Vintage TV Guide listings

[Gordon Matt]

I happened to stumble on this and thought it might be of interest -- apparently the actual descriptions from TV Guide listings of the day:

http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/sesame-street/episodes-season-1/100390/

 

[minor muppetz]

This is cool, but some of the information is obviously wrong (for example, it lists different letters for episode 5, while the entry for the second season premiere lists different number lessons as opposed to 2).

 

[D'Snowth]

I don't believe those are vintage listings, I believe it's just simply an episode guide that TV Guide has on their website with the only available information they may have.

 

[Gordon Matt]

I don't believe those are vintage listings, I believe it's just simply an episode guide that TV Guide has on their website with the only available information they may have.

I am not positive, but I found listings like that for another (unrelated) show I like and in that case, they definitely were vintage TV Guide descriptions, which I personally remembered. That doesn't mean these necessarily are, though. (I do remember the TV Guide listings for the early seasons included the episode numbers, e.g. "Episode X. This happens. That happens." Whereas here, they don't have that as part of the listings, but separately now it says "Season this, episode that." I guess someone would have to dig out a TV Guide from the era and compare them.)

 

[Gordon Matt]

This is cool, but some of the information is obviously wrong (for example, it lists different letters for episode 5, while the entry for the second season premiere lists different number lessons as opposed to 2).

And that wouldn't surprise me either!

 

[minor muppetz]

I know that the Paley Center for Media has old TV Guide issues with descriptions of early episodes.

 

[Oscarfan]

I know that the Paley Center for Media has old TV Guide issues with descriptions of early episodes.

They aren't for public viewing though. They belong to the research department.

Anywho, these seem to compare to what I've read in the real TV Guides. Sparse info on every show, highlighting very little outside of what celebrity was appearing.

 

[minor muppetz]

They aren't for public viewing though. They belong to the research department.

Wow, seems a little weird that they wouldn't allow patrons to look at the magazines. The only reason I can think of that they would use for research purposes would be to use the TV Guide descriptions for the official descriptions for each program. Not sure if that's what they use for the descriptions, but I can't think of any other reason they'd need them for research for the place.

 

[Oscarfan]

Wow, seems a little weird that they wouldn't allow patrons to look at the magazines. The only reason I can think of that they would use for research purposes would be to use the TV Guide descriptions for the official descriptions for each program. Not sure if that's what they use for the descriptions, but I can't think of any other reason they'd need them for research for the place.

Well, they're not where patrons can get to them.

TV Guides are important to see what aired when, not only show descriptions. I really don't know what the research department does or uses them for, but I can only assume it's to find when certain things aired. Not everything we get has complete info on it send with it; sometimes it's incomplete or incorrect.

By "using the official descriptions," do you mean using them to write the descriptions for the library listings? No, those are written by the catalogers from watching the shows and doing their own research.

 

[gbrobeck]

The public library in my town has the whole run of TV Guide (on microfilm through 1990 and hard copies from 1991 to present) for anyone to access.