IS
It's like an ITV franchise round, with TVF closing and TV Live Forum taking over.
JB
Very sad to see the site close to new contributions.
It’s been part of my life since I discovered it in the university library along with Darren Meldrum’s Private Parts! (I’ve had various usernames over the years after being a long time lurker, then posting something before forgetting my username and password!)
I think in the last few years the quality of post has slipped due to the impact of social media -
some of the worst of Twitter shouting dilutes the quality of discussion.
If TV Live Forum is to be our new GMTV to our TV-am, then I hope our usernames reflect our current identities.
It’s a niche community of people who I don’t know but rather like, and I’d like to still interact with you.
Maybe the decision to close this site might encourage more thoughtful and tolerant postings going forward on the new one. (and to save Rob a job moderating it all)
I think @allnewphil said earlier that this site has been a lifeline of normality over the past crazy year. I agree entirely. Reading the posts, watching the ‘YouTube Gold’ clips have kept me sane and from completely going off the rails - I came very close.
In the grand scheme of things, what we talk about is not important, but it’s important to us. And long may it continue.
It’s been part of my life since I discovered it in the university library along with Darren Meldrum’s Private Parts! (I’ve had various usernames over the years after being a long time lurker, then posting something before forgetting my username and password!)
I think in the last few years the quality of post has slipped due to the impact of social media -
some of the worst of Twitter shouting dilutes the quality of discussion.
If TV Live Forum is to be our new GMTV to our TV-am, then I hope our usernames reflect our current identities.
It’s a niche community of people who I don’t know but rather like, and I’d like to still interact with you.
Maybe the decision to close this site might encourage more thoughtful and tolerant postings going forward on the new one. (and to save Rob a job moderating it all)
I think @allnewphil said earlier that this site has been a lifeline of normality over the past crazy year. I agree entirely. Reading the posts, watching the ‘YouTube Gold’ clips have kept me sane and from completely going off the rails - I came very close.
In the grand scheme of things, what we talk about is not important, but it’s important to us. And long may it continue.
Last edited by JexedBack on 4 March 2021 7:44pm
DE
Hello everyone,
I’ve been wondering what I can write in this thread since I read the news. Pretty much everyone has covered it all.
From one of the “insiders”, I hope I’ve answered questions, explained things, perhaps offered some advice, encouragement and hopefully loads of praise. I’ve certainly learnt an enormous amount from this place. I am privileged to work in an incredibly creative and vibrant industry - and while I’ve been fortunate enough to stay working throughout, this year has been very tough for many colleagues who freelance or work in divisions where production has come to an almost complete halt. Here’s hoping this is the beginning of the end and that we can get back to normality.
I think the only website from the turn of the century (!) that I still have bookmarked. I visit every day, often have it open all the time actually, and have posted over 3,000 times. It will be very odd indeed without it. Asa and the team of moderators, you have done an amazing job hosting this and it has clearly meant a lot to many people.
Good luck to those behind the new forum, I have for the first time added my Twitter handle to my profile, though I suspect the fiver has been claimed by many of you already (ancient TVF ref there).
Til we meet again 🖐
I’ve been wondering what I can write in this thread since I read the news. Pretty much everyone has covered it all.
From one of the “insiders”, I hope I’ve answered questions, explained things, perhaps offered some advice, encouragement and hopefully loads of praise. I’ve certainly learnt an enormous amount from this place. I am privileged to work in an incredibly creative and vibrant industry - and while I’ve been fortunate enough to stay working throughout, this year has been very tough for many colleagues who freelance or work in divisions where production has come to an almost complete halt. Here’s hoping this is the beginning of the end and that we can get back to normality.
I think the only website from the turn of the century (!) that I still have bookmarked. I visit every day, often have it open all the time actually, and have posted over 3,000 times. It will be very odd indeed without it. Asa and the team of moderators, you have done an amazing job hosting this and it has clearly meant a lot to many people.
Good luck to those behind the new forum, I have for the first time added my Twitter handle to my profile, though I suspect the fiver has been claimed by many of you already (ancient TVF ref there).
Til we meet again 🖐
LE
Does this mean we get more time together? We could maybe squeeze in a quickie before the new forum opens?
...and here I am not far off 30 with the prospect of losing the only site I've visited almost daily...
Does this mean we get more time together? We could maybe squeeze in a quickie before the new forum opens?
AL
I only discovered and joined TV Forum for 4 years so I'm just a "small potato" here.
What's so special about TVF is its members - Not all members are solely just "viewers" like me, some of them are possibly broadcast directors, editors, engineers... It's these members with insights in the TV broadcasting industry that make this community so fascinating.
( Honorable mentions because I always pay attention to your posts
: Media Boy, deejay
)
I don't post much in this forum but I certainly do visit this forum every single day... Whenever I'm bored traveling on the train or having lunch by myself, I'd log on to this site just to get up to date on whatever is happening on the channels... no matter if it's a graphics update, new theme, or a studio decamp on whatever TV channel. Occasionally someone who's working in the industry will dip in or even reply to my posts and it always excites me like I just talked to a celebrity
. Their technical discussions always made me appreciate more about this industry.
Even though I'm probably still the "new guy" here in TVF given so many long-time members here, but TVF will be in my memories forever. I look forward to seeing most of you in whatever forum we might migrate to in the future~
What's so special about TVF is its members - Not all members are solely just "viewers" like me, some of them are possibly broadcast directors, editors, engineers... It's these members with insights in the TV broadcasting industry that make this community so fascinating.
( Honorable mentions because I always pay attention to your posts
: Media Boy, deejay
)
I don't post much in this forum but I certainly do visit this forum every single day... Whenever I'm bored traveling on the train or having lunch by myself, I'd log on to this site just to get up to date on whatever is happening on the channels... no matter if it's a graphics update, new theme, or a studio decamp on whatever TV channel. Occasionally someone who's working in the industry will dip in or even reply to my posts and it always excites me like I just talked to a celebrity
. Their technical discussions always made me appreciate more about this industry.
Even though I'm probably still the "new guy" here in TVF given so many long-time members here, but TVF will be in my memories forever. I look forward to seeing most of you in whatever forum we might migrate to in the future~
Last edited by ALV on 4 March 2021 8:01pm
MS
18 years membership here. Crazy! Well over half my life with daily readership and some sporadic posting. I think my biggest scoop was finding an education subsection of the Sky website that had a load of videos and images showing their new studios a week or so before their disastrous 2005 relaunch.
So since 2003 we've had the highs of Ch4 rebranding over Christmas 2004, the glory of the 2s coming back in 2017, the absolute nadire of Oneness, the boredom of over a decade of BBC News essentially looking and sounding the same, ch5 going through however many owners and name changes. Some great channel launches like More4 and ITV3, some piles of garbage like ITV Play. Numerous general election night discussions that at times were more interesting than the results themselves.
In a sense the actual 'presentation' discussions were a nice addition to some of the other real insights provided in and amongst threads. Chats about how the News 24 set was built and revamped, the layout of TVC, oddities of how Classic Emmerdale/Corrie repeat highlighted the changes in ITV in the 80s and 90s. Then some kind fellows posting some long lost music or theme you thought you'd never get to hear clean and in high quality. The awe of some mocks and recreations.
Rota discussion I have to say I find utterly tedious and thank god for many years they were banned to their own threads. Each to their own...
I'll say this - and it's said in the most 'respecful' manner - but it's a shame the site won't be around for a big Royal death because its going to be a massive event.
Anyway, I hope a successor 'franchise' takes over at midnight the day TFV closes, we get a jump on the screen as we switchover to a new service. The fact so many are reading and posting shows that whilst maybe it's a niche interest there clearly is an audience here for a successor to build on.
So since 2003 we've had the highs of Ch4 rebranding over Christmas 2004, the glory of the 2s coming back in 2017, the absolute nadire of Oneness, the boredom of over a decade of BBC News essentially looking and sounding the same, ch5 going through however many owners and name changes. Some great channel launches like More4 and ITV3, some piles of garbage like ITV Play. Numerous general election night discussions that at times were more interesting than the results themselves.
In a sense the actual 'presentation' discussions were a nice addition to some of the other real insights provided in and amongst threads. Chats about how the News 24 set was built and revamped, the layout of TVC, oddities of how Classic Emmerdale/Corrie repeat highlighted the changes in ITV in the 80s and 90s. Then some kind fellows posting some long lost music or theme you thought you'd never get to hear clean and in high quality. The awe of some mocks and recreations.
Rota discussion I have to say I find utterly tedious and thank god for many years they were banned to their own threads. Each to their own...
I'll say this - and it's said in the most 'respecful' manner - but it's a shame the site won't be around for a big Royal death because its going to be a massive event.
Anyway, I hope a successor 'franchise' takes over at midnight the day TFV closes, we get a jump on the screen as we switchover to a new service. The fact so many are reading and posting shows that whilst maybe it's a niche interest there clearly is an audience here for a successor to build on.
BS
Asa thank you for creating TV Forum and I have enjoyed participating for 18 and a half years. Is there any way a group of us could maybe look at continuing this Forum in another form? I would not know where else to go to get the latest information.
SL
A slight adaption to Blair's last speech to Parliament, but fits very well to the occasion...
“Some may belittle TV Forum but we know, who are engaged in it that it is where people stand tall. And although I know it has its many harsh contentions it is still the arena that sets the heart beating a little faster. And if it is on occasions the place of low skulduggery it is more often the place for the pursuit of noble causes, and I wish everyone, friend or foe well, and that is that, the end.”
“Some may belittle TV Forum but we know, who are engaged in it that it is where people stand tall. And although I know it has its many harsh contentions it is still the arena that sets the heart beating a little faster. And if it is on occasions the place of low skulduggery it is more often the place for the pursuit of noble causes, and I wish everyone, friend or foe well, and that is that, the end.”
MA
What a surprise, eh....
I've been far more of a lurker than a poster here on TVF, but I have read this forum absolutely every day for 15 years (that's over half my lifetime!) - I don't know the precise date in 2006 where I first happened upon this forum (as I read along for a while before signing up), but know it was sometime in the spring.
I do remember that it was February 2006 when I was clicking around on Wikipedia and ended up on some pages dedicated to TV channels. From there, I followed a link through to TV & Radio Bits (the first 'pres' site I had ever come across), and was mesmerised by those images of former ident packages that were buried deep within my memory.
I'd always had the interest in the 'bits between the shows', you see, whether that was realising that the BBC logo and idents had changed in October 1997 (when I'd have been six - I do remember not being that impressed by the new all-yellow CBBC!), or spotting in the Radio Times in October 2002 that ITV was rebranding and making a point of tuning into that first junction at 9.25am, to spotting the various Freeview channel launches in that period when the platform was really growing in the mid-00s.
But to find a web presence, an archive of all of these things - that was new. I spent hours on that site. One day, I found a link through to Digital Spy, where I started to avidly read the various threads, and one day there was a link from a DS thread through to this place. And since then I've been at home.
I've so many memories of this place, of this community and of the characters who have frequented it. I remember specific rebrands, my first major ones here being the BBC One and BBC Two changes in autumn 2006 and spring 2007, that latter one especially being a really interesting time, with BBC Two starting to toy with the classic twos in early 2007 (is this always what happens when a BBC Two ident package is coming to the end?!) before those new, classy, idents launched on that Sunday morning in February 2007.
I'll also forever associate this place with the 2010 General Election - the first one that I had a real, geeky, interest in - the presentation as well as the politics, with the BBC moving into that wonderful colosseum of a studio, Sky News starting its HD channel, one of the first 'live event' threads on here and Metropol debuting the iconic Dimblebot.
And occasionally, just occasionally, this place and its subject matter has fleetingly crossed paths with my 'real' life, personal and professional (I now work as a cathedral musician).
When a crazy turn of events saw my organ tribute to David Bowie go viral in 2016, all I could think of was this place as I was interviewed and performed live on the ITV Lunchtime News. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-seKCTDAew)
There was an evening not so long ago (pre-COVID times, of course) when I had a girl round in my flat and I ended up regaling her with details of the 1991 franchise round over a glass of wine (now that's a proper TVF-style activity, right?!)
I still use the term 'Shatliffed' at work if something has gone wrong with the printing of the pictures that might adorn a concert programme.
Oh, and I once snuck a little tribute in before Evensong at St Paul's Cathedral in the week that both LWT and Thames were celebrating milestone anniversaries:
What is it about this place that makes it so special? Partly, as has been pointed out above, the forum software itself - lovingly created and maintained by Asa, perfectly reflecting the details of our shared passion. The classiness of contributors, especially the many insiders and those with deep historical knowledge. The running forum jokes - it remains a source of regret to me that I missed those first five years, when so much seemed to happen, and so many characters clearly became so integrated in one another's lives.
But the 15 years I have been here have been wonderful, and to see a group of people (who I suspect are roughly my age - now nearing 30) grow up and develop from teenage enthusiasts into those who now work in the industry has been inspiring.
So my thanks to Asa, the moderators over the years, those insiders from whom I have learned so much and everybody who has shared information, captures, gossip and the occasional barbed aside. I'll miss it all - and here's to the next chapter, whatever it may hold.
TV Forum - forever a special place in my heart.
I've been far more of a lurker than a poster here on TVF, but I have read this forum absolutely every day for 15 years (that's over half my lifetime!) - I don't know the precise date in 2006 where I first happened upon this forum (as I read along for a while before signing up), but know it was sometime in the spring.
I do remember that it was February 2006 when I was clicking around on Wikipedia and ended up on some pages dedicated to TV channels. From there, I followed a link through to TV & Radio Bits (the first 'pres' site I had ever come across), and was mesmerised by those images of former ident packages that were buried deep within my memory.
I'd always had the interest in the 'bits between the shows', you see, whether that was realising that the BBC logo and idents had changed in October 1997 (when I'd have been six - I do remember not being that impressed by the new all-yellow CBBC!), or spotting in the Radio Times in October 2002 that ITV was rebranding and making a point of tuning into that first junction at 9.25am, to spotting the various Freeview channel launches in that period when the platform was really growing in the mid-00s.
But to find a web presence, an archive of all of these things - that was new. I spent hours on that site. One day, I found a link through to Digital Spy, where I started to avidly read the various threads, and one day there was a link from a DS thread through to this place. And since then I've been at home.
I've so many memories of this place, of this community and of the characters who have frequented it. I remember specific rebrands, my first major ones here being the BBC One and BBC Two changes in autumn 2006 and spring 2007, that latter one especially being a really interesting time, with BBC Two starting to toy with the classic twos in early 2007 (is this always what happens when a BBC Two ident package is coming to the end?!) before those new, classy, idents launched on that Sunday morning in February 2007.
I'll also forever associate this place with the 2010 General Election - the first one that I had a real, geeky, interest in - the presentation as well as the politics, with the BBC moving into that wonderful colosseum of a studio, Sky News starting its HD channel, one of the first 'live event' threads on here and Metropol debuting the iconic Dimblebot.
And occasionally, just occasionally, this place and its subject matter has fleetingly crossed paths with my 'real' life, personal and professional (I now work as a cathedral musician).
When a crazy turn of events saw my organ tribute to David Bowie go viral in 2016, all I could think of was this place as I was interviewed and performed live on the ITV Lunchtime News. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-seKCTDAew)
There was an evening not so long ago (pre-COVID times, of course) when I had a girl round in my flat and I ended up regaling her with details of the 1991 franchise round over a glass of wine (now that's a proper TVF-style activity, right?!)
I still use the term 'Shatliffed' at work if something has gone wrong with the printing of the pictures that might adorn a concert programme.
Oh, and I once snuck a little tribute in before Evensong at St Paul's Cathedral in the week that both LWT and Thames were celebrating milestone anniversaries:
What is it about this place that makes it so special? Partly, as has been pointed out above, the forum software itself - lovingly created and maintained by Asa, perfectly reflecting the details of our shared passion. The classiness of contributors, especially the many insiders and those with deep historical knowledge. The running forum jokes - it remains a source of regret to me that I missed those first five years, when so much seemed to happen, and so many characters clearly became so integrated in one another's lives.
But the 15 years I have been here have been wonderful, and to see a group of people (who I suspect are roughly my age - now nearing 30) grow up and develop from teenage enthusiasts into those who now work in the industry has been inspiring.
So my thanks to Asa, the moderators over the years, those insiders from whom I have learned so much and everybody who has shared information, captures, gossip and the occasional barbed aside. I'll miss it all - and here's to the next chapter, whatever it may hold.
TV Forum - forever a special place in my heart.
Last edited by madmusician on 4 March 2021 9:13pm