TV started not too long ago and people didn’t know how to navigate these devices. Everyone would have to get up to manually change the channels on the box instead of using a remote. And if you lived with a younger sibling, you probably experienced them being the designated ‘channel changer’ while you yelled commands from the couch.
Table of Contents
- 1 1. The Human Remote Control
- 2 2. The Fine Art of Antenna Adjustment
- 3 3. The UHF Dial Challenge
- 4 4. The Vertical Hold Battle
- 5 5. The Volume Dash
- 6 6. The Strategic Seating
- 7 7. The Static Shock
- 8 8. The Pre-Show Planning
- 9 9. The Picture Adjustment
- 10 10. The Weather Impact
- 11 11. The Channel Memory
- 12 12. The Warm-Up Wait
- 13 13. The Sign-Off Ritual
1. The Human Remote Control
Each TV had its little dial and the younger siblings would run up and down the entire show pressing that dial to create nice chunky sounds. They had to learn how to be patient too, because many dads would let them just change the channels the entire show without a break.
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2. The Fine Art of Antenna Adjustment
Adjusting the rabbit ears was also a skill. They had to hold them in strange ways while everyone else was doing the ‘bunny ears’ dance and yelling commands from the couch. Sometimes it took a bunch of aluminum foil to get a clear picture.
3. The UHF Dial Challenge
To maximize the quality of the picture you had to balance that UHF dial. It had to be adjusted with a light touch to show the best picture and avoid picture fuzziness.
4. The Vertical Hold Battle
Everything relied on timing, and to avoid missing the good parts of the show and hold the picture until it was just right, most people would just let their friends do it.
5. The Volume Dash
We’ve probably all adjusted the tv volume as commercials are louder than the shows sometimes leading to quick sprints to adjust the volume. We especially had to be careful to do this to not wake anyone while watching movies.
6. The Strategic Seating
Seating in a good position was a tactical decision. If you sat too close you would have to change the channel a lot. If you sat too far you’d have to squint to see. If you sat in the right position you’d be able to see without having to do much to change the channel.
7. The Static Shock
When the television needed to be changed it was a shock. And dry static months made it harder to be the brave enough to touch the TV knob. Some people even created techniques to avoid the shock before they had to touch the TV.
8. The Pre-Show Planning
People didn’t just channel surf. They planned their viewing using TV guides. To make watching TV easier you wouldn’t have to physically go to the TV to change the channel so you would have to be more deliberate in your viewing.
9. The Picture Adjustment
Because of the kind of TVs at the time you had to make adjustments frequently. This meant you were reaching behind the TV a lot so that you could see the reflection of the screen in the window.
10. The Weather Impact
In bad weather, the TV reception was affected. Therefore people would have to hold the antenna while they adjusted it. This created a unique bonding experience among family members.
11. The Channel Memory
We remembered what channels were working and what positions on the dial gave the best reception. In our minds, we created a map that included what channels were clear and what channels were permanent static.
12. The Warm-Up Wait
To watch a show, first you had to wait for the TV to warm up, starting with a little dot in the middle of the screen that slowly expanded until the whole picture appeared. This taught the viewers to wait and have patience instead of getting used to the instant gratification that is everywhere now.
13. The Sign-Off Ritual
Late-night shows would sign off after playing the national anthem and turning off the TV was the final step in the process of watching the show. With this, there was no more TV until the next day.
