Back Porch Video was one of the first non-MTV cable television-based music video programs. It premiered on January 28, 1984 as the brainchild of Russ Gibb, former owner of the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan. Shot in Westinghouse’s Group W Cable studios in Dearborn, Michigan, Back Porch Video stayed on the air for the better part of 16 years. What made Back Porch Video unique was that it was crewed and hosted primarily by area high-school aged students. The program aired live in Dearborn from 10pm – 1am on Saturday nights, although that was later expanded to 9pm – 1am after about one year of cablecasting. The show was broken up into hour-long segments, each of which was hosted by a different personality. This allowed for the programs to be distributed in hour-long segments to a myriad of other cable systems in the Southeast Michigan area.
Lucky for us, many of the videos from Back Porch Video have been put on YouTube, so we can get a glimpse at this unique era from a regional perspective. Look at these kids!
Back Porch Video [@] YouTube
Did I see some of these people as extras in Night of the Comet?!