[PRCo] Re: impact of TV

[Jim Holland]

HI!


	We had quite a discussion of this topic in relation to the
comment in the West Penn book and the point I think we missed is
that  TV  was a  *contributing--factor*  in the demise of
trolleycars, certainly not  *The*  factor.    TV  might be
considered the  *Last__Nail__in__the__Coffin*  as is so often
stated.

	While the decision to abandon rail operations may have been made
prior to TV, when TV did come on the scene with 
*Prime--Time__Only*  programming (dinner time and early evening,)
ridership on trolleycars really plummeted since many stayed
home.    I feel this was the intent of the comments in the WP
book on TVs killing trolleycars.

	End of WW2, booming economy, flight to the burbs, autos, TV all
contributed to demise which actually started certainly in the
1930s if not the 1920s.

	I also do Not buy the opinion that the labor strikes of the
1950s killed off PRCo    ----    the labor strikes  *Hastened* 
what was Already Happening  --  move to autos instead of transit 
--  but are not  *The*  reason for the happening!:)


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [PRCo] impact of TV
Resent-Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2003 10:20:40 -0400 (EDT)
Resent-From: Derrick J Brashear <shadow at dementia.org>
Resent-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2003 19:02:06 -0400
From: Harold Geissenheimer <transitmgr2 at earthlink.net>
Reply-To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Organization: PLEASE NOTE INTERIM E-MAIL ADDRESS TO REPLY TO!
To: "pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org"
<pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>


Fred

It does not matter when West Penn first mentioned TV

The fact remains that TV helped kill transit.  I watched this at
Montour Motor Coiach 1950-51 and at Harmony l951-60 and at
Citizens Transit-Oil City l950-53. Thats was the end ofevening
riding.

Also the 5 day week killed Saturday and shopping centers killed
downtown.  Citizen's purchased 5 new diesel buses in l949 and was
out of business in 5 years.

Harold Geissenheimer


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Waiting for a bus is as thrilling as fishing,
    with the similar tantalisation that something,
        sometime, somehow, will turn up. 
            George Courtauld

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James B. Holland

• Holland  Electric  Railway  Operation....... 
  "O"--Scale St.-Petersburg Trams Company (SPTC)
        Trolleycars and "O"--Scale  Parts
                including Q-Car
        mailto:pghpcc at pacbell.net

• Pennsylvania Trolley Museum
        http://www.pa-trolley.org/
• Pittsburgh  Railways  Company  (PRCo),
        1930  --  1950
• N.M.R.A.  Life member #2190;
        http://www.nmra.org

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