RTN

[KurtfromPitts]

How many of you have Retro TV Network? How would you compare it to TV Land?

[patrickinstardom]

Hey!

I just found out I had RTN and got pretty excited since it was advertised as being a channel that broadcasted older TV shows.

RTN in my market/area (different areas have different affiliate agreements) has a block of infomercial/paid programming but then airs regular programming.

Their website (http://www.rtnville.com) lists the programming they offer. They offer one of my favorite TV shows: "The Lucy Show." Unfortunately, ever since I discovered this channel, there has been no listing on my own programming for airings of the show.

Interestingly, the website also lists "I Love Lucy" as a program it airs ("The Lucy Show" and "I Love Lucy" are both listed... so I don't think RTN is confused by both of the programs, thinking they are one ).

But like I said before, RTN has affiliate agreements and so programming differs in different markets. There's a Wikipedia article which explains what this means pretty well:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retro_Television_Network
(Basically, I take it to mean that RTN has agreements with different distributors (eg. CBS) but not all markets will have these agreements, so some programming will not be broadcast and other things will air instead during the time-slots.

You will see that the RTN website with the programs listed has the disclaimer that not all programs may appear in all markets (at the bottom of the page in small text).

Anyway, I'm still excited because TV LAND has changed dramatically and they have definitely changed their focus. They have started fading out older programming in favor of newer programming, including TV LAND originals.

I don't watch the original programming as it has never gotten my attention and seems to be just a bunch of reality TV that will waste my time.

I sometimes but rarely now watch I Love Lucy on TV Land. I have the show on DVD but sometimes the show just shows up on TV Land and I'll watch the episode. However, TV LAND has done such a bad job with it, moving it to times when I'm not at home and truthfully TV LAND doesn't air it very often. Also, the picture quality is bad compared to the beautiful DVDs that have been released. Not to mention the brutal editing.

In my opinion, when TV LAND replaced the I Love Lucy syndication graphics with their own, they made a big mistake by advertising it as restoring the original graphics when in reality, they altered them so much the resemblance to the original is now so different it looks like an original TV LAND doing. Especially, with the "We'll be right back," etc. messages that were added and which were not a part of the original graphics.

So, I'm going to wait to see what RTN turns into. One thing I can give TV LAND credit for is it's dedication to having more programs closed-captioned. There are laws but they aren't enforced enough and have major loopholes. Since TV LAND came on the air, programs like Bonanza, etc. that were not captioned before are now captioned. It took a long time for TV LAND to do this but I suppose better late than never.

Anyway, I apologize for the lengthy post but I hope I answered your question!

[chris31989]

I've seen RTN through the online feed that occassionally works. It's of the Buffalo New York version. RTN has the potential to be a great network. And for the record, "Retro Television Network" will probably never air reality shows unless they change their name, because it would be very wrong to classify reality shows as "retro". So my point is that hopefully this will not happen to RTN. Also since many local affiliates have control over their schedule, RTN distributes the programs to them and they air what they want and when they want. I'm looking forward to see where RTN will go. Right now, the feed online is down, but the web page is still up, so it's a surprise when it comes back.

[Mr. Television]

Lets see on my affiliate I get Streets of San Francisco . Love American Style, Happy Days, The Fugitive, Cannon, Rockford Files, Matlock, Knight Rider, A-Team, Airwolf, Hardy Boys, Rawhide, Wild Wild West, Get Smart, Hogan's Heroes, Hawaii Five-O, The Untouchables....those are just some of them....yea it's better than TV Land.

[PattiB]

I want RTN and Americanlife so much!
I contacted my local networks to see if they'd take them as sub stations but they won't.
TV Land has gone down the tubes so there is nothing else out there to show the classics.

[mk1]

I wish I had it to. Want to record the Hardy Boys Nancy Drew.

[friendsfan77]

My affiliate doesn't even have a full 24 hour schedule and I'd still rather watch it than present day TVLand any day of the week. Although I wish the Paramount deal was still in place.

[Impressions]

I have it and you can't EVEN compare it with TV Land! RTN airs their shows uncut, without logos and without crunched credits/voiceovers. They even have retromercials. Very reminiscent of TV Land's former self. Not to mention, most of the shows that air on RTN aren't on DVD.