Finding Minnesota: TC Media Now
MAPLEWOOD, Minn. (WCCO) – Want to see a long-haired Mark Rosen anchoring a 1976 sportscast?
How about a fresh-faced Mike Binkley covering the 1987 World Series?
Thanks to one man's fascination with vintage television, hundreds of classic Twin Cities TV moments are available to watch online.
Many of us have stashes of old VHS tapes from the days when VCRs were popular. They might contain old shows, newscasts or movies that we'll never watch again.
To Tom Oszman, they represent goldmines. He's used those tapes to collect vintage commercials, historic Twin Cities moments and familiar TV personalities from their younger days.
"We're not making fun of anything that happened," Oszman said, "but it is kind of fun to look at some different hairstyles in some commercials."
Oszman was a little boy growing up in Maplewood when his family was one of the first on the block to get a VCR.
"I was fascinated with the fact I could watch videos and watch things again after I saw them one time," he said. "The VCR was really the start of being able to watch video on demand."
Viewers would often just let it record for hours, even if they just wanted to record a 60-minute program, because they couldn't figure out the VCR's timer.
That's partly why Oszman has so many newscasts, and so many newscasters, looking just a little bit younger.
"I want to create an online database history of the Twin Cities," he said, "and one of the best ways to do it is through video."
Oszman finds many of his tapes at garage sales or estate sales. Some, though, have been donated by former news reporters.
Each video contain fascinating nuggets which Oszman catalogues and posts online at his website, www.tcmedianow.com.
It's something he does in his spare time. He's a full-time Target employee.
The video collection is his hobby, which he enjoys sharing.
"Preserving our history," Oszman said, "it's my main mission of this whole thing: preserving our video history, our cultural history."
TC Media Now is a one-man non-profit, and Oszman spends quite a bit of his own money for dubbing equipment.
He's having a fundraiser at the Heights Theater on May 7, called Newsapalooza. It will feature several news people and more video clips that you won't find online.
Send us your Finding Minnesota ideas here.
