Lost and Forgotten Cable and OTA Television Networks

[TMC1982]

If anybody as signifcant info on these particular networks/channels I would greatly appreciate it:
*The SFM Hoilday Network - A syndicated movie package that primarily showed family-friendly films and television programs. It used "Heavy Action" (AKA the "Monday Night Football" theme) as its theme music. The SFM Hoilday Network is probably best known for being the center of an urban legend stating that it showed the full-length, 134 minute version of "Superman IV."

*The Movietime Channel - The network that was a precursor to E! Entertainment Television.

*The Hughes Television Network - A failed attempt by Howard Hughes to launch a fourth (pre Fox) television network.

*The Comedy Channel (American version) and Ha! - The cable channels that served as precursors or the foundation for Comedy Central.

*The Prime Time Entertainment Network - A failed attempt at launching a fifth (pre WB and UPN) television network. The PTEN aired "Babylon 5", "Time Trax", and "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues."

*ABC Family during the "Family Channel" and "Fox Family" eras respectively.

*TNT pre "Monday Nitro" era (i.e. before 1995)

[Buzz Dixon]

Z Channel, dude. Don't forget Z Channel. Legendary film buff channel back when pay-TV included scrambled on-air stations. They dug up some incredible stuff, including the director's cut of PAT GARRET AND BILLY THE KID which didn't include a single frame that was in the studio's theatrical release! (Director Sam Peckinpah was feuding with the studio and took off with the work print and work print negatives, so the studio cobbled together their release from outtakes!)

[Matt K]

How about UPN, the scifi nextwork. It only lasted its first year before becoming an urban comedy network.

[blackdragon6]

G4 was a great idea,but than it became spike tv for tech heads instead of focusing on games.

[Loren]

And in that vein...TechTV, before it got taken over by G4 and virtually all of its original programming was cancelled and its on-air talent left.

[blackdragon6]

And in that vein...TechTV, before it got taken over by G4 and virtually all of its original programming was cancelled and its on-air talent left.
yeah both those networks got screwed over.

[Ontir]

Z Channel, dude. Don't forget Z Channel. Legendary film buff channel back when pay-TV included scrambled on-air stations. They dug up some incredible stuff, including the director's cut of PAT GARRET AND BILLY THE KID which didn't include a single frame that was in the studio's theatrical release! (Director Sam Peckinpah was feuding with the studio and took off with the work print and work print negatives, so the studio cobbled together their release from outtakes!)

That's hysterical! Poor Peckinpah. Did the man ever get a film on the screen, in his lifetime, the way he intended?

I've never seen it, but I've heard about the Dumont Network. IIRC, that's where Leave it to Beaver began. I've heard that it was sort of the "Apple" of broadcasting. If you boiught a Dumont TV, you could only watch Dumont shows.

There's also the Paramount Network - which was scuttled before it began.

Sigourney Weaver's dad, Pat tried to start a fourth network after leaving NBC (while there, he re-created radio into what it largely is today), but, according to his daughter, the 3 big nets colluded and prevented him from getting it off the ground.

Remember HAH, MTV's Comdy Net? Back before it merged with the Comedy Network, which I liked much better than the early Comedy Central

While we're at it, has anyone seen the Tube yet? I'm really enjoying it, because it's what MTV was, before 1985. If you've not seen it, the WB is doing a free sample for a few hours every late-night this week.