"Disconnected: Cable Networks That Didn't Quite Make it" Talkback

[Peter Paltridge]

http://www.platypuscomix.net/hollywo...connected.html

This took longer to put together than I thought it would, delaying it a couple days, but it's finally finished.

Some of these channels were a hoot to research--the Puppy Channel especially.

[Kury Wagner]

Ahaha... some of those are awesome. I wish I could've seen Genesis Storytime. I think that would've been cool at night, when you can't sleep. xD

[Chris]

CBS tried cable again with the short-lived "CBS Eye on People" network. Probably around 2000 or so. It was on my cable system, but I didn't watch it. And what about Prime Sports Network? That didn't last very long, a few years, perhaps? I also have a tape of about 2 minutes from Lifetime around 1984, and it was mostly about health issues (how to cope with a child in a hospital. I'll have to see if I can locate it and see if it has the same logo.) One year, I watched the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet before the Super Bowl came on, but was quickly bored, so I changed it. I don't think I could handle a station airing nothing but puppies 24/7. To break the monotony, why not air some dog shows or something?

[Dynamite XI]

Why does CBN sound familiar to me? I can't place it, but it seems so familiar for some reason...

[J. B. Warner]

Wow, it's a shame Z Channel isn't still around. Seems like something I'd watch.

The Puppy Channel, on the other hand...

[mojokingbee1]

Here's all the info on CBN Cable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Televis...ing_ABC_Family

[The Nameless]

CBS tried cable again with the short-lived "CBS Eye on People" network. Probably around 2000 or so. It was on my cable system, but I didn't watch it.

Eye On People started in 1996. In 1999, it got sold to the Discovery Channel, and went through three more incarnations: Discovery People from 1999-2000, Discovery Civilization from 2000-2002, and Discovery Times from 2002-present.

Also, from 1996-2000, CBS owned CMT and TNN.

[Dynamite XI]

Here's all the info on CBN Cable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Televis...ing_ABC_Family

Aha! That's where I've heard it from.

And I can't believe I forgot to mention TNN before Viacom purchased it (it was called "The Nashville Network" and it was reasonably popular), or TechTV before G4 absorbed it.

Although, to be fair, both TNN and TechTV transformed into different channels, as opposed to having been canceled outright.

[Jeff Harris]

CBN: Ah, yes, Pat Robertson's national "Christian" superstation. It's lineup was very similar to it's direct predecessor, WYAH-TV 27 just up the street from my house (of course WYAH is now WGNT, the Southern flagship of The CW [and still the highest-rated CW affiliate in the nation]). Older, classic television, a few secular cartoons, and religious programming. Of course, WYAH muted mild profanity during the CBN years.

Long story short (too late), Pat Robertson wanted to create a family channel by actually branding the network as The Family Channel (true story, the Robertsons actually went church to church to sell stocks for International Family Channel at the time. My folks could have been shareholders, but refused, denying us future ownership in News Corp and now Disney), thus, it became CBN Family Channel, then The Family Channel, then Fox Family, and now ABC Family.

Ever seen Z Channel: A Magnificant Obsession? BRILLIANT documentary about the history of Z Channel from its humble roots to its end (the murder/suicide of the Harveys were just a sad postscript, the end of Z Channel began when the new owners shifted the format from just movies to a movie/sports network format). Z Channel was just a regional premium network in Hollywood. Other areas had similar channels. My area didn't. We weren't cool enough, and folks like Pat Robertson tended to dictate the morality of the region. MTV wasn't added at launch, and Playboy Channel was banned after a few years from the cable systems because of them . . . not that I saw the Playboy Channel at the time being I was like six or seven and realized that if I held the cable box dial at an angle, I could descramble that channel and Disney Channel for a few minutes before it got scrambled again . . . again, not that I was into that sort of thing.

[Captain Highwind]

I wanted the Sega Channel so bad during my Genesis days.

I think Lifetime still has a health channel going now...except I think it's aimed mostly at geriatrics.

[Peter Paltridge]

CBN: Ah, yes, Pat Robertson's national "Christian" superstation. It's lineup was very similar to it's direct predecessor, WYAH-TV 27 just up the street from my house (of course WYAH is now WGNT, the Southern flagship of The CW [and still the highest-rated CW affiliate in the nation]). Older, classic television, a few secular cartoons, and religious programming. Of course, WYAH muted mild profanity during the CBN years.

Long story short (too late), Pat Robertson wanted to create a family channel by actually branding the network as The Family Channel (true story, the Robertsons actually went church to church to sell stocks for International Family Channel at the time. My folks could have been shareholders, but refused, denying us future ownership in News Corp and now Disney), thus, it became CBN Family Channel, then The Family Channel, then Fox Family, and now ABC Family.

I've gotten several tips on CBN in the last 24 hours; Jeff's was the most well-written (he seems to be the closest to it anyway). Mind if I quote you in an update? Note: I'm asking post-edit; I just did.

I found out about the Z Channel documentary when I was looking Z Channel up; I'll have to check that out sometime if I run across it.

[Jeff Harris]

I've gotten several tips on CBN in the last 24 hours; Jeff's was the most well-written (he seems to be the closest to it anyway). Mind if I quote you in an update? Note: I'm asking post-edit; I just did.

Heh heh. Sure, man.

I found out about the Z Channel documentary when I was looking Z Channel up; I'll have to check that out sometime if I run across it.

I taped it when it came on IFC (who premiered it in a special weekend which virtually transformed the channel into Z Channel for 48 hours). I'd send you a dub, but I don't have a second VCR. Heck, I'm lucky to find A VCR nowadays.

[Nexonius]

Eye On People started in 1996. In 1999, it got sold to the Discovery Channel, and went through three more incarnations: Discovery People from 1999-2000, Discovery Civilization from 2000-2002, and Discovery Times from 2002-present.

Also, from 1996-2000, CBS owned CMT and TNN.

Actually, 1999 when Viacom purchased CBS.

[mobo85]

The story of the Puppy Channel was told in a 2003 episode of the public radio show This American Life. It's worth a listen. It's a captivating story, and once you hear the channel's theme song, you won't be able to get it out of your head. Puppies, puppies, puppies, puppies, puppies, puppies, puppies, puppies, PUPPIES!

[Zorak Masaki]

The weird thing about the Family Channel is that the only cartoons they seemed to be able to get the rights to (granted, i didnt get cable until 93 so i dont know about their earlier years) were DIC shows, and not even the top-tier ones like inspector gadget or heathcliff, but stuff like pole position, starcom, wishkid, and pro-stars (though they briefly had the rights to super mario bros. 3/super mario world and they DID show the rarely seen milli vanilli episode). Of course, near the end (before changing to fox family) they started airing films that i wouldnt consider "family friendly" like blazing saddles, police academy, and caddyshack. Good films, but hardly belonging on a "family" network (of course, after seeing some of the stuff on abc family, that stuff looks innocent by comparison).

[Chris]

When it was the Fox Family Channel, I used to watch Garfield & Friends and Pee-Wee's Playhouse in the late 90's or early '00s. Good times. Of course, I could get the Garfield & Friends DVD sets, but I'd rather get MST3K sets instead. Speaking of old tv channels, did anyone have a local channel with local information on colored stripes? I want a channel like that to return!

[TheVofSteel]

did anyone have a local channel with local information on colored stripes?

I still have one.

[Dynamite XI]

Speaking of old tv channels, did anyone have a local channel with local information on colored stripes? I want a channel like that to return!

We used to have one in my hometown; it had classified ads and such, and it played a local radio station over the text. Sometimes it was fun to watch if you wanted to zone out completely.

Clips from such channels seem to be scarce on YouTube, but then again I don't know what those type of channels are officially called in the industry.

I still have one.

I envy you.

[Peter Paltridge]

Well gee, I have many clips of those stations...Dad recorded them in between other programs as a way of attaching a date to whatever he was taping (they usually displayed the date and time on every screen).

[NintyScreen]

He's watching you...