Videos of TV station signoffs from times gone by

TV Signoffs collects videos of the signoff videos of TV stations of the bygone era. These are just great -- I was always an early riser as a kid so I would catch the sign-on every morning. Link

[#1 posted by brotherbear , February 20, 2008 1:19 PM]

I remember these too. Even some of the cable stations used to sign off. I believe it was Colin Powell's son Michael Powell that lifted the limit on the length of the commercial. So the Infomercial was born. Those damn things run all night long now, no more sign off's.

[#2 posted by rrsafety , February 20, 2008 1:58 PM]

Michael Powell had nothing to do with it.

[#3 posted by nemrel , February 20, 2008 2:26 PM]

I was just thinking about TV station sign-offs just the other day. I love the part in Toy Story 2 where the station that Al (owner of Al's Toy Barn) goes off the air and they switch to Buzz standing in front of an American Flag.

[#4 posted by minamisan , February 20, 2008 3:12 PM]

watching a TV station signoff and the screen turning to snow will always remind me of Poltergeist. *shudder* thank god for infomercials, i say.

[#5 posted by The Thompson Five , February 20, 2008 5:12 PM]

[All three boys stare at the telly, just a little white dot on the screen and a low pitched hum.]

RICK: What is that little white dot?

NEIL: It's a little white dot.

RICK: Oh, very clever.

NEIL: It must be a really old telly.

RICK: What, hippie?

NEIL: Look, there's a sign in that little white dot. It means something really heavy. It means, there's no more telly. Time to go to bed. [stands] I'm going upstairs now to finish painting my astrological star chart, all right? [leaves]

RICK: [pause, calls to Neil] Do you really think that anyone has ever been the slightest bit interested in anything you say or do ever, Neil?! [sighs] God, fascist. [stands] Are you going to bed, Vyvyan?

VYVYAN: No. I'm going to watch the dot for a bit longer.

RICK: Wish we had a video. Then I could tape it and watch it in the morning. Oh, well. Nighty night.

[leaves]

[#6 posted by zuzu , February 20, 2008 6:25 PM]

I wonder if stations will display a sign-off for when NTSC analog broadcasts end in February 2009.

[#7 posted by Bren , February 20, 2008 7:11 PM]

That would be a great poetic gesture, #6 ZUZU! You should suggest it to them. Their association, or whatever.