Classic television from decades gone by is proving to be a popular format for digital sub channels. Digital TV subs channels have existed since 2009 when congress mandated that television channels had to start broadcasting digital signals. This gave broadcasters the ability to split their signals and offer more than one programming service on their channels.
Since the previous cable stalwarts of classic TV, Nick-At-Night and TV Land have been moving into original programming and offering more recent TV reruns, new digital TV sub channels have been offering up classic TV to over-the-air viewers. The first programming service to offer up classic TV was Luken Broadcasting’s Retro TV.
Luken v. Weigel on the Classic TV Front
Luken broadcasting, out of Alabama, was one of the first digital sub channels out of the starting gate in 2005. Its early mission was clear, classic television, some movies, and other nostalgia-themed programming.
Another early digital sub-channel pioneer was ThisTV by Weigel broadcasting. ThisTV’s programming largely consists of movies, with some classic TV on the overnight schedule. MeTV, or “memorable entertainment,” is largely just the opposite .MeTV was started in the Chicago market in 2005, started branching out in 2008, and went national in 2010.
Neil Sabin, an executive at Weigel, said in a Chicago Tribune article in 2010, that they have big plans for MeTV:
"We're going to do our best to present a wide range of programs in a respectful manner," Sabin said. "We present them at lengths as long as possible. We won't have as many commercial minutes as some of the other services have. We'll continue to do the things MeTV is known for. We'll run the credits complete."
Weigel could have a powerful one-two punch on the digital sub-channel scene. It now has a channel devoted to old TV that runs some movies and also has a channel devoted to movies that runs some TV shows.
It remains to be seen If Luken will respond with a movie channel, but Retro and MeTV are not the only classic TV line-ups on the digital dial.
Tribune and Antenna TV
Another Midwest media company, Tribune broadcasting, launched Antenna TV in 2011. Like its main competitors on the classic TV front, it, too, airs a mix of mostly classic TV, some movies and some children’s programming.
Its launch was set for the New Year, as explained by Tribune executive, Sean Compton since, “The New Year’s holiday weekend is a great time for viewers to have a laugh and settle in with great TV classics. We can’t wait to share these great shows with audiences across the country.”
Nick-At-Nite and its sister cable channel were once the home of classic TV on cable. While these two cable channels still air programs from the 1970s, they've been airing more programming from the 80s and 90s, and have launched original reality TV and sitcoms that leave hours that are no longer devoted to television's earlier days. Fans of classic TV who aren't being served by cable channels may find an allure to free TV that offers classic televison, especially at a time when people are economizing on the home front.
These digital sub-channels are not shying away from black and white fare from the 50s, and some, like Retro TV, offer little seen hour long dramas, like The Defenders and Daniel Boone.
In some markets, classic TV fans can enjoy all three as over-the-air channels. They are all also available on satellite and cable systems. The future seems plentiful for classic TV on the digital sub channels.
Jon Pike - Pike is a Ph.D. in communication and writes about activism and popular culture topics for Suite101.
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