Ad_Forums-Top
Collapse
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Recorded information services offered by BT
Collapse
X
-
Telephones are for communicating with someone on the other end of the line, and not for expensive answering machine messages. The main problem is that some people ring 999 for reasons other than life and death emergencies and think that it is a so-called "information service" due to the fact that it is the UK's most recognised and remembered telephone number.
-
I hope it's OK to post on an old thread, I have only just seen this thread about old telephone information services. I found out about the services in late 1987 in my grandparents' dialling code book and I found it fascinating as I was only 8 that I could call a number and listen to a recording. My mum wouldn't let me use our phone for them, but I secretly used my nan and grandad's phone only to find that when I called most of the numbers I got a message saying "this service has now ceased".
Weatherline and Discline/Dial a Disc were still available at this time, and I remember hearing Kylie Minogue on Dial a Disc, but I remember an announcement saying "the Discline service will cease at the end of April 1988". Weatherline carried on until the end of June.
I have found in recent years that British Telecom scrapped these services because a change in law meant independent companies could have recorded information services. This was when a service called Weathercall came out on an 0898 number and of course 0898 numbers soon became associated with dodgy lines as well.
I remember hearing on the announcement when Weatherline was scrapped that "an alternative service is available on 0898 500 483 from Telephone Information Services". I remember when my mum asked me to call the number when we were going away and I misdialled it as 0898 600 583 and got a Scottish comedian (who I now know was Billy Connolly) telling jokes about inflatable dolls called Sexy Sadie and Lovely Racquel.
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by Richard1978I imagine by the time computerised exchanges & playout systems came along this was possible, but not with the earlier ones.
There were also slow acting relays that worked using a small heating element that would activate after about 5 minutes.
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by Arran View Post
The sicker side of Thatcherite capitalism. A bit like the Deregulation of the Buses Act 1986 and the Housing Act 1988.
One problem with premium rate numbers is that they coud be reused for completely different services in a short space of time. I can remember a time when a kid from my primary school phoned a premium rate number for some service about wildlife and the number had been reused for an erotic adult service. Her mother was absolutely horrified and wrote a letter of complaint to Oftel about it.
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by Richard1978Another problem was that many services played in a loop, so if you didn't hang up properly it would keep playing and run up a big bill!
Leave a comment:
-
A few more services that were available in 1984:
Capital Radioline 01 246 8024
Challenge Line – Brain teasers (answers next day) 01 246 8050
Eventline - Motor Sport information 01 246 8066
Golden Hitline – Hits from the 60s and 70s 01 246 8044
Newsline 01 246 8080
Spaceline – Space mission information 01 246 8055
They probably only lasted a few years.
I'm wondering how many recorded information services on 246 were available after 071 / 081 replaced 01 in 1990.
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by George 1978 View PostIt made me wonder why on earth Premium Rate telephone services were introduced in this country in the first place when we had this sort of stuff originally - if it ain't broke...
One problem with premium rate numbers is that they coud be reused for completely different services in a short space of time. I can remember a time when a kid from my primary school phoned a premium rate number for some service about wildlife and the number had been reused for an erotic adult service. Her mother was absolutely horrified and wrote a letter of complaint to Oftel about it.
Leave a comment:
-
It made me wonder why on earth Premium Rate telephone services were introduced in this country in the first place when we had this sort of stuff originally - if it ain't broke...
I bet that the regulator at the time was the same as the ones for general telephone services and so unnecessarily didn't have a separate one.
Leave a comment:
-
Most recorded information services in London had the number 01 246 80xx. 246 was the replacement number for ASK after London changed to all figure numbers.
Here are technical details how the services were provided
http://www.lightstraw.co.uk/ate/main/ris/index.html
Leave a comment:
-
Recorded information services from the 1982 dialling code book for London.
Children's London 246 8007
Cricketline – Available during the cricket season in England 154
Discline 160
Financial Times Cityline 246 8026
Leisureline – For a daily selection of the main events and places of interest in and around:
London 246 8041
London – in French 246 8043
London – in German 246 8045
Edinburgh (1 May to 30 September) 031 246 8041
Chester 0244 8041
Puffin Storyline (from 6pm each night) 246 8000
Raceline – Horse racing results and information available 24 hours a day during most meetings 168
Recipeline – For recipe of the day 246 8071
Skiing Information (1 December to 30 April) Skiing conditions at the principal Scottish ski centres 031 246 8031
Sportsline – Separate publicity will be given when service operates 246 8020
Starline – Daily Horoscope 246 8000
Timeline – For the speaking clock 123
Traveline – Travel information for the following areas:
Birmingham 021 246 8021
Bristol 0272 8021
London 246 8021
Manchester and Liverpool 0161 246 8021
Northern England 0632 8021
Northern Ireland 0232 8021
Scotland 031 246 8021
South and West Yorkshire 0532 8021
South Wales 0222 8021
National Summaries
Rail (Inter-city & London) 246 8030
Road (Motorway & major trunk roads) 246 8031
Sea 246 8032
Air 246 8033
Weatherline
Anglesey & N. Wales Coast 061 246 8093
Bedford area (40 mile radius) 246 8099
Birmingham and Warwickshire 021 246 8091
Devon and Cornwall 0752 8091
Dorset and Hampshire Coast 0703 8091
E. Midlands 0602 8091
Edinburgh and Lothian 031 246 8091
Essex and N. Kent coast 246 8096
Glamorgan and Gwent 0222 8091
Glasgow area 041 246 8091
Grampian and Aberdeen 0224 8091
Lincolnshire and Humberside 0522 8091
London area 246 8091
Norfolk and Suffolk 0473 8091
N.E. England incl. N. Yorkshire 0632 8091
N.W. England 061 246 8091
N. Ireland 0232 8091
Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire 246 8090
Somerset and Avon 0272 8091
S.W. Midlands 0452 8091
S. Yorkshire and the Peak District 0742 8091
Sussex and S. Kent coast 246 8097
W. Yorkshire 0532 8091
For personal advice call the Meteorological Office 836 4311
W.H. Smith Albumline – Tracks from L.P. Records 246 8008
Woolworth Gardenline – Gardening Information 246 8070
Note that several services have changed their names in order to make them sound more trendy.
Raceline is also available on 246 8060.
Leave a comment:
-
I remember going to the phone box and listening to dial a disc, it was standard rate , the 2p got you the standard time usually just less than the full song, it was played on a loop so you’d usually be connected halfway through the record
Leave a comment:
-
Of course, 8091 is an anagram of 0891 - a Premium Rate code used many years later. I am surprised that they were standard rate to be honest - I assume that there were no smutty chat lines in existence back in 1981, although only five years later they were advertising all over the place in the Sunday tabloids.
I bet Club Call was for Division 1 (now Premiership) clubs such as Man Utd.
I assumed that 0800 only started in around 1986 as before that, most advertising invited us to "dial 100 and ask for Freephone (name of company)".
Leave a comment:
-
The numbers, and even services, varied slightly from place to place. The services with 80xx numbers were available from main telephone exchanges, so a dialling code was required to reach them from smaller telephone exchanges with a different STD code.
The 1981 dialling code book for Haywards Heath also includes:
Leisureline – Sport and entertainment 91 8045
Seagull Line – Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club, latest news and information 91 8049
Seastate – Information for Anglers, Bathers, Sailors and Watersports 91 8046
Tele-Radio – Radio Brighton 91 8069
Services are provided from Brighton telephone exchange except those listed with an STD code. 91 was the local dialling code for Brighton from Haywards Heath. These services could be accessed nationally using the STD code for Brighton even if they weren't published in local dialling code books, for example, 0273 8049 for Seagull Line.
The Weather Forecast for London is 01 246 8091 and for Sussex Coast is 91 8091. Time is 91 8081.
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by George 1978 View PostWere a lot of these numbers Premium Rate? - I thought that Premium Rate numbers were only introduced in around 1986-1987, but they feel "Premium Rate" in nature to me with regards to the "bedtime stories" and the weather reports ones.
And for reasons that I won't go into on here, I hate any Premium Rate telephone number so much!
Leave a comment:
-
Were a lot of these numbers Premium Rate? - I thought that Premium Rate numbers were only introduced in around 1986-1987, but they feel "Premium Rate" in nature to me with regards to the "bedtime stories" and the weather reports ones.
And for reasons that I won't go into on here, I hate any Premium Rate telephone number so much!
Leave a comment:
Leave a comment: