Happy 10th anniversary GSN!

[davemackey]

First look at GSN provided from tapes provided to the Mackey Bros. by Dave Hammett. Sometimes we felt like we were the only ones watching (or timeshifting, in our case) the network.

Earliest memory: not many revenue ads, mostly house ads for Sony properties. Now, however, major advertisers flock to GSN and participate in sponsorship opportunities.

I didn't actually see the network on a regular basis until GSN was picked up by Comcast of Monmouth County, where I worked from 1994 to 2002. I think they came on board in late 1996 or early 1997.

Ten years of incredible growth... and in spite of last March's conversion to GSN, the best is yet to come.

[Gromit]

My first viewing would have been in late 1999, when I moved into my current home and got digital cable. I have no idea what my first show was, likely Match Game or Pyramid. That was too late to see old Price is Right's, I wish I could have seen those. I saw them first run of course, but I'd love to go back and see the old ones.

I spent many joyous hours each day watching, GSN was my favourite channel. Sadly, that's no longer the case any more. With the current schedule, I'm down to half an hour a day, and frankly, barely even check the schedule any more. It used to be "Ok, nothing's on, turn to GSN and watch that".

I'm afraid I don't share Dave's optimism at all.

[Jamey Greek]

I remember when I was in 3rd grade an 8-year old in Elba Alabama a small town in L.A (Lower Alabama mind you) and I was looking at a Sattelite Orbit magazine and found ads for GSN!!!  in 1994! I don't remember if I showed my mom or not, and a year later we were at a friend's house, and they had a C-Band sattelite and guess what?! They had GSN!!! when I turned it to GSN Trivia Trap was about to end.  Also, Christmas 1995, my grandmoither bought me a Primestar to keep at her house, One reason was she lived in the boondocks in Alabama and did not have cable, but the main reason was I wanted GSN only to discover that It was not availible but finally, in 1997, it finally was!!!!!  It was prior to the dark period.  and I am going to miss those older days.

[SRIV94]

[quote name=\'dzinkin\' date=\'Dec 1 2004, 02:36 PM\']Remind me again why you were allowed in here? :-D

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Secret photographs (this joke does itself--and thank goodness for small favors).  ;-)

Doug

[Ian Wallis]

Earliest memory: not many revenue ads, mostly house ads for Sony properties. Now, however, major advertisers flock to GSN and participate in sponsorship opportunities.

That's one of the things I liked about the early GSN - the "Mr Hostman" commercials, the interviews with people like Kitty Carlisle, Jim Lange and Charles Nelson Reilly, and the endless airing of Gene Rayburns "nipples" blooper.

It's too bad they don't pull some of those out to air once in a while.

[JMFabiano]

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'Dec 1 2004, 03:32 PM\'][quote name=\'aaron sica\' date=\'Dec 1 2004, 02:24 PM\']And as Matt O. said, the newsgroup was a wonderful place at that point - completely the opposite of what it has become. If you ever get some time, go to www.dejanews.com and do a search for alt.tv.game-shows back in 1994. Some very interesting reading, with a lot of names you'll probably recognize.

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I'll second that emotion (although I use Groups-gle to do my searching).  It started to go downhill in about 2000.  Right about the time I hooked up.  :-)

Doug

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I still think ATGS and GSN's quality correlated.  When it started getting really bad (i.e. Tauber/Fleming eras), I noticed that that was when a bit more nastiness and negativity started to creep in.

[DaneFromKansas]

My earliest memory of seeing something about GSN was sometime in 94, when TV Guide mentioned it during a profile of soon-to-be-debuting cable networks.  I wanted it so bad, and I talked my parents into calling and requesting it, but it took several years before I saw it.  The first time I actually got to bear witness to GSN was in mid-2000 (I believe) when my local cable company began a promotion of showing one-week free previews of various digital cable channels as a promo for their digital cable.  With no prior announcement, I happened on to it during the first day of the promotion, and was greeted by Perry Card Sharks, followed by Hollywood Showdown.

[Don Howard]

[quote name=\'davemackey\' date=\'Dec 1 2004, 06:16 PM\']Ten years of incredible growth... and in spite of last March's conversion to GSN, the best is yet to come.

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Only if they start showing the TVMA version of The Brooke Burke Strip Poker Challenge.

[gameshowfan1991]

I have never had cable TV, but I have watched some GSN over the years, mostly at friends and relatives houses. The first time I saw it was probably sometime in the late 90's, around 1998 or '99.

[gameshowguy2000]

First GSN show I saw was TPIR (Win TV), as I got it in 2000.

[Ian Wallis]

My earliest memory of seeing something about GSN was sometime in 94, when TV Guide mentioned it during a profile of soon-to-be-debuting cable networks.

It was actually mentioned in at least two Fall Previews before it hit the airwaves.  I'm pretty sure it was mentioned in TVGuide as early as September 1992.

[FeudDude]

[quote name=\'Ian Wallis\' date=\'Dec 3 2004, 09:16 AM\']

My earliest memory of seeing something about GSN was sometime in 94, when TV Guide mentioned it during a profile of soon-to-be-debuting cable networks.

It was actually mentioned in at least two Fall Previews before it hit the airwaves.  I'm pretty sure it was mentioned in TVGuide as early as September 1992.

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I think those might have actually been referring to the "Game Show Channel" that the then-owners of the Family Channel (pre-Fox/ABC) were going to start.  That never got off the ground, needless to say.

[TonicBH]

Earliest viewing could go back to around 1999-2000, when my dad's work had it on Satellite.

I first had GSN on September 5, 2001. At the time, LMAD, PYL and a few other shows had just "premiered" on the network.

It was good to see some classics again. Now if only they got off the "reality show" mentality the network's gone in.

[GSCrank]

[quote name=\'TonicBH\' date=\'Dec 3 2004, 08:43 PM\']It was good to see some classics again. Now if only they got off the "reality show" mentality the network's gone in.

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I would love to see GSN go back to being what it used to be.  Hell, I'd love to see it go back to what it was before I got it in 1998.  But I don't think that is happening.  Cronin's looking for ratings, and nowadays, a channel with just game shows won't appeal to their targeted demographic (the age range I happen to be in, too).

Now, as for my first experience with GSN, it was actually in 1998, when I first got the channel.

[Jimmy Owen]

[quote name=\'FeudDude\' date=\'Dec 3 2004, 06:44 PM\']

I think those might have actually been referring to the "Game Show Channel" that the then-owners of the Family Channel (pre-Fox/ABC) were going to start.  That never got off the ground, needless to say.

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I always considered the early 90's FAM daytime game block (Trivial Pursuit, Boggle, Jumble ,etc.) as a psuedo-pilot for the the Game Channel. It probably would have looked much the same.  The TV Guide Fall Preview issue of 1992 states on pg. 59, the channel will feature "repeats of Name That Tune, The Cross-Wits, Jackpot, Truth or Consequences, among others." (by that I would assume agreements with Ralph Edwards and Bob Stewart) and would likely hit the air in January 1993.