Analog TV Rides Off Into the Sunset

I pulled out my old TV from the closet one last time and adjusted the rabbit ears to get a better signal.

At around 11:30 Friday night I sat with a little TV in the middle of the living room, dwarfed by the newer TV and audio receiver. I’ve had a converter box for over a year now and when the roommate bought a new TV it rendered even that brand new piece of technology obsolete. But bringing back the good old analog TV was a reminder of how simple these things could be: you throw on a pair of rabbit ears, hit a few buttons and you’re on your way. If you see a signal that’s not too good you play with the antenna until you can accept the picture. There were problems with ghosting and funny looking interferences. I remember my grandmother couldn’t run her microwave and watch distant channels until they got an outside antenna.

Around 11:50 I started flipping through the local analog channels one last time: PBS had already left that morning (in a classy sign-off with the host of one of the first shows on the channel reminding people to switch over), and the local FOX channel was already telling people they were finished. Then at 11:59p the NBC affiliate simply cut Jimmy Fallon in the middle of his bit (foreshadowing?) and went to static. The CBS station kept on for a few more minutes and then cut to their “Nightlight” service, and ABC quickly followed suit for a few minutes. Finally at 12:10a there was nothing left except a few reminders to switch over, and a handful of low-powered Home Shopping and religious channels that may still be out there for a few years.

Meanwhile back in the world of Digital TV things were falling back into place. Late-night shows were chugging along and the news repeats looked pretty spiffy in HD. But there are other tradeoffs that we probably will miss. Did you ever sit flipping through channels and wonder why you’re suddenly watching a newscast from 500 miles away? Ever sit through a lousy signal on a little TV while in a camper somewhere just to see the weather? Ever pick up cordless phone calls or a police call in the middle of a show? Ever put aluminum on the rabbit ears in a vain attempt to get a better picture? All of those oddities are now history. Digital will have its own oddities, one of which seems to be that the signal dies whenever a car goes by or someone is standing in the wrong spot in the house. Old TV shows will look even more outdated on a screen designed for movies and new HD channels.

Anyway someone has to mourn old technology, so I may as well do it. To analog TV: the grass may not be greener on the other side, but it will be sharper looking.

What are your memories of analog television? We’d love to hear from you, especially if you have some fun stories from the earlier days of the medium!