The Television Affair 6 - TV Rejects Part 1. Short lived and defunct TV channels

Welcome to the first in the shorter versions of the Television Affair. Over the coming episodes we’ll be taking a look at defunct channels. In this instalment we have two channels, and one network. Those are Whereits.at which was a teen/young adult station, SelecTv, The Carlton digital channels, and a channel called Merit.
You’ll get to hear me flap on about why they failed and what went wrong, tell you what i found out about it all, maybe say some silly things, like usual. You might even see the test card girl screaming.
Let me know what you remember about these channels. Do you think that they would survive now?
Also, you can find more whereits.at content and the videos i used at / @whereitsattv
Computertom's channel / @computertom

[@markssmith77]

You've done it again Johnny, another top vid for us nostalgia nerds out here in the wilderness of the interwebs... Awesome work and keep it up!

[@ggeudraco]

I'm sure that Vibe TV (early 2000s Sky Digital) would be a contender for the shortest existance of a satellite/cable TV channel, with its sole purpose to promote Angelle, an up-and-coming pop star with her debut single coming out shortly. The same three videos totalling 20 minutes, on rotation 24 hours a day for a month...

[@albertu.9753]

thanks for the JATWW themed intro, lovely

[@morbidsearch]

Missed opportunity to call Channel Television "The Channel Channel".

[@Redrally]

What you said about the value of a "live" stream explains the current popularity of the Eurovision Song Contest.

[@RatzaChewy]

American TV has really taken this idea and ran with it. Part of Fox's sale of 20th Century was so it could focus on sport as it's the only thing where ratings are still strong and advertisers know they're getting their money's worth. The CW have done similar thing with LIV Golf, and they didn't even have a sports department beforehand.

[@rtc9063]

I agree with your comments about the likes of the iPlayer. Why are the full series of shows on the iPlayer before they are broadcast. Isn't this why the ratings are so appalling these days? Surely the programme should play on the tv channel first?

[@hereticosjc]

I'm sad these are shorter but I understand. Keep it up

[@RatzaChewy]

I just searched for Where It's At TV and the first relevant result was a DigitalSpy forum thread about the channel. Here's a brief summary: "Does anyone have any idea what type of programming this channel will show ? From looking at the `test' it would suggest to me that the channel will have programming dedicated to young people, am i right in thinking this ?" "Young and stupid people if you ask me. It seems to have material in "laungage" for yobbos. I have already complained to the ITC about the promotional video content, as in my opinion, it is too rude to be shown during the day, and has too much swearing in it. I would be interested if anyone knows which number the channel will be on, and what date is it launching?" Never change, DigitalSpy, never change...

[@jonkasonic]

Yeah I saw that one, had a bit of a giggle as I'm sure the folks at ITC did :)

[@TheGerkuman]

​@@jonkasonicah, the days before the ITC/OFCOM got a stick in their butts. (and before the tories put one if their own in charge of it)

[@juppyzilla]

Love your videos, glad another is out!

[@brearlem]

Brilliant video, but Selectv (productions) was sold to Pearson the Channel its self was sold to Carlton. Pearson bought Thames in 1994 then Grundy in 95.

[@geniusburger]

I think Merit for it's brief life was mainly just to hold onto the channel slot until it got sold, weird they'd do that but that's the scuttlebutt about why it even existed at all.

[@jamesdelboy]

ITV play was on ITV1 before nightscreen if I remember rightly

[@TeleRadioFabian]

Hello from Romania,please a short description about first TV channell from my country received in UK(TVR International,PRO TV International,Antena International and others). Thanks

[@SweetStevieAaron]

The first channel looks great. Kinda reminds of some Channel M show for some reason. The last one… Merit… Wtf. What aired on it?!

[@j0hnf_uk]

The secret of good television programming is to make it an occasion. That is, to have a day and time for when the show airs that viewers come together to watch and share the experiences of. It worked rather well in the, 'good, old days', when people didn't have a choice and had to watch shows as they were singularly broadcast. You can still have, 'on demand', but not for show premieres. Make them occasions where people have to tune in on a certain day and time, and you'll be surprised how cohesive it is in giving everyone who watched the same thing to talk about, afterwards.

[@sophie_drachen]

I don't remember watching it, but I remember reading about it. There was a channel called "Rapture TV" which aired extreme sports and electronic music. (I reckon that might be mentioned in the next episode). They ended up going under due to a disagreement with Sky or maybe that they didn't have enough money to keep it afloat. Great video, Jon!

[@RatzaChewy]

Didn't they continue to operate on Astra 2 for a little while without paying for space on the Sky EPG? I remember seeing a video where they told viewers how to manually tune the channel in.

[@sophie_drachen]

​​​@@RatzaChewy I think it was rather well known for how many times it was relaunched, the people behind it were (understandably) very anti-Murdoch. Not helped by the fact that according to Rapture, the fees to actually be on the EPG were way more than they could justify paying, and many complaints were sent to Ofcom about it, only to have them dismissed. So, I think your recollection was right!

[@nathanhickton]

Rapture gave a very young Jake Humphrey his first break doing G@mers.

[@Firthy2002]

Rapture could probably be a video all to itself.

[@IsaaMation]

Oh boy! A New jonkasonic Video!

[@JennyAnnTea]

Yep Gloucester Quays, which I can see from my bedroom window! Very odd having doors which open outwards, but Cotswold dialysis unit at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital also has outward opening automatic doors!

[@Rich.Aardvark]

First thing, fanks and well done. Second thing, Diamond cable. Third thing. I'm 44 and I like nostalgic rabbit holes that require no effort.

[@Jandcacc]

Awesomesauce!

[@litlblkhouse]

Hmm.....About Where It's At . TV. I need to track down footage from that channel for myself. Also, I wish there was a channel here in America just like it. It doesn't have to be still operating today.

[@LukeEllisTV]

Need to do a video dedicated to the rise and fall of L!VE TV. Full of absolute madness and will need the bringing of the modesty duck. So much controversy and run ins with ofcom with that channel. Needs your voice and expert documenting for the whole facade to make sense of the whole thing.

[@jonkasonic]

Yeah I've seen a few videos about it. I do want to dedicate some time at some point to really get stuck in on something like Live TV and do some proper investigation and research but footage will be the main thing. Also Live TV was built on the success of its predesessor from Bristol so again that's worth a deep dive. I might end up on ITV and bbc doing an appeal for anyone with footage :D that'll be the day

[@LukeEllisTV]

@@jonkasonic It would be so worth it. The trouble that channel ran into with OFCOM was so funny it's barbaric. Love to see a video dedicated to L!VE TV. I think its the only ever tv channel to have ever existed that was the anarchy of commercialised and popular tv and what ruins it for me was I'm too young to remember and looking at old resurfaced footage, this was and still is where tv was completely and utterly unleashed and a free for all. Probably the title The Controversy Of L!VE TV would be better than The Rise And Fall Of L!VE TV purely because of the shitshow that ensued when it began.

[@jonkasonic]

@LukeEllisTV yeah I've not looked into Live's sky channel. I covered its origina run previously in another episode but its time on sky was mostly regurgitated from its previous run. I'd imagine ofcom problems came around during that time due to the "babe content", but on its original run, as it was only on Cable until 1999 ofcom wasn't around. That was the ITC's job back then and it's not as documented, but also I don't know what rules they had to keep to or which department they had to answer to. It was merged into the ITC in the early 1990s but was previously the cable authority, but can't find extensive information online about it or know where they published it. I read that someone purchased live tv's content a few years ago and there's some potential leads via a comment, so who knows!