I am the fellow who played the Trinity College Carillon that you heard on the sign-on/sign-off Star Spangled Banner. It was fun to listen to myself each morning and night. I believe it ran from sign-on in 1984 until about 1992 or so when the station was sold--maybe someone can supply the correct ending date. It was supposed to be me AND the Hartford Symphony dubbed in later, but that never happened, and so it was just me playing. I do have that carillon rendition on some old VHS tapes---I will have to find them and post it on KZfaq and link it to here.

Aren't they supposed to show the station ident first BEFORE they show the color bars?

I think it's interesting the color bars showed up before the station officially signed off.

Thanks for the upload !!

Nevermind. Someone already uploaded it. Here: WTIC-TV-61 and The National Anthem That's me somewhere in the middle of it, playing. I was there that night at the Hartford Hilton with my wife, too. That was the first time I realized they never dubbed in the Hartford Symphony as they played the tape and the symphony just sat there. I believe it was because I played the National Anthem right out of my head and not very straight (even thought the symphony general mgr I believe was up in the tower trying to direct me, counting). I remember the sound guys recording it up in the tower were frustrated with the power of the carillon, having to turn their mic's WAY DOWN as the carillon was simply too much audio power.

Why there's only color bars during the sign-off message?

WTIC-TV now Fox CT would play a special rendition of the SSB on church bells in dedication to the late governor Ella Grasso. Arnold Chase who started WTIC-TV was going to have the calls be WETG. But a station in Erie, PA would take those calls. This is the second go round of WTIC-TV calls. Channel 3 used those calls from 1957-74 when it became the present WFSB. Next year is Fox CT's 30th year of operations.

Your information is not correct. Arch Communications Corp. (my company) was actually granted the WETG call letters in 1983, but after receiving a FCC waiver to use the (then) non-commonly owned WTIC call-sign in 1984, we were allowed to use WTIC-TV. I have a copies of all the FCC paperwork to prove this!

Color bars with sign off message

Now that's right up there for weirdest sign offs.

My apologies Mr. Chase.