mtburb]

More 1980s Downriver cable lineups...

Wyandotte Municipal Cable, 1985:
2 - WJBK (CBS 2 Detroit)
3 - WGTE (PBS 30 Toledo)
4 - WDIV (NBC 4 Detroit)
5 - WKBD (Independent 50 Detroit)
6 - The Weather Channel
7 - WXYZ (ABC 7 Detroit)
8 - WXON (Independent 20 Detroit)
9 - CBET (CBC 9 Windsor)
10 - College Cable
11 - AP News
12 - WTVS (PBS 56 Detroit)
13 - Working Channel
14 - reserved for FAA
15 - CICO (TVOntario 32 Windsor)
16 - WGPR (Independent 62 Detroit)
17 - Nickelodeon
18 - C-SPAN
19 - Government Access
20 - Municipal Access
21 - Public Access
22 - Educational Access
23 - Local Access
24 - Advertising
25 - Community Bulletin Board
26 - CBN Cable
27 - Electronic Program Guide
28 - TNN
29 - PTL
30 - PASS
31 - WTBS (Independent 17 Atlanta)
32 - CNN
33 - CNN 2
34 - HBO
35 - The Movie Channel
36 - Dow Jones
37 - Showtime
38 - Cinemax
39 - The Disney Channel
40 - WOR (Independent 9 New York)
41 - Lifetime
42 - USA
43 - ESPN
44 - MTV
45 - SPN
46 - reserved for FAA
47 - FNN
48 - A&E
49 - MSN
50 - future use
51 - future use
52 - Pay-Per-View

United Cable TV, Woodhaven/Lincoln Park/Trenton/Riverview/Gibraltar, 1987:
2 - WJBK (CBS 2 Detroit)
3 - ESPN
4 - WDIV (NBC 4 Detroit)
5 - TNN
6 - Pay-Per-View info
7 - WXYZ (ABC 7 Detroit)
8 - USA
9 - CBET (CBC 9 Windsor)
10 - The Discovery Channel
11 - MTV
12 - CNN
13 - CVN
14 - Electronic Program Guide
15 - Nickelodeon
16 - VH1
17 - WTBS (Independent 17 Atlanta)
18 - HBO
19 - Showtime
20 - The Movie Channel
21 - The Disney Channel
22 - Cinemax
23 - PASS
24 - AMC/CTND
25 - A&E
26 - Pay-Per-View
27 - Pay-Per-View
28 - Public Access
29 - CNN Headline News
30 - WGTE (PBS 30 Toledo)
31 - Lifetime
32 - CICO (TVOntario 32 Windsor)
33 - WGN (Independent 9 Chicago)
34 - Government Access
35 - Educational Access
36 - The Weather Channel
37 - CBN
38 - C-SPAN
39 - C-SPAN2
40 - WXON (Independent 20 Detroit)
41 - TBN
42 - PTL
43 - ACTS
44 - Local Origination
45 - FNN
46 - WNWO (ABC 24 Toledo)
47 - WTOL (CBS 11 Toledo)
48 - WTVG (NBC 13 Toledo)
49 - WGPR (Independent 62 Detroit)
50 - WKBD (Fox 50 Detroit)
51 - WTVS (PBS 56 Detroit)
52 - HSN
53 - HSN2
54 - Weather Radar/The Playboy Channel

[rugratsonline]

CBET was the only Canadian station carried on the cable systems I grew up watching. I could get TVO on 32 OTA, but not CBEFT.

During the analog era, a sister of mine who lives in Clinton in Lenawee County very regularly got a viewable signal of CBEFT with an outdoor antenna, along with almost everything from Detroit, Windsor, Toledo and Lansing, plus the VHF signals from Cleveland.

Even CHBX 2 does not appear to have even been carried on the Sault MI system.

Interestingly, it was, and maybe still is, carried on cable in St. Ignace and Mackinaw City.

According to old listings from the '80s, not even WGTQ 8 was carried on cable in either of the Twin Saults, with systems in both cities opting for WJRT from Flint instead.

On the American side, I would think they would eventually have WGTQ on cable, especially by the time must-carry rules kicked in in the 1990s.

In Canada, Shaw never carried WGTQ, but opted to carry WJRT for ABC. They would replace it with WXYZ sometime in the 2000s.

Pre-emptions and quality of programming and operations might have kept WGTQ off cable in the region for years.

I wonder what other cable systems in the Detroit metro carried ... the SIN/Univision translator on channel 66.

As they were a LPTV, very few systems, if at all, carried them, as LPTVs weren't subject to the same carriage regulations as regular-licensed stations.

I know some cable systems in New England used to carry SRC stations out of Montreal and Sherbrooke, but that was probably for the benefit of Quebecers who would visit the area to ski and could keep up on programs/info from home.

Here in Maine, CKSH (and TVA outlet CHLT) were temporarily taken off of Spectrum's Central Maine systems around Labor Day 2020 -- reasoning was unknown, though I suspect that its target audience was unable to cross the border due to COVID regulations, and Spectrum didn't want to spend money carrying stations no one would watch (besides me ). Don't know if they readded them, as we downgraded cable packages since then. On a side note, TV5Monde, the international Francophone channel, was and still is, part of standard cable in Maine (except for my package).