Scheduling shenanigans...

In this modern era of digital telly, with the marvels of time shifted viewing on your Sky+, TiVO etc. (other brands are available), it seems that the broadcasters have become somewhat less than precise where timekeeping is involved. On more occasions than I care to remember, I've fired up a recording only to discover that it started minutes earlier or later than the scheduled time, sometimes leading to the start of a show being missed (you bastards!).

So, how in the name of Jesus H Christ were Yorkshire television able to stick to such a ridiculously precise schedule as this one (from the morning of October 21st 1985)? It's down to the minute! I can envisage teachers fratically pushing and pulling the big telly on a stand into the school hall so that the kids wouldn't miss a single second of Let's Go Maths at preciselt 11:08am*. I can only assume (because I certainly can't remember) that schools programming wasn't bothered by the vagaries of advertising.


* Unless the school budget had stretched to a massive de rigueur Ferguson Videostar VCR, in which case, time-shifted viewing here we come!