YTV First Night (launch special, September 1, 1988)

[@LUCKO2022]

I want to cry. Seriously I do. It makes me sad that these days are gone. I haven't watched YTV in years, I miss the old days growing up. Nothing is really the same anymore. TV isn't what it used to be, Nintendo aren't what they used to be, I miss Sega consoles, I miss the innocence of my youth.

[@Dinowrestler]

I feel the same way 100%. I grew up watching Phil Guerrero on the Zone. I watched up until Carlos was in, and left the Zone. Makes me feel sad knowing them days are long gone. My kids will never have the chance to have the experience. Some simple like writing a letter, and sending it in for the host to read. I don't think they even read emails now, if they have a host at all.

[@andykishore]

Agreed.

[@Seekingtruth-mx3ur]

@@Dinowrestler Phil Guerrero from YTV and Patty and Joe from TVO Kids were the best hosts. I miss those days when you just had endless line ups of good quality shows,and the hosts were just as entertaining to watch and genuine.

[@XDanW91]

Thanks for showing this awesome piece of Canadian television history! This channel was a major part of my childhood. It's cool to see a lot of precursors to future shows (YTV rock which came before HitList). This is really cool.

[@APDS-Akin]

I’d read 18:00-18:40 as a ‘proto-hint’ at ‘Uh oh!’

[@andykishore]

I couldn't agree more.

[@andykishore]

Now it's YTV's 30th anniversary.

[@FragglevisionReturns]

I wish someone had the entire special, however long it was (1-2 hours maybe), then we would get a GOOD look at the crapload of HUGELY diverse programming that YTV had, which is a far cry from the more neutral stuff of today.

[@CelesteK]

I was 12 when YTV launched. It was my most favourite channel to watch. I used to watch You Can't Do That On Television, YTV Rocks and everything. :)

[@jaworskij]

On one of the first tapes that I have and gave to Jason, I recorded the CRTC licesning hearing from July 1987 where YTV's Kevin Shea applied for YTV and they had a different video, one where they did a survey of kids and what they used to watch at the time.

[@MrGrowproductions]

i miss John Candy!!

[@VBaskin2010]

We All Do.

[@jeffreycooljonestestepisod209]

+Vaughn Baskin nicest man ever and i may be young but he looks like a friendly person! :)

[@VBaskin2010]

Jeffrey Cool Jones! Test Episodes I Agree, Without John YTV: Youthful Television Wouldn't Exist.

[@jeffreycooljonestestepisod209]

+Vaughn Baskin wow that's awesome that's cool YTV is that important to Canada! :) even though Us needs teletoon Ytv is near and dear to them ! love the song yes you can though lol

[@APDS-Akin]

7:12-7:25 15+ yrs later we would use a ‘different kind of ytb’ ;] to do that more often

[@scottslimmon7956]

RIP John Candy. We miss you.

[@GetBenched2010]

I watched the launch live at home with my sister. A rare night where we got along.

[@Cooplander]

Coming up on the 30th anniversary this year. Sure would be nice if they did a special and brought back all of the PJ's who are willing to show up. I'd tune in for Pj Phresh Phil in a second.

[@VBaskin2010]

Maybe it will! But it won't be the same without John Candy, for he was the one that started YTV: Youthful Television in the 1st place!

[@mr.kevinamponsah7410]

@@VBaskin2010 maybe if John Candy lived. They will probably do it

[@WeatherNowTimmins]

I was going in to grade 5 the year this channel launched. Wish that channel was still the same today as it was back then.

[@89shawn19]

So glad I grew in the the glory days of YTV. Such great memories

[@baliebox4916]

5:36 yeah right 30 years later and they now air infomercials at night :(

[@newsman9539]

I'm seeing this for the 1st time from America and happy 32nd 🎂 to YTV.

[@Retrodude1985]

Ahh here's the launch of YTV!!!! Happy 25th YTV!!!!!

[@ThatTalkingDogGuy]

I was watching when it launched. Now I'm married to PJ Katie. Life is weird.

[@CelesteK]

Entertainment for the whole family! Now what the hell happened?

[@jong4tv]

I never knew John Candy was on YTV.

[@VBaskin2010]

Well John was the 1st PJ to kick off YTV: Youthful Television 3 decades ago!

[@worthlessmutts9598]

ytv needs to become what it was in the late 90's early 00's

[@AnotherDrewWinston]

3:44 Five, four, three, two, one! Ro- The following sponsors are proud to be part of YTV first night! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Mooficail]

What's so funny about that?

[@BurnedNoodle]

I didn’t know John Candy hosted YTV before, and that it was in Toronto.

[@adamstiles1154]

Why can't ytv be like this now.

[@VBaskin2010]

John Candy Is Truly YTV's 1st Ever PJ!

[@ShadowTVNetwork]

Oh YTV, what happened? They used to show British comedies on there like Bottom and The Young Ones.

[@FragglevisionReturns]

YTV uploaded part of this on their website. Hopefully they still have the master tapes...

[@andykishore]

I remember seeing this on their website in 2013.

[@Raz0rsab3r]

So this was YTV's launch back then. Now there's more to YTV than what I know.

[@AJonAir1]

John Candy!!!! RIP

[@Ripplin]

Yes You Can! :o Loved that show! (well, the segments with Coach, anyway) Does anyone know if any Yes You Can videos are here somewhere? Just did a quick search and found nothing...

[@promastercree887-robloxand8]

Now YTV have Big Fun Movies 🎥

[@TravisLoneWolfWalsh]

Thus began a legend

[@andrewflynn6883]

JOHN CANDY. JOHN CANDY. JOOOOHN CANDY. JOHN CANDY.

[@isaiahcampbell3992]

This launched on the exact same day as Family channel

[@cosmicleo3671]

Isaiah Campbell this also launched on the exact same day as Border Television around 26-27 years before YTV launched. In 1961. Anyone from Carlisle or the Border Region? I’m from Canada, not the United Kingdom. But I know a quite a bit about Border. But I thirst for more info..anyways....coincidence, I don’t think so....maybe....

[@davidferguson3499]

ytv was my childhood

[@TonyAKA30]

The Birth of my Childhood.

[@stevewalls4701]

I remember watching this - the first night YTV launched.... Awesome!

[@pmc1000]

R.I.P. John Candy

[@FragglevisionReturns]

"Dance" by ABBA. :)

[@MultiAnimationdude]

Let's look at this list, shall we: We have 6 British imports (The Muppet Show, The Emu Show, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Swalk, The Ghosts of Motley Hall, and The Tripods). Of these only The Emu Show and Swalk were aimed directly at children, and only the latter was created within the then-current decade (1982, to be specific). We also have a Canadian-British co-production made in the 1960s (Forest Rangers), and two U.S. imports aimed primarily at adults (The Carol Burnett Show and Bonanza). This doesn't seem like a very promising lineup to me, but maybe I just don't understand the tastes of Canadian kids (I live in the United States).

[@RetroWinnipeg]

MultiAnimationdude Shoestring budget for an upstart channel. Fast forward 30 years and Corus rules over kids TV in Canada.

[@MultiAnimationdude]

The question is not how much money you have, but how you choose to spend that money. Most 1980s cartoons were short-lived and could be purchased on the cheap, and that is particularly true of new series which had yet to prove themselves and weren't expecting long runs. Not to mention the few major hits there were had rerun syndication packages which could be bought at a discount relative to acquiring the rights to broadcast new episodes. The problem was not one of having a low budget, it was one of expecting kids to be interested in live-action series aimed at adults. I'd have kept She-Ra, Filmation's Ghostbusters, Deke Wilson and You Can't Do That on Television, but that's about it.

[@Ripplin]

A few years after this was uploaded, someone upped part of the Yes You Can intro. ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3vUqqN7jbaIlck ) Sadly, that and what's on here are the only clips of the show on KZbin.

[@RobOsTheGreat]

0:33 a legend was born

[@EWisAmazing]

The fact John Candy was here makes this channel all the better ❤️

[@SpookyHelder]

Ah, my childhood! *sob*

[@AJonAir1]

I'm liking this launch piece!

[@princeofpop8]

YTV sucked without anime, but still love it with Nickelodeon animations like Spongebob, Loud House and so on.

[@PandaPelley]

bro mapletown is anime lmao you mean shonen bullshit

[@ChristianPerez-pr9jj]

This must be where YTV'S first night begins! YTV began its first day of broadcast on September 1st, 1988.

[@ThePowerpuffHotline]

Keeping it weird since 1988.

[@ChristianPerez-pr9jj]

Okay, this is where YTV went on the air in Canada for the first time ever! YTV launched in its first night 34 years ago back in 1988.

[@EddBanshee]

No news, eh? I wonder how long that lasted. Because I definitely remember YTV News being one of their shows!

[@rosariosalvador4991]

Wow!

[@RetroWinnipeg]

No luck in my archives. You might need to get in contact with a Gillis in order to suggest putting up clips from that show...

[@APDS-Akin]

6:05-6:10 ‘that drag’ is what made the lovable staff of ‘PJ’s’ all the more likely.

[@ChristianPerez-pr9jj]

I think YTV launched on it's very first night back in 1988. John Candy was the host of the network's first day of broadcasting.

[@ethanshepherd4963]

Well, John Candy was a Canadian icon and an equally beloved American icon back then; don't you just adore him as a big goofy guy with a sweet disposition? I certainly do 😅

[@xpdev0]

this includes anime i liked

[@RetroTy]

Awesome post!

[@ChristianPerez-pr9jj]

Is John Candy in this video? It better be! He IS on the video! I want to see Candy right now!

[@TrainmasterCurt]

I miss Count Duckula and YCDTOTV

[@TrainmasterCurt]

And the Edison Twins!

[@Ripplin]

Great upload! :D

[@TMNTMegaManXFan2000]

This is epic.

[@tobito3100]

Wow I was born in 88. Too bad YTV sucks now. It's awesome how John Candy was there.

[@O-DogKubrick]

YTV did had the best anime shows there is.

[@andykishore]

You think it sucks because of "Sidekick" and "Almost Naked Animals."

[@O-DogKubrick]

andykishore I found Sidekick okay in some episodes back then, but now it's worse. That and all of it's cartoons.

[@n.h.s.a.d.m.]

This is awesome

[@ChristianPerez-pr9jj]

So, this is where YTV launched in Canada for the very first time! YTV's first night began on September 1st, 1988, the same day, the channel launched. YTV launched with it's very first programs, including old cartoons, comedies, sitcoms, dramas, music shows, adventures, and more! On this day, back in 1988, YTV launched in Canada for the very first time, and went on the air with it's very first programming.

[@knux7]

you should study

[@quenntixx]

schizophrenia

[@alexandergillingham2592]

John Candy is in this!!!

[@CelesteK]

And now we have Teletoon Retro to thank for picking up where YTV left off. :)

[@someguy120100]

18:44 is that Mike Q and Laurie Hibberd?

[@VBaskin2010]

Yep! The early YTV PJ's

[@Dyl482]

I loved Reboot.

[@zaneroote5798]

i have no idea what YTV is, i just heard somehow a tv channel launched with Dance While The Music Still Goes On

[@iHeartsNostalgiaPit]

5:46 bullcrap they had YTV News in the mid-90s

[@PandaPelley]

Which was specifically for kids/pre-teens tho...did you even watch it?

[@iHeartsNostalgiaPit]

@@PandaPelley Not enough I barely remember it

[@adamjamesb1]

How did you get to record this?

[@andykishore]

It was uploaded on YTV.com at one point in 2013.

[@MrToonster]

Good

[@Beautylifestyle222]

And then treehouse TV aired after Halloween one year eerie !

[@Nightingale1000]

When the heck did that happen?

[@Beautylifestyle222]

@@Nightingale1000 November 1st 1997 it’s so creepie

[@Nightingale1000]

@@Beautylifestyle222 Treehouse TV's first day?

[@Beautylifestyle222]

@@Nightingale1000 yes first day on air

[@Nightingale1000]

@@Beautylifestyle222 oh wow!

[@christianbarlett9427]

I loved Looney Tunes.

[@Mr360Gman]

Listen every Anime who reads this!! Tweet YTV using #BringBackBionix. Tell them how much you miss the Bionix block that aired on Friday's. Share with friends.

[@LeoOrientis]

Its original network ident was always its classiest. Although that cringe-worthy speech from Flora MacDonald MP shows its early struggles finding the right tone for its audience. I realize now how astonishing it was that the Tories brought us our first _green_ network: The programming was reduced, reused, and entirely recycled. Yes, now I think of it... This is absolutely the Tory vision for original Canadian programming. The only surprising thing is how many shows were on offer from nations other than the USA. Later, far less progressive Cs would spur on the absorbtion of any distinctive Canadian culture into the larger _Estados-Unidense_ melting-chumbucket. I'll admit that I was part of the problem: Though I missed this launch night, I first became aware of YTV not long after, when my after-school babysitter acquiesced to letting her charges watch the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles after school each day. That was followed by Count Duckula - which I don't think many of us suspected was British. But even though YTV had nothing to do with its production, its first true signature programme was _You Can't Do That on Television._ John Candy reminds us here that before YTV, it had only aired in Ottawa and - bizarrely - the New York tri-state area. And we kids recognized it as the true goodness of YTV. The one pearl of its schedule that the Americans weren't already doing better on another network: It was not trying to be educational, make us buy things, or turn us into good citizens. It was merely taking the piss... out of everything! The evolution of YTV's slogan over its first decade - from the pretentious original _The Spirit of Youth_ to the sell-out geek-chic-meets-Yankee-ghetto-glory _Keep it Weird_ - testifies to an incredible transition in Canadian culture during those years: From something frankly horrid... to something even worse. My father thinks the British influence in Canadian culture was more dominant until the 1980s, when Mulroney turned the cultural ship southward. Though he's got a point, we should also acknowledge it was Canadians' own Reagan-envy that put Mulroney in the Grey House in the first place. If anyone doubts the cultural-assimilation impact of television, one has only to study changes in Canadian regional accents and vocabulary since TV first came on the scene. (It impacted American regional accents too. How long since you last heard a real Brooklyn drawl? At least 2 generations in both countries now sound like they were born and raised in Beverly Hills.) _Unstructured rant mode off._

[@RetroWinnipeg]

Didn’t YCDTOTV air Saturday mornings across the CTV network? (Which pretty much tells you how obscure it was domestically prior to YTV)

[@edwinsolistorres1033]

1988

[@micks336]

Camp caribou must of been later

[@VBaskin2010]

That's Camp Cariboo!

[@darkspyofficial]

YTV is basically canada's version of Nickelodeon

[@iiprandz-officialyoutubech5784]

Can Anyone Help Me To Identify This Song Plays At 0:18?

[@danhenry8163]

18:10 uhhh that slime is extra chunky

[@DilanCommunications]

That's when nickelodeon growed a lightbulb outta their heads