You don't see this kind of promotion these days!

I love this 1980 ad for an upcoming promotion at Fulton County Stadium:

For one thing, this just doesn't feel like the more glamorous SuperStation TBS of the later Eighties. It sure doesn't feel like the "America's Team" Atlanta Braves.

More to the point, though, "Beech Nut Pouch Redemption Night!" I love that it's not just a promotion sponsored by a chewing tobacco brand, but it involves used tobacco pouches. 1980, ladies and gents!

Bill Tush: Movie Host and Mailbag Responder!

In our episode on TBS, we focused on Bill Tush's late-night comedy-variety show. Tush was one of the main personalities on the old WTBS, and they used him in all kinds of roles. At about 3 minutes and 50 seconds into this compilation, you can see him doing a mailbag segment with a bit of irreverence. I love that it's mostly people writing in to request movies while a funky beat plays.

Come for Bill Tush, stay for the bee poop controversy!

YouTube Spotlight: Al Lewis on Superstation Scary Saturday

There's a lot of cool stuff in this week's video playlist devoted to the world of Munsters, but one that delights me in particular is this clip of Al Lewis hosting a Saturday afternoon horror movie show on TBS.

He's in classic form here, totally inhabiting the character and even wielding a shovel to "dig up the films!"

Of course, many are nostalgic for the glory days of horror hosts, and Svengoolie is perhaps the most high-profile example of those who continue the tradition today.  The Eighties had some attempts to create franchises, and TBS enlisted Grandpa Al Lewis in 1987 for a show that would start at noon--well, 12:05, natch--each Saturday and showcase an old movie plus hosting segments and skits.

I remember some crossovers with the WCW wrestlers of the day and also just seeing the program promoted during the graps action I watched.

Here is an affectionate summary of the program's run on TBS.

Promo Theatre: Y'all ready for some football?

 This 1985 college football promo just doesn't feel like TBS...until halfway through:

Yes, veteran broadcaster Lindsay Nelson shows up and I think, "Ah, yes, this feels like TBS." It's SUPER Football Saturday Night! "I'm Lindsay Nelson, and I'm part of it!" "All riiiight."

It's easy to forget the Superstation showed college football games in the 1980s, but in fact it was the first cable outlet to show games on a national basis, even beating ESPN. it was a limited package, but it was football! Then TBS began showing SEC games in 1984, but as you can see from this promo, it also showed key intersectional match-ups like...Boston College vs. Army.

(For more about TBS, check out our episode about the Superstation here!)

In case you're curious, Army crushed the Eagles 45-14. B.C. was coming off a great season culminating in a Cotton Bowl win but had lost star QB Doug Flutie to the USFL. Army would go on to finish 9-3 (but with a loss to Navy!), including a narrow victory over Illinois in an exciting Peach Bowl. 

Here's a glimpse of the B.C.-Army match-up . Notice that Harry Kalas leads off the highlights by mentioning the national television audience:

YouTube Spotlight: Cable Music Channel

In this week's Spotlight, we take another look at the Cable Music Channel, the short-lived alternative to MTV. Check out this awesome promo from this week's YouTube playlist devoted to TBS:




Irreverent and exciting...and with Steve Miller! All with I Love L.A. building in the background.

Cable Music Channel launched in October and was gone by December. Ted Turner offered it to cable systems gratis and was, so he said, backed by operators looking for leverage against MTV. Yet the venture was a big money loser, and Ted quickly sold to MTV, which essentially turned it into VH1. that's an oversimplification, but do we really want to know the whole story of Cable Music Channel?

Actually, I do! There has to be a good book or at least long oral history piece in here somewhere, right?

Also from our playlist is this presentation of the channel's debut. Note the attempt at swagger and the assertion that it won't carry the smut that MTV does!

Show Notes: Episode 6-2: TBS

*We hope you enjoy our first episode about not just a show, but a network! Are there any others you think merit the same treatment?

*WTCG (some say it stood for Turner Communication Group; legend has it that it stood for Watch This Channel Grow) was an Atlanta station that went national via satellite transmission in 1976. It changed call letters to TBS and adopted the Superstation identity in 1979.

*Associated Artists Productions (AAP) was a distributor of theatrical product to television. It's most famous for the AAP logo that appeared at the beginning of many Looney Tunes and Popeye shorts on TV for years.

*Ted Turner reportedly said TBS was built on wrestling, the Atlanta Braves, and The Andy Griffith Show.

*Launch dates of the spinoff networks:
CNN: June 1, 1980
Headline News: January 1, 1983 (but started a year earlier as CNN 2)
TNT: October 3, 1988
Cartoon Network: October 1, 1992
Turner Classic Movies: April 14, 1994

*TBS is currently not using Turner Time! Programs start on the half-hour.

*Night Tracks aired 1983-1992.

*John Sterling, the radio voice of the New York Yankees since 1989, was the Braves' play by play guy from 1982 to 1987 and also did the Hawks games, as Mike recalls.

*The original song At the Hop was a #1 song in 1958 (after being released in 1957) for Danny and the Juniors. See the NBA on TBS version in this week's YouTube playlist!

*Still the Beaver began as a Disney Channel original (after a CBS TV movie), then migrated to TBS as The New Leave It to Beaver from 1986-1989.

*Tush aired 1980-1981 on TBS.

*Country singer Bobby Bare hosted a show on The Nashville Network in the 1980s; you can see him and John Prine perform together in a clip on our YouTube playlist this week. Remember to check out our official YT page each week for official episode playlists plus past installments of the podcast!

The TBS playlist is now live!

This week, we supplement yesterday's look at Superstation TBS with a host of promos, commercials, and even Nikita Koloff clotheslining David Crockett. Goodwill Games, Bill Tush, and the Beaver, Wally, and Eddie as guest VJs! Plus the Three Dog Night TBS jingle!




Remember to check out our official YouTube channel each week for episode playlists, and go there anytime for past episodes!

6-2: Super Station WTBS

This week, we break format to look back at the original cable super station WTBS, including Mike's memories of it as the cool independent channel in Atlanta, Rick's memories of it on cable in Pennsylvania, an overview of its influence on the TV landscape, a discussion of the mercurial Ted Turner, plus talk of the America's Team the Atlanta Braves, wrasslin', and of course the programming from cartoons to WTBS' early attempts at original content. We also check out short-lived sketch comedy show "Tush."

Check out this episode!

Tomorrow on Battle of the Network Shows...