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ORACLE (teletext)
Encyclopedia
ORACLE was a commercial teletext
service first broadcast on ITV
in 1974 and later on Channel 4
in the United Kingdom
, finally ending on both channels at 23:59 GMT on 31 December 1992.
at about the same time as the BBC's Ceefax
service. Due to the lack of available receivers, exact launch dates have been left obscure. Receivers became popular around 1980.
ORACLE moved away from being an experimental engineering department and more towards being a content provider. Under the original plans for the ITV franchise renewal, they were to have been scrapped at the end of 1992 and the few scan lines
they used given to the highest bidder. ORACLE successfully campaigned for the creation of a franchise for the teletext service on ITV and Channel 4, only to find themselves outbid by Teletext Ltd.
, a consortium originally comprising Associated Newspapers
, Philips Electronics
and Media Ventures International, who started broadcasting at midnight on 1 January 1993.
Because of the rivalry between the two companies, ORACLE did not carry television listings beyond its midnight closing time on New Year's Eve 1992. It merely stated "00.00 The End of Oracle, Now the Nightmare Begins".
Teletext
Teletext is a television information retrieval service developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s. It offers a range of text-based information, typically including national, international and sporting news, weather and TV schedules...
service first broadcast on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
in 1974 and later on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, finally ending on both channels at 23:59 GMT on 31 December 1992.
History
It was developed and launched by a consortium backed by the Independent Broadcasting AuthorityIndependent Broadcasting Authority
The Independent Broadcasting Authority was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television - and commercial/independent radio broadcasts...
at about the same time as the BBC's Ceefax
Ceefax
Ceefax is the BBC's teletext information service transmitted via the analogue signal, started in 1974 and will run until April 2012 for Pages from Ceefax, while the actual interactive service will run until 24 October 2012, in-line with the digital switchover.-History:During the late 60s, engineer...
service. Due to the lack of available receivers, exact launch dates have been left obscure. Receivers became popular around 1980.
ORACLE moved away from being an experimental engineering department and more towards being a content provider. Under the original plans for the ITV franchise renewal, they were to have been scrapped at the end of 1992 and the few scan lines
Vertical blanking interval
The vertical blanking interval , also known as the vertical interval or VBLANK, is the time difference between the last line of one frame or field of a raster display, and the beginning of the first line of the next frame. It is present in analog television, VGA, DVI and other signals. During the...
they used given to the highest bidder. ORACLE successfully campaigned for the creation of a franchise for the teletext service on ITV and Channel 4, only to find themselves outbid by Teletext Ltd.
Teletext Ltd.
Teletext Ltd was the provider of teletext and digital interactive services for ITV, Channel 4 and Five in the United Kingdom.-Origins:Teletext Ltd started providing teletext services for ITV and Channel 4 on 1 January 1993, replacing the previous Oracle service which had lost the franchise...
, a consortium originally comprising Associated Newspapers
Associated Newspapers
Associated Newspapers is a large national newspaper publisher in the UK, which is a subsidiary of the Daily Mail and General Trust. The group was established in 1905 and is currently based at Northcliffe House in Kensington...
, Philips Electronics
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
and Media Ventures International, who started broadcasting at midnight on 1 January 1993.
The end
ORACLE began to disappear at 23:31:09 on 31 December 1992. It continued until 23:55:55 and it said ORACLE Gone 1978-1992.Because of the rivalry between the two companies, ORACLE did not carry television listings beyond its midnight closing time on New Year's Eve 1992. It merely stated "00.00 The End of Oracle, Now the Nightmare Begins".
Legacy
Even now Oracle is perhaps best remembered for its advertising slogan "Page The Oracle".See also
- Park AvenuePark Avenue (teletext soap)Park Avenue was a daily teletext based soap opera on ITV's ORACLE Teletext service, which was written by Robbie Burns. It was launched in 1988, and 1,445 episodes were written during its time on air...
, a teletext based soap which appeared on ORACLE for several years written by Robbie Burns and Steve Regan. - Gareth Herincx, editor of ORACLE's Buzz magazine for teenagers and writer of daily journals Debbie's Diary and Josh's Diary.