Happy 10th anniversary GSN!

[zachhoran]

As we know, today marks GSN's 10th anniversary. Jeopardy!, Dawson Feud, and Newlywed Game are the only three shows to have aired on GSN for all 10 years of its history. MG7x makes the cut if we discount the six month, GT-less Dark Period(TPIR and Feud 1994-95 still aired during the DP). Some form of Card Sharks has aired on GSN all but the Dark Period and from January 5-March 16 2003. WOF aired on GSN from the beginning through late August of this year.

[Ian Wallis]

GSN hit the air at 7 p.m. Eastern on Dec 1, 1994.  In the early going it was mostly available on C-band satellite systems only.  

The first thing they aired was a 6-minute montage of clips of each series they had at the time.  That was followed by Peter Tomarken's intro to the network, stating "This is what you've all been waiting for..."  Peter then introduced an early episode of "What's My Line" as they did a 24-hour marathon consisting of one episode of every series they had.  Shows like "Fantasy" aired during the marathon, which is the only time they aired during the network's history.  Although they had shows like "The Gong Show" from the beginning, this wasn't included in the opening marathon.

The next night, he was back hosting the first installment of "Prime Games".  It was during this time we got our first look at the GSN interactive game, "Decades".  It was just played for demo as regular contestants weren't there for a couple of weeks.

The following Monday, we got our first look at "Club AM", with Laura Chambers and Steve Day.  They also played interactive games between shows, including a game called "What's in the box".

GSN's early schedule was heavy on Goodson-Todman, but also featured "Joker's Wild", "Tic Tac Dough", "Dating Game", "Newlywed Game", "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy".  The weekends featured a two-hour retrospective called "Wide World of Games".  Quite frequently, this show would included episodes of series not on the regular schedule.

GSN's original library was over 50,000 episodes.  It increased as time went on, most notably with the addition of the Bob Stewart library in 1997.

Although just about every series in the GSN library has aired at least once during the 10 years, there still are an estimated 10,000 or so episodes they have access to that have never aired.  With the direction the network has gone in the past couple of years, it seems unlikely they ever will.

I'm really happy I've had GSN almost since the beginning (although I did lose it from C-band earlier this year).  In the beginning I think it was a much warmer and friendlier place, and I have great memories (and tapes) of watching during the first few years, but when you look at everything they've aired in 10 years it's been pretty good to us.

Happy Anniversary!

[aaron sica]

I, personally, was first able to get GSN on...

Just kidding!

However, with the network now being a "double-digit midget", what's your very first memory of GSN? (not when you GOT the channel, but when you saw it for the first time).

I had seen the network advertised in Broadcasting/Cable with their "deck of cards" and a different host on each card, and the ad saying something like "With over 50,000 episodes....We came to play!". Especially exciting to me was the "Gene Rayburn" card. I'd been chomping at the bit to see the '70s "Match Game" ever since a clip I saw on "Sally Jessy Raphael" in 1989 when they had Gene, Peggy Cass, Kitty Carlisle, and Soupy Sales on.

December 1 rolled around, and I can remember looking at a copy of "On-Sat" magazine to see what GSN had on their schedule...Tic Tac Dough, Joker's Wild, Match Game, Family Feud, Trivia Trap, Card Sharks, et al...It seemed too good to be true!

I was not less than 2 years removed from HS at this point (class of '93), so I used my A-V Club connections to have my old advisor tune the school's dish to good old G7-6 and tape GSN for me. On that first tape was part of a WoF episode, J!, SP, MG' '90,  BtC, and Child's Play, interspersed with Club AM of course.

It was like TV nirvana, the likes of which we may never see again...

At the risk of sounding corny, GSN is not what it was 10 years ago by any means, but we'll always have the memories. No one can take those away.

[Jimmy Owen]

Before my cable company added GSN, I too would look at On-Sat mag's listing and just marvel at the shows. As an apartment dweller at the time, a bulky satellite dish was out of the question, so this was the one and only time I actually called my cable company to request they carry GSN.  Four years later they granted my request, so I got it at a pretty good time, just after the dark period.

[SRIV94]

[quote name=\'aaron sica\' date=\'Dec 1 2004, 09:02 AM\']However, with the network now being a "double-digit midget", what's your very first memory of GSN? (not when you GOT the channel, but when you saw it for the first time).

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In my case, they were one and the same.  June 1998--a MG episode followed by TATTLETALES was my earliest viewing of the channel.

Doug

[cmjb13]

Can't recall which show I saw first, but I do recall seeing Break the Bank (not sure which version) and Kennedy Price around October 1997.

[zachhoran]

[quote name=\'cmjb13\' date=\'Dec 1 2004, 10:31 AM\']Can't recall which show I saw first, but I do recall seeing Break the Bank (not sure which version) and Kennedy Price around October 1997.

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The Kennedy BtB had a weekend berth on the schedule for a few months starting in October. The Jack Barry BtB aired only a few times ever on GSN(Xmas 1997 was one time)

[Matt Ottinger]

I'm not ever going to forget that original 6-minute montage and the 24-hour marathon that followed.  

Remember, this was just as the Usenet group was beginning to get popular for the first time as well, so for a lot of us "originals", this was an insanely amazing period where just in the matter of a few months, we not only discovered each other but also this spectacular resource for classic series.  An incredible time that wll probably never be duplicated again.

[uncamark]

July 1998 on a Saturday afternoon.  As soon as the installer leaves the apartment and I've finished watching the instructional video on the new remote for the digital box, I tune immediately to 161 and see 60s color "Password."  I'm like a kid in a candy store--until I gasp at those dubbed music beds on the first 70s syndie "TNG" I see.

Yes, I spent a lot of time watching TV that weekend.

[BrandonFG]

December 1997 I believe. Was at a Christmas party for my mom's job, and turned to find a Barker TPiR from the late-70s. The contestant was playing "It's Optional."

After that, usually whenever we went to the mall, I stopped at either Radio Shack, Montgomery Wards, or Sears, and slyly found GSN, and watched a good hour or so of programming. There were also times when I'd go to my mom's job and watch GSN in the break room. I remember catching another TPiR (c. 1976), Wheel, J!, Three's a Crowd, Treasure Hunt, and Dawson Feud 94.

We finally got digital cable in May 2002, just when GSN was starting to pull out a few more classics (HSq, WLoD, the Vertivision and Breakfast blocks), and put on the new originals. Summer 2002 was gold for me. :-)

[irismason42]

My very first full episode viewing of GSN was with the Wheel 2000/JEP! hour that I saw at Uncle Butch's house in Miami, FL, but I didn't get GSN myself until 1 year later, which was very early in 1999 when Card Sharks was on every single day and when Family Feud was on with just the ABC version which first aired on Friday, July 12.

[johnnyd1788]

I remember when I saw GSN for the first time was at my grandparent's house. They had just gotten satelite and I was flipping through channels and found a station call Game Show Network. Fell in love at first sight. It was some great stuff. And the weird thing is, the channel is G7-6, just like Aaron had said... Things don't change, do they?

[aaron sica]

[quote name=\'johnnyd1788\' date=\'Dec 1 2004, 03:17 PM\']I remember when I saw GSN for the first time was at my grandparent's house. They had just gotten satelite and I was flipping through channels and found a station call Game Show Network. Fell in love at first sight. It was some great stuff. And the weird thing is, the channel is G7-6, just like Aaron had said... Things don't change, do they?

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I didn't know where anything else was on a BUD (Big Ugly Dish, for those who don't know), but boy, I sure knew where GSN was.

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.

[SRIV94]

[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

[dzinkin]

[quote name=\'SRIV94\' date=\'Dec 1 2004, 03:32 PM\']I'll second that emotion (although I use Groups-gle to do my searching).

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Well, since Google bought Deja, and www.dejanews.com now goes to groups.google.com, it's all one and the same now. :-)

It started to go downhill in about 2000.  Right about the time I hooked up.  :-)

Remind me again why you were allowed in here? :-D