Betamax King
Television Archivist in Atlantic Canada. Preserving a Generation of Broadcast Media from the basement of my home in the beautiful Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia.
This incredible and unique time period is unlike anything we'll ever see again. I believe that recorded media from the 80's and 90's is a cultural mural representing the final generations of the 20th century - Media consumption, consumerism, lifestyle, and the role of the technology boom that saw home computing and the internet enter daily life was a time like no other. And we taped it!
It is no less important to preserve this era in media than it is to save the hieroglyphs on the walls of Giza's tombs...
All material seen here has been gently and carefully recorded from old physical media by myself.
Reach out to me if you have tapes, or other forms of media to donate to this project.
Betamax King
Had a few clips make it on the jumbotron again this past Saturday for 90's Night at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax!
#betamaxking #halifax #novascotia #scotiabankcentre #90snight
1 week ago | [YT] | 51
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Betamax King
Today we lost English zoologist and primatologist Jane Goodall at the age of 91. I was privileged enough to sit in and listen to her speak a few years ago here in Halifax when she visited. It was almost a surreal experience just to even share a room with somebody like Jane. Somebody who has done so much selfless good in this world. Rest in peace. Thank you for being a beautiful example of the difference one human being can make. Well done.
3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 74
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Betamax King
It's rumoured that we quietly lost Canadian animation pioneer Nelvana yesterday.
Founded in Toronto in 1971 by Michael Hirsh, along wit Patrick Loubert, and Clive Smith, the studio gave Canadian animation a style all its own. I've always admired Hirsh for his talent for putting a unique twist and style on everything he creates. That's a skill even the biggest juggernauts in the industry have trouble with. If you were around in the 80s, you couldn’t miss Nelvana's work - Care Bears, Inspector Gadget (with DIC), and Lucasfilm’s Ewoks and Droids.
Hirsh's animated film Rock and Rule is a personal favourite.
Most Canadian kids met Nelvana through CBC or YTV airings, or on later VHS releases. Their shows had this mix of mainstream polish with a distinctly Canadian flavor, the kind of thing you’d catch sandwiched between American imports on Saturday mornings or before school like Inspector Gadget often did.
By the 90s and 2000s, Nelvana leaned into gentler hits like Little Bear and Franklin. But as streaming reshaped the landscape, the old models of production collapsed. Corus Entertainment, who has owned Nelvana for years, began a "winding down" of Nelvana productions in 2023 and supposedly ending yesterday.
Still, that little polar bear logo is hardwired into multiple generation’s memory. Whether taped off CBC, pulled from a YTV block, or rented on VHS, Nelvana’s cartoons were part of the Canadian ritual and that’s a legacy that doesn’t just fade away.
1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 91
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Betamax King
This is more for people who follow me who may work in television in some capacity. I'm looking to acquire an MII deck, even if only temporarily. I've got about 12 tapes, possibly more coming. I'd like to get to work on them.
Reach out if you think you may have access to something.
1 month ago | [YT] | 30
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Betamax King
If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, I invite you to have a watch of One Warm Line, a 1989 documentary that looks at the life of Canadian folk musician Stan Rogers and his connection to the Canadian maritimes.
Rogers lost his life decades ago at just 32 years old. A fire aboard Air Canada flight 797 took him among 22 other passengers but his spirit endures here in Atlantic Canada, his music echoing in the pubs, festivals, and kitchens of our homes as I hope it does for all time.
Please enjoy.
https://youtu.be/7dBH4FGCbqA
2 months ago | [YT] | 28
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Betamax King
1985 - "Carrots are great, but now there's a VCR that improves your vision.
New Sony SuperBeta!"
Just last year, people said Betamax® records a sharper picture than VHS.
Now feast your eyes on a picture that's a good 20% sharper than even Betamax. This isn't just silly carrot talk.
Only new SuperBeta has what Sony peoples call 'High Band Carrier Shift' to get more signal recorded on tape.
So you'll see every hair on a hare's head better.
And you don't need ears like mine to hear better. 'Cause SuperBeta has Hi-Fi stereo sound.
And you know who invented Hi-Fi sound for VCR's. Right, Sony.
Now let's look at movies. 'Cause Beta's got over three times as many Hi-Fi movies as VHS.
Did you know that, doc?
Or that Sony SuperBeta has the only special effects wheel* for fast forward or reverse? And perfect edits?
If you're hunting for the ultimate
VCR, hop on down to your Sony dealer. And compare Sony's picture to VHS.
Even Elmer Fudd would have to admit SuperBeta is better." Introducing SuperBeta. The ultimate VCR, with High Band Carrier Shift.
SONY.
THE ONE AND ONLY.
2 months ago | [YT] | 53
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Betamax King
Last night we hit the 34,000 milestone. Really appreciate your support and your appreciation for what I'm doing. Every step brings us a little bit closer to having television recognized as something necessary to preserve. Let's keep going!
2 months ago | [YT] | 84
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Betamax King
How are we? I turned on the Viewer Posts thing so I guess you guys can share stuff here now and I can delete it when it has no bearing on the channel MO.
Sounds like fun!... or I've found a new way to achieve a headache 😅. Guess we'll see.
I've drifted away from doing posts over the past while and we've lost the more active members which didn't help... so maybe contributions can liven it back up!
Don't make me and Rufus here regret it.
If you share something and don't see it right away, they do have to be approved by me or a moderator before they go public.
You also have to be subscribed to the channel for a week before you're able to post. This helps control people who just want to be an ass.
3 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 48
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Betamax King
Got any questions? I have Answers!! Ask away!
3 months ago | [YT] | 29
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Betamax King
Want $100? The first person to show up with a LOCAL piece of lost 80's or 90's Atlantic Canadian televised media gets $100 cash... The catch is this isn't your every day tapes, this is a special quest...
I'm talking about episodes of lost locally-produced series that have, for all intents and purposes, disappeared - Shantytown, ATV's Funtime, CBC's Bixby and Me, etc.
That's right... I'm willing to pay you money to help me find and preserve local television rarities...
Now, off you go to the basements, attics, store rooms, "archive rooms", wherever those tapes are hiding, go un-hide them. You find however many you can, I give you $100 for your dedication!
Share this! Let's find that treasure.
#betamaxking #novascotia #newbrunswick #pei #newfoundland #atlanticcanada #retrohalifax #halifax
7 months ago | [YT] | 59
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