Why were so many programmes junked in times gone by?
Let s clarify the question first. In times gone by many programmes which had been videotaped, say for a single repeat, were then erased. There was no further need to preserve them, and the tape was needed for recording other programmes. Video tape was an extremely expensive commodity in those days; a reel could cost as much as a small car did. Video tape was not seen as an archive medium and video-recorded programmes intended for archiving were telerecorded onto film to release the tape for re-use. As to why already archived programmes were later destroyed, the answers lie in unenlightened policy changes and acute shortage of storage space (which itself does not come cheap). It s all very well to criticise decisions taken in the past in the light of current policies and understanding, but people saw things differently then. Would you consider the output of today s satellite shopping channels and the worst game-shows worthy of archiving? Probably not but in thirty years time people migh
