Videos

Video Multimedia

See our visual memories flowing Downriver

Neither this website, nor WordPress or its web-hosting predecessors, are responsible for the content in these videos. Please note in all selections, proper discretion is taken when selecting them in order to eliminate those with excessive profanity and/or less-than-flattering social commentary. Artistic license is solely the responsibility of the channel accounts’ producers.

– KEVIN HARRISON, web curator (August 18, 2026)

Whether produced by a single individual specifically designed for a niche audience online, or created by the local cable television provider, or from networking on a higher quality level; these are some of the sights and sounds which many Downriver residents through the years remember emanating from their television sets.

The list is not inclusive and can / will occasionally change over time dependent on licensing agreements or deactivation of the responsible channels. If you see other links to videos elsewhere on the web that provide a unique Downriver flavor, contact us.

Top commercials provided by MacLean-Hunter Cable Television

Debuting in the 1979-1980 timeframe as Wayne Cablevision, and known as Comcast since a 1994 corporate merger, MacLean-Hunter provided cable coverage to ten of the eighteen Downriver communities at one time.

Most higher-level local ads & events were produced at their Taylor facilities on Eureka Road and aired on their lineup as “TV-3.” Ads were also provided to other cable channels in the lineup through “bumpers,” which operated through their master control center. MacLean-Hunter also provided a Public Access outlet (TV-34) based in Flat Rock, which allowed residents to train for video production, up to producing their own original programming for that channel.

Through personal experience, there was a home-grown feeling in the earlier days as MacLean-Hunter strived to promote a local presence through their stations. Here are some commercials which aired prior to 1994:

The focal points of advertising on local television

These first clips were self-promotion at their finest. They are a tad “over the top” in their vocal presentation; however, tools such as those were considered essential in trying to market their offerings to the general public who may not have had a cable TV subscription at the time.

Promoting individual channels and local programs

“Deals on Wheels” (on left) was a cross-promotional effort advertising Channel 14 on the MacLean-Hunter lineup, which featured CGI advancements of the era, while local origination programming promotions (on right) advertised much of TV-3’s programming.

Promoting regional channels: PASS Sports

Pay-cable sports offerings had begun around 1980 with the debut of ON-TV, which was occasionally simulcast over-the-air on WXON-Channel 20 in Detroit. By 1984 it became PASS Sports, which would be the first regional cable sports network on MacLean-Hunter, airing on Channel 33 and featuring Detroit Tiger games. It has evolved into today’s Detroit Sports Network.