In 1968 and 1969, veteran broadcaster Bob Whitney experimented with a new concept in television programming, in which the hit Top 40 songs of the day were coupled with the latest in the era's videotaping and filming techniques.
The resulting pilot enlisted the studio facilities of several stations: WFAA-TV in Dallas, Texas, WHBQ-TV Memphis, Tennessee, WKBS-TV Philadelphia and KMBC-TV in Kansas City.
Whitney's aim was to create a cost-effective television program that would emulate the success of Top 40 radio, all the way down to the use of an unseen disk jockey.
After 26 weeks in syndication in early 1971, Whitney cancelled The Now Explosion, when the high costs of production and distribution outpaced the commercial revenue.
The video editing required the use of three massive and costly "quad" tape recorders allowing only simple transitions such as cuts and dissolves.
Many appeared with home-grown costumes - often after midnight when station facilities became available - and were recorded dancing extemporaneously as rock rhythms were piped into an almost bare and darkened studio.
These segments were remastered to contemporary technical standards by the university archives where the video is stored and is available for public viewing and academic study.