WWHT "U68" Newark, NJ

[ModernDayWarrior2112]

I remember seeing Rush "Tom Sawyer" and also a video by a band called Thor on U68. Wow this brings back great memories.

[YanksOnTop]

Talk about memories... I loved that channel when I was in HS. And they finish off with "Zero The Hero"... Classic.

[oldschoolbx1970]

This takes me back to my days as a teenager in high school. Thanks for posting this.

[boob1019]

Those were the days .....UHF head banger ball ....1986

[oldschoolbx1970]

I used to watch this shit every night @ 11:00pm from June 1985 to October 3,1986 back when I was a teenager.

[GONZARoller]

WWHT is now identified as WFUT-DT.

It now broadcasts just a bunch of crappy Spanish-language programming under ownership of TeleFutura, and Telemundo. A nice blast from the past from the golden ages of radio and TV.

[kcthatsawinner]

I found out that WWHT would later be called 'the WORX tv 68', which was owned by USA Broadcasting, which also had WAMI Miami, WHOT-TV Atlanta, wHUB 66 Boston and K*STR 49 in Houston. USA sold those stations to Telefutura. You should check out the station id's for each on YouTube.

[tubecraft7]

All I can say is -- wow.

[WJCMTA]

U-68 Metal Power Hour was one of the best shows. I remember watching it every Friday night before heading out to L'amour. My brother recorded the shows on Video and to this day, I'll watch it every so often.

[Shawnster65]

Count me in too, brother.

I watched this every Friday night, and always laughed that they ended the broadcasting night with this song, lol

I remember one Power Hour video by a band named Monroe, "Won't Last Forever." and of all things, the guitarist, Rich, is on Myspace!

Then there was that Jim Rutledge cover of that old Bloodrock song, "D.O.A." with the disturbing footage in the ambulance.

Black and Blue-"Hold On To 18" and Dio's "Rainbow In The Dark" were a few others.

[WJCMTA]

I use to watch U-68 on Friday Night's before heading out to the clubs. My brother still haves Video Tapes of the Metal Power Shows, featuring Ozzy, Judas Priest, etc....Those were the Good Ol' Day's, not the garbage they consider MUSIC NOW!

[mrfreespirit]

That was also how I was exposed to other wrestling feds besides the WWF. Hell, my older brother would monopolize the TV just to see Flair in action.

[mac516]

ok , think im crazy , but this is a true story , i watched this exact clip late at night at my parents house in 85 or 86 , i was about 15 , this exact clip showed here late night , my parents hadda party and this chinese guy named Kern entered the room as I watched this and said "Ahhhh Brack Sabbiff , kicked his leg in the air and left the room , TRUE STORY !

[mac516]

people considered me an "outcast" in the early -mid 80`s cuz i loved the uncle floyd show . 1/2 the humor out there today comes from influences like the Uncle Floyd show ... u68 power hour !!!!!!!!!

[danawadd]

I was "introduced" to Uncle Floyd by accident as a 10 year old in 1977...and watched him faithfully until I was about 15 or so. I was also an "outcast"... in the South Bronx... who watched Floyd...

[evilflynn]

metal power houre, rock box, uncle floyd and speed racer... a one movie a day WHT ruled!

[cpinto72]

Holy Crap!! I lived in NJ and TOTALLY forgot about this show until a friend brought it up recently on Facebook. Hairmetal still RULES!!

[vaportrails44]

I remember living in Wyckoff, NJ and seeing this on UHF back in the mid 80s...my God...so many memories.

[capnquirky]

I'm glad you resurrected this. I worked there and the Beatles signoff was actually my idea! I just said it as a joke, and they used it.

[TechnerVideo]

Cool... who's the girl that falls asleep at the controls?

[schizoid7]

No way! It wasn't until years later I discovered that was from "The White Album."

Thanks for posting your U-68 clips as well, capnquirky. Some people back in the 80's actually enjoyed diverse musical programming.

[SERIALGOTHNYC]

I know the transmitter was in NYC, but that's only because Emo Phillips cut a promo that said so, and they used to show it all the time!

LONG LIVE U68!!

[murcuryvapor]

Yeah, I know that's the end of 'Zero the Hero'. I saw it enough times. The announcer used to frontsell the Voivod video in a really histrionic manner.

Great stuff.

[murcuryvapor]

Voivod rocks...yeah!

[shotinacondom]

nostalgic

theres just something about those years.

[madseasonstaley]

U68 power hour baby! Up Next: Twisted Sister - The Price

[reluctantpopstar]

The studio for "U68" was actually in Newark. I was there in about 1982, and it was a scary area, let me tell you. Before that, it was in West Orange, a little bit more suburban, and the transmitter tower was also there. I believe the transitter stayed in West Orange for a time.

[wmbrown6]

I recall as of 1979 Ch. 68's transmitter was atop the World Trade Center. Sounds like the situation changed in the years afterward.

Also, would you know the make of the TV camera seen at the :31-:35 mark?

[5UP7]

They added a translator (W60AI) on Channel 60 located atop 2 World Trade Center as a fill-in for NYC, but prior to the U68 days, channel 68's (WBTB-TV / WTVG / WWHT) transmitter was located at 416 Eagle Rock Ave. in West Orange, NJ.

IIRC, they switched from WHT service to the U68 format the first day stereo television broadcasts became legal in the US. Had they not done this, stereo-capable TVs would have been able to decode the audio of the movies they were transmitting.

[wmbrown6]

Ah, so that's where the 2 WTC part came in. (I did recall the "Channel 60 for New York" part, however.) I do remember, though, on then-WTVG's sign-ons, they used as background music a 1972 version from a Pickwick album of Isaac Hayes' "Theme from Shaft" - it wasn't Hayes' original, though, but an incredible simulation.

[5UP7]

You are correct. The announcer at that time MAY have been Bob Fasbender of "Stock Market Today" and "Wall Street Perspective" fame.

It was the only channel 68 sign-on I am aware of that was set to music.

After the transmitter move to Empire and the format change to U68, W60AI was no longer needed as a translator, so it was pressed into service as a LPTV WHT outlet for a while.

And it's still on the air as a LPTV station, currently providing a home shopping service through a satellite feed.

[ariesram74]

I remember accidentally finding U68's Power Hour - so awesome. Seemed like it disappeared out of nowhere.

[xDink313x]

Does anyone know if U68 actually broadcasted from Newark, or if it was just the city of license?

[cabstronaut]

u 68 was the best....I got to see and hear bands that were getting NO exposure at all on MTV or NYC area radio

[SpecialTVOffer]

Does anyone know what Black Sabbath song this is?

[cabstronaut]

The song is Zero The Hero

[kimberlyKfnOphiEAGLE]

It's sad that the best hard rock and heavy metal bands have been replaced by whatever some teenagers think is 'cool' at the moment. And why some parents used to (and sometimes still DO) think rock music is 'brain-rotting'...I have to bust a gut laughing. VTR's in this video look like Ampex helical-scan machines, VPR-3's maybe?

[MrUnidyne]

U-68 was intended to provide an alternative to MTV with more independent artists and local talent. They even had a program of Christian videos ("Upon This Rock") on Sundays, something MTV would never have done. Sadly, when cable TV became more accessible to the public in more areas, U-68 was doomed. The channel is now WFUT-TV, a Telefutura station, and the WWHT callsign assigned to a Top-40 FM station in Syracuse, New York.

[dgendvil]

I think channel 68 was owned by Wometco, which had also owned WTVJ in Miami. Am I right?

[wmbrown6]

Oh, it was, all right. You're correct on that.

[shackpack]

Long live U-68! And what was the deal with U-67 signing off at 12 noon every day while U-68 went on till midnight? Long Islanders only got like an hour of videos every day and that's it. They wuz gypped!

[assynipplechops]

I remember in Long Island channel 59/63 in Plainview came before u-68. I miss U-68, it was so much better than MTV. I think when the rest of Queens and Brooklyn got wired for cable it spelled the end to the UHF stations. :(

[JIMMASTERSTV]

I did not know they have Special Forums. What would be nice is some sort of "Museum" type area for those who really appreciate stuff like this which many would consider obscure material. I sure don't. It is vintage. You sound like a Dxer as well. I once got a kick getting WKBS-TV 48 in Philly back in 1981. I was in New York on Long Island at the time. Wrote to the station, GM was surprised and responded. Still have that now "collector's item" hand-written letter on WKBS 48 stationary.

[JIMMASTERSTV]

WTAF-TV 29 in Philadelphia used to also sign off using the same song, "Good Night". Does anyone know who sang this version with the choral group accompanying the lead singer. When WTAF signed off in the 80's they played this song with video of the sun setting. Nice. Hope someone finds and posts that. TV the way it was.

[wmbrown6]

When in the '80's, given that WTAF as of '86 signed off with the Flag Evolution "SSB"? I'm interested to know . . .

[JIMMASTERSTV]

It was the early 1980's. Before '86. I vividly remember this mellow version of "Good Night" airing and have not heard it since, until this WWHT clip. The version WTAF-TV 29 used was longer and had a camera fixated on a setting sun that was slowly disappearing on the other side of a mountain. That was followed by the vocal announcer sign-off and SSB. It was nicely done. Thing of the past - unfortuantely.

[TechnerVideo]

John Lennon with The Beatles did this song on their White Album

[JIMMASTERSTV]

I can't beleive I did not know that this particular version was The Beatles. I knew they did that song, but for some reason did not know this version was sung by Ringo. Learned something new tonight. I thought this was a cover version by an unknown singer. Crazy. WTAF-TV's setting sun along with this song was really nice. That's when TV stations took the time to breathe. TechnerVideo, I just subscribed to you. JimMastersTV. Thanks.

[TechnerVideo]

Thanks for subscribing. I have been culling my airchecks and getting them posted on here! I hope you enjoy them. Yep, its Ringo on the lead vocal.

[JIMMASTERSTV]

This is really something. I thought I was the only one staying up late taping off TV and Radio. Truly amazing. Those who did not "tape" always thought we "tapers" we crazy staying up sometimes all night - taping!

[JIMMASTERSTV]

Yes, I am enjoying them. I love TV promotion, news opens/closes, ID's, sign ons and sign offs. I am missing the way TV was when you look back at the wealth of great material. Lots of which seems to be finding its way here at Youtube. Hope it stays intact. There should be an "archive" section at Youtube so the material is preserved and celebrated by the "buffs" and not necessarily mixed with all the other random non-related material.

[wmbrown6]

I also recall that back up to '79 when the calls were WTVG, a version of Isaac Hayes' "Theme From Shaft" that came from a Pickwick 1971 hits compilation album was heard as the announcer was signing on the station. It was also one of the first stations, if not the first, to transmit from the World Trade Center.

[RolloSmokes]

What a way to go out, with Black Sabbath! You're the man!!

[heine71]

WWHT was the station in New York City that carried Pay TV service channel WHT. In later years WWHT became Home Shopping Network and now currently is Spanish network TeleFutura.

[wmbrown6]

With accompanying changes in call letters (to WHSE and then WFUT).