Are you old enough to remember TV channel sign offs?
Assuming you are ancient like me do you remember those dark days before we were spoiled with 24/7 programming? At the end of the broadcast day the channels had sign offs. Some would do patriotic stuff. I remember one, no I can’t remember the channel and that is bad because there were so few that sang the “Blue Bird of Happiness.” I remember than because of a line in it that went something like ”for every cloudy morning there is a midnight moon above”. Then there was one I’d actually stay up to watch, it had a Lockheed F-104 Starfighter jet doing acrobatics while this dude recited a poem. Anyone remember that one? Part of the poem at least what I remember went close to ”Up, up the long delirious burning blue I top the windswept heights with easy grace, where never meadowlark or even eagle flew”. Then when it was all over it went to a couple of minutes of barcode then white noise. Then it was time to go to bed unless it was the weekend then it was time to switch over to the cheesy movies on Ch 2 from Tom LaBreeze Night Comfort Theater. If you are ancient enough surely you remember that or Kung Fu Chinese Theater? –There were some actual good Kung Fu movies there with the ubiquitous shoddy dubbing. Are there any sign offs you remember and can you remember the channel you seen them on?
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I am 29 and I remember this (I have been insomniac from a young age) I recall seeing it several times as a very young child with my grandmother
The sign offs I recall seemed to be specific to the specific stations. The most surprising was when UHF stations started broadcasting; they would run movies all night! But the local NBC affiliate would all sign off; first after the tonight show, at 1 a.m., then after Tom Snyder and the Tomorrow show.
I remember one summer night after the Star Spangled Banner played, and we turned to each other and said, “what now?”
I believe this was probably after johnny varson if im correct? And it was a patriotic to-do.
I remember Johnny usually meaning the night was over do VHF programming Hee hee hee
Our stations used to have a picture of an Indian, I don’t know why, and a vertical rainbow at the sign off.
I remember the vertical rainbow @YARNLADY mentioned. This was before infomercials took over late night TV. I miss those days.
I was rarely allowed to stay up that late but I do occassionally remember seeing the BBC switch-off. There would be an announcer saying goodnight, then a short film of a kitten playing, and then the test card. I don’t know whether the test card stayed on all night or if it just went black.
I always liked Sailing By which is played on BBC Radio 4 prior to the Shipping Forecast at the end of each day.
I do remember those days… it was time to go back to reading once all the stations signed off. Interestingly, HGTV does a sign off now, but it’s just to indicate “this is the end of our actual programming, but here are several hours worth of infomercials for your entertainment”.
I awoke to a vertical rainbow today.
And of course, the SS Banner has put a patriotic kick in our minds before we nod off :)
The poem you’re quoting from is High Flight, by John Gillespie Magee, Jr., an American fighter pilot during the Battle of Britain.
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .
Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
The tv stations in Nashville all had sign-offs at midnight. it was always the American Flag and a patriotic song played. then the screen would go black with a test pattern showing.
Now that i think about it, maybe the only reason the tv stations did not run 24/7 was for two reasons: 1. the FCC would not allow it or 2. there was no network affiliations( not in existence) to assist the local tv stations with overnight programming.
I am sorry to say i witnessed the sign-offs for many years. i would then turn on the radio to WLAC and Hoss Allen. this was a 50,000 watt AM station in Nashville that coverd most of the nation with Rhythmn and Blues music till dawn. most of R&B music became very popular, because of this radio station in my city. millions listened at night and the am hours.
I remember this very well. “KRON now ends it’s broadcast day…” National anthem, indian profile Contrast/Focus pic, white noise.
I remember sometimes they would sign off, then sign on immediately after. Made no sense to me.
Ahhhhh…....yes, High Flight I am a kid again watching that F-104 wheel about thinking how cool that was and dreading there is no reason to stay up in the wee hours of the morning on a hot Summer’s morning. The cancelation prize was I did not have to get up and go to school! Ha!
My fave was on the public TV station, Channel 10. They’d have the stargazer on who would tell you what stars and planets were visible in the sky that night. I loved that guy. Jack Horkheimer. He died this past April.
But when I was really little, I hated the moment it cut off into static. I found it very eerie.
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