ON-TV
Encyclopedia
- For the station in Hamilton, OntarioHamilton, OntarioHamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
that used the branding "OnTV" during the 1990s, see CHCH-TVCHCH-TVCHCH-DT, channel 11, is a television station originating in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with transmitters located throughout Ontario. CHCH currently operates as an independent station, having previously served as a CBC Television affiliate, and more recently as the flagship station of the...
.
ON-TV, also known as National Subscription Television, was a subscription television service launched in 1977 by Oak Industries, Norman Lear
Norman Lear
Norman Milton Lear is an American television writer and producer who produced such 1970s sitcoms as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, Good Times and Maude...
's Chartwell Enterprises and Jerry Perenchio
Jerry Perenchio
Andrew Jerrold "Jerry" Perenchio was the former chairman and CEO of Univision, the largest Spanish-language company in the United States.-Early life:...
. Oak was a manufacturer of satellite and pay-TV decoders and equipment. ON-TV operated in major markets such as Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Detroit.
Origins
ON-TV was one of many "scrambled UHF" services in many major markets around the country in the era before multi-channel cable televisionCable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
became widely available. Others included SelecTV
SelecTV USA
SelecTV was a subscription television service formed in 1976, and first broadcasting in 1978 The service focused entirely on televising movies, and ended in 1991...
, Prism, Starcase, Spectrum
Spectrum (TV channel)
Spectrum was a subscription TV channel in the Chicago area that existed in the early 1980s. It was a direct competitor to ON-TV and operated in the same way. It was owned and operated by United Cable.-Usage:...
, Preview
Preview (TV channel)
Preview was a subscription television service, started in 1980, similar to ON-TV and SelecTV. Like ON-TV and SelecTV, Preview was a scrambled UHF Subscription channel requiring a special set-top box to decode....
, VEU
VEU
VEU was an American subscription television channel owned by Golden West Broadcasting. The channel was similar to ON-TV, another scrambled UHF service, and was carried by many stations including KAUT-TV in Oklahoma City, WVEU in Atlanta and KNBN in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The service began...
, and SuperTV
SuperTV
Super TV was an early form of subscription television which was offered to the public as either an additional viewing alternative to HBO & Showtime, or, like many in the area at that time who did not have cable service in their area. To many, Super TV served as the only choice to see recently-run...
. During the 1980s, cable television became more available in the United States and rendered "over the air" subscription television obsolete.
Programming
ON-TV, like other pay-TV networks, aired a mixture of movies, sports events, and concerts. For example, the Los Angeles-area service showed many home games of the Los Angeles DodgersLos Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
, Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, and Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
, as well as some of the era's biggest championship boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
matches. In Chicago, ON-TV aired Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
, Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
and Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
games (which eventually migrated over to a second ON-TV owned station, Sportsvision
Sportsvision
Sportsvision was a subscription TV service founded by Chicago White Sox owners Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn, and media mogul Fred Eychaner. The service broadcast live sporting events....
.) In Detroit, it aired the Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
and Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
, but was soon replaced by another premium channel, PASS Sports.
ON-TV not only aired mainstream films, but much like Z Channel
Z Channel
The Z Channel was one of the first pay cable stations in the United States. Launched in 1974 from Los Angeles, California, this station was known for its devotion to the art of cinema due to the eclectic choice of films by the programming chief, Jerry Harvey...
, also aired more unique films and concerts, featuring such acts as Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
, Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
and Siouxsie and the Banshees. ON-TV also opted for a uniquely New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
-dominated music video lineup between films, including acts such as Oingo Boingo
Oingo Boingo
Oingo Boingo was an American new wave band. They are best known for their influence on other musicians, their soundtrack contributions and their high energy Halloween concerts. The band was founded in 1972 as The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, a performance art group...
, Slade
Slade
Slade are an English rock band from Wolverhampton, who rose to prominence during the glam rock era of the early 1970s. With 17 consecutive Top 20 hits and six number ones, the British Hit Singles & Albums names them as the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles...
, Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants
Adam and the Ants were a British rock band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The original group, which existed from 1977 to 1980, became notable as a cult band marking the transition from the late-1970s punk rock era to the post-punk and New Wave era...
, Devo
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
, Men Without Hats
Men Without Hats
Men Without Hats is a Canadian New Wave group from Montreal, Quebec. Their music was characterized by the distinctive baritone voice of their lead singer Ivan Doroschuk as well as their elaborate use of synthesizers and electronic processing...
, Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
, Utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
, The Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
, The J. Geils Band, Wall of Voodoo
Wall of Voodoo
Wall of Voodoo was an American New Wave group from Los Angeles best known for the 1983 hit "Mexican Radio". The band had a sound that was a fusion of synthesizer-based New Wave music with the spaghetti western soundtrack style of Ennio Morricone.-Formation:...
, Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:...
, Queen, and many others.
The cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains is a 1981 film about three teenage girls, played by Diane Lane, Laura Dern and Marin Kanter, who start a punk band. Shot in British Columbia, Canada, the film also featured Ray Winstone, Christine Lahti, ex-Sex Pistols Steve Jones and Paul Cook, along with...
, featuring a very young Diane Lane
Diane Lane
Diane Lane is an American film actress.Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at the age of 13 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. Soon after, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine...
, Laura Dern
Laura Dern
Laura Elizabeth Dern is an American actress, film director and producer. Dern has acted in such films as Smooth Talk , Blue Velvet , Fat Man and Little Boy , Wild at Heart , Jurassic Park and October Sky...
and various members of the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
and The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, also aired on the service. Another cult item, slasher film
Slasher film
A slasher film is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe...
My Bloody Valentine
My Bloody Valentine (film)
My Bloody Valentine is a 1981 Canadian slasher film released in the wake of the popularity of the slasher genre that had overtaken the 1970s...
was shown with several minutes that were never seen theatrically (they were edited out to avoid an X rating
X-rated
In some countries, X is or has been a motion picture rating reserved for the most explicit films. Films rated X are intended only for viewing by adults, usually legally defined as people over the age of 17.-United Kingdom:...
) - a rare showing of the film in its entirety. ON-TV was also the first network to broadcast the uncut version of the original Dawn of the Dead. Between films, ON-TV favored artistically-driven film shorts and the oddball Canadian comics Roger and Roger, who aired daily in an afternoon time slot.
In 1982, ON-TV's executives convinced George Lucas
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
to sell them the rights for the very first TV broadcast of the first Star Wars
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
film as a means to "help a pioneering PayTV technology fight the likes of HBO and Showtime cable networks from taking over." The rights to broadcast Star Wars were obtained by ON-TV for a one time pay-per-view showing in September 1982, available for a one-time fee of $7 to $8.
(Lucas would do the same favor for LA's Z Channel by granting them the rights to air The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, based on a story by George Lucas, was written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan...
in January 1985.)
Basic service fees
Service fees for the subscription varied by market.In Los Angeles, basic service was $19 a month, plus an extra charge for a selection of softcore pornography marketed as "ON Plus." Plans were developed for a second ON-TV channel, which never appeared (Chicago did have a somewhat tied in Sportsvision that had its own channel). In Detroit, the service cost $22.50 a month flat for all programming. Many subscribers also received a monthly program guide called SeasON Ticket.
In the South Florida market, the basic fee was $19.95 a month. Softcore pornography was broadcast in earlier years of the service, but ON would eventually broadcast hardcore features as part of its optional "Adults Only" service. Some titles would include uncut versions of Debbie Does Dallas
Debbie Does Dallas
Debbie Does Dallas is a 1978 pornographic film starring Bambi Woods. The plot of the film focuses on a team of cheerleaders attempting to earn enough money to send the title character to Dallas, Texas, to try out for the famous “Texas Cowgirls” cheerleading squad. The fictional name "Texas...
and Taboo, for example. This would be a large part of the lawsuits following the end of the service.
There were two basic steps to access ON-TV programming:
- Pay a monthly subscription fee to NSTV, the parent company of the service.
- Receive a converter box (a box with a knob that had two settings, OFF and ON) which decoded a picture sent to the TV.
The picture was transmitted over-the-air on a UHF station. The technology was sometimes called multipoint distribution system. Viewers without decoder boxes saw a scrambled, flickering picture and garbled or substituted audio. However, some older models of black-and-white (and some color) TV sets were able to receive a clear signal, due to a fluke with the older technology. These older sets still received garbled or no audio.
Since the signal went out over-the-air, it was a popular target for signal pirates. This was especially true in the Detroit market, where many Windsor, Ontario
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
residents built homemade decoder boxes. The boxes were also popular on the American side, and hobbyists sold them for as much as $150 each.
Stations transmitting ON-TV programs
Among the stations that transmitted ON-TV programs were:- KBSC Los AngelesLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
(now Telemundo affiliate KVEAKVEAKVEA is a Spanish-language television station in the Los Angeles area owned and operated by NBC Universal and the West Coast flagship station of the Telemundo network. It was the first mainland U.S. station owned by Telemundo at the network's launch in the late 1980's...
) - WSNS ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
(also a Telemundo station) - WSMW BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
(now Univision affiliate WUNIWUNIWUNI, digital channel 29, is the Univision television affiliate for the Greater Boston market. Licensed to Worcester, Massachusetts, the station runs general Spanish entertainment programs as well as news and information programming...
) - KTXAKTXAKTXA, virtual channel 21 , is an independent television station based in Fort Worth, Texas, and serving the Dallas/Fort Worth designated market area. With its transmitter in Cedar Hill, KTXA is owned by CBS Corporation and is the sister station of CBS outlet KTVT .KTXA was originally an...
Dallas/Fort Worth (later UPN, now independent again) - WBTI Cincinnati (now MyNetworkTVMyNetworkTVMyNetworkTV is a television broadcast syndication service in the United States, owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation...
station WSTRWSTR-TVWSTR-TV is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for the Tri-State area of Southwestern Ohio, Southeastern Indiana, and Northern Kentucky. Licensed to Cincinnati, the station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 33 from a transmitter in the College Hill section of the...
) - WXON Detroit (now WMYDWMYDWMYD is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Southeast Michigan licensed to Detroit. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 21 from a transmitter on Eight Mile Road in Oak Park along the Oakland and Wayne County line. The station can also be seen on Comcast...
, also an MNTV affiliate) - WKID Fort LauderdaleFort Lauderdale, FloridaFort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
(now Telemundo affiliate WSCVWSCVWSCV Telemundo 51 is the Telemundo O&O that serves the Miami - Fort Lauderdale area and licensed to Fort Lauderdale. The transmitter is located in Miramar. The station also serves as the de facto Telemundo affiliate for the West Palm Beach market. The station is owned by NBCUniversal along with NBC...
) - KNXV PhoenixPhoenix, ArizonaPhoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
(now an ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate) - KECH Salem/Portland, Oregon (now KPXGKPXGKPXG-TV is the Ion Television affiliate licensed to Salem, Oregon, and serves the Portland, Oregon-Vancouver, Washington television market. It broadcasts on digital channel 22. It operates translator KPXG-LD, digital channel 42, to further enhance Portland coverage; programming is also seen on...
, an Ion Television station) - KTSFKTSFKTSF is an independent television station serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Although licensed to San Francisco, the station's studio building is located in south suburban Brisbane, California. It is owned by Lincoln Broadcasting Company, and broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 27 from a...
San FranciscoSan Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
(now an independentIndependent stationAn independent station is in the category of television terminology used to describe a television station broadcasting in the United States or Canada that is not affiliated with any television network....
airing multiple language programming)
Chicago
ON-TV began broadcasting in Chicago in 19801980 in television
The year 1980 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1980.For the American TV schedule, see: 1980-81 American network television schedule.-Events:...
, airing on Channel 44, WSNS and competing directly with the similar Spectrum
Spectrum (TV channel)
Spectrum was a subscription TV channel in the Chicago area that existed in the early 1980s. It was a direct competitor to ON-TV and operated in the same way. It was owned and operated by United Cable.-Usage:...
service, which was owned by United Cable. The service went dark in May 1985, largely due to the long-awaited entrance of cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
into the city. Chicago was the last remaining ON-TV market to go under due to the city's overlong debate over how to divide itself up for cable distribution in order to avoid a monopoly.
Additional services
Outside of being the last remaining ON-TV market, another unique characteristic of ON-TV Chicago was that it was the only 'Subscription Television' over-the-airwaves service worldwide that owned and distributed three different pay networks in the same market. Not only was WSNS channel 44 Chicago an ON-TV network, but they also distributed SportsVision for 21 months between March 1982 to December 1983. In addition, WFBN Channel 66 aired 'ON Subscription Service' for fourteen months between March 1984 to May 1985. This third expansion effort was unique to Chicago due to their pennies-to-the-dollar purchase of Spectrum’s customer base during the Spectrum Bankruptcy of 1983. At that point in time, ON-TV had no financial capability to expand to a third network in any other market because ON-TV suffered as its competitors did from the imminent threat of Cable TV encroaching in on their service territories nationwide.Enormous class action lawsuits based around airing late night 'adult' material over the public airwaves became common, even though the FCC had previously issued an amendment to the term 'public airwaves' declaring that 'broadcasts which could not be seen and heard in the clear by an ordinary viewer with an ordinary television', were exempt from those rules, lawsuits were still filed against the company. But by then, all was moot anyway as customers dropped like flies, defecting to the newly-introduced multi-channel cable TV, and severe signal piracy issues arose for the few people that were left who were interested in the service.
ON-TV was only able to pull off a third pay service in the Chicago market simply because of the enormous customer base in existence due to the large population that had little or no access to cable television until the summer of 1985. The purchase of Spectrum
Spectrum
A spectrum is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary infinitely within a continuum. The word saw its first scientific use within the field of optics to describe the rainbow of colors in visible light when separated using a prism; it has since been applied by...
brought in over 40,000 new customers, and in March 1984, ON Subscription Television on WFBN Channel 66 was born. ON Subscription Service 66 was a completely different Channel from ON-TV 44 with a completely different lineup of entertainment, with the less-expensive monthly subscription price of $19.95 versus ON-TV’s $29.95.
Instead of migrating the new subscriber network into their own existing network which would have saved costs, ON-TV strangely chose this opportunity to expand into a second movie/entertainment network, resulting in a third pay service. With some notable power moves like this one, Kent Hauver, then General Manager of ON-TV Chicago, fought to keep the last dying bastion of what was once a strong national subscription service alive in the Chicago market til the bitter end.
In addition, even though magazines such as Popular Science
Popular Science
Popular Science is an American monthly magazine founded in 1872 carrying articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. Popular Science has won over 58 awards, including the ASME awards for its journalistic excellence in both 2003 and 2004...
and Electronics Monthly published schematics for his new system even before he had a chance to implement it, Hauver also made a notable effort of abolishing a majority of the piracy happening at the time with stronger signal scrambling and changing the algorithm of the signal code so the "black boxes" would regularly fail discouraging continued piracy efforts.
The final month and the 'film clubs'
The only new film ON-TV purchased rights to and televised in May 1985 was Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes; however, as a farewell and thank you to their Chicago subscribers, ON-TV filled the remainder of the schedule with what seemed to be their entire back-catalog of films, a different set of programs every day, with no authorization from any of the related film studios. The motto that entire month was "Get your VCRs ready, because you, our last devoted subscribers, are in for a treat with a new lineup of programs every single day!" The only film actually repeated that month was, ironically, Greystoke; the others only aired once each. (Oddly, no studio ever lodged any complaints with ON-TV, probably because the service was closing its doors.)Many subscribers were alarmed with both the end of ON-TV and the lack of forewarning about the bonanza of films being shown. The only indication that ON-TV was doing anything unusual were the on-air announcements and in the May ON-TV Program Guide; any earlier advertising of that month's schedule risked raising red flags. But as the word got out about the film bonanza, by the second week of May, VCR tapes (both VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and Betamax
Betamax
Betamax was a consumer-level analog videocassette magnetic tape recording format developed by Sony, released on May 10, 1975. The cassettes contain -wide videotape in a design similar to the earlier, professional wide, U-matic format...
) were becoming hard to come by in Chicagoland.
To record the movies, some hit upon the idea of borrowing their local school's 3/4-inch U-Matic video recorders, erasing and re-using old black-and-white school videos that were gathering dust. Others dragged out their old Cartrivision
Cartrivision
Cartrivision was an analog video videocassette format introduced in 1972, and the first format to offer feature films for consumer rental. It was produced by Frank Stanton's Cartridge Television, Inc. , a subsidiary of Avco, who also owned Embassy Pictures at the time. Cartrivision was available in...
or V-Cord
V-Cord
V-Cord was a analog recording videocassette format developed and released by Sanyo in 1974. V-Cord was released in two versions: V-Cord I , which could record a maximum of 60 minutes on one V-Cord cassette, and the later V-Cord II, released in 1976, which could record a maximum of 120 minutes on a...
recorders from the 70's, picking up tapes at swap meets. Brief 'film clubs' were even formed between neighbors and co-workers, some even going so far as to have a "scheduling captain" so that all VCRs would be recording as much as possible; this was at a time when a single movie on video could cost upwards of $100 (even though LaserDisc
Laserdisc
LaserDisc was a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. Initially licensed, sold, and marketed as MCA DiscoVision in North America in 1978, the technology was previously referred to interally as Optical Videodisc System, Reflective Optical Videodisc, Laser Optical...
and SelectaVision
SelectaVision
The Capacitance Electronic Disc was an analog video video disc playback system developed by RCA, in which video and audio could be played back on a TV set using a special needle and high-density groove system similar to phonograph records....
videodiscs could be had for a third of that).
Eventually, the 'masters' were often taken to the duplication centers of the local public school media libraries, which ran off hundreds at a time (as they did for educational videos) so each teacher could have their own copy. After each of the 'film club' members had received theirs and traded in kind, the leftovers from this process were then sold in swap meets for a reduced price as 'blank tape' once the shortage of videocassettes had been alleviated.
During ON-TV's six years in Chicago (and for several years thereafter), WSNS was constantly embroiled in numerous lawsuits related to late night adult programming from the service, but nothing ever came of their final month of unauthorized back-catalog programming.
Detroit
In 1979, ON-TV came to Detroit on WXON (now WMYDWMYD
WMYD is the MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station for Southeast Michigan licensed to Detroit. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 21 from a transmitter on Eight Mile Road in Oak Park along the Oakland and Wayne County line. The station can also be seen on Comcast...
), Channel 20. Like the services in other cities, ON-TV in Detroit carried local sports action (Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
, Detroit Tigers
Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers are a Major League Baseball team located in Detroit, Michigan. One of the American League's eight charter franchises, the club was founded in Detroit in as part of the Western League. The Tigers have won four World Series championships and have won the American League pennant...
, etc.) in addition to movies and specials, but soon ran into a problem: ON-TV did not begin transmitting until 8PM. Since many games began before 8 PM, fans missed the start of many contests: in one famous incident, the Red Wings racked up a 5-0 lead in a game against the Calgary Flames before ON began its coverage.
In 1982, WXON began airing ON-TV on weekend afternoons and soon faced challenges from "In-Home Theatre" (which aired 24 hours a day on what is now WPXD
WPXD
WPXD-TV is a television station licensed to Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is the Ion Television network affiliate for the Southeastern Michigan market.-Digital programming:...
in Ann Arbor) as well as a Livonia, Michigan
Livonia, Michigan
Livonia is a city in the northwest part of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Livonia is a very large suburb with an array of traditional neighborhoods connected to the metropolitan area by freeways. The population was 96,942 at the 2010 census, making it Michigan's 9th largest...
-based service entitled MORE-TV which was a precursor to the later wireless cable
Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service
Broadband Radio Service formerly known as Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service , also known as Wireless Cable, is a wireless telecommunications technology, used for general-purpose broadband networking or, more commonly, as an alternative method of cable television programming reception...
services and today's DSS
DSS
DSS can refer to:Government and politics* Diplomatic Security Service, an agency in the U.S. Department of State* Defense Security Service, an agency in the U.S. Department of Defense...
services like Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
and DirectTV.
MORE-TV like its' microwave cousins in other cities, beamed HBO directly to viewer's houses via microwave, utilizing the frequencies of the former Instructional Television Fixed Service
Instructional Television Fixed Service
The Educational Broadband Service was formerly known as the Instructional Television Fixed Service . ITFS was a band of twenty microwave channels available to be licensed by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to local credit granting educational institutions...
(ITFS) used in schools in the `70's. WXON dropped ON-TV on March 31, 1983.
Cincinnati
ON-TV was broadcast on independent station WBTI Channel 64 starting in 1980 and ending in 1985 due to Warner Amex cable being available within the Cincinnati city limits. Warner Amex' 60 channels that were available as well as variety of programming made interest in ON-TV slow to a halt. In January 1985, WBTI became WIII and began airing a standard independent schedule, with ON-TV regulated to evenings and weekends. By June 1985 ON-TV was off the air, leading WIII to show standard programming full-time.Fort Lauderdale
ON-TV was broadcast on an existing independent station based in Hollywood, FloridaHollywood, Florida
-Demographics:As of 2000, there were 59,673 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of...
, WKID channel 51, that was purchased by Oak Industries in 1980. The ON-TV service was offered generally from 4pm to 2am in the South Florida market with independent programming during other hours. In the early days of the service, it proved to be successful. Unfortunately, cable television became more available as each year passed. This would make the service obsolete for most customers.
In 1984, ON-TV had approximately 30,000 subscribers throughout Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties. By the summer of 1984, many jobs at the station were cut to help save the financially distressed station. Unfortunately, much like other markets in the country, there was no recovery and the station was quickly sold to John Blair & Co. for $17.9 million
.
Shortly after the sale, ON-TV service as well as all other programming on WKID ceased broadcasting in late November 1984. Channel 51 remained off the air until 1985, when the station became WSCV
WSCV
WSCV Telemundo 51 is the Telemundo O&O that serves the Miami - Fort Lauderdale area and licensed to Fort Lauderdale. The transmitter is located in Miramar. The station also serves as the de facto Telemundo affiliate for the West Palm Beach market. The station is owned by NBCUniversal along with NBC...
, a Spanish-language station. In 1987, WSCV became a Telemundo
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
affiliate.
Los Angeles
In 1983, ON-TV merged its Los Angeles operations with SelecTVSelecTV USA
SelecTV was a subscription television service formed in 1976, and first broadcasting in 1978 The service focused entirely on televising movies, and ended in 1991...
, a similar service that was carried on KWHY, now a Spanish-language independent. However, the merger could not forestall the technological changes that made the service obsolete: as cable TV became more widely available, ON-TV's popularity declined. The last shows aired sometime around 1985.
ON-TV Los Angeles started up in April 1977 and grew to just over 430,000 subscribers at its peak. The UHF station was
KBSC, ch. 52, licenced to Oak broadcasting for Corona-Los Angeles and transmitted from Mount Wilson with studios and offices
in Glendale California.
ON-TV LA had great success with pay-per-view films and sporting events, and for a while was the biggest single channel pay TV service in the US.