.2 Network
GTN[1] |
.2 Network (pronounced Dot-Two Network) was the name of a planned
digital television subchannels (hence the ".2") owned by Guardian Enterprise Group.[1]
Announced in 2008, the network never ended up going to air due to financial and technical difficulties.
History
The channel was originally scheduled for launch on December 8, 2008.planned 2009 conclusion of US digital TV transition, the launch of .2 Network was delayed until sometime in Spring 2009.[3] Network executives had announced an intention to delay the launch until the channel could reach at least 30% of US households, a milestone which at that time was predicted not to be reached until October 2009, almost a full year behind the original schedule.[4] Ultimately, this milestone was never reached. The network's website, which from 2008 to 2010 had previews and info of the network, was reduced to a logo and telephone number as of mid-2010.[5] As of 2011, plans for the network were "on hold."[6]
As of April 2013, the .2 website went offline, and with Sony announcing the fall 2013 launch of the
GetTV network featuring the Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures film library through digital subchannels on Univision and UniMás
stations, all of the network's announced film and television rights (detailed below) are now with other digital subchannel networks.
Programming
.2 Network had licensing agreements with
Missing for its affiliated stations.[8]
After the announcement of .2 Network's plans, similar subchannel networks launched and usurped .2 Network's original programming rights.
Retro Television Network (RTV), but under their new Comcast ownership, removed their programming from RTV in June 2011, then signed a new agreement with MeTV after that to provide them most of the same programming, and launched their own network with library content, Cozi TV
, in January 2013.
Affiliates
.2 Network had confirmed carriage in the following markets:[10][11]
| Market | Station | Primary Affiliation | Current Ownership |
|---|---|---|---|
New York City
|
TBD 2 | TBD | TBD |
| Los Angeles | TBD 2 | TBD | TBD |
| Chicago | TBD 2 | TBD | TBD |
| Philadelphia | TBD 2 | TBD | TBD |
| San Francisco - Oakland - San Jose | TBD 2 | TBD | TBD |
| Houston | KHOU 6
|
CBS | Tegna, Inc. )
(Was owned at the time by Belo Corporation |
| Detroit | WDIV-TV 6 | NBC | Graham Media Group (formerly Post-Newsweek Stations) |
| Tampa | WTVT6 | Fox | Fox Television Stations |
| Miami - Fort Lauderdale | TBD 2 | TBD | TBD |
| Orlando - Daytona Beach | WKMG-TV | CBS | Graham Media Group (formerly Post-Newsweek Stations) |
| Portland, Oregon | KPTV or KPDX1 | Fox or MyNetworkTV | Gray Television (Was owned at the time by Meredith Corporation) |
| Kansas City, Missouri | KCTV 4 | CBS | Gray Television (Was owned at the time by Meredith Corporation) |
| Columbus, Ohio | W23BZ-D (flagship)[1] 5,6
|
Independent/Bounce TV
|
Urban One (Was owned at the time by Guardian Enterprise Group) |
San Antonio
|
KSAT-TV | ABC | Graham Media Group (formerly Post-Newsweek Stations) |
| Roanoke - Lynchburg, VA | WDRL-TV (now WZBJ) |
Independent (now MyNetworkTV) |
Gray Television (Was owned at the time by MNE Broadcasting) [12] |
| Lafayette, Louisiana | TBD 2 | TBD | TBD |
| Marquette, Michigan | TBD 2 | TBD | TBD |
| Alexandria, Louisiana | TBD 2 | TBD | TBD |
| Alpena, Michigan | WBKB-TV 3,6 | CBS | Morgan Murphy Media (Was owned at the time by The Marks Group) |
| Glendive, Montana | KXGN-TV 3,6 | CBS | The Marks Group |
Notes
- 1The licensee held a duopoly in the market, never confirming which station would have the subchannel
- 2According to the .2 "first affiliates" press release, these markets were confirmed, but the identity of the affiliate station was not released. They did not appear on the network's website in the list of stations; in some cases these are one-station markets.
- 3The station is the only station in the confirmed market (per the press release) suitable for carriage, but was never listed in the network's affiliate list.
- 4The station itself confirmed carriage by one of their engineers on the phone.
- 5Was previously announced for the subchannel to air on W23BZ.
- 6The .2 subchannel at this station since been (or will be) occupied by another service.
HDTV
.2 Network had plans to offer a
HDTV feed to its affiliates for either the subchannel or as a cable offering, despite some engineers' skepticism at the time of carrying two HDTV channels on one DTV frequency.[11] This has since been rectified, but most digital subchannels not associated with the largest six English-language or two Spanish-language networks continue to carry their signals solely in 480i
.
References
- ^ a b c d "What Is the .2Network?". .2Network. Archived from the original on 2009-05-02. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
- ^ "Tribune Loses Another Senior Exec". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
- ^ ".2 Launch Pushed to Spring". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
- ^ "Digital's new niche: .2 Network programs for an expanded broadcast spectrum". Columbus Dispatch. March 2, 2009. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
- ^ "Home". www.dot2network.com. Archived from the original on 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2018-08-21.
- ^ Eaton, Dan (November 25, 2011). "Bounce network helping TV station rebound: Page 2". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
- ^ Feran, Tim (2007-11-03). "Network aims to fill empty air time". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
- ^ ".2 Digital Network Trailer". .2 Network website. Archived from the original on 2008-06-14. Retrieved 2008-02-05.
- ^ Tribune Launching Classic TV Multicast Network, Broadcasting & Cable, August 30, 2010
- ^ "Local Stations .2 Digital Network". Archived from the original on 2008-07-19. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
- ^ a b Harry A. Jessell (2008-04-15). "New .2 Network Lines Up First Affils". TVNEWSDAY. Archived from the original on 2008-06-13. Retrieved 2008-04-22.
- ^ "WDRL-TV Website". Retrieved 2008-06-03.