Teletext (Israel)
From 1982 to 2014, Israeli Educational Television provided the country's only Teletext (טלטקסט) service. The service was available daily on Israeli Television/Channel 1 from 8:30am to 5pm every day, as well as having an in-vision service during IETV's timeshare on the channel. During the 1980s, it was promoted as "the third channel on your TV" (הערוץ השלישי בטלוויזיה שלך).[1]
History
[edit]The teletext service was initiated in 1982 by IETV in association with the British government, which donated equipment.[2] Its first CEO was Mickey Gur, while the technology was provided by British ambassador to Israel Jacob Lorberbaum.[1] The first experimental pages did not come until May 1983, when an experimental service began on Israeli kindergartens. Later, in November, a trial service for sixth grade arithmetic students began. In March 1984, a pre-pilot for tenth grade English students followed, then in May, it began an electronic magazine aimed at the youth and a quiz based on the Pentateuch.[3]
After these experiments, IETV started conducting tests for a regular teletext service. On 10 September 1985, Prime Minister Shimon Peres (in his first premiership) took part in a demonstration where, in an initial phase, the scope of content would also include updated government information.[4] Full broadcasts began in July 1986; by late August, 5,000 teletext decoders were sold in Israel, while the number of teletext-enabled sets was at 10,000. In-vision teletext broadcasts aired twice on IETV's daytime schedule, at 9am and 2pm.[2] The introduction of a regular teletext service featured an advertisement featuring Rotem Abuhav.[5]
Some programs were subtitled, most notably the Friday repeat of Zehu Ze!.[1]
Over time, Teletext Israel reduced its content. By 2004, most of its sections were removed, being limited to general information, such as news, weather, airport times and economic news; sections such as one for the hard of hearing were already removed.[5] As of 2012, Teletext was accessible only on Channel 1 from 8:30am to 5pm (the time where IETV's Erev Hadash started.[6]
IETV closed its teletext service in early 2014.[7][better source needed]
Partial content
[edit]Partial index from the second half of the 80s:[1]
- 123 - Lottery numbers
- 173 - Trip of the Week
- 301 and 302 - Tech
- 315 - Dollar exchange rate
- 316 - Weather
- 385 - Greetings
- 888 - Subtitles
- Unknown - a weekly passage from the Torah, sports news and the flight schedule of the Ben Gurion Airport
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d שחף, טל (2019-08-23). ""הערוץ השלישי בטלוויזיה שלך": בחזרה לתור הזהב של הטלטקסט" ["The Third Channel on Your TV": a return to the golden age of teletext]. www.ynet.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2020-12-25.
- ^ a b 15,000 sets receive teletext, Koteret Rashit, 27 August 1986
- ^ Teletext in Israel: an instructional tool
- ^ Government information in your living room, Maariv, 11 May 1985
- ^ a b Eyal Gonen, Confession of a teletext operator, Ynet, 5 October 2004
- ^ Aviv Mizrahi, The first teletext service is shutting down, Ynet, 23 October 2012]
- ^ הוא לא פועל מזה כשלוש שנים. צריך זמני נחיתות?
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