Greenwich Cablevision
Paul asks:
I found an intriguing reference last night in a book called "I Never Knew that About London" by Christopher Winn to the fact (apparently) that Greenwich was the subject of the first pay TV channel, Greenwich Cablevision. Apparently it began broadcasting from a studio in Plumstead on 3 July 1972 and its first programme was about everday life in Greenwich at the time. I would love to see the programme. Ever heard of it? Seen it? Any ideas on sourcing it? If not, I may go to Mr Winn's publishers to ask.
The Phantom is flummoxed.
Blimey - I'd never even heard of it. But it sounds intriguing indeed. Wow - I'd like to see that too.
I would say your best bet for a first-stop would be the Heritage Centre or the Borough Museum at Plumstead - they may have it - though of course it could be on some long-lost tape format and unwatchable now. Your enquiry might prompt them to digitise it while it's still available (though actually still in copyright so there might be some iffy implications.) Sadly I don't think there's a TV equivalent of the British Library - where you have to legally deposit a copy of broadcast material.
Perhaps the BFI could help though?
Do keep me posted on this intriguing Greenwich first...
I found an intriguing reference last night in a book called "I Never Knew that About London" by Christopher Winn to the fact (apparently) that Greenwich was the subject of the first pay TV channel, Greenwich Cablevision. Apparently it began broadcasting from a studio in Plumstead on 3 July 1972 and its first programme was about everday life in Greenwich at the time. I would love to see the programme. Ever heard of it? Seen it? Any ideas on sourcing it? If not, I may go to Mr Winn's publishers to ask.
The Phantom is flummoxed.
Blimey - I'd never even heard of it. But it sounds intriguing indeed. Wow - I'd like to see that too.
I would say your best bet for a first-stop would be the Heritage Centre or the Borough Museum at Plumstead - they may have it - though of course it could be on some long-lost tape format and unwatchable now. Your enquiry might prompt them to digitise it while it's still available (though actually still in copyright so there might be some iffy implications.) Sadly I don't think there's a TV equivalent of the British Library - where you have to legally deposit a copy of broadcast material.
Perhaps the BFI could help though?
Do keep me posted on this intriguing Greenwich first...
Labels: Art, Ask The Phantom, Weird Greenwich
posted by The Greenwich Phantom at
10:55
8 Comments:
yes and yes - I have a history of Thamesmead (Thamesmead Back to the Future. by Valerie Wigfall published in 1997 by Greenwich Community College) when it was published RTM as it known by then was still going - don't know what the situation is now - watch this space - I know a man I can ask!
sorry - the man didn't know - except he vaguely remembers it - and (sorry) it was the radio station which lasted into the 1990s.
"Greenwich Cablevision begins local community television programmes from its Plumstead High Street shop in London. First programme: Cable Town."
http://www.terramedia.co.uk/Chronomedia/years/1972.htm
In London, Greenwich Cablevision begins the Screentown pay TV experiment on its 10-channel coaxial network. The subscription rate is £9.20 a month in addition to the £2.15 basic cable fee.
http://www.terramedia.co.uk/Chronomedia/years/1982.htm
I remember Cablevision.
We had it when I was a (very young) child in Plumstead. A black box with a silver dial on the front that sat on top of the television.
VW
It should really have been called Woolwich or Plumstead Cablevision, It owed its existence to Shooters Hill, which blocked out the signal from the Crystal Palace Transmitter, leading to the area being cabled. As there were only three channels at the time there was space available on the system for extra channels and someone came up with the idea for a community TV station. When the Abbey Wood Relay transmitter was built to send TV signals to the north-side of the Hill, that was the end of the cable network.
Hi all,
I have described some of the early history of the cable system in
Greenwich on my website, www.cliffosbourne.co.uk It served about 20,000 homes in Plumstread, Abbey Wood and Belvedere and still sort of exists to this day as part of the Virgin Media cable system.
In the early days it was purely a relay system for conventional radio and tv signals. The area is quite low lying and receiving a signal from the main transmitters at Crystal Palace was problematic. It wasn't 'pay tv' as we understand the term these days, although you did pay a subscription to be connected to the service.
All of the programmes on the local channel were sort of magazine type
shows with items on local life, politics etc and were produced using quite basic equipment. There were two studios, one at 307 Plumstead High Street and the other in a couple of converted garages on the Glyndon Estate near
Plumstead railway station. I would doubt very much whether any of this
material still exists.
By the 1980's the system also aquired a subscription film channel called Screentown. This was transmitted from a control room above 140 Plumstead High Street (I think). From there Greenwich Cablevision developed into one of the first multi-channel cable systems in the country carrying many of
the early satellite channels. The company moved to Tex House in Woowlich, now demolished and all services then operated from the building including the local tv station, now in colour and the local radio service Greenwich Sound.
Greenwich Sound started transmissions in 1980 and grew into an almost full time service closing in 1985 I think. This was a totally different station to Radio Thamesmead which first operated on the Thamesmead cable system and then got one of the incremental licences from the Radio Authority and became RTM. The station is now part of Time group.
I wish I had the time to properly research and write a comprehensive
history of this fascinating story. The only reason I know as much as I do is through the involvement I had with the company.
I hope that's cleared up some of the mystery.
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Thank you, Cliff!
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