Defunct Cable TV networks we missed

[spencerkarter85]

Here's my list of the defunct Cable TV networks I miss (Prevue Channel is not included in my list):

America's Talking (1994-1996, now MSNBC)
Turner South (1999?-2006 which was a regional cable network for the south, now regional sports network SportsSouth owned by FOX)
FOX Reality Channel (where they played the Wayne Brady's Don't Forget the Lyrics reruns, now NatGeo Wild)
SoapNet (2000-2012 on some providers now replaced by Disney Junior, I've first watched that channel in 2005 and addicting to pre-1982 Ryan's Hope repeats was the reason I loved it. They stopped carrying RH repeats on September 2011 after AMC went off the air.) I still get it on DirecTV for the time being.
The Nashville Network/The National Network, I like the final months of The Nashville Network before September 2000 when they played Cagney & Lacey reruns of course. Also when it became The National Network it acquired WWE Wrestling programs (then WWF before that infamous lawsuit in 2002) from USA Network that year (for the next five years on that channel after it became SpikeTV), simply Spike. Does anybody remember the old slogan from The National Network from 2000-2003 called "We Got Pop!"?

Do you have any favorite defunct cable TV networks you missed alot?

 

[dave73]

I miss the WWOR Superstation. I remember my local US Cable (later TCI cable) carrying WWOR Superstation until its demise in 1997. I don't know if you want to count it as a network, but it's something I miss.

TechTV (nee ZDNet) was one I watched a lot when I had DirecTV. I watched it for the help on using the Windows OS, & finding surprises with the Windows system.

 

[Ultimajock]

Arts, when it was a separate nighttime service sharing the same channel as Nickelodeon, prior to being merged with The Entertainment Channel into A&E

Eye on People/Discovery People

 

[trapper12]

I miss The Nashville Network and the original WGN from Chicago. I loved watching the parades etc. WGN America just isn't the same.

 

[AKA]

My cable system carried KSTW out of Tacoma/Seattle until the mid-'90s. The station aired a lot of syndicated fare that the locals in Spokane didn't, as well as the Mariners, the Sonics, original programming, and a 10 pm newscast. After KAYU affiliated with Fox and KSKN went off-the-air, Spokane didn't have any independents, so KSTW was sort of adopted as our own. It was a great station.

When the Syndex laws went into effect, things got complicated. Turning on KSTW, one was often greeted with a dark blue screen with white text that began, "We are required by the FCC..." After a few years of this, Cox (Spokane's cable system at the time) put KSTW on a part-time basis only, splitting its channel space with VH-1 half the day. The station was dropped altogether shortly after it affiliated with CBS.

In its place, we got newly-independent KIRO's 12 billion daily newscasts and Mariners broadcasts on our public access station. Lame.

 

[anotherguyTN]

I miss being able to get WSMV and WTVF out of Nashville on Charter Cable in Jackson, TN. Charter claimed that they were dropped in 2009 because of the digital conversion, but the jackson Energy Authority cable system still has them, and now Charter has brought back WTVF's 5+ subchannel, but not their main channel. I liked having them as an alternative to the Memphis and Jackson stations.

Along with that Cable One in Dyersburg, TN, where my mother and brother live, dropped WPSD in Paducah, KY and KFVS in Cape Girardeau, MO in 2009 using the digital conversion as the excuse as well, but I'd tend to believe that more with them than Charter.

 

[visaman]

FNN/Score (if only because of "Time Out for Trivia" and "What's News?")

I liked that channel, it was so weird! It was one of the first US cable channels we got in Vancouver. I used to watch the trivia show while eating Hershey Bars dipped in Peanut Butter. ;D

 

[nomadcowatbk]

I miss being able to get WSMV and WTVF out of Nashville on Charter Cable in Jackson, TN. Charter claimed that they were dropped in 2009 because of the digital conversion, but the jackson Energy Authority cable system still has them, and now Charter has brought back WTVF's 5+ subchannel, but not their main channel. I liked having them as an alternative to the Memphis and Jackson stations.

Along with that Cable One in Dyersburg, TN, where my mother and brother live, dropped WPSD in Paducah, KY and KFVS in Cape Girardeau, MO in 2009 using the digital conversion as the excuse as well, but I'd tend to believe that more with them than Charter.

Mediacom in Columbia MO used the digital conversion excuse for dropping KSDK and KETC from St. Louis, although KSDK was syndexed out most the of the time. Pictures from those stations was often fuzzy.

 

[crainbebo]

In its place, we got newly-independent KIRO's 12 billion daily newscasts and Mariners broadcasts on our public access station. Lame.

KIRO was never independent. It affiliated with UPN, while KSTW 11 had CBS. In 1997, KSTW got UPN and KIRO got CBS back.

The Nashville Network was a great cable channel. Lots of country variety, and stuff that you will NEVER see on CMT!

And even though it's not really a "network", I nominate Prevue Guide/Channel as well, since there was no movies and stupid crap, all you got was listings, psychic ads and "Prevue Tonight". ;D

-crainbebo

 

[FreddyE1977]

I miss the WWOR Superstation. I remember my local US Cable (later TCI cable) carrying WWOR Superstation until its demise in 1997. I don't know if you want to count it as a network, but it's something I miss.

I too miss WWOR Superstation. I could always count on either watching Hawaii Five-O followed by Magnum, P.I., or New York Mets baseball when I got home in the afternoon during the 80's.

I miss FNN and the "Time Out for Trivia" program hosted by Todd Donaho.

Also one called SPN, which used to run really old, off-the-wall movies in the morning in the
early 80's. They had a live continuity announcer sitting at some tech control panel someplace
in Oklahoma, I think.

 

[Bob1370]

Mopst of upstate New York's cable systems carried all three New York independent commercial stations back in the day, including WNEW-TV Ch. 5 (predecessor to today's Fox 5, the Fox net
flagship station); WOR-TV Ch. 9 (predecessor to My9 WWOR) and WPIX Ch. 11 (predecessor to today's CW flagship). They're all missed for various reasons. 5, and eventually 11,offered, among other things, not only classic films and off-net reruns but strong, well presented local newscasts.

 

[AKA]

KIRO was never independent. It affiliated with UPN, while KSTW 11 had CBS.

True, but in 1995, UPN only programmed four hours a week. A far cry from the 59+ hours CBS was offering. I only said "independent" because I believe Fox affiliates were still considered as such in the network's early days. I know WSVN referred to themselves an independent after they dropped NBC ("It all happens at 3 am January 1st. That's when NBC goes to channel 4, CBS to channel 6, and channel 7 becomes an independent"). I guess it's just a matter of semantics.

 

[Markxxx]

In the South Suburbs of Chicago, our first cable system was COX and we'd get KTVU.

"There's only one two...woo"

I liked the news channel that ran up against CNN when it first start. I believe CNN bought them out.

And I liked JC Penny shopping channel better than HSN and QVC.

 

[crainbebo]

In the South Suburbs of Chicago, our first cable system was COX and we'd get KTVU.

"There's only one two...woo"

I liked the news channel that ran up against CNN when it first start. I believe CNN bought them out.

And I liked JC Penny shopping channel better than HSN and QVC.

That was the Satellite News Channel. Only ran from 1982-83. You got KTVU THAT far E in the 80s?!? I thought it was more of an Oregon/California/AZ/NV superstation than a national one...

-crainbebo

 

[azumanga]

You got KTVU THAT far E in the 80s?!? I thought it was more of an Oregon/California/AZ/NV superstation than a national one...

I heard somewhere that KTVU was seen on Cox Cable systems nationwide, as they were (and still are) part of the same company. But unfortunately, it was not as successful as the other superstations, and was taken off the bird sometime in the early-1980s.

 

[EricStein]

Also one called SPN, which used to run really old, off-the-wall movies in the morning in the
early 80's. They had a live continuity announcer sitting at some tech control panel someplace
in Oklahoma, I think.

I don't think I ever watched it, but I did know about the old Satellite Program Network (later Tempo Television)--which ended up being used to launch CNBC (which itself absorbed FNN/Score soon after).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_Program_Network

Funny thing is that there is a relatively new cable network called "Tempo Television" (not really new; it's been around for almost seven years). This time, the network focuses on music from Caribbean countries (i.e. Reggae and "Dancehall"). It can be found mainly on Caribbean cable systems, as well as in NY/NJ, where there is a large enough Caribbean population to make carriage on the Cablevision system worthwhile. Strangely enough, I remember the original Tempo TV airing a weekly reggae music show years ago.

http://www.gottempo.com/home

 

[jc]

TechTV, before Comcast bought it and merged it with their G4 video game channel and ruined it completely. I only saw TechTV when it was either when it was free preview or had digital cable it was free for the month along with other channels that rebranded. A few examples below

Discovery Wings. Watched some space shows on that even though Science shows some

Biography Channel when it was just biographies

History International when it was just History programs from other than the US

Toon Disney. Watched Sonic on that

MTVX, before becoming MTV Jams. Unfortunately, my cable provider never carried this so I never had the opportunity to watch it.

 

[rnigma1]

Also one called SPN, which used to run really old, off-the-wall movies in the morning in the
early 80's. They had a live continuity announcer sitting at some tech control panel someplace
in Oklahoma, I think.

I don't think I ever watched it, but I did know about the old Satellite Program Network (later Tempo Television)--which ended up being used to launch CNBC (which itself absorbed FNN/Score soon after).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_Program_Network

I remember SPN! Back in '82, first time I was out on my own and finally had cable. They did run the most obscure B and C movies (and some British quota quickies), mostly from poverty row outfits like Monogram and PRC; the only major studio film I saw on SPN was a Dr. Kildare movie. Interesting that they morphed into CNBC.

I recall A&E used to run the same couple of dozen public domain flicks at 3 or 4 am back in the 80s - I swear, "Divorce of Lady X," "Santa Fe Trail" and "Dinner at the Ritz" would be played once a month each.

In the late 80s, AMC - back when it was still American Movie Classics - did not broadcast all day (at least not on our local cable system); it started at 4 pm and went off at 6 am. In the meantime it ran infomercials back to back. One was for bee pollen products; the hucksters claimed that President Reagan ate bee pollen regularly, and they sold a bee pollen candy bar called "President's Lunch" with the presidential seal on the wrapper. (Apparently the stuff didn't keep Reagan from getting Alzheimer's.)

What I recall about W(W)OR is of course Morton Downey, Jr., and they briefly had an original cop drama called "The Street."

And yes, I miss the old WTBS (I remember when their calls were WTCG, when Ted was just beginning to build his cable empire) - Bill Tush and his comedy newscasts, Brother Gold (a "preacher" whose sermons consisted of rock lyrics), lots of Three Stooges shorts...

 

[CrummyVision]

The only one I can think of is Spotlight. This was a premium movie channel that went off the air in perhaps 1984 or '85. We were with Storer Cable in Fairfield, CA at the time and that channel was replaced with the Movie Channel.

 

[blackgold]

MuchMusic USA, which would broadcast the Electric Circus each weekend. I had Primestar in the late 90s, but it was only on during the day, having to switch to pay per view in the evening.