KTXL TV40 Sacramento sign-off from 1985

Sunday night/Monday morning was a no-mans-land on TV for a long time, at least around here. Stations that usually stayed on the air all night would sign-off on Sunday nights, like KTXL which had "Night Comfort Theater" every other night of the week. (In fact, even in its current incarnation KTXL just started running programming all night Sunday a few months ago.) In the Sacramento area during the 1980s, KXTV channel 10 was the ONLY station that ran programming all night on Sundays since CBS News Nightwatch was on (which strangely the neighboring CBS affiliates didn't carry and would sign off on some nights instead!)

This sign-off clip features TV-40's main announcer, Jerry Chambers (thanks to hdjanitor for giving me his name!) Background music is an instrumental version of the station's "Go For The Stars" theme. Afterwards color bars and tone follow with an onscreen clock. Usually they would stay on the air with this until 6 AM, only occasionally would the signal go off the air.

This was recorded after KTXL increased its power and transmitted from its new "Monster Tower". Although they had stereo capability, they would turn the stereo signal off during mono programming. In fall 1986, they had a new theme (The Valley's Own) which was recorded in stereo, and changed the sign-off clip to include this music in stereo. When they started doing this the all-night test pattern was also in stereo, with slightly different tones on the left and right, which continued for as long as the station had no programming on Sunday nights.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• sign-off
• sign
• off
• KTXL
• channel
• 40
• Sacramento
• Stockton
• Walnut
• Grove
• 1980s
• television
• late-night

[xde18]

I saw the station recently the rainbow TV40 logo is still on the tower at the station

[eyeh8cbs]

Sadly the station inside isn't the same! I drive past it occasionally during my thrift store runs in that area and it makes me cry.

[godgundam10]

I kinda liked the old Rainbow 40 logo. Today, it's just too generic...

[eyeh8cbs]

And stays on the screen all the time! The Fox HD feed is actually bug-free, but most Fox stations including this one put their own bugs on it. Only good thing is it's just in the black space during 4x3 shows, so you can crop the picture to 4x3 and get rid of the bug!

[white93taurusgl]

I miss the old 40 logo :(

[thegreatsamurai82]

ahh the days before basic cable was in every single home...

[eyeh8nbc]

@Striplights1980 I don't know if they were ever required to give that much technical information or not- This station only signed off one night a week, the remaining days they still played the sign-on clip at 6 AM. Other stations didn't give as much info when signing off or on.

[Striplights1980]

Wow!! So much technical info and jargon. I remember in 1985 TV close downs were simply "God Save the Queen" and goodnight. See you at 6:30 A.M.

[eyeh8cbs]

@ih8ContentID I have a life too, that's why I don't waste it watching bugs!

[eyeh8nbc]

@SouthOCmixdown Yes, and this station is a perfect example- when the Fox network started it became just another network affiliate. To be fair though, a couple months ago they actually STOPPED keeping their logo on the screen! It's still on during Fox shows, but that's actually controlled on the network's end (their feed is clean, but they insert logos from individual stations over it.)

All the movies in syndication now are pre-packaged for TV with edits and commercial breaks already placed.

[SouthOCmixdown]

Wow. Look at that equipment. That mixing board with the analog VU meters on it.

Reel to reel, mainframe video feeders? True museum pieces.

Freedom in television truly died after UHF went away.

[ArchStantonSavage]

Anybody remember KOVR channel 13 signing off with the little bee who puts on a nightcap, gets in bed and says "Good Night"? Or KHSL channel 12 with the Native American Chief doing the sign language? Ah...Good times

[lockenjr]

@JackBauer152 It was very sad as in the fall of 84 we lost if of my local cable system on the southern oregon coast..

[iMoviePhil3a]

OMG The Memories! I Watched This Station What I Was A Kid! Anyone Remember Captain Mitch?

[eyeh8nbc]

Yes- they usually showed this all night until signing back on at 6:00. If I was awake I'd set my VCR clocks by the clock they had onscreen.

[LuimmR15]

is the TV station really broadcasting when the color bars appear?