Retro: Comedy Channel Premiere, November 1989

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Comedy Channel Launch Schedule:

Here is the launch schedule for the HBO-owned Comedy Channel (predecessor to Comedy Central) when it premiered in November of 1989.

It was much more family friendly when it premiered and largely consisted of comedy clips from movies and television (similar to MTV) only interspersed with comedy riffing shows and talk shows hosted by comedians. This format would last for less than two years until it merged with the (ironically enough) MTV Networks-owned HA! (focused largely on sitcom reruns) in 1991 to form CTV: The Comedy Network (renamed Comedy Central after two months).

Only five percent of all television watching households had cable systems that carried the Comedy Channel in its launch. Manhattan was not one of the markets that carried it. These listings were from The Times from Shreveport, Louisiana, Thursday, November 16, 1989, page 6D.

Monday-Friday

6:00 AM- Comedy Clips
10:00 AM- Tommy Sledge P.I. and Movie
2:00 PM- Comedy Clips
5:00 PM- Rachel Sweet
8:00 PM- Higgins Boys and Gruber
11:00 PM- Allan Harvey
2:00 AM- Tommy Sledge P.I. and Movie (Mon-Thu)
2:00 AM- Rich Hall (Fri)
4:00 AM- Comedy Clips (Fri)

Saturday

6:00 AM- Comedy Clips
8:00 AM- Rachel Sweet
11:00 AM- Mystery Science Theater 3000
1:00 PM- Higgins Boys and Gruber
4:00 PM- Movie
7:00 PM- Rich Hall
9:00 PM- Comedy Clips
11:00 PM- Mystery Science Theater 3000
1:00 AM- Allan Harvey
4:00 AM- Comedy Clips

Sunday

6:00 AM- Movie
8:00 AM- Higgins Boys and Gruber
11:00 AM- Comedy Clips
12:00 PM- Rich Hall
2:00 PM- Movie
5:00 PM- Rachel Sweet
8:00 PM- Comedy Clips
11:00 PM- Allan Harvey
2:00 AM- Tommy Sledge PI

 

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Tommy Sledge, now that's a name I never expected to see again! He was a standup comedian whose shtick was having the persona of a hard-boiled 40s style detective.