Why I chose Cozi & Throwback Television!
So, why with the five or six larger choices in town did I choose Cozi & Throwback Television for my Buffalo, New York broadcast partners? Well, it's a long tale leading up to that moment and you'll hear all about that in another post I'm sure. But, for now, this will have to do.
During my long journey home, I have lived in many places with quite a few people until my boat and heart stopped and washed ashore here. And one of these places was where the initial version of "Triple T" was being developed. I call this place "the Unicorn Room"... LOL... again, a post for another day.
When I edit the show, I usually keep the TV on and try to find something marginally tolerable to watch while I work. It's just peripheral background noise for the other side of my brain to munch on while the editing side runs straight down the rabbit hole with my imagination.
One Saturday morning was particularly boring with the usual line up of snooze-fest E/I kids programming, infomercials and pragmatically pedantic "kids" shows... Ugh...so what's an aspiring kid's TV show editor/creator/producer to do? Head to the proverbial "left of the dial,"
I did.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with this term, "left of the dial" is an old music industry term for where all the really great content lives on the FM dial. Don't believe me, go to your radio right now and head down to the left... go on...
I'll wait...
Seeeeeee... wha'd I tell 'ya?
There's some pretty cool stuff down at that end of the pool huh?
Yeah, it's where the good stuff lives and all the cool kids hang out. It's the back of the smart-kids class and has been this way forever and will more than likely never change. You can do this ANYWHERE... even in Europe... I tried... and it's the ALWAYS where you'll find the best content and independently minded folks... like Nancy and me. You can keep your pop culture. We'll be left of the dial
Actually, I think Paul Westerberg and the Replacements said it best a few decades ago.... "And if I don't see ya, in a long, long while... I'll try to find you... Left of the dial."
Anyhow, the modern television broadcast airwaves have an independent system similar to what we old radio industry types like to call "left of the dial." And that system is "over-the-air" TV. Now, yes, the FCC requires full coverage stations to provide their signals on this bandwidth too, but the real beautiful broadcasting on "over the air" is the smaller stations just a little further UP...the dial... .
When I lived in California, I became enamored with these stations. It was like the heyday of indie and early cable TV! It's a wonderful place and where I often turn to when I want to supercharge my indie spirit!
So, back to my story... On this particular Saturday morning I was wishing I could see the shows I grew up with again. ON TV! NOT...You Tube... DON'T get me started about the communal/tribal power of TV...
As I half-heartedly flipped through the murky, boorish, complacently maddening waters, I began to wonder if any 'over the air" stations from Toronto would make it this far south. Surely THEY must have an "over the air" station that remembers just how fun Saturday morning TV could be. Can we just have FUN... after a long week... can we? Does anyone remember laughter? Silliness? Hyper-creative/imaginative/fun?
So, I continued my channel sweep... flipping... mindlessly away... I almost gave up until up in the 50's... I passed something I hadn't seen in YEARS!!! I could barely believe my eyes!
As I dialed back toward the station, I was hoping I wasn't just overly-tired and was seeing things.... Did my eyes and hopes deceive me? Could it be?
Well, in a second or two I had my answer!
YES!!!!!! YEEEEES! One of my favorite shows and honestly, one that inspired my eventual move out to California, was right there on my TV!
Sigmund & The Sea Monsters!
When I edit the show, I usually keep the TV on and try to find something marginally tolerable to watch while I work. It's just peripheral background noise for the other side of my brain to munch on while the editing side runs straight down the rabbit hole with my imagination.
One Saturday morning was particularly boring with the usual line up of snooze-fest E/I kids programming, infomercials and pragmatically pedantic "kids" shows... Ugh...so what's an aspiring kid's TV show editor/creator/producer to do? Head to the proverbial "left of the dial,"
I did.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with this term, "left of the dial" is an old music industry term for where all the really great content lives on the FM dial. Don't believe me, go to your radio right now and head down to the left... go on...
I'll wait...
Seeeeeee... wha'd I tell 'ya?
There's some pretty cool stuff down at that end of the pool huh?
Yeah, it's where the good stuff lives and all the cool kids hang out. It's the back of the smart-kids class and has been this way forever and will more than likely never change. You can do this ANYWHERE... even in Europe... I tried... and it's the ALWAYS where you'll find the best content and independently minded folks... like Nancy and me. You can keep your pop culture. We'll be left of the dial
Actually, I think Paul Westerberg and the Replacements said it best a few decades ago.... "And if I don't see ya, in a long, long while... I'll try to find you... Left of the dial."
Anyhow, the modern television broadcast airwaves have an independent system similar to what we old radio industry types like to call "left of the dial." And that system is "over-the-air" TV. Now, yes, the FCC requires full coverage stations to provide their signals on this bandwidth too, but the real beautiful broadcasting on "over the air" is the smaller stations just a little further UP...the dial... .
When I lived in California, I became enamored with these stations. It was like the heyday of indie and early cable TV! It's a wonderful place and where I often turn to when I want to supercharge my indie spirit!
So, back to my story... On this particular Saturday morning I was wishing I could see the shows I grew up with again. ON TV! NOT...You Tube... DON'T get me started about the communal/tribal power of TV...
As I half-heartedly flipped through the murky, boorish, complacently maddening waters, I began to wonder if any 'over the air" stations from Toronto would make it this far south. Surely THEY must have an "over the air" station that remembers just how fun Saturday morning TV could be. Can we just have FUN... after a long week... can we? Does anyone remember laughter? Silliness? Hyper-creative/imaginative/fun?
So, I continued my channel sweep... flipping... mindlessly away... I almost gave up until up in the 50's... I passed something I hadn't seen in YEARS!!! I could barely believe my eyes!
As I dialed back toward the station, I was hoping I wasn't just overly-tired and was seeing things.... Did my eyes and hopes deceive me? Could it be?
Well, in a second or two I had my answer!
YES!!!!!! YEEEEES! One of my favorite shows and honestly, one that inspired my eventual move out to California, was right there on my TV!
Sigmund & The Sea Monsters!
BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!!!
That afternoon they played ENTIRE blocks of the coolest shows from my youth!!
I was in Saturday morning 70's KID TV Heaven!
So what was this most awesome TV station, you ask?
Was it out of Toronto, Rochester, or somewhere even further away?
NOPE! It was broadcasting right from good ol' Buffalo and was, OF COURSE, what eventually was to become our beloved television partner in the Buffalo area... Throwback Television!
It was in early April of last year that I found that gem of a station and immediately knew I had found the perfect eventual Buffalo home for "Triple T".
And now look... here we are a year later, and in a week, we will be premiering on that VERY STATION right alongside the programs that inspired me to get into this business in the first place.
It's the right fit for us and for the station as well. And life is ALL ABOUT finding the right fit. No more; no less.
Pretty cool, huh?
Yeah, life has a funny way of working out like that if you let it... -AA
That afternoon they played ENTIRE blocks of the coolest shows from my youth!!
I was in Saturday morning 70's KID TV Heaven!
So what was this most awesome TV station, you ask?
Was it out of Toronto, Rochester, or somewhere even further away?
NOPE! It was broadcasting right from good ol' Buffalo and was, OF COURSE, what eventually was to become our beloved television partner in the Buffalo area... Throwback Television!
It was in early April of last year that I found that gem of a station and immediately knew I had found the perfect eventual Buffalo home for "Triple T".
And now look... here we are a year later, and in a week, we will be premiering on that VERY STATION right alongside the programs that inspired me to get into this business in the first place.
It's the right fit for us and for the station as well. And life is ALL ABOUT finding the right fit. No more; no less.
Pretty cool, huh?
Yeah, life has a funny way of working out like that if you let it... -AA
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