This was the proper way to say goodbye to an era that will be fondly remembered. Other stations did news broadcasts, some just did nothing. KDKA should be commended for doing their goodbye to analog the right way. Classy video.

@TimBoyd2012

6 жыл бұрын

gladfan1989 KDKA’s 100th birthday is just around the corner

@jareddicarlo7816

3 жыл бұрын

My local CBS station, WRGB, which is the oldest in the world, just shut down at midnight without doing anything. In fact, none of the stations in my area commemorated the switch at all! Our PBS station shut down on April 16, for some reason.

@syxepop

3 жыл бұрын

@@jareddicarlo7816 - WRGB, Oldest (as Experimental) TV station in the World (1928), license # 4 by the FCC and oldest call sign letters in US TV (since 1942). Of the 5 oldest US TV licenses, the last 2 (WRGB and WNYW) didn't did NOTHING AT ALL for the ANALOG FAREWELL and # 3 (KYW) only "dusted off" their old Experimental Philco id.

@mariasoledadespana6914

2 жыл бұрын

But where is the analog sign off message

As we bid farewell to David Letterman's late night show this week, we remember when Dave's show was cut off by the analog shutdown, of which KDKA's final analog shutdown is one of the finest to ever occur.

@syxepop

9 жыл бұрын

marie Hiam, yes. The end of analog, brought to you by "the end of traditional late-night". Class acts, through and through...

@mariasoledadespana6914

2 жыл бұрын

:) good vibes

@deathtoll5000x

Жыл бұрын

Add the fact that this was the night that Sidney Crosby lifted Lord Stanley for the 1st time...

Before TV was on 24 hours a day, KDKA used to sign off with the video of the pilot and jet with the voiceover of the poem High Flight. This video brought back a memory I didn't know I had.

@mrawesome3915

Жыл бұрын

They've been 24 hours since the 50s. They would air this and similar segments in the late/early hours as filler.

What happened during this transmission? The following in Pittsburgh, PA: 1. David Letterman makes a joke about the DTV transition (he doesn't even know what it means.) 2. Comcast sent you a message that they can help the elderly get ready for DTV. 3. David Letterman makes his top 10 questions sent to congress via phone (my favourite was the one about its relation to the swine flu.) 4. Promo for Nurse Jackie 5. High Flight 6. KDKA goes back in time during the SSB 7. Static; KDKA goes nightlight.

@clockwork1203

4 жыл бұрын

Or you could just watch the video.

@mariasoledadespana6914

2 жыл бұрын

My favorite was the exploiting tv one

@tech_and_stuff_2022

Жыл бұрын

10. If I don't switch over, is my TEEVEE gonna 'Splode? No. It won't.

@megamanfan3

Жыл бұрын

That was Comcast's way of saying switch to digital like yesterday.

At 11:59:23 you hear Bill Burns' famous sign off "Good night, good luck and good news tomorrow" I had a tear in my eye...nicely done! what a way to go out...

I really & truly love the mellowed-out rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner. I also love the part that Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's very own KDKA-TV Channel Two went back in time to say the very least. Thanks for the memories! Bye now!

@mariasoledadespana6914

2 жыл бұрын

Altough then it transitions to the dtv nightlight loop

Nice to see the _High Flight_ poem being recited before KDKA shut down its analog transmissions.

@zxarchi

4 жыл бұрын

And then it shows it's historical moments with the USA national anthem.

@mariasoledadespana6914

2 жыл бұрын

This one is better than wlwt-tv channel 5 cintinati (an nbc afiliate) and btq-tv channel 7 (a channel 7 australia afiliate)

@peacefrog0521

Жыл бұрын

I grew up in the ‘Burgh but had probably never stayed up late enough in my youth to see the High Flight segment. I assume this was from the 70’s, or at least pre-1986, as it contained the two lines popularized by President Reagan following the Challenger disaster: “…slipped the surly bonds of Earth…and touched the face of God.”

Probably the best analog sign off out of any station in the country. Grew up watching this station whenever I would go back and see my relatives. Leave it to KDKA to do something like this.

Just arrived here from TV Tropes! This was brilliant and it must have definitely made some people shed a tear! This is a brilliant goodbye to their analog transmission!

@blacktallsmart1914

2 жыл бұрын

same. this is beautiful

@abbycollins

2 жыл бұрын

Same. I wish more stations actually made people emotional like this.

Actually, a bit sad watching this. Its a part of our past that's gone forever. It recalls the days when you had on TV in the house. The whole family would gather and watch the same thing together. Classy montage KDKA.

If I have my history right, KDKA was the first ever radio station in the history of America to go on the air with regular broadcasting, and then switch over to TV later with ever one else. What a moment this must have been if I have my history right.

@bluorangefyre

4 жыл бұрын

You're partially correct. WDTV was a DuMont owned and operated station. When DuMont had no choice but to sell it, Westinghouse (which owned KDKA-AM) changed the call letters. There is still some debate if KDKA-AM was the first regularly programmed station, but it is generally regarded as such.

It's been a long time since I've watched the 'High Flight' sign-off when TV stations closed down for the night at 2 or 3 am. Sounds corny, but I also miss the national anthem that also played at the end of the broadcast day. Also miss Pittsburgh, which I haven't seen since leaving in '86 - no place like it. Thanks for the vid.

I spent the last couple of days watching hours worth of analog sign offs from channels across the US and England. As a Pittsburgh native, I may be slightly biased, but KDKA definitely had one of, if not the best, sign off of any of the ones I watched. I vaguely remember all of the hullabaloo around the switch to digital TV considering I was 12 in 2009, but watching stuff like this is interesting to me since this was a huge milestone in technology that happened in my lifetime.

Nice sign-off from KDKA.

For all those years that Bill Burns signed off with Good Night., Good Luck and Good News tomorrow..... how nice of KDKA of end the final seconds of analog with those famous words. Sure do miss Bill and Patti.

@ShadeATV

3 жыл бұрын

They still air, but nit on analog

@somedude5422

3 жыл бұрын

@@ShadeATV "how nice of KDKA of end the final seconds of *analog* with those famous words." They said analog, pal.

@ShadeATV

3 жыл бұрын

@@somedude5422 sorry, that was months ago

That was the "coolist" analog sign off I have seen of all the TV Stations who have posted their analog sign offs in 2009. I remember High Flight very well when TV Stations would sign off for the night or tech maintenance. High Flight is a salute to the Air Force. We should bring it back to TV and Radio for generations to come, if it's God's Will. Thank those who have served in the Armed Forces.

@ChristopherSobieniak

7 жыл бұрын

You'd think they'd listen by now.

@davewriter100

6 жыл бұрын

The "High Flight" poem gives me goose bumps every time I listen to it. If I were a high school English teacher, I would include that piece as part of the curriculum when English classes tackle poetry.

@sillygoose635

5 жыл бұрын

no we shouldn't bring it back

@sillygoose635

5 жыл бұрын

@@ChristopherSobieniak ew.

@mariasoledadespana6914

2 жыл бұрын

@@sillygoose635 😤😤😤HOW DARE YOU😤😤😤

It's cool how this track goes back in time - the "faux CBS2" era...Hometown Advantage...Eyewitness News...Evening Magazine...the 70s...further back...black and white...The World Tonight...and whoa...WDTV? One of the best. Big, big applause to KDKA-TV.

@kenbob331 Absolutely. I thought WLWT had one of the best, but this one blows it straight out of the water. NTSC brought into our homes the joys of man walking on the moon, and the fall of the Soviet Union, sorrows such as the Challenger disaster, and even the depths of human cruelty immortalized in the JFK assassination or the 9/11 attacks. It deserved far better than a party over its demise, a shot news blurb, or the unceremonious dumping it got in most locations. Kudos to KDKA. Pure class.

This was an absolutely beautiful sign off for KDKA and it has me in tears. 😭

The timeline makes me sad for some reason.

@abbycollins

3 жыл бұрын

It's basically the stations' analog feed looking back at its history as it slowly, yet peacefully, dies. That's why It made me sad, it reminds me of an old person doing the same.

That was nice of KD with this. Most people who watched TV 2 never seen this High Flight video, because KD was 24/7 since the mid 80s. KD's signoff began with 2009 and ended with the TP of WDTV from 1/11/49 (1st day of broadcasting.) It was nice of KD to sign off like that, even though I did not see it live!

@mrawesome3915

Жыл бұрын

24 hours since the 50s and WDTV's Swing Shift Theater

At least KDKA used two of the actual test patterns they had over their long history (including one as WDTV-3/DuMont). On the other hand, WCBS-TV in New York, for their analogue sign-off, had an "imitation" test pattern before the analogue transmitter was deactivated.

@kennethbesselman5739

4 жыл бұрын

They didn't use the last one- the one with the Native American @12 O, clock

@altfactor

4 жыл бұрын

Did WCBS use a WCBW (the original call letters for what is now WCBS-TV) test pattern?

@jayrogers8255

Жыл бұрын

@@altfactorno, the video is up here now. They signed off with an old WCBS-TV ID.

Very classy of KDKA to do that. And very cool to prominently display their first affiliation as a DuMont O&O.

KDKA went out in the strongest way ever with the Penguins winning the Stanley Cup earlier that night (Yes the game did air on WPXI, the NBC affiliate in Pittsburgh) But still what a way to go out.

This genuinely made me tear up. One of the most beautiful analog sign-offs ever

Surprisingly touching sendoff...

Thanks so much for uploading this! This montage was wonderful. KDKA did a great job. Not sure if you noticed, but WTAE and WPXI just went straight to snow at midnight and didn't acknowledge the transition at all!

When I was in a nursing home in South Vienna (which used to be a hotel), I watched it happen on WHIO-TV Channel 7. It took a delay of only a few seconds before it went to nothing but static for a split-second and then back to regular meaning the switchover was complete.

I was looking for one of these analog from Pittsburg. Thank you so much for uploading this.

Nice! This was very classy. I wish that more stations paid homage to their roots like that.

I went to college at West Virginia University, about 70 miles South of Pittsburgh. KDKA was our “local” CBS channel. KDKA’s original call letter were WDTV. Ironically the call letters of WDTV is now being used by new local CBS station in Clarksburg/Morgantown - WDTV - channel 5.

@AColonelPanic

3 жыл бұрын

I loved how they used the DuMont test pattern at the end. That test pattern was probably the first thing that was broadcast from that local station as well. Quite poetic.

From watching longtime Group W/CBS Corporation sister (and former NBC affiliate) KYW, they reached back into their past as well with the test pattern used when they first signed on many years ago.

Good grief! even in 2007 people were talking about the switch to digital television, I still remember, and of course all throughout 2008, these messages were airing frequently during commercial breaks.

Apparently, KDKA briefly interrupted their Nightlight service a few days later for severe weather updates.

Wow that was beautiful. Leave it to KDKA to do something classy like that for the digital transition.

For the record (see previous comment): KDKA (AM/FM/TV) is one of three K calls east of the Mississippi, and they're all in Pennsylvania -- the other two are KQV Pittsburgh (AM) and KYW Philadelphia (AM/TV).

IT'S BEEN ALMOST 8 YEARS, AND CONGRESS IS STILL NOT WORKING ON THE ECONOMY.

@irish904

4 жыл бұрын

11years ago almost and still no progress

@codycox2272

3 жыл бұрын

I'm angry that it is 2020 and they aren't working on the economy!

@abbycollins

3 жыл бұрын

Covid finally made them work on the economy 👏

@codycox2272

3 жыл бұрын

@@abbycollins it's a joke

@abbycollins

3 жыл бұрын

@@codycox2272 I was replying to the main comment, sorry about that

Fun fact: the shot at 6:29 of the Pens lifting the Stanley Cup on the ice would have been 1991 against the the Minnesota North Stars. You can see people wearing North Star jerseys in the stands. Immediately after in the locker room was 1992 when the Pens won against Chicago; if you pause you will see Jaromir Jagr wearing a “Back To Back Stanley Cup Champions shirt.

@fluffyty19

Жыл бұрын

And funnily enough, earlier the same day the analog shutoff happened (June 12th 2009) the Pens brought home the cup against Detroit.

@azuredusk991

Жыл бұрын

So technically speaking it was the best😅

Very well done!! Thanks.. Just uploaded on of our local WPTV showing how they converted..

Seeing (Marie.Torre.) & (Bill.Curry.) take me back to my early teens, I can even remember the show host together called "The Better Half."

This made me cry... =(

@doloreshuntoon7698

7 жыл бұрын

Me, too. Sadly speaking of course.

That anthem montage was definitely a standout.

Also note, around point 6:58 (+11:58:53:00), a young Vic Miles, years before he became a reporter and weekend anchor at WCBS-TV in New York. Interesting to see the 1950's KD' test pattern. Did they have other designs besides that and the 1949 WDTV TP? (Such as what was used by KYW in Philly after the late 1960's.)

really cool vid...the dumont tv network is a long forgotten but important piece of tv history

I think it was pretty dumb that it was mandated to turn off the signals. They should have it set that channels could decide when they want to shut it down. “Because it’s obsolete” is a dumb excuse because it could be useful in some cases. The switchover pretty much left millions of CRT TVs as waste. If it were up to me, I’d keep it mandatory to have analog broadcasting around.

@syxepop

3 жыл бұрын

The REAL reason was the US Government already $old before 6/2009 most of the bandwidth of those frequencies to TELCO's for services like T-Mobile's 700mHz bands, which were part of the TV broadcast spectrum back then. There was the FINANCIAL NEED to vacate those frequencies as soon as possible, unlike today's slow conversion from ATSC 1.0* to 3.0, which will probably take into the 2030's to complete (no hurry there). * the one that replaced most NTSC analog signals in 2009

@elevatormaniacgames

3 жыл бұрын

@@syxepop I mean, I guess that makes sense.

@Polybun Probably, though, most of the times the guys in New York and LA have to back off just a little bit. Aside, I grew up watching TV2 in Farrell, PA with a good antenna...this is a great send-off. Though they DO need to bring back the late night movies instead of the paid commercials, I missed those.

KDKA! Wow! What a callsign! And this day they transition over to DVT. A Hugh moment is broadcasting history!

@fouranimations

5 жыл бұрын

You ment to say "A huge moment in brodcasting history

The highest quality version of the 1970s High Flight film.

The same night Analog died in Pittsburgh, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup :)

I'm so proud to be a Pittsburgher.

This channel probably aired ‘I know where you live BBEEEYYOOOTTCCHH!’ in the channel like some other analogue feeds did, but since this one had the later shut down feed, the signal wouldn’t have immediately cut out after that line. Source: This is a CBS feed. Edit: I mispelled the word ‘shut’ as the S word (shit). Yeah…

They even remember Dumont!

@syxepop

3 жыл бұрын

Actually WDTV (ch. 2 then) was the #1 station in the Pittsburgh market (FCC could allocate only just another station for several years into the 1950's), so it was an important part of local BRODCAST HISTORY there. This station had the highest DuMont share of any US market, even above WABD (WNYW Fox5) in NYC, which was their flagship station, which made it DuMont's MOST IMPORTANT STATION.

If you missed any portion of it please stand by

I would have cried.

I live in pittsburgh and remember pulling out an old portable tv to watch this

Very touching end!

Do You Know Who Composed This Version Of The Star Spangled Banner Heard On KDKA's Final Analog Sign Off ?

Same night as the Penguins 3rd Stanley Cup :)

@abbycollins

3 жыл бұрын

Did the penguins win?

@QueenDynamo

Жыл бұрын

@@abbycollins On one comment further below, they did win!

when i saw "getting help for vietnam" i got chills

is it just me or did kdka always ghost and have stange static compared to other channels???? this made me sad

@jareddicarlo7816

4 жыл бұрын

Probably due to the hilly topography of the area

6:46 6:50 The Steelers won Super Bowl X and Super Bowl XIV on KDKA-TV.

help, i tried to digital switch my waffle maker but all it does is scream. what should i do?

Did they broadcast the spanish version of the nightlight?

Well done, KDKA. Well done.

15 years… Out of all the CBS O&Os in America.. I’m glad the one in my birth city managed to send analog tv off the best way possible. For the other stations (besides KYW), they barely did anything special like this.

Now that my friends is a classy operation!

Is that actor Victor Matore, in that air force jet?

Letterman is a genius. It is totally ironic that they did this smack in the middle of a recession. nobody else pointed this out.

@ballsackstbagger

5 жыл бұрын

Originally it was supposed to happen by 2007, but they delayed it, but the us should have delayed it again

7 years afterwards the Pittsburgh Penguins won another Stanley Cup championship, and followed that up the next year with yet another championship. Will it be three in a row this season (2017-18 season)?

They cut it pretty close with the deadline lol. 4ish seconds.

5:51 Would that Super Bowl parade have been for XL or XLIII? Also The Chief receiving the Lombardi trophy at 6:50, I think this was SB IX?

Probably my favorite sign off!

I love the national anthem, so majestic. Where can i find a copy??

@RadioDon1

9 жыл бұрын

You're not the only one. I thought it was Phil Driscoll, but I was wrong. Anyone at CBS Pittsburgh can answer?

I really love this version of SSB.

It is the 10th anniversary of this today.

For the people who asked Number 10: No, your TV is not going to explode

Has it been 15 years.

David Letterman Is Talking About The End Of Analog TV?

I love how they did the National Anthem!

KDKA-AM 1020 is more interesting to discuss than this analog to digital TV stuff. KDKA Radio has a history.

@doloreshuntoon7698

7 жыл бұрын

Yes!

Well done.

Perfection.

I never saw this channel, but I understand it's digital!!!

Pretty scummy for comcast to get people to sign up for their service by preying on people that did not know what to do.

I thank about June 12 2009 of end analog tv KDKA Pittsburgh

Is my TV a DTV

Aw, you didn't finish Nurse Jackie promo before the epic analog TV shutdown. At least, the lovely High Flight short film from the 70s will showed one last time in analog. I wish it'll showed it just before cinema opening to Top Gun: Maverick. This version, a mellow out adult pop version of Star Spangled Banner is gorgeous and bittersweet

11:59:55(the black bar, tapping/clicking will result in a replay button to appear) The nightlight for Analog appears.

yeah, when WOWT switched over to the digital format, they played America the beautiful.

From I think from 12th Anniversary from June 12 2009

6:58 who is that?

there version of SSB is short because to save time for the focking switch

No one saw this at the time because we were all watching Stanley Cup postgame after the Penguins won.

I think he told KDKA what to do.

@Fragglevision "Nurse Jackie" on Showtime.

2 miles?? That’s why the picture was so clear.

@compwiz878 There's a KYW in Philadelphia on channel 3 i believe. it's a CBS affiliate also.

@syxepop

6 жыл бұрын

Unlike KD-TV, KY-TV (as WPTZ) was the 3rd licensed commercial TV station (1st non-O&O affiliate, but they're now a network O&O) by the FCC and the last one before US would be involved in WWII. So far only 2 other stations were licensed during the war.

KDKA, finally, a "K" station east of the Mississippi River, just like WFAA in Dallas, or WOAI in San Antonio, "W" stations west of the Mississippi River.

@syxepop

8 жыл бұрын

There's ANOTHER FAMOUS ONE in PA... CBS' KYW (3.1) in Philadelphia, also grandfathered from the old radio station call sign. And I do believe PA has another K station as well...

@zyber9

8 жыл бұрын

Why does KDKA and KYW have their call letters start with a "K" when all of the other TV stations east of the Mississippi River have their call letter start with a "W"?

@syxepop

7 жыл бұрын

I believe it was "grandfathering" (the station asking the FCC and getting the permit to keep the call signs from an older radio station that originated in the West) for all 3 cases in PA. Other cases in states like TX were closer to the Mississippi River and could "get away with it"...

@doloreshuntoon7698

7 жыл бұрын

This is really sad indeed.

@schs1977

5 жыл бұрын

@@zyber9 KDKAs' original call letters were WDTV, which were assigned to a CBS channel in Clarksburg/Morrgantown, WV which is located 70 miles South of Pittsburgh

As for digital tv viewers it’s back to The Late Show

For More Information Anytime, Visit DTV

@syxepop

6 жыл бұрын

Like in wDTV (DuMont's Pittsburgh station and the first version of what today is simply "KD")?