Radio Times, TV Times, RTÉ Guide - The xmas double issue!

DMC

I might not be considered a kid anymore, but I can't help getting gee'ed up by picking up the Christmas double issues of the Radio Times and RTÉ Guide. Even to this day, I still get excited when I get my hands on a copy of the mags for Christmas.

Remember before 1993 that you had to buy 3 magazines to keep track of TV viewing. And that was just for 6 channels! The Radio Times was the mouthpiece of the BBC, TV Times was for ITV and Channel 4, and the RTÉ Guide.... er... the bleeding obvious!

I actually wish the magazines went back to this format, as there was more information and detail about each and every programme. Each TV listings magazine are now a watered down copy of each other in multi-channel plurality, the only things that make them unique is their style and tone. The RTÉ Guide to me has always been a token womens lifestyle magazine with listings tacked on, so the Radio Times still is the standard bearer, especially as it still does the best radio listings.

Am I the only kid who loves this aspect of Christmas?

dobsdave

Yeah that always signaled the start of christmas for me.
Not the same with without the three seperate issues.

Was also a tad depressing checking out the 'last' day programmes on the 3rd/4th January or whatever,knowing the festive season was over and school was looming:(.

mike65

True enough I used to look forwards to the second wednesday before Xmas for the Guide, when I was young we only had RTE so did'nt bother getting upset by checking out the goodies in the Radio Times.

Mike.

Pigman II

Yep we used to get all 3 every xmas in our house and they'd soon be covered with biro and highlighter as everyone planned out what they were gonna watch.

These days I just use Digiguide. It doesn't give the same festive buzz but at least I don't have to have a pix of Pat Kennys gormless mug staring vacantly at me from my coffeetable everyday for 2 weeks anymore

mental07

dobsdave wrote: »

Was also a tad depressing checking out the 'last' day programmes on the 3rd/4th January or whatever,knowing the festive season was over and school was looming:(.

Yeah seeing that programming had returned to normal always used to make me sad!

Firetrap

Another ominous sign was when you'd start seeing the ads for the regular RTÉ Guide on the TV. An even more depressing sign than seeing what was on the TV on 3rd & 4th January :mad:

Miss Fluff

Pigman II wrote: »

Yep we used to get all 3 every xmas in our house and they'd soon be covered with biro and highlighter as everyone planned out what they were gonna watch.

These days I just use Digiguide. It doesn't give the same festive buzz but at least I don't have to have a pix of Pat Kennys gormless mug staring vacantly at me from my coffeetable everyday for 2 weeks anymore

OMG made me laugh so much, can identify with all of that!:)

nlgbbbblth

The first time I remember getting excited about the double issue of The RTE Guide was in 1977.

Christmas Eve fell on a Saturday and the double issue covered programmes from December 24 to January 6 - the ideal period as in my opinion Christmas starts on the Eve and lasts until Epiphany. Generally we were back to school on January 7 / 8 / 9.

Things continued in this vein [obviously starting a day earlier each year, leap year in 1980 notwithstanding] right up until 1982 - when the period covered was December 18 to December 31.

Oh good, I thought, 1983's guide will revert to the December 24 to January 6 fortnight.
To my shock it didn't. Glenroe was on the front and the guide encompassed December 17 to 30.

Ever since then it's been downhill. I believe the current issue covers December 15 to 28. What the hell? Why not start a week later. Going back to a regular, downbeat, single issue for December 29 is soulless.

WoollyRedHat

RTE guide stars from 22 up to the 6th I think.

nlgbbbblth

WoollyRedHat wrote: »

RTE guide stars from 22 up to the 6th I think.

I stand corrected for this year then.
Must be 22nd to 4th though.

yrrab30

Any one know where i could get back issues of the rte guide?

Bringing this thread to life again!
I've always preferred the Radio Times but I cant see the Christmas edition in the shops here in Sligo,is it available elsewhere in Ireland?

KevIRL

Ah, and circling the things to watch over the xmas period. Raging when stuff clashed. Sky/UPC+ has put an end to this however

gipi

nlgbbbblth wrote: »

The first time I remember getting excited about the double issue of The RTE Guide was in 1977.

Christmas Eve fell on a Saturday and the double issue covered programmes from December 24 to January 6 - the ideal period as in my opinion Christmas starts on the Eve and lasts until Epiphany. Generally we were back to school on January 7 / 8 / 9.

Things continued in this vein [obviously starting a day earlier each year, leap year in 1980 notwithstanding] right up until 1982 - when the period covered was December 18 to December 31.

Oh good, I thought, 1983's guide will revert to the December 24 to January 6 fortnight.
To my shock it didn't. Glenroe was on the front and the guide encompassed December 17 to 30.

Ever since then it's been downhill. I believe the current issue covers December 15 to 28. What the hell? Why not start a week later. Going back to a regular, downbeat, single issue for December 29 is soulless.

I don't recommend buying the guide this year....double issue runs from 17th to 30th Dec, so you'll be left soulless again

Dotrel

The xmas guides used to be a big deal when I was a kid. Even now I still remember actually being excited to see stuff like "1941 A comedy by Steven Spielberg" or "BMX trick show" listed in the guides. Not saying they were any good but TV must have been really awful the rest of the year if I remember actually looking forward to this sort of stuff. I think it also helped that we didn't get the guides weekly for the rest of the year so they were a novelty in and of themselves anyway.

Of course nowadays it's no big deal as I've seen practically every movie I'll ever want to and most everything is available elsewhere anyway and not to mention there's too many channels too read.

Still, I'll remember the arrival of the guide fondly back at a time when media wasn't as easily available. It was an integral part of christmas growing up.

Drag00n79

zorro2566 wrote: »

Bringing this thread to life again!
I've always preferred the Radio Times but I cant see the Christmas edition in the shops here in Sligo,is it available elsewhere in Ireland?

It's in the busstop newsagents at the bus station.

fryup

in the old guide i use to love the fact that xmas day was in colour and all the other days were B&W

Onthe3rdDay

I remember getting a TV Times in the past that covered 17 days. However once they went past the 30th there was a lot of TBA (to be announced) in the schedule.