Wild Feed TV - Introduction

"Backhaul feeds" are raw satellite transmissions used by TV stations to send live sound and video from one location to another. They often contain footage of politicians, news reporters and other television personalities as they prepare to appear on television. While these feeds are sent unscrambled over the public airwaves, and are accessible to several million home satellite viewers, they are generally considered "off-air" by the television industry.

As a result, these feeds reveal a side of television that we normally see only in glimpses and usually by mistake -- like when a newscast cuts to a reporter and he or she is unaware that they're on the air. Seen in their entirety, these feeds are much more than bloopers, they are capsule dramas, told in real time. The drama in this case is not today's plane crash, it is the news reporter covering the plane crash.

During the summer of 1996, New York video maker Jed Rosenzweig collected several hundred backhaul feeds, compiled his favorites and packaged them in the form of an experimental television series called WILD FEED TV. Presenting these feeds uncut and without commentary, the program's approach was similar to that of C-SPAN or Court TV, the subject here being not Congress, or the judicial system, but the window through which most of us see the world... television itself.

This website was designed as a companion piece to the 1996 TV series, and hasn't changed much since the show ended. In April of '99, we revamped our gallery section to include four full length feeds from the show -- check them out here ...and for a chuckle, be sure to peruse Jed's collection of love letters from NBC's lawyers.

Last but not least, your feedback is always welcome, so please send email!