Retro TV
television network | |
Country | United States |
---|---|
Headquarters | Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S. |
Programming | |
Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
Ownership | |
Owner | Get After It Media |
Key people | Joel Wertman David Leach[1] |
History | |
Launched | July 2005 |
Former names | Retro Television Network |
Links | |
Website | www |
Retro TV (stylized as retrotv), formerly known as Retro Television Network, is an American
At its outset, Retro TV was designed to be broadcast on the digital subchannels of television stations; however in recent years, the network's affiliate body has been drawn down to primarily low-power stations, as many station groups have replaced the network on the subchannels of their full-power major network affiliates with similarly formatted networks such as Antenna TV and MeTV, which have assumed rights to many of the distributors that formerly held programming agreements with Retro. The network is also available nationwide on free-to-air C-band satellite via SES-2 in DVB-S2 format;[2][3] as individualized transmitter-ready feeds for each station are centrally generated using broadcast automation and delivered to the stations by satellite. In March 2020, Retro TV launched a live online feed, which carries a limited six-hour selection of the network's programming, looped four times each day.[4]
History
The Retro Television Network (originally branded as "RTN") launched in July 2005 on select television stations owned by the Equity Broadcasting Corporation (later known as Equity Media Holdings), a chain of small (often low-powered) satellite-fed VHF and UHF television stations controlled directly from Equity's headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas. Equity had expanded quickly with purchases of many small stations in the early 2000s, but by 2008, the company was struggling to meet its obligations.
In June 2008, while the company was undergoing financial troubles, Equity Media Holdings sold RTN to Henry Luken III's – Equity's former president and CEO, and the company's largest shareholder – Luken Communications (which later rebranded as Reach High Media Group in 2019) for $18.5 million in cash. Equity had an option to repurchase the network for $27.75 million; the purchase option was not exercised and expired on December 24, 2008. Equity had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy three weeks before the expiration of the purchase option.[5]
On January 4, 2009, a contract conflict between Equity and Luken Communications interrupted RTN programming on many of its affiliates with Luken alleging that Equity had left many obligations to RTN's creditors, including programming suppliers, unpaid. As a result, Luken restored a national feed of the network from its Chattanooga headquarters with individual feeds to affiliates not owned by Equity following suit on a piecemeal basis. Equity-owned or -operated stations lost RTN affiliation, though Luken vowed to find new affiliates for the network in the affected areas.[6]
The Retro Television Network changed its on-air branding to "RTV" in June 2009 (a nod to the digital television transition that occurred that month, though a trademark dispute with the Racetrack Television Network was also a factor in the change).[7][8]
In 2012, RTV dropped from 120 to 80 affiliates with many ABC affiliates switching to the
The network was re-branded as Retro TV in 2013. Of the top 25 digital broadcast networks for 2014, Retro TV ranked No. 10 with a coverage of 54% of households.
Concept and programming
Since its creation, Retro's principal programming concept consists of classic television series, initially maintaining a 24-hour schedule of shows. As of 2019, the on-air lineup dates mostly from the 1950s to the 1970s, with the exception of
There have been some deviations to the format, including during the network's ownership under Equity, which added some original talk programming (notably Unreliable Sources) during the late night slot on weeknights from the summer of 2008 to early 2009, a concept billed as "Classic Hits All Day & Fresh Talk All Night". Overnights also eventually became devoted to Shop LC and paid programming.[10] The network has also featured originally produced horror film showcases such as Wolfman Mac's Chiller Drive-In[11] and Off Beat Cinema; Retro also aired the talk show Daytime produced by WFLA-TV's Riverbank Studios in Tampa, Florida, co-hosted by Jerry Penacoli and Cyndi Edwards.
Until 2011, Retro offered a customized schedule for use at the discretion of the local affiliate. The network then moved towards a set national schedule, although affiliates have the option to pre-empt or reschedule some network programming.[12]
By June 2011, when Retro's distribution agreement with
The network previously had major content deals with
Affiliates
As of March 2017, Retro TV is carried on 97 affiliates and translators across the United States, covering 60% of the country's DMA households.
Prior to the 2009 digital transition, Retro TV was seen on a number of analog stations owned by Equity Media Holdings, the network's former owner. Some Equity stations mixed Retro programming with first-run and recent off-network syndicated programming or also carried another network, such as MyNetworkTV or The CW Plus.
See also
References
- ^ Buckman, Adam (July 26, 2016). "Diginets Keep Growing, Despite Auction Cloud". TVNewsCheck. NewsCheck Media. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ^ SES-2 at 87.0°W, LyngSat Archived May 29, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Free TV from United States, LyngSat Archived December 7, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ https://www.watchretrotv.com/schedules[bare URL]
- ^ Arkansas Business: "Creditor Files to Liquidate Equity Media, Claims Company Cannot Meet Payroll Obligations", 12/10/2008. Archived February 18, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Jessell, Harry A. (January 5, 2009). "Financial Dispute Disrupts RTN Diginet". tVNewsCheck. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ "RTN Rebrands as RTV", from broadcastingcable.com 6/17/2009 Archived September 28, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Attorney Defends Luken Actions In Purchase Of Retro TV Programming". The Chattanoogan. July 24, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
- ^ Marcucci, Carl (October 31, 2012). "Luken RTV affiliate losses not a big hit". Radio-TV Business Report. Streamline RBR, Inc. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
- ^ "Back from Basic," from BusinessTN, September/October 2009 Archived February 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Wolfman Mac interview", from Outsight Radio Hours, 3/27/2011
- ^ RTV Changes Schedule, Loses Universal Archived August 24, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "RTV Bringing Back Retro Saturday Morning TV", from TVNewsCheck, 8/5/2010
- ^ Creditor Files to Liquidate Equity Media, Claims Company Cannot Meet Payroll Obligations Archived February 18, 2012, at the Wayback Machine