Computer Chronicles

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Computer Chronicles logo from the early 90s

The Computer Chronicles was a US television series documenting the rise of the personal computer from its infancy to the immense market at the turn of the century. The series aired from 1983 to 2002 with Stewart Cheifet presenting throughout its tenure. Gary Kildall served as co-host for six years (1983 to 1990) providing insights and commentary on products as well as discussions on the future of the ever-expanding personal computer sphere.

During the 1980s the show had many supporting presenters including:

George Morrow: Presenter and commentator who for a time headed the Morrow Design company, Morrow was a well known face on the Chronicles until the 1990s. Morrow died in 2001.
Paul Schindler: Featured predominantly in software reviews, Schindler contributed to the series until the early 1990s.
Wendy Woods: Provided reports for many software and hardware products, as well as talking with the main presenters in the studio about specific topics.

The Computer Chronicles format remained relatively unchanged throughout its run, except perhaps with the noticeable difference in presenting style; originally formal it evolved into a more relaxed style. From 1984 onward the last five minutes or so featured Random Access, a section which gave the viewer the latest computer news from the home and business markets. Stewart Chiefet, Janelle Stelson and various other individuals presented the segment. Random Access was discontinued in 1994 perhaps due in part to the advent of the Internet and with it the ability to access computer news at will.

Despite performing well in the ratings in the United States and being broadcast throughout the world, the Computer Chronicles was cancelled in 2002. Almost all episodes of Computer Chronicles have been made available for free download at the Internet Archive. Many episodes of the show have been dubbed into other languages including Arabic, French and Spanish.

[edit] Computer bowl

This was a series of quiz shows asking computer pioneers trivia questions relating to computers first aired by the programme in 1988 and first took place in Boston. East and West coast teams competed against each other, contestants from the Route 128 area in Boston and the Silicon Valley area of San Francisco to see which side knows more about computer trivia. Original contestants included Bill Joy, Mitch Kapor, Esther Dyson, and David Bunnell.