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Usenet Posted 22 years ago
Usage

"what's on the other side?" - (television)

Anyone have any idea about the origins of the phrase "What's on the other side?" with regards to television channels? Also the phrase "turn it over" comes to mind.
I can see where it may have been born if the TV was compared to a record, which could be turned over or have something different on the other side!

Interestingly, if you think of the tv as a document (which you can do, given "turn it over" etc.) it becomes the ultimate palimpsest (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=palimpsest): a document which is erased and rewritten 25 times a second!
alex
  

Top answer

" with regards to television channels? ) it becomes the ultimate palimpsest (): a document which is erased and rewritten 25 times a second! alex[/nq] Well, first of all I wonder if we'll find this is exclusively BrE.

  • " with regards to television channels?
  • ) it becomes the ultimate palimpsest (): a document which is erased and rewritten 25 times a second!
  • alex[/nq] Well, first of all I wonder if we'll find this is exclusively BrE.
  • Second, it has its origins when there were only two channels, BBC and ITV, to choose from, but still remains now there are several hundred 'other sides' (I'm still looking for Gerbil Roulette, but apparently it's out there).
  • It's also exclusive to TV, and not used for Radio.
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25 Answers
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[nq:1]Anyone have any idea about the origins of the phrase "What's on the other side?" with regards to television channels? ... over" etc.) it becomes the ultimate palimpsest (): a document which is erased and rewritten 25 times a second! alex[/nq]
Well, first of all I wonder if we'll find this is exclusively BrE.

Second, it has its origins when there were only two channels, BBC and
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Alex Hunsley filted:
[nq:1]Anyone have any idea about the origins of the phrase "What's on the other side?" with regards to television channels? ... the TV was compared to a record, which could be turned over or have something different on the other side![/nq]
This makes more sense in a country where there are two channels...it never would have gone over in the US where we started with fou
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[nq:2]Anyone have any idea about the origins of the phrase ... which is erased and rewritten 25 times a second! alex[/nq]
[nq:1]Well, first of all I wonder if we'll find this is exclusively BrE.[/nq]
I believe it has been discussed before in AUE, and my recollection is that it was determined that it was a BrEism.
[nq:1]Second, it has its origins when there were only two channels, BBC a
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Multi channel TV is still something of a novelty here, only since the introdution of Digital TV.
I've tracked down Gerbil Roulette. It's on a gaming channel called AVAGO (think dropped 'h'). Next broadcast 11 AM tomorrow...

DC
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Richard Fontana:
[nq:1]In my home town, New York ... there were zillions of broadcast channels... Channel 2 WCBS Channel 4 WNBC ... ... very important New York market station) Channel 11 WPIX Channel 13 WNET (Newark N.J.) ... Plus several UHF stations ...[/nq]
Incidentally, that pattern of channel numbers arises because of the possibility that strong signals on adjacent channels would inte
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[nq:1]In several cities NBC and CBS (in some order) had already taken channels 2 and 4; ABC asked for channel ... (The fourth of the original networks, DuMont, was on channel 5 in New York; I don't know about other places.)[/nq]
I had thought that maybe they were on 4 in Chicago, which would explain why the NBC station (WMAQ) was on 5 (CBS was on 2 and ABC was on 7), but it appears that there
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[nq:1]Alex Hunsley filted:[/nq]
[nq:2]Anyone have any idea about the origins of the phrase ... turned over or have something different on the other side![/nq]
[nq:1]This makes more sense in a country where there are two channels...it never would have gone over in the US ... didn't have an "other" side, and even the most rudimentary equipment included a function to scramble the order of tra
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John Dean filted:
[nq:2]within five years music was coming on shiny discs that ... equipment included a function to scramble the order of tracks..[/nq]
[nq:1]I recollect the Goons releasing a 78 record which included the joke of disappearing from one side at the end ... little hole. I wonder how many people will hear that on CD and wonder what the hgell is going on.[/nq]
Makes sense (i
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[nq:2]In several cities NBC and CBS (in some order) had ... 5 in New York; I don't know about other places.)[/nq]
[nq:1]I had thought that maybe they were on 4 in Chicago, which would explain why the NBC station (WMAQ) was ... but it appears that there was none, although according to http://members.a
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[nq:1]Anyone have any idea about the origins of the phrase "What's on the other side?" with regards to television channels? ... the TV was compared to a record, which could be turned over or have something different on the other side![/nq]
Well, there you have it.

Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa

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