Shortest-Lived Cable Channels?

[NoWayNoCC]

Remember Ted Turner's Cable Music Channel?

It competed against MTV around late 1984 or so.

...that one was what I thought of when I saw the subject line of this thread. I forget the name of it, but it was a joint venture between Turner and Donny Osmond when Osmond's Blue Jean Network syndicated video show tanked on terrestrial TV in 1981...

...or was Cable Music Channel actually the name of that signal?

Yes. It actually was called Cable Music Channel.

 

[Gregg]

CBS really dropped the ball in the early days of cable.

Two posters have mentioned failed CBS ventures... the first being CBS Cable, a fine-arts channel. CBS was spending far too much money on it. It hired Canadian author Patrick Watson as a full time host to introduce the programs (sort of like Alistair Cooke introduced Masterpiece Theatre on PBS). It had almost no advertising, yet spent money on expensive arts programming. Then instead of just use it as a place-holder, running the same shows over and over again till cable penetration made cable programming more practical, CBS just one day pulled the plug.

And then there was Eye on People, which was CBS's attempt to recycle some news programs including 60 Minutes, into a full time cable channel. CBS didn't pull the plug on this one but merged it

To this day, the other three major networks have news channels. Fox and NBC have their news channels. ABC has ABC News Now, which is not seen on most cable systems but it does run 24/7. It has some original content and some things recycled from other ABC news programs. But CBS never moved to start a news channel. And till the 90s, CBS had no cable channels after the bad experiences with CBS Cable and Eye on People. The Viacom merger was what finally got CBS back into cable programming, since Viacom came with some of their own cable channels.


Gregg
[email protected]

 

[1st of 5]

Turner's Cable Music Channel was supposed to compete against MTV. It was hyped up a lot and was supposed to be live. I think it started in the spring of 1984, because I remember watching the promos for it on WTBS around that time. BUT, it was NOT added to our existing cable package lineup, but available only as a premium channel for an extra fee, like HBO, SHOWTIME and The PlayBoy Channel. It think thats what killed it. Back then we had MTV, and on Friday nights, there was also USA NightFlight, WTBS Night Tracks, NBC's Friday Night Videos, Radio 1990 and I forgot what else was available at that time in the greater Baltimore-Wash DC area. So why pay more $$$ to the stinking cable company when there was so much already paid for music on TV already? I remember watching the Blue Jean Ntwk in Tuscon AZ back in spring of 1983. Never knew it was Donny Osmond's, but remember it was pretty lame.

 

[azumanga]

Turner's Cable Music Channel ... was NOT added to our existing cable package lineup, but available only as a premium channel for an extra fee, like HBO, SHOWTIME and The PlayBoy Channel. It think thats what killed it.

Funny thing was that Turner offered CMC to cable systems for free.

 

[Corky Marlowe]

@Freddy sounds a little like the SCTV bit with "Gerry Todd" (Rick Moranis) playing the videos from the video switcher

And a good, good Saturday morning to you!

 

[Obtuse1]

"America's Talking" the talk show network that morphed into MSNBC was fairly short-lived.

"Newsworld International" featured international news programming (much of it from Canada's CBC). later became Current TV.

TNN was long lived as "The Nashville Network", but short lived as "The National Network" (when it transitioned away from country music and toward WCW wrestling, movies and sitcoms). It lives on as the male-centric Spike TV.

The US version of Canada's "MuchMusic" lasted only a short time before becoming "Fuse".

Then there was "The Sega Channel", launched as a way to play video games via your cable system.

 

[mjlarochelle]

In Canada, in addition to C-Channel and Star Channel, there was also TVEC, which was a French-language pay TV channel which eventually merged with First Choice (now The Movie Network).

As is my understanding there were some cable-based specialty services provided by Canadian cable companies in the 1970s. Montreal had its own weather channel in the late 70s, and Vancouver had a multicultural channel, if I recall correctly. Rogers in Toronto had a number of specialty channels as well. Most, if not all of these channels, were run by the cable companies themselves, and most no longer exist.

 

[ssetta]

There's actually another short-lived music video channel I don't think anyone has pointed out yet. From what I understand, Before Vh1 Classic came along in 2001, I think for like a month or two, the channel was called "Vh1 Smooth," and it aired adult contemporary music videos.

 

[KML0224]

TNN was long lived as "The Nashville Network", but short lived as "The National Network" (when it transitioned away from country music and toward WCW wrestling, movies and sitcoms). It lives on as the male-centric Spike TV.

Then there was "The Sega Channel", launched as a way to play video games via your cable system.

TNN carried the last days of the original ECW wrestling group, before ECW was bought and killed by WWE. As for WCW, it was carried by TNT and TBS, since it had involvement from Ted Turner and then AOL/Time-Warner. :

I myself briefly had the Sega Channel for a time in the mid-90s. A coaxial cable was connected to the side of a game cartridge, which you inserted like any other game. It was fun while it lasted.

 

[MarcB]

I myself briefly had the Sega Channel for a time in the mid-90s. A coaxial cable was connected to the side of a game cartridge, which you inserted like any other game. It was fun while it lasted.

Kevin, I remember The Sega Channel, but I didn't have it, but I remember TCI Cable airing an Infomercial for it replacing blacked-out programming on WSBK.

 

[azumanga]

I myself briefly had the Sega Channel for a time in the mid-90s. It was fun while it lasted.

Too bad none of the other consoles have a similar service -- no doubt if Xbox, Playstation or Wii had something similar, it would go over like gangbusters.

 

[notalkallstatic]

Turner's Cable Music Channel was supposed to compete against MTV. It was hyped up a lot and was supposed to be live. I think it started in the spring of 1984, because I remember watching the promos for it on WTBS around that time. BUT, it was NOT added to our existing cable package lineup, but available only as a premium channel for an extra fee, like HBO, SHOWTIME and The PlayBoy Channel. It think thats what killed it. Back then we had MTV, and on Friday nights, there was also USA NightFlight, WTBS Night Tracks, NBC's Friday Night Videos, Radio 1990 and I forgot what else was available at that time in the greater Baltimore-Wash DC area. So why pay more $$$ to the stinking cable company when there was so much already paid for music on TV already? I remember watching the Blue Jean Ntwk in Tuscon AZ back in spring of 1983. Never knew it was Donny Osmond's, but remember it was pretty lame.

Even though Ted's CMC failed, SuperstationTBS's Night Tracks (which CMC was a spinoff of) stayed on for quiet awhile (1983-1992.) I do find it interesting, per wikipedia, he sold CMC to MTV for $1 Million, in which they bought time on his channels (TBS/TNT/CNN) for $500,000.

 

[Stitch]

"AgNet" was an all-agriculture network that folded in the mid '90s, if I recall.

Other very short-lived ones I recall seeing were "Newsport", a pre-ESPNEWS news/sports network, and "CelticVision", which focussed on Irish programming.

The Encore/Starz! "Movieplex" channel originated as "tv!", which acted as a sampler network featuring niche networks like "Newsport", mixed with more familiar networks like "The Sci-Fi Channel". Later it became "Intro Television", then finally "MoviePlex", featuring only the Encore variety of movie networks.

 

[Ultimajock]

Turner's Cable Music Channel was supposed to compete against MTV. It was hyped up a lot and was supposed to be live. I think it started in the spring of 1984, because I remember watching the promos for it on WTBS around that time. BUT, it was NOT added to our existing cable package lineup, but available only as a premium channel for an extra fee, like HBO, SHOWTIME and The PlayBoy Channel. It think thats what killed it. Back then we had MTV, and on Friday nights, there was also USA NightFlight, WTBS Night Tracks, NBC's Friday Night Videos, Radio 1990 and I forgot what else was available at that time in the greater Baltimore-Wash DC area. So why pay more $$$ to the stinking cable company when there was so much already paid for music on TV already? I remember watching the Blue Jean Ntwk in Tuscon AZ back in spring of 1983. Never knew it was Donny Osmond's, but remember it was pretty lame.

Even though Ted's CMC failed, SuperstationTBS's Night Tracks (which CMC was a spinoff of) stayed on for quiet awhile (1983-1992.) I do find it interesting, per wikipedia, he sold CMC to MTV for $1 Million, in which they bought time on his channels (TBS/TNT/CNN) for $500,000.

...and the money he made from selling CMC to MTV probably went right into the stack he used for his purchase of the MGM/UA back library shortly afterward ;-) ...

 

[1st of 5]

Another short lived 'network' aired here in Texas on Saturday night/Sunday morning 1200AM to 0500AM, around 1977, before cable was available to the masses, (I remember watching HBO, at the time, at a friend's place, courtesy of his apts' FTA satellite dish). Anyway, this one was called "The Texas All Night Network" and aired after midnight here in San Antonio. I don't know if it was carried by any other cities in TX or anywhere else. It lasted through the summer of 1977. I don't really remember if the network actually folded or if our local TV station just pulled the plug on them, because eventhough they were the only TV station on AFTER midnight on a Saturday, it was lame. It consisted of ancient BW episodes of "The Wild, Wild West", "The Millionaire", in interview of some uninteresting Texan and a performance from some local band. Does anyone who lived in Texas at that time remember that show/network besides me?

 

[microbob]

Along those same lines, Willie Nelson had his own channel for awhile also. The Outlaw Channel had Pop Goes the Country and a bunch of other 70's variety shows. Not sure how many cable companies He had carrying the channel since I had a C-Band System I was able to get it.

 

[Ultimajock]

Another short lived 'network' aired here in Texas on Saturday night/Sunday morning 1200AM to 0500AM, around 1977, before cable was available to the masses, (I remember watching HBO, at the time, at a friend's place, courtesy of his apts' FTA satellite dish). Anyway, this one was called "The Texas All Night Network" and aired after midnight here in San Antonio. I don't know if it was carried by any other cities in TX or anywhere else. It lasted through the summer of 1977. I don't really remember if the network actually folded or if our local TV station just pulled the plug on them, because eventhough they were the only TV station on AFTER midnight on a Saturday, it was lame. It consisted of ancient BW episodes of "The Wild, Wild West", "The Millionaire", in interview of some uninteresting Texan and a performance from some local band. Does anyone who lived in Texas at that time remember that show/network besides me?

...probably an attempt to do in the Southwest what WBBM-TV/2 Chicago did in the Upper Midwest until the early '80s -- their overnight programming was microwaved on the same signal that carried WVTV/18 Milwaukee after 18 signed off for the night...

 

[EricStein]

...hmmm...I recall seeing National Empowerment Television on one of my Dish Network channels, and I didn't get Dish until October 1999 at the earliest...

National Empowerment Television was sold to private interests (it had been owned by the non-profit conservative group Free Congress Foundation) and renamed "America's Voice." By then, the writing was on the wall and they could not compete with the deep pockets other media companies had.

 

[EricStein]

I remember "The 90's Channel" a leftist documentary channel, it was pretty lame.

The 90s Channel became "Free Speech TV" (which is a pretty misleading name for a channel with a far-left bias). It is still around, broadcasting 24/7 on Dish Network and part-time on some cable-access outlets.

 

[EricStein]

Yes, I remember the Satellite Program Network. They used to run some really dusty, crusty old movies in the mornings. Would catch them whenever my college schedule did not start till later. I recall a lot of country music video blocks on there as well. They had an odd kind of VJ format. A guy or gal sitting at a control board someplace (Tulsa, Oklahoma maybe?) who would read promos of upcoming shows. I am guessing their actual BoardOp doing double-duty? They used some really cheesy electronic titling like what used to come on the early camcorders.

You might be thinking of the "Music Channel," originating from long-defunct LPTV K61CA in Phoenix, AZ (which provided programming for SPN).

SPN became TEMPO Television, and maintained their low-budget programming format until the beginning of 1989, when NBC bought the transponder space for its upstart CNBC.