NEW YORK – My Network TV said it will essentially get out of the business of presenting original programming except for professional wrestling, a sign of how the economy is hurting the television business.
The network, created for stations left adrift when the old WB and UPN network combined to form the CW, will also turn its Saturday night schedule over to the local affiliates and stations owned by the parent News Corp, it announced Monday.
It will abandon the traditional broadcast television model, where networks pay a licensing fee to programming producers and attempt to make money be selling ad time within those shows. Instead, it will acquire primarily established programs in which the producers sell half of the advertising time and My Network gets half the cut.
Except for its "Friday Night Smackdown" wresting series, My Network's most popular show, the only other series it has committed to for next fall is two hours of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" reruns. My Network will also have a movie night.
"Times are changing," network President Greg Meidel said Monday. "Let's face it, the advertising environment is not as healthy as it was six months ago or a year ago and I think we're out in front of some of our competitors here."
Relatively inexpensive programming already fills My Network's schedule, including a video collection, "The World's Funniest Moments," hosted by Arsenio Hall; the reality show "Jail," about newly incarcerated inmates; and "Breaking the Magician's Code." It also airs a remake of "The Twilight Zone."
The future of all of those shows are in doubt, unless its producers want to play by My Network's new rules.
Those rules favor reruns of established shows on other networks. Shows such as "House" do better in cable reruns than many of My Network TV's original fare.
Meidel insisted that My Network is not becoming strictly a rerun network.
Now if only those affiliates would become like they were during the 80's when they had programing that's not infomercials, court shows, talk shows, newscasts, and lame sitcoms.
Black Flag NC
I would love to see American TV collapse! Those 4,873 "reality" shows can kiss my ass.
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Black Flag NC wrote:
I would love to see American TV collapse! Those 4,873 "reality" shows can kiss my ass.
Here, here! I'd love to see animation find a place on broadcast TV again.
John Gibson
It's always cool to turn on Boomerang when they have the old Hanna Barbera cartoons. Wouldn't it be cool if they had a channel for all 80's, or even the 70's?
Think about it. They got music channels for 70's, and 80's, and 90's, I believe. They're not even actual channels. They just play music with still shots of say the CD cover, or whatever.
Imagine a channel totally devoted to 70's, 80's and 90's (maybe not all 90's). Some stuff from the 60's would be great, too.
If this were to exist, I could only hope it wouldn't go the way of G4, which is hardly about games anymore
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John Gibson wrote:
It's always cool to turn on Boomerang when they have the old Hanna Barbera cartoons. Wouldn't it be cool if they had a channel for all 80's, or even the 70's?
Think about it. They got music channels for 70's, and 80's, and 90's, I believe. They're not even actual channels. They just play music with still shots of say the CD cover, or whatever.
Imagine a channel totally devoted to 70's, 80's and 90's (maybe not all 90's). Some stuff from the 60's would be great, too.
If this were to exist, I could only hope it wouldn't go the way of G4, which is hardly about games anymore
I know what channels your talking about. That would be a good template for a startup cable channel, but the only way that could ever work is if said channels stay on the 'digital' spectrum, and never give into the prospects of expanding to a wider audience. We all know what happens when niche channels do that, don't we?
GameLifeDave
Wow. Wrestling is the only program that survived? We're Fucked
KT Kore
Wrestling is the only thing I watch on that channel lol.
I don't think this channel is a victim of the economy, it's a victim of having shitty ass shows. It's mostly stuff you'd normally find syndicated somewhere on the weekend at noon or something. Not something that should be aired in primetime.
John Gibson wrote:
If this were to exist, I could only hope it wouldn't go the way of G4, which is hardly about games anymore
It most likely would. Niche channels rarely work in the long run. They start off nice but the ratings are bound to fall, and then they start looking toward newer or different things to bring in different viewers. G4, TV Land, Nick at Nite, IFC, MTV, Cartoon Network (they freakin' show live-action stuff now), etc. are all victims of diminished interest after launch. I have to applaud channels that stick to their roots, like GSN (though they did start to delve into a bunch of reality TV at one point, but soon went back to their all game show format) or AMC, etc.
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KT Kore wrote:
I have to applaud channels that stick to their roots, like GSN (though they did start to delve into a bunch of reality TV at one point, but soon went back to their all game show format) or AMC, etc.
I don't know. AMC has gone down the 'ratings' path by airing any movie they could get their hands on.
GameLifeDave
KT Kore wrote:
Wrestling is the only thing I watch on that channel lol.
Ok good. I"m happy I'm not the only one who does lol.
But overall, i hear they're gonna run second run network shows, like law and order, and probably some fox shows since they are owned by the same company, who knows. Who cares. Where I am MyNetwork TV chose THE Worst affiliate possible that doesn't even broadcast in HD, which is what wrestling is in lol. And the channel that is supposed to support my area is more for the New Hampshire market even though MYTV Deemed the affiliate for the Boston Area. I can't get it here unless I'm watching cable, which sometimes I don't feel like doing. Yeah, I could do on a rant here about how much I hope MyTV burns in hell and fails worse than Lindsey Lohan's ability of pretending not to be a lesbian. But I'm sure you all agree with my feelings.
