Will we get a new "classic" TV channel? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

clj2 · 03-23-2007, 06:57 PM

With no new sitcoms/dramas of the 1950s, 1960s, or 1970s in sight on TV Land (only Designing Women, Just Shoot Me, Scrubs, and probably The Nanny are announced), and the fact that the 50s/60s eras have been slowly pushed out of prime-time and other 'choice' slots over the past couple of years, it leaves me wondering; will we see a new channel pop up to show programs from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s? There are so many fans of shows from those eras, and there's a large void to be filled. If something was indeed started, who would step up to the plate and do it? NBC/Universal has done a GREAT job with Chiller and Sleuth; I wonder if they could do a classic TV channel. I've just lost faith in TV Land and am expceting nothing from them anymore. It's time we got a new 'classic' TV channel.

AB · 03-23-2007, 07:47 PM

I'd like that too, a channel for the 50's, 60's & 70's shows would be great.

Dennis Dubois · 03-23-2007, 08:20 PM

Equity Broadcasting announced that they are making their newest small network, RTN (Retro Television Network) national in July. This is after CBS supposedly purchased RTN, and is making their library of classic programming available to RTN.

Currently RTN is limited on a barter basis to local broadcast channels in smaller markets. Some programming they show includes Family Ties, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Brady Bunch, etc. Hopefully, this is promising and this channel is actually made available to a large amount of areas in the US come July.

NerdOne · 03-23-2007, 08:20 PM

I would like a classic TV channel. I don't care if it has to be ondemand or digital cable, I will be bugging my cable company to add that channel. I wish I have Me-TV but it's only available in the Chicago area. I'm getting tired of TVLand. I don't want to watch The Nanny, Just Shoot Me, Scrubs, Home Improvement, or Family Matters. They come on other channels at different times. We need more classic programming. I'm a big fan of classic programming. I only watch Leave it to Beaver, I Love Lucy, Green Acres, Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons, and All in the family. But too bad that AITF doesn't come on TVL anymore. That's why I tune into Ion, but I'm waiting for them to expand the hours and schedule in July. I wish my market was one to get that new channel, RTN. I pray they expand nationalwide by July, if I beg my cable provider to take off one of the many shopping channels no one in their right mind I know watch.

clj2 · 03-23-2007, 08:38 PM

So is RTN going to become a cable channel? I guess I don't understand. Or are they going to have a national schedule for the locals? Or is it going to be both broadcast and cable, like ION?

TVJunkie101 · 03-23-2007, 09:46 PM

I don't understand about RTN either. Is it going to be like WGN Superstation, or is it going to be like Ion (a local based station that is available nationally). I'm betting on the latter.

I hope DirecTV carries it although I won't get my hopes up.

roseha · 03-24-2007, 01:44 AM

Maybe On Demand is the way to go. Seriously, how much could it cost to set up a scenario where people could view a few shows at a time that otherwise are just lying around somewhere unseen? The copyright owners would have to come out ahead don't you think?

I have On Demand and you generally get 15 or 20 minutes of something and that could easily be expanded to sitcom length. It would be like IN2TV only the proper size.

comedyfreak · 03-24-2007, 05:15 AM

I would love to see a new classic tv channel, TVLand and N@N have become crapfest networks imo. I stopped watching both networks nearly a year ago.

friendsfan77 · 03-24-2007, 08:27 AM

I hope we do get RTN in some way. When Ion expands I will be so happy. I haven't watched TVLand or N@N in forever since they've become so lackluster and dull. And after reading that pathetic excuse of an Upfront, I have officially given up on TVLand.

sdakid · 03-24-2007, 08:52 AM

hi all
there is cable channel,AMERICANLIFE TV NETWORK
that has classic tv shows to.i wish that we get new 24/7classic tv channel.
in canada dbs service is starchoice and express vu they have
tvland ca,dejayview, prise-2 french channel classic tv shows,sun -tv,
cts,vision-tv,these channels show classic-tv shows.
retro television network is on galaxy 10r-123w ku band ,if you go and get
free to air satellite system, you can get all the rtn channels.

Scoobiedoo30 · 03-24-2007, 04:18 PM

that would be nice if we had a Classic TV Channel

LeeBlue · 03-24-2007, 11:17 PM

There's definitely a need for a Classic TV channel -- I'm really tired of seeing the same shows over & over again -- there are so many wonderful shows that haven't been on TV for years -- so I'm looking forward to what happens with RTN this summer.

JT · 03-25-2007, 12:28 AM

I think that the era of generic classic TV channels is gone. There should be specialty channels that serve only a certain type of classic TV. For example, a channel featuring all of Aaron Spelling's hits, or a channel focusing only on workplace-themed shows, etc.

It'd be a way to have the same huge hits that have been around for years while also opening up avenues for the long-running, yet obscure shows to pop up. I made a great schedule for a Spelling channel a few months ago. It covers a wide spectrum of shows, but they are all linked together by a common thread, so there is no chance of shows appearing out of left field. Everything fits.

V20 · 03-25-2007, 08:30 AM

The 50's/60's/70's is too broad a spectrum for one channel to do a decent job of covering. For example, most people on this board wanting 1950's era shows are not going to be happy with a network that mixes in shows like Three's Company or WKRP. And the people whose favorites are from the 1970's are probably not going to watch My Little Margie or Father Knows Best.

What would happen if this 'dream' (fictional) channel tried to cover all three decades? They would pick only the most popular/remembered shows from each decade and we would get more of what we already have (I Love Lucy And Beaver from the 50's, shows such as Andy Griffith and Beverly Hillbillies from the 60's and 70's shows like Three's Company and MASH). There would be no depth or variety at all.

I see a major change in the TV sitcom climate with 'All In The Family'. That show broke new ground and ushered in a decade of shows that would have been unthinkable 5 or 10 years previous. Shows featuring divorced moms (One Day At A Time, Alice), shows with all black casts (Sanford and Son, That's My Mama), shows with liberal outspoken feminist women (Maude), shows with Hispanics in the lead (Chico and The Man).

In other words, I see shows from the 50's and 60's era as appealing more to one type of audience; and shows from the 1970's (and 80's) appealing to another. One station can't cover all three decades and do a passable job.

storrs19 · 03-25-2007, 09:31 AM

If we did somehow get one it would be airing the same garbage that all the others do within five years of it's debut (maybe sooner). See my other thread on "The Decline and Fall of Good Television Channels".

Sadly I think there is a era of television (1950-1970) that barring a few exceptions (ILL, TAGS, LITB) will be gone forever shortly except for dvd.

03-23-2007, 06:57 PM	#1
clj2 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 16, 2005 Location: SC Posts: 3,501	Will we get a new "classic" TV channel? With no new sitcoms/dramas of the 1950s, 1960s, or 1970s in sight on TV Land (only Designing Women, Just Shoot Me, Scrubs, and probably The Nanny are announced), and the fact that the 50s/60s eras have been slowly pushed out of prime-time and other 'choice' slots over the past couple of years, it leaves me wondering; will we see a new channel pop up to show programs from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s? There are so many fans of shows from those eras, and there's a large void to be filled. If something was indeed started, who would step up to the plate and do it? NBC/Universal has done a GREAT job with Chiller and Sleuth; I wonder if they could do a classic TV channel. I've just lost faith in TV Land and am expceting nothing from them anymore. It's time we got a new 'classic' TV channel.
	__________________ -Chris

03-23-2007, 08:20 PM	#4
NerdOne Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jun 30, 2006 Location: Topeka, Kansas Posts: 14	I would like a classic TV channel. I don't care if it has to be ondemand or digital cable, I will be bugging my cable company to add that channel. I wish I have Me-TV but it's only available in the Chicago area. I'm getting tired of TVLand. I don't want to watch The Nanny, Just Shoot Me, Scrubs, Home Improvement, or Family Matters. They come on other channels at different times. We need more classic programming. I'm a big fan of classic programming. I only watch Leave it to Beaver, I Love Lucy, Green Acres, Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons, and All in the family. But too bad that AITF doesn't come on TVL anymore. That's why I tune into Ion, but I'm waiting for them to expand the hours and schedule in July. I wish my market was one to get that new channel, RTN. I pray they expand nationalwide by July, if I beg my cable provider to take off one of the many shopping channels no one in their right mind I know watch.
	__________________ "We have to start speaking English here... this ain't the unemployment office, you know." - Fred G. Sanford

03-23-2007, 09:46 PM	#6
TVJunkie101 Member...you 'member? Senior Member Join Date: May 28, 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 2,838	I don't understand about RTN either. Is it going to be like WGN Superstation, or is it going to be like Ion (a local based station that is available nationally). I'm betting on the latter. I hope DirecTV carries it although I won't get my hopes up.
	__________________ Shawn DVD Reviews \| My TV on DVD List \| Sitcoms Online NewsBlog

03-24-2007, 05:15 AM	#8
comedyfreak Cheers! Forum Fanatic Join Date: Dec 14, 2005 Location: Sunny California Posts: 11,061	I would love to see a new classic tv channel, TVLand and N@N have become crapfest networks imo. I stopped watching both networks nearly a year ago.
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03-24-2007, 08:52 AM	#10
sdakid Member Forum Cub Join Date: Mar 24, 2007 Location: vienna il Posts: 2	Will we get''a new classic''tv channel? hi all there is cable channel,AMERICANLIFE TV NETWORK that has classic tv shows to.i wish that we get new 24/7classic tv channel. in canada dbs service is starchoice and express vu they have tvland ca,dejayview, prise-2 french channel classic tv shows,sun -tv, cts,vision-tv,these channels show classic-tv shows. retro television network is on galaxy 10r-123w ku band ,if you go and get free to air satellite system, you can get all the rtn channels.

03-23-2007, 07:47 PM	#2
AB Member Eternal Member Forum Icon Join Date: Dec 26, 2006 Location: The South Posts: 59,428	I'd like that too, a channel for the 50's, 60's & 70's shows would be great.

03-23-2007, 08:20 PM	#3
Dennis Dubois Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Oct 14, 2004 Location: Newington CT. Posts: 172	Equity Broadcasting announced that they are making their newest small network, RTN (Retro Television Network) national in July. This is after CBS supposedly purchased RTN, and is making their library of classic programming available to RTN. Currently RTN is limited on a barter basis to local broadcast channels in smaller markets. Some programming they show includes Family Ties, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Brady Bunch, etc. Hopefully, this is promising and this channel is actually made available to a large amount of areas in the US come July.

03-23-2007, 08:38 PM	#5
clj2 Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 16, 2005 Location: SC Posts: 3,501	So is RTN going to become a cable channel? I guess I don't understand. Or are they going to have a national schedule for the locals? Or is it going to be both broadcast and cable, like ION?

03-24-2007, 01:44 AM	#7
roseha Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Feb 20, 2007 Location: New York City Posts: 100	Maybe On Demand is the way to go. Seriously, how much could it cost to set up a scenario where people could view a few shows at a time that otherwise are just lying around somewhere unseen? The copyright owners would have to come out ahead don't you think? I have On Demand and you generally get 15 or 20 minutes of something and that could easily be expanded to sitcom length. It would be like IN2TV only the proper size.

03-24-2007, 08:27 AM	#9
friendsfan77 - Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 02, 2004 Location: Duluth, GA Posts: 3,165	I hope we do get RTN in some way. When Ion expands I will be so happy. I haven't watched TVLand or N@N in forever since they've become so lackluster and dull. And after reading that pathetic excuse of an Upfront, I have officially given up on TVLand.

03-24-2007, 04:18 PM	#11
Scoobiedoo30 Member Forum Superstar Join Date: Jun 27, 2002 Location: KENNER, LOUISIANA Posts: 27,654	that would be nice if we had a Classic TV Channel
	__________________ Who Dat

03-24-2007, 11:17 PM	#12
LeeBlue Member Forum Regular Join Date: Nov 16, 2006 Location: NYS Posts: 871	Classic TV channel? There's definitely a need for a Classic TV channel -- I'm really tired of seeing the same shows over & over again -- there are so many wonderful shows that haven't been on TV for years -- so I'm looking forward to what happens with RTN this summer.

03-25-2007, 12:28 AM	#13
JT Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Apr 29, 2001 Location: USA Posts: 7,223	I think that the era of generic classic TV channels is gone. There should be specialty channels that serve only a certain type of classic TV. For example, a channel featuring all of Aaron Spelling's hits, or a channel focusing only on workplace-themed shows, etc. It'd be a way to have the same huge hits that have been around for years while also opening up avenues for the long-running, yet obscure shows to pop up. I made a great schedule for a Spelling channel a few months ago. It covers a wide spectrum of shows, but they are all linked together by a common thread, so there is no chance of shows appearing out of left field. Everything fits.
	__________________ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrEbJBFWIPk

03-25-2007, 08:30 AM	#14
V20 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jul 18, 2005 Posts: 31	The 50's/60's/70's is too broad a spectrum for one channel to do a decent job of covering. For example, most people on this board wanting 1950's era shows are not going to be happy with a network that mixes in shows like Three's Company or WKRP. And the people whose favorites are from the 1970's are probably not going to watch My Little Margie or Father Knows Best. What would happen if this 'dream' (fictional) channel tried to cover all three decades? They would pick only the most popular/remembered shows from each decade and we would get more of what we already have (I Love Lucy And Beaver from the 50's, shows such as Andy Griffith and Beverly Hillbillies from the 60's and 70's shows like Three's Company and MASH). There would be no depth or variety at all. I see a major change in the TV sitcom climate with 'All In The Family'. That show broke new ground and ushered in a decade of shows that would have been unthinkable 5 or 10 years previous. Shows featuring divorced moms (One Day At A Time, Alice), shows with all black casts (Sanford and Son, That's My Mama), shows with liberal outspoken feminist women (Maude), shows with Hispanics in the lead (Chico and The Man). In other words, I see shows from the 50's and 60's era as appealing more to one type of audience; and shows from the 1970's (and 80's) appealing to another. One station can't cover all three decades and do a passable job.

03-25-2007, 09:31 AM	#15
storrs19 B&W TV Lover Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 07, 2003 Location: Louisville, Kentucky Posts: 742	If we did somehow get one it would be airing the same garbage that all the others do within five years of it's debut (maybe sooner). See my other thread on "The Decline and Fall of Good Television Channels". Sadly I think there is a era of television (1950-1970) that barring a few exceptions (ILL, TAGS, LITB) will be gone forever shortly except for dvd.
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