'Nothing Happens Until I Check the TV Guide'

Priorities, people.

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Program planning, 70s style

It came out every week, and we waited for it with bated breath.

The TV Guide - the playbook for the coming week’s programming was akin to a sacred book in many households. This was, after all, a time when planning was a priority because if you missed a show on TV, who knew when - and if - you’d ever see it again?

It’s hard to believe now, when watching whatever suits your fancy at any time of the night and day is the norm. On demand streaming, downloading and watching whenever and wherever is expected. Yet those of us of a certain age vividly recall the feeling of horror with the realization that we missed the latest “hot” show that aired the previous evening.

‘The Source’ of all good things to come…

While in today’s world it may not seem obvious why the TV Guide was such a staple and important part of our lives, believe me when I say: it was. You see, Google didn’t exist, and the Internet itself was an idea that belonged on an episode of The Jetsons, not in people’s homes (or pockets, e.g. cellphones). In other words, there was no way of knowing what was going to be coming on the tube in the next week without a literal guide to show us the way. Enter TV Guide. It was the go-to source through which our TV-watching escapades for the coming days was determined.

Comedy? Check.

Family-friendly variety shows? Check.

Drama, movies and special programming? Check.

It was all there, laid out in black and white, ready for you to choose.

Some extremely organized (or just plain keen) individuals took it upon themselves to mark with a bright red pen or better - a highlighter - all the programs that would be consumed in the week to come. Doing so made it easier, apparently. You could see at a glance the possibilities that lay in store for your mornings, evenings and weekends, at least for seven days or so. Planning was what it was all about, after all. You had to have all of your ducks in a row in order to be available to watch your favourite shows when they aired because who knew when - or if - they’d ever be shown again?