Talk:1995 in American television

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Untitled[edit]

Let's move this to "USA Television in 1995". It is completely and deliberately constructed to be just that, so let's name it what it is. -- Infrogmation

NO. See the other page. I've been including non-US information when I find it. You're ignoring all of that apparently. I've included tons of info about the BBC and other non-US television. I have NOT intentionally focused on American television, but its difficult because I am in the US and that info is easier for me to find. Help. Don't destroy the articles. -Jazz77

Again, I am certainly not trying to "destroy" any pages or information. See Talk:List of 'years in television' for further discussion. -- Infrogmation

Does anyone know why the "First television program broadcast via the Internet" isn't specified by name? -- Editor B

First TV Show on Internet?[edit]

I have reason to believe that Computer Chronicles was not the first TV show on the Internet. I think it was a television series called ROX, which debuted on the Internet on April 15th of 1995.

I am reluctant to make that change to the timeline myself, though, because I was and am involved in the production of ROX. I am very obviously biased! I don't think it would be contrary to the spirit of Wikipedia for me to make to make such a change. I respect the Wikipedia project too much to engage in self-aggrandizement. I hope my comments are not perceived as such.

Nevertheless, I would like to offer the following evidence. Below I am pasting the text of an article which appeared in Time magazine on May 1st, 1995.

Joe Nickell and Bart Everson, a couple of goofy, twentysomething guys from Bloomington, Indiana, are sick of small fame. For three years their satirical public-access TV show has played to critical acclaim in the greater Bloomington area, but it has never attracted the kind of national attention that would capture a slot on network TV. Though local sponsors chip in enough to keep Everson clothed, housed and fed, Nickell still has to support himself as a waiter. So the pair set their sights beyond broadcast TV, beyond cable TV, to the computer networks. Last week, as their 85th episode, Global Village Idiots, was flickering across Bloomington televisions, it was simultaneously stored on the Internet, where millions of people worldwide could retrieve it -- the first television show broadcast in cyberspace.

[Emphasis added]

Although the "satirical public-access TV show" is not mentioned by name, it is in fact ROX, as my second piece of evidence makes clear: This article from Wired Magazine, dated December 1995.

As for Computer Chronicles, I see that they are cited on a number of web pages as the first show on the Internet, but I can't find a precise date (only the year 1995) or any documentation that seems authoritative. I do know that I have researched this topic several times over the past 12 years and that I'd never seen this claim for Computer Chronicles until recently.

If anyone else out there -- Ezhiki? -- finds this evidence compelling, please make a change to the timeline. I won't do it myself for the reasons cited above. If I can answer any questions regarding this I will be happy to do so. I can provide more evidence to support this claim in the form of USENET posts and personal journal entries.

I hope that I am pursuing this matter in the right way. I'm new enough to Wikipedia that I'm not sure of myself. I would welcome any advice.

--Editor B 17:38, Oct 28, 2004 (UTC)

Hi, Editor B! I added Computer Chronicles merely per results of the Google search. Your evidence seems compeling enough for me to accept it, and I do not have any particular reasons not to believe you, but since I am not all that knowledgeable about the subject, I'd prefer to maybe mention both ROX and the Chronicles, and then wait for someone more informed to come along and clarify the issue. Sorry for not being of much help here.—Ëzhiki (erinaceus europeaus) 18:08, Oct 28, 2004 (UTC)

That seems eminently reasonable, especially given the absence of a precise date for Computer Chronicles' debut. I contacted them for clarification last week but haven't heard anything yet.--Editor B 18:14, Oct 28, 2004 (UTC)

Here's the Usenet post to which I referred. It is dated April 18, 1995. --Editor B 20:00, Oct 29, 2004 (UTC)

I've edited the article to include both ROX and the Chronicles. Please feel free to edit it if/when you have more information.

I also have a question—the Time article says that ROX was was simultaneously stored on the Internet, where millions of people worldwide could retrieve it. To me, this does not seem to be a broadcast; it sounds more like sharing a show on a P2P network or uploading it to an FTP server today. Of course, it would still be a big deal in 1995, and I am not trying to belittle the merit of this event. I am, however, wondering, if the Chronicles was actually the first show that had been streamed, not just stored somewhere where it would be accessible to public.—Ëzhiki (erinaceus europeaus) 16:46, Nov 2, 2004 (UTC)

Thanks. I do appreciate your attention to this historical detail. I still haven't heard from the producers of Chronicles, but I do know that video streaming as we think of it today simply did not exist in early 1995. The Time article about ROX dwelt mostly on Rob Glaser's RealAudio, which was considered revolutionary because it made streaming audio possible. Perhaps Chronicles was on the Mbone. The Mbone might seem closer to traditional broadcasting. The band Severe Tire Damage was on the Mbone in 1993; they appeared on the Chronicles in 1995, and I suspect that this may have been the first Chronicles on the Internet, but I can't find anything conclusive. Even more frustrating: one source indicates this appearance took place in March -- others say May! I will keep looking.--Editor B 03:35, Nov 5, 2004 (UTC)