Cablevision Channel Flipping 3/1/93 Midnight Retro 2026-05-31 | Channel Flipping on analog cable TV Cablevision in Bangor, Maine on Monday, March 1, 1993.Channel Lineup:2 SportsChannel New England3 WLBZ NBC4 WPXT Fox5 The Weather Channel6 WABI CBS7 CNBC8 WVII ABC9 ESPN10 AMC11 WSBK Boston 12 WMEB PBS13 CNN14 The Disney Channel15 Nickelodeon16 MTV17 USA18 TNT19 C-SPAN 20 Headline News21 HBO (scrambled)22 Cinemax23 Showtime24 NESN25 The Movie Channel26 Bravo27 The Family Channel28 CMT29 TNN30 Discovery Channel31 A&E32 Lifetime33 Mind Extension University 34 Home Shopping Network35 Local Access36 Prevue Guide37 Request Pay-Per-View (scrambled)40 "Apple II screen" aka All is Well (local ad insertion status screen)60 aka 98 Playboy TV (was only 8pm-6am ET at this time) Satellite City during the day unscrambled61 aka 99 Playboy TV (Zenith box scramble test)
FLIX Digital Tiling and Channel Scan Cablevision 8/4/94 Midnight Retro 2026-09-04 | Recorded at 3:53pm on Thursday, August 4, 1994 on Cablevision in Bangor, Maine, a clip of FLIX on analog cable channel 38 showing digital picture "tiling" as received by Cablevision's digital satellite receiver in the head end, followed by a quick channel scan.
Request PPV Promo Feed September 1994 Midnight Retro 2026-09-04 | From August 1994, the promo feed for upcoming movies and events for the September 1994 on Request Pay-Per-View, as recorded on Cablevision Bangor, Maine.
DirecTV and USSB 12/31/94 Part 2 - Channel Flipping on RCA DSS Midnight Retro 2026-08-16 | Another recording of channel flipping on a newly purchased RCA Digital Satellite System (DSS) on New Year's Eve, Saturday, December 31, 1994.DirecTV - the 100's are PPV, 200's are Basic channels and Starz! Encore channels, 300's are Sports, 500's are Music ChoiceUSSB - the 900's are Basic channels (mostly owned by Viacom) and Premium movie channels HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, TMC, FlixThe guide and menu seen in this video are from the original RCA DSS.Original video posted on this channel on May 27, 2026 - link:youtu.be/k8MFpylNnYY?si=MdHZ8GLUQ95YyDA4
Starz! Free Preview 3/8/95 Midnight Retro 2026-08-16 | A clip of the Starz! Free Preview from Wednesday, March 8, 1995. Audio doesn't match the video, but this recording is as it was as it played on Starz! channel 270 on DirecTV.At 5:23 in the video, the audio matched the video with the Starz! Exclusive Movie bumper.
DirecTV Sun Outages 3/5/95 Midnight Retro 2026-08-16 | Sun Outages (Sunspots) interrupting satellite channels in the spring of 1995 on DirecTV.
Fiber Optics is the Future (1995 All News Channel story) Midnight Retro 2026-08-16 | A news feature on All News Channel from January 1995 talking about the benefits of fiber optic cable.
Channel Flipping and REQUEST PPV promos 8/12/94 and 9/3/94 Midnight Retro 2026-08-16 | Channel flipping on Cablevision in Bangor, Maine, including REQUEST Pay-Per-View promos following the end of the movie "The Pelican Brief" on Saturday, September 3, 1994.Request PPV channel scrambles, but audio can still be heard, followed by some clips of ABC/ESPN College Football on Request TV. The picture was only partially scrambled, which was unusual, so a lot of the program could be seen.
TWC Local Forecast - 12/9/94 (Winter Storm) and 12/12/94 Bangor, Maine Midnight Retro 2026-08-10 | The Weather Channel Local Forecasts from Cablevision in Bangor, Maine. The first one is from Friday, December 9, 1994 (winter storm) and the second one is from Monday, December 12, 1994.
Starz! Encore 8 Promos and Bumpers 3/6/95 Midnight Retro 2026-08-10 | Recorded on DirecTV on Monday, March 6, 1995, a promo break including previews and bumpers from Starz, when it was known as Starz! Encore 8, with an opening bumper to the movie "8 Seconds".
MuchMusic VJ clip January 1995 Midnight Retro 2026-08-10 | A quick clip of MuchMusic from January 1995, recorded on DirecTV.MuchMusic was Canada's version of MTV. It has been officially renamed MUCH as of 2013.
HBO-HBO 2-HBO 3 previews and bumpers 1/4/95 Midnight Retro 2026-08-10 | Clips of channel flipping through HBO, HBO 2 and HBO 3 including "next" and "tonight" bumpers, and the "HBO Movie" bumper on HBO 3, and changed channel to HBO 2 for the end of the "HBO Movie" bumper.Recorded on the DSS satellite system on USSB. At that time, DirecTV had the basic channels, sports channels, Starz, Encore and PPV channels.
Prevue Channel 12/9/94 - failure showing both video previews and playing Christmas music Midnight Retro 2026-08-10 | Friday December 9, 1994 on Cablevision in Bangor, Maine. A minor Prevue Channel failure showing both video previews at the top of the screen and playing instrumental Christmas music as the audio.
Scarborough Educational TV 7/11/96 - Time Warner Cable Portland, Maine Midnight Retro 2026-07-18 | Scarborough Educational TV public access channel recorded on Thursday, July 11, 1996 on Time Warner Cable in Maine. The background music is from WHOM 94.9 FM.
South Portland Public Access 7/10/96 - Time Warner Cable Portland, Maine Midnight Retro 2026-07-18 | A recording of the South Portland, Maine public access cable TV channel on Time Warner Cable on Wednesday, July 10, 1996
VM5 Video Marketplace - Time Warner Cable 7/9/96 Portland, Maine Midnight Retro 2026-07-18 | Video Marketplace (VM5) "Jobs Now" segment recorded on Tuesday, July 9, 1996 on Time Warner Cable in Portland, Maine
Cape Elizabeth Public Access - Time Warner Cable 7/9/96 Midnight Retro 2026-07-18 | Town of Cape Elizabeth, Maine public access cable TV channel, recorded on Time Warner Cable on Tuesday, July 9, 1996
Time Warner Cable Data Channels - Portland, Maine 7/9/96 Midnight Retro 2026-07-18 | Flipping through "data channels" on the AXS Link cable box (Scientific Atlanta 8600) on Tuesday, July 9, 1996 on Time Warner Cable in Portland, Maine
Scarborough Community TV 7/11/96 - Time Warner Cable - Portland, Maine Midnight Retro 2026-07-18 | Scarborough, Maine Public Access cable channel recorded on Thursday, July 11, 1996 on Time Warner Cable in Portland, Maine
Time Warner Cable Channel Flipping 7/10/96 - includes AXS Link cable box interactive EPG Midnight Retro 2026-07-06 | More channel flipping on Time Warner Cable in Portland, Maine on Wednesday, July 10, 1996 using an analog cable box known as AXS LINK provided by Time Warner. This video includes scrolling on the AXS LINK interactive electronic program guide and menus. Thanks to some good info from a viewer, this was the Starsight IPG on a Scientific Atlanta 8600 series analog cable box.
Viewers Choice PPV August 1996 Promo Feed (recorded 7/11/96) Midnight Retro 2026-07-06 | Viewer's Choice, Hot Choice and Continuous Hits Pay-Per-View channel August 1996 promo feed recorded on Thursday, July 11, 1996 on Time Warner Cable in Portland, Maine
The Weather Channel 7/9/96 Portland, Maine Local Forecast on Time Warner Cable Midnight Retro 2026-07-04 | A quick clip of the local forecast on The Weather Channel on Tuesday, July 9, 1996 on Time Warner Cable in Portland, Maine
Sneak Prevue 7/9/96 Time Warner Cable Portland, Maine Midnight Retro 2026-07-04 | A clip of Sneak Prevue from Tuesday, July 9, 1996 on Time Warner Cable in Portland, Maine, showing movie times and previews on channel 99 for their PPV channels, locally known as "AXS Instant Theatre"
Time Warner Cable Channel Flipping 7/9/96 (Portland, Maine) Midnight Retro 2026-07-04 | Flipping through channels on Time Warner Cable on Tuesday, July 9, 1996.
Prevue Channel 7/9/96 Portland, Maine (Time Warner Cable) Midnight Retro 2026-07-04 | Prevue Channel recorded on Tuesday, July 9, 1996 on Time Warner Cable channel 15
Showtime promos July/August 1993 Midnight Retro 2026-05-31 | A short promo break on Showtime in the summer of 1993, after the end of the movie "Disorganized Crime" and before the start of the movie "Class of 1999" including the Showtime movie open bumper.
The Movie Channel promos and movie open bumper March 1993 Midnight Retro 2026-05-31 | A short promo break between movies during a Movie Channel free preview in 1993, featuring Robert Osborne, who was a host on TMC for years, and would later be "the face of Turner Classic Movies (TCM)".
Satellite City March 1993 Midnight Retro 2026-05-31 | Satellite City was a "home shopping" type channel, selling only "old school" big dish satellite TV systems and components. It wouldn't be long after 1993 when people would start shifting over to buying small dish systems, especially once DirecTV launched in mid-1994 and was a much cheaper option for people that did not have cable TV available in their area, or people that wanted an alternative to cable TV.
SportsChannel New England - Sunspots March 1993 (Analog C-Band satellite TV and Cable TV) Midnight Retro 2026-05-31 | Another look at how sunspots affected analog C-Band satellite TV, which in turn affects the satellite reception of the cable company's signal of SportsChannel New England in March 1993. The signal slowly starts to degrade as the sunspots affect the satellite, which shows up as "sparklies" on the screen, until it finally causes the satellite integrated receiver descrambler (IRD) to lose authorization, hence the scrambled picture. Once the sunspot cycle completes and stops affecting that satellite, the picture slowly starts coming back to normal.
DirecTV and USSB 12/31/94 Channel Flipping and RCA DSS Guide and Menu Midnight Retro 2026-05-28 | A recording of channel flipping on a newly purchased RCA Direct Satellite System (DSS) showing DirecTV and USSB channels...back then, DirecTV sold some of the channels (mostly basic cable channels and PPV) and USSB sold the rest of the channels (mostly premium channels and Viacom basic channels). This shows many images throughout the video of the original RCA DSS guide and menu, which look very old school compared to the latest technology. A lot of nostalgia here!
WABC-TV 7 Eyewitness News NYC partial newscast 12/31/94 Midnight Retro 2026-05-28 | A clip of the WABC-TV 7 Eyewitness News in New York City on New Years Eve 1994. This was recorded on DirecTV and includes some clips of the RCA DSS menu and signal meter.
Comedy Central ad break after end of SCTV 1993 Midnight Retro 2026-05-28 | A short commercial break after the end of SCTV on Comedy Central in the fall of 1993.
Comedy Central ad break during SCTV 1993 Midnight Retro 2026-05-28 | A commercial break during an airing of SCTV on Comedy Central in fall of 1993.
Request Pay-Per-View July 1997 Promo Feed Midnight Retro 2026-05-27 | Request TV 1 PPV ran a monthly promo feed of the upcoming month's movies, broken down by week. This was recorded on Cablevision channel 37 in Bangor, Maine for July 1997.
Encore - NEXT: Fathom 10/15/93 Promos and Bumpers Midnight Retro 2026-05-12 | Encore movie previews and bumpers, including an intro to the movie playing next "Fathom" from 1967 by host Jim Gallant, recorded on Friday, October 15, 1993 at 7:00am ET
Encore - NEXT: Willow 10/15/93 Promos and Bumpers Midnight Retro 2026-05-12 | Encore movie previews and bumpers, including an intro to the movie playing next "Willow" from 1988 by host Jim Gallant, recorded on Friday, October 15, 1993 at 7:00am ET
Encore - NEXT: Brazil 10/15/93 Promos and Bumpers Midnight Retro 2026-05-12 | Encore movie previews and bumpers, including an intro to the movie playing next "Brazil" from 1985 by host Ron Pearson, recorded on Friday, October 15, 1993 at 4:45am ET
WSBK-TV 38 The Movie Loft commercials and bumpers July 1988 Midnight Retro 2026-05-11 | After the closing credits of a movie on TV38's "The Movie Loft", commercials, bumpers and promos from WSBK-TV 38 in July 1988.
Inside Maine - Maine Air National Guard 101st Air Refueling Wing (WPXT-TV 51 July 19, 1988) Midnight Retro 2026-05-10 | A short documentary about Maine Air National Guard (MAINEiacs) 101st Air Refueling Wing that was featured on WPXT-TV 51's weekly "Inside Maine" TV show in July 1988.
WPXT TV 51 Portland, ME - 7/19/88 commercials Midnight Retro 2026-05-10 | Commercial breaks during the 1988 airing of "Inside Maine" featuring a mini-documentary of the Maine Air National Guard 101st Air Refueling Wing on WPXT-TV 51. See the full presentation of this program on Midnight Retro, featured in our "Maine/New England Retro TV and Radio" playlist.
Cinemax Fall Preview 1988 (with Martin Mull and Stuart Pankin) Midnight Retro 2026-05-04 | A fall preview of Cinemax from September 1988
TNT The Big Picture 9/92 - Maximum Overdrive (promos and movie bumper) Midnight Retro 2026-03-22 | TNT promos and local ads from Bangor, Maine during September 1992, followed by the "TNT presents The Big Picture" bumper, into their showing of the movie Maximum Overdrive.
Cinemax 9/92 Promos - Next: Neighbors Midnight Retro 2026-03-22 | A Cinemax promo break, between movies in September 1992
Cinemax Movie Bumper 1992 Midnight Retro 2026-03-22 | "Tonight on Cinemax" bumper followed by the classic "Cinemax Movie" bumper used in the late 80's and early 90's
Cinemax 9/92 Promos - Next: Creatures The World Forgot Midnight Retro 2026-03-22 | "Next on Cinemax" bumper followed by previews of movies playing during October 1992 and the "Cinemax Movie" bumper
Prevue Channel software failure and reboot failure 12/5/94 Midnight Retro 2026-02-07 | Prevue Channel software failure, then rebooted and failed again, finally stuck on "Press left mouse button to continue - Guru Meditation"
Request TV December 1994 Previews - Next: The Nightmare Before Christmas Midnight Retro 2026-02-07 | Previews of movies playing during December 1994, with the next movie playing being "The Nightmare Before Christmas" on Request TV Pay-Per-View
Request TV September 1994 Previews - Next: Blue Chips Midnight Retro 2026-02-07 | Previews of movies playing during September 1994, with the next movie playing being "Blue Chips" on Request TV Pay-Per-View
DirecTV PPV Next: The Watcher 4/18/01 previews and bumpers Midnight Retro 2026-02-07 | The countdown leading up to the start of the Direct Ticket PPV movie "The Watcher" and the Feature Presentation Bumper in April 2001
