Fourth television network

This article is about the situation in the United States. For the proposed UK television service in the 1960s and 1970s, see Fourth UK television service.

The early history of television in the United States, particularly between 1956 and 1986, was dominated by the Big Three television networks: the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) and the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). The term fourth television network was used within the industry during this era to refer to a theoretical fourth commercial broadcast (over-the-air) television network that would operate as a direct competitor to the "Big Three".

Prior to 1956, the DuMont Television Network operated as an existing fourth network alongside ABC, CBS, and NBC, but an inability to find solid financial ground, a weaker affiliate base, and internal competition from co-owner Paramount Pictures all contributed to DuMont's closure. Multiple companies, film studios and television station owners all either considered, announced or launched networks or program services that aspired to be the "fourth network", but none succeeded. Several of these attempts never advanced from being niche program services, while others either failed to launch or failed after launching. General consensus within the industry and by television critics was that a fourth television network was impossible; one television critic wrote, "Industry talk about a possible full-time, full-service, commercial network structured like the existing big three, ABC, CBS and NBC, pops up much more often than the fictitious town of Brigadoon."^[1] Non-commercial educational television, especially with stations aligned with National Educational Television and successor PBS, also found success as program services with network-capable functions.

The October 1986 launch of the Fox Broadcasting Company was met with ridicule; despite the industry skepticism and initial network instability, the Fox network eventually proved profitable by the early 1990s, becoming the first successful fourth network and eventually surpassing the Big Three networks in the demographics and overall viewership ratings by the early 2000s.

Background

 

Logo for the DuMont Television Network

In the 1940s, four television networks began operations by linking local television stations together via AT&T's coaxial cable telephone network. These links allowed stations to share television programs across great distances, and allowed advertisers to air commercial advertisements nationally. Local stations became affiliates of one or more of the four networks, depending on the number of licensed stations within a given media market in this early era of television broadcasting. These four networks – the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), and the DuMont Television Network – would be the only full-time television networks during the 1940s and 1950s, as in 1948, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) suspended approvals for new station construction permits. Although other companies – including Paramount Pictures (with the Paramount Television Network) and the Mutual Broadcasting System – announced network plans or began limited network operations, these companies withdrew from television after the first few years, or in the Paramount Television Network's case the service withered through attrition over the same span as did DuMont's, losing most of its programming by 1953 and ceasing operations in 1956.^[2][3][4]

The FCC's "freeze," as it was called, was supposed to last for six months. When it was lifted after four years in 1952, there were only four full-time television networks. The FCC would only license three local VHF stations in most U.S. television markets. A fourth station, the FCC ruled, would have to broadcast on the UHF band. Hundreds of new UHF stations began operations, but many of these stations quickly folded because television set manufacturers were not required to include a built-in UHF tuner until 1964 as part of the All-Channel Act. Most viewers could not receive UHF stations, and most advertisers would not advertise on stations which few could view. Without the advertising revenue enjoyed by the VHF stations, many UHF station owners either returned their station licenses to the FCC, attempted to trade licenses with educational stations on VHF, attempted to purchase a VHF station in a nearby market to move into theirs, or cut operating costs in attempts to stay in business (see also: UHF television broadcasting § UHF vs VHF).

Since there were four networks but only three VHF stations in most major U.S. cities, one network would be forced to broadcast on a UHF outlet with a limited audience. NBC and CBS had been the larger networks, and the most successful broadcasters in radio. As they began bringing their popular radio programs and stars into the television medium, they sought – and attracted – the most profitable VHF television stations. In many areas, ABC and DuMont were left with undesirable UHF stations, or were forced to affiliate with NBC or CBS stations on a part-time basis. ABC was near bankruptcy in 1952; DuMont was unprofitable after 1953.

On August 6, 1956, DuMont ceased regular network operations; the end of DuMont allowed ABC to experience a profit increase of 40% that year, although ABC would not reach parity with NBC and CBS until the 1970s. The end of the DuMont Network left many UHF stations without a reliable source of programming, and many were left to become independent stations. Several new television companies were formed through the years in failed attempts to band these stations together in a new fourth network.

Timelines

Rationale

Some within the industry felt there was a need for a fourth network; that complaints about diversity in programming could be addressed by adding another network. "We need a fourth, a fifth, and a sixth network," one broadcaster stated.^[1] While critics rejected "the nightly tripe being offered [to] the public on the three major networks," they were skeptical that a fourth network would offer better material: "[O]ne wonders if a new network lacking the big money already being spread three ways will be able to come up with tripe that is equal. Certainly a new network is not going to stress quality programming when the ratings indicate that the American public prefer hillbillies, cowboys and spies. A new network will have to deliver an audience if it is to attract the big spenders from the ranks of sponsors."^[5]

Advertisers, too, called for the creation of a fourth network. Representatives from Procter & Gamble and General Foods, two of the largest advertisers in the U.S., hoped the competition from a fourth network would lower advertising rates on the Big Three.^[6] Independent television producers, too, called for a fourth network after battles with the Big Three.^[7]

Unfulfilled attempts

George Fox Organization network

George Fox, the president of the George Fox Organization, announced tentative plans for a television film network in May 1956. The plan was to sign 45 to 50 affiliate stations; each of these stations would have input in deciding what programs the network would air. Four initial programs – Jack for Jill, I'm the Champ, Answer Me This, and It's a Living – were slated to be broadcast; the programs would be filmed in Hollywood. However, only 17 stations had agreed to affiliate in May.^[8] The film network never made it off the ground, and none of the planned programs aired.

Mutual Broadcasting System

Main article: Mutual Broadcasting System § Mutual's involvement in television

The Mutual Broadcasting System, as one of the four major radio networks that existed at the time, was considered a candidate for creating a fourth network. When Mutual came under the ownership of General Tire's General Teleradio along with five television stations, General Tire president Thomas F. O'Neil started putting a potential Mutual all-movie network together. Mutual purchased a large group of English films and paid $1.5 million for the right of unlimited play for two years of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry westerns.^[9]

NTA Film Network

Main article: NTA Film Network

On October 15, 1956, National Telefilm Associates launched the NTA Film Network, a syndication service which distributed both films and television programs to independent television stations and stations affiliated with NBC, CBS or ABC; the network had signed agreements with over 100 affiliate stations.^[10] The ad hoc network's flagship station was WNTA-TV (channel 13) in New York City.^[11] The NTA Network was launched as a "fourth TV network," and trade papers of the time referred to it as a new television network.^[12] Despite this effort, by 1961, NTA carried a significant debt load and WNTA-TV was losing money against stiff competition from independent stations WNEW-TV and WOR-TV.^[13]

After being placed on the market, WNTA was sold to the Educational Broadcasting Corporation^[14] and relaunched the following year as non-commercial station WNDT, aligned with National Educational Television (NET).^[15][16] National Telefilm Associates continued syndication services for stations for several years after the closure of NTA Film Network, with Divorce Court was seen as late as 1969.

National Educational Television

Main article: National Educational Television

Educational television (ETV) had existed since 1952, but was poorly funded. Only a few educational television stations existed during the 1950s. By 1962, 62 educational stations were in operation, most of which had affiliated with NET. That year, the U.S. Congress approved $32 million in funding for educational television, giving a boost to the non-commercial television network. Although at the 1962 revamp of the organization, NET was branded a "fourth network",^[17] later historians have disagreed. Historian Alex McNeil wrote, "in a sense, NET was less a true network than a distributor of programs to educational stations throughout the country; it was not until late 1966 that simultaneous broadcasting began on educational outlets."^[18]

NET ceased to exist as a standalone entity in 1970 when it merged with WNDT to form WNET, with the Public Broadcasting Service assuming program distribution functions;^[19] the "NET" name lasted for WNET-produced programs until 1972.^[20][21]

Pat Weaver

Pat Weaver, a former president of NBC, twice attempted to launch his own television network; daughter Sigourney Weaver once said, "it was always his dream to transform television."^[22] According to one source, the network would have been called the Pat Weaver Prime Time Network. Although the new network was announced, no programs were ever produced.^[1]

Unisphere/Mizlou

Main article: Mizlou Television Network

In mid-1965, radio businessman Vincent C. Piano proposed the Unisphere Broadcasting System. The service would have operated for 2½ hours each night. However, Piano had difficulty signing affiliates; a year later, no launch date had been set, and the network still lacked a "respectable number of affiliates in major markets."^[23]

The network finally launched under the name Mizlou Television Network in 1968, but the concept had changed. Like the Hughes Network, Mizlou only carried occasional sporting and special events. Despite developing a sophisticated microwave and landline broadcasting system, the company never developed into a major television network.

United Network

Main article: United Network

On July 12, 1966, warehouse entrepreneur Daniel H. Overmyer announced the launch of the Overmyer Network (ON), to be built around Overmyer's chain of five planned UHF stations and a existing station in Toledo, Ohio. Headed by former ABC president Oliver Treyz, ON planned to have up to eight hours of program nightly, along with news programming from United Press International.^[24] Due to a cash crunch brought on by Overmyer's other businesses, majority control of ON was sold to a 14-investor syndicate and renamed the United Network weeks before it launched.^[25][26] Overmyer's unbuilt television stations were also sold off at the same time.^[27] United's lone program, The Las Vegas Show, debuted on May 1, 1967, to 107 stations, many of which were already affiliated with a Big Three network.^[28]

The poor timing of the launch limited available budgets for prospective advertisers; this, coupled with onerous charges to transmit over AT&T Bell System phone lines,^[29] resulted in the network's failure and the cancellation of Las Vegas after one month.^[30][31] Ownership filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy several weeks later,^[32] and despite multiple teases of relaunching as a supplier of news and public affairs programming,^[33][34][35] United never resumed operations.^[36] While United managed to transmit programming unlike prior attempts at a fourth network, the network was later regarded as a "fiasco", "a promotion stunt", "a fraud",^[1] and a "tax write-off".^[37] New York Times columnist Jack Gould wrote that United's failure was "further evidence that expansion of commercial TV is little more than a pipe dream".^[38]

Kaiser Broadcasting

Main article: Kaiser Broadcasting

Industrialist Henry J. Kaiser assembled a chain of six UHF stations in the mid-1960s under the Kaiser Broadcasting name. In September 1967, Kaiser announced their intentions to create a television network with programming supplied by their station group; this included Lou Gordon from WKBD-TV, Hy Lit from WKBS-TV, Alan Douglas from WKBF-TV, and Joe Dolan from KHBK-TV.^[39][40][41] This planned network never gathered traction, and Kaiser faced significant financial losses from constructing the stations, with only WKBD-TV turning a profit.^[42] Gordon's program, however, was syndicated until his 1977 death.^[43] Kaiser Broadcasting was sold to Field Communications in 1977.^[44][45]

Industry speculation

In a series of columns in 1969 about a theoretical fourth network, Newspaper Enterprise Association writer Joan Crosby floated Westinghouse Broadcasting, Metromedia and Hughes Television Network (HTN) as possible candidates; Westinghouse was in the middle of merger talks with MCA Inc., while Metromedia was entertaining a purchase by the Transamerica Corporation. HTN was founded in 1956 as sports syndicator Sports Network, and purchased and renamed by business magnate Howard Hughes in 1968. Crosby speculated HTN could potentially add non-sports programs that "...can change viewer's dialing habits... it would be one way, less costly and with far less of a risk, to start the illusionary fourth network".^[1]

While Metromedia "dabbled at creating a fourth network," including a failed 1976 joint venture with Ogilvy and Mather called MetroNet,^[46] the company continued to operate solely as a station owner and syndicator.^[47] Westinghouse president Donald McGannon denied his company had any network aspirations, estimating it would take $200 million per year to operate a full-time television network and a modest news department.^[1] HTN continued to operate as a sports syndicator and never offered non-sports programming.^[46]

Television News Inc.

Main article: Television News Inc.

After the failure of the United Network in 1967, former ABC Radio president Robert Pauley was briefly retained by United ownership to relaunch the network as a supplier of news and public affairs programming.^[34] The following year, Pauley briefly pitched a television news service of his own, using the same concept, before being hired by Mutual Broadcasting.^[36][48] In 1973, Pauley became the founding chief executive officer for Television News Inc. (TVN), a newsfilm service for stations in the United States and Canada.^[49] TVN was majority-owned by the Coors Brewing Company, with Visnews as a minority owner, after Joseph Coors was receptive to Pauley's idea of a syndicated news supplier.^[50] TVN also proposed using the Westar satellite system to transmit programming to affiliates on a full-time basis.^[51]

A political conservative sympathetic to the views of the John Birch Society,^[52] Coors viewed TVN as a "alternative" to the established news services of ABC, NBC and CBS, which he deemed to be "liberal" in content.^[53][54] Former Nixon administration official Roger Ailes served as an executive for TVN briefly in 1975.^[55] TVN was shut down in October 1975 after Coors, who had been nominated to the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, was scrutinized over his ownership of TVN and imposing of political beliefs into news content, along with his disdain for public broadcasting.^[53][54] Coors's CPB board nomination was rejected by the U.S. Senate on the same day that TVN closed.^[56]

Paramount Television Service

Main article: Paramount Television Service

In 1977, Paramount Pictures made tentative plans to launch the Paramount Television Service, or Paramount Programming Service, a new fourth television network.^[57] Paramount also purchased HTN, including its satellite time.^[46] Set to launch in April 1978, it would have initially consisted of only one night a week of programming for three hours, with 30 Movies of the Week that would have followed Star Trek: Phase II on Saturday nights.^[57][58] PTVS was delayed until the 1978–79 season due to advertisers that were cautious of purchasing commercial slots on the planned network.^[59] This plan was aborted when executives decided the venture would be too costly, with no guarantee of profitability.^[57]

Ad hoc and "occasional" networks

In the 1970s, the "occasional" television networks started to appear with greater frequency with Norman Lear, Mobil Showcase Network, Capital Cities Communications, and Operation Prime Time, all entering the fray along with Metromedia.^[46] In 1978, SFM Media Service, which assisted with the Mobil Showcase Network, launched its own occasional network, the SFM Holiday Network^[60] and the General Foods Golden Showcase Network.^[61] SFM was a provider of ad hoc network as a service to other clients including Del Monte Foods.^[60]

A few ad hoc networks were developed during the 1980s as conventional full-time networks were not buying theatrical feature films as much due to declining ratings for those telecasts, with networks arguing that pay television channels and videotapes had reduced the demand for films compared to those seen in the 1960s and 1970s. The studios considered the fact that the networks usually ran their films during rating sweeps periods up against other theatrical films, as being the cause of the slide in viewership. These ad hoc networks, formed by an advertiser or studio, would provide to the production companies ratings histories that the pay services could not provide for sales in a syndicated package, and only tie up the movie for a two-week window. These were set up using a barter system, with the network retaining five minutes per hour of ad time.^{[mah 1]} Besides the Premiere Network and Debut Network, Orion Pictures, Warner Bros. and a joint venture of Viacom and Tribune Broadcasting all followed suit in announcing the launch of their own ad hoc networks in late 1984.^[62]

MGM Family and MGM/UA Premiere

Main article: MGM/UA Premiere Network

MGM Television entered the field with its self-proclaimed fourth network, the MGM Family Network (MFN), on September 9, 1973, with the movie The Yearling on 145 stations. MFN was created to fill the family programming void from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. due to the implementation of the Prime Time Access Rule, using movies from the MGM library scheduled to air on one Sunday every two months. The premiere of MFN registered a 40 rating.^{[63][64][65][66][67]} The network broadcast only four times a year in September, January, March and May, and had 14 films assigned to the network from the MGM library.^[68]

By 1984, the studio, now known as MGM/United Artists, created the MGM/UA Premiere Network, an ad hoc network that broadcast 24 movies in double-runs on a monthly basis. Affiliation agreements had been signed with eight large-market television stations by that summer; MGM received 101⁄2 minutes of advertising time within a two-hour movie telecast, while its stations would retain 111⁄2 minutes.^{[mah 2]} 100 television stations were signed as affiliates by October 1984, with the planned launch pushed back and set for November 10 of that year.^[69]

Operation Prime Time

Main article: Operation Prime Time

Operation Prime Time (OPT) was a consortium of American independent television stations to develop prime time programming for independent stations. OPT and its spin-off syndication company, Television Program Enterprises (TPE), were formed by Al Masini. During its existence, OPT was considered the de facto fourth television network.^[70]

Prime Time planned three book adaptions for their shows to air in May, July and November or December 1978 with two of them being John Jakes's The Bastard and The Rebels leading the way for the rest of the book series that OPT optioned including two then currently being written. Martin Gosch's and Richard Hammer's The Last Testimony of Lucky Luciano was the third adaptation scheduled for 1978.^[71]

Golden Showcase Network

The Kraft General Foods Golden Showcase Network, or Golden Showcase Network, was launched in 1980 with assistance from SFM and ran at least to 1989.^[61][72] Programs on the Golden Showcase included The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank and Little Girl Lost.^[72]

Debut Network

Main article: Universal Pictures Debut Network

The Universal Pictures Debut Network, or simply the Debut Network, was a similar ad hoc film network created by MCA Television. The service reached agreements with ten stations in larger markets such as New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago by late 1984. The network planned to launch in two stages beginning in September 1985.^{[mah 3]} In 1988, the movie network broadcast a special edition of Dune as a two-night event, with additional footage not included in the film's original release.^[73] In June 1990, the Debut Network was ranked in fifth place among the ten highest-rated syndicated programs according to Nielsen.^[74]

Harmony Premiere Network

In 1987, Harmony Gold USA collaborated with international backers, including Société Française de Productions and Reteeurope, both of the respective French, Italian and Spanish interests to set up a new project, and what the worldwide market represented to set up the Harmony Premiere Network, which was to be the next Operation Prime Time, and brings together U.S. and international financers to co-produce the products for Harmony Gold.^[75]

In 1987, the company had teamed up with Italian company Silvio Berlusconi Communications to pay $150 million for a pact, to turn out 100 hours of television programming, and partnering will be dubbed by America 5 Enterprises, which will produce miniseries, TV series and telefilms using U.S. and international talent, and the two companies will share equally in costs and profits, and the company would handle worldwide and domestic television rights, with the exception of Europe, where distribution of the company will be handled through Berlusconi arm Reteitalia.^[76]

In 1988, after the cancellation of Robotech II: The Sentinels, a number of the staff were recruited to work at Saban Entertainment. Carl Macek, along with his friend Jerry Beck went on to found Streamline Pictures. Meanwhile, Harmony Gold began moving away from production and began focusing more on film distribution, dot-com ventures and real estate.

Hollywood Premiere Network

After the scuttling of the plans for PPS, MCA tried again. The Hollywood Premiere Network was formed by MCA and Chris-Craft Industries, owner of several major independent stations via their United Television subsidiary. With basic cable channels snapping up movie packages, independents looked to making their own programming. Hollywood Premiere was originally tested as a two night programming block on United's KCOP and MCA's WWOR before syndicating the programming to other markets. The block took three new programs and paired them with the existing Paramount syndicated series Star Trek: The Next Generation; They Came from Outer Space and She-Wolf of London were paired in prime time Tuesday, while Shades of L.A. followed The Next Generation in prime time Wednesday.^[77] The budget per episodes were estimated at $600,000 less than the network per episode cost at $1 million that the partners claimed. The Hollywood Premiere Network began broadcasting on October 9, 1990.^[57] MCA and Chris-Craft canceled the package after the first season.^[78] However, MCA TV was shopping the block and its shows at the NATPE January 1991 TV trade show.^[79][80]

Fox Broadcasting Company

Main article: Fox Broadcasting Company

 

Logo for the Fox Broadcasting Company

By 1985, there were 267 independent television stations operational in the U.S., most of which were broadcasting on VHF and UHF.^[47]

Rupert Murdoch, an Australian publishing mogul, initiated two major transactions in 1985 that finally resulted in a fourth television network. Murdoch's News Corporation first purchased controlling interest in 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation (TCF) on March 20, 1985, for $250 million,^[81][82] then on May 6, 1985, purchased Metromedia's program syndication unit and six television stations for $2.5 billion. The latter purchase immediately launched industry speculation of a new fourth network, as Murdoch boasted that the Metromedia stations could be used to exploit TCF's film and television library.^[83] To win regulatory approval for the deal, Murdoch gave up his Australian citizenship and became a naturalized U.S. citizen on September 4, 1985.^[84] When the Metromedia deal closed on March 6, 1986, it was renamed Fox Television Stations Group;^[85] an executive team began to be recruited for Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox), which at that point only consisted of president Jamie Kellner and his secretary.^[86]

The launch of Fox took place through a staggered process. The network's first program, The Late Show with Joan Rivers, debuted on October 6, 1986, amid plans to unveil their first night of prime time programming on April 5, 1987.^[87] At the same time, TCF chairman Barry Diller openly floated the idea of Fox bidding against ABC for the rights to Monday Night Football,^[88] which proved unsuccessful.^[89] Encountering poor ratings and negative critical reviews, Joan Rivers left The Late Show on May 15, 1987;^[90] while briefly encountering success with guest host Arsenio Hall, Fox replaced Late Show with The Wilton North Report, which was cancelled after 21 episodes.^[91]

Fox was ridiculed by critics and scorned by Big Three network executives, which believed that, like previous fourth network attempts, it would be limited by being mostly on UHF stations. NBC entertainment president Brandon Tartikoff dismissively nicknamed Fox "the coat hanger network," implying that viewers would need to attach wire hangers (often used as a free alternative to set-top loop antennas used to receive UHF signals) to their television sets to view the network's shows. NBC head Grant Tinker declared, "I will never put a fourth column on my schedule board. There will only be three."^[92] Indeed, just two years into its existence, the network was already struggling, and Fox executives considered pulling the plug on the network.^[93] By 1990, however, Fox cracked the top 30 in the Nielsen ratings through the surprise success of The Simpsons (an animated series spun off from The Tracey Ullman Show, one of the network's initial series), which became the first series from a fourth network to enter the top 30 since the demise of DuMont more than 30 years earlier.^[94]

By then, Fox did have some advantages that DuMont did not have back in the 1950s. During its first few years, Fox programmed just under the number of hours to be legally considered a network by the FCC (by carrying only two hours of programming a few nights a week, expanding to additional nights before eventually filling all seven nights in 1993), allowing it to make money and grow in ways that the established networks were prohibited from doing. News Corporation also had more resources and money to hire and retain programming and talent than DuMont. In addition, the expansion of cable television in the 1980s and 1990s allowed more viewers to receive UHF stations clearly (along with local VHF stations), through cable systems, without having to struggle with either over-the-air antennas or television sets with limited channel tuners to receive them.^[95] The Foxnet cable channel began operations in June 1991 to provide Fox's programming to smaller markets that were not served by an over-the-air Fox affiliate or one of the few superstations that carried the network. Boosted by successful shows like Married... with Children, 21 Jump Street, COPS, Beverly Hills, 90210, In Living Color, Martin, Melrose Place, Living Single and The X-Files (all appealing to the highly coveted and lucrative 18-49 demographic), Fox proved profitable by the 1990s. Finally, in December 1993, Fox hit a major milestone when it won the National Football Conference (NFC) rights to NFL football games from CBS,^[96] a move that by all accounts firmly established itself as the fourth major television network. Soon afterward, Fox convinced several affiliates of the other networks (mostly CBS) to switch to Fox.^[97]

As the nucleus of Fox centered around the former Metromedia, a company born from the former DuMont Television Network, veteran radio programmer Clarke Ingram—who researched the history of DuMont and early UHF broadcasting^[98]—surmised that Fox was not a new network but DuMont "rising from the ashes".^[95]

Children's networks

• While commonly considered a part of the Fox network, the weekday Fox Children's Network (later Fox Kids Network), was launched in 1990 as a separate joint venture between Fox and some of its affiliates to compete against the Disney Afternoon syndicated block and to avoid being classified as a network under FCC rules if they aired over 15 hours of programming a week.^[99]
• Bohbot Entertainment and Media moved its Bohbot Kids Network from syndication to network television on August 29, 1999, and was potentially considered to be the fourth broadcast kids' network. It consisted of two competing broadcasting services.^[100][101]

Additional networks

With the success with Fox, several other media companies started to enter the broadcasting world in the 1990s to create the fifth commercial broadcast network that would allow a station to brand itself better and to stand out amongst the increasing number of television channels, particularly cable networks.^[102]

• Channel America was mainly carried on smaller full-power or low-power television stations and depended more on barter and archived public domain content rather than first-run original programming. In the shadow of Fox's launch, Channel America was founded in 1987 as a network made up of low-power television stations; it launched in 1988 and added some cable-only affiliates.^[103][104]
• MCA Inc. and Paramount Communications proposed the Premiere Program Service joint venture in 1989,^[105] an outgrowth of Premier Advertiser Sales, which was created for advertising sales of their existing syndicated programs.^[106] By October 1989, MCA/Paramount were shopping the planned network to potential affiliates with MCA's WWOR-TV and Paramount's TVX Broadcast Group as the core charter outlets.^[105][107] The partners were even approaching Fox-affiliated stations to affiliate with PPS, given that the network's initial proposed schedule did not conflict with Fox's existing prime time schedule and as an effort to make the network viable.^[106][107] The network was planned for a January 1, 1991, launch with two nights of programming, and an additional third night before the end of the year.^[107] PPS was disbanded by February 1990 after Fox objected to MCA/Paramount soliciting existing Fox affiliates.^[108]
• The Star Television Network launched in September 1990 with a lineup consisting primarily of classic television series; it failed by January 1991.^[109]

• Chris-Craft Industries subsidiary United Television and Warner Bros. Television Distribution jointly launched the Prime Time Entertainment Network, a consortium created in attempt at creating a new "fifth network," in September 1993.^[110][111]
• By early 1994, Spelling Premiere Network (operated by Worldvision Enterprises), Universal Family Network (a children's and family programming service operated by Universal Television), and proposed networks in development from Time Warner and Paramount Television were being shopped to prospective stations by January 1994; these services were being marketed alongside several syndicated programming blocks meant for independent stations including Buena Vista Television's The Disney Afternoon and MCA/Universal's Action Pack.^[102] The Spelling Premiere Network, featuring drama and comedy-drama series targeting female audiences, launched in August 1994.^[112]
• All American Television announced in November 1994 that it was considering launching a first-run movie network with an proposed slate of 22 made-for-TV movies.^[113]

In October 1993, Chris-Craft subsidiary United Television partnered with Paramount Television (at the time in the process of being acquired by Viacom) to create what would become known as the United Paramount Network (UPN), which launched on January 16, 1995 with an initial lineup consisting of two hours of programming on Monday and Tuesday nights.^[114] Meanwhile, in November 1993, Warner Bros. parent Time Warner formed a partnership with the Tribune Company to develop The WB, which launched on January 11, 1995 (five days before UPN made its debut) with an initial two-hour lineup of sitcoms running on Wednesday nights.^{[115][116][117]} In the same vein as how Fox utilized the stations that then-parent News Corporation acquired from Metromedia to serve as the bedrock for the network, United Television, Paramount Stations Group and Tribune Broadcasting (which each owned independents in large and mid-sized markets, including the top markets of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago) recruited most of their independent stations to form the affiliate bases for UPN and The WB. Concurrently as the two "netlets" were under development, United left PTEN's parent, the Prime Time Consortium, to focus on UPN;^[118] this left PTEN to primarily act as a syndicator of its remaining programs. The service shared affiliations with its respective parents' own network ventures in many markets (in some cases, resulting in PTEN's programming airing in off-peak time slots) until it finally folded in September 1997.

In March 1998, USA Broadcasting announced the launch of a programming concept known as "CityVision", a local general entertainment independent format that the company planned to expand to the company's other stations (most of which were Home Shopping Network affiliates) and was one of eight programming concepts or proposed networks being developed at the time (and referred to be a network venture by then-NBC president Bob Wright).^[119] The concept was test-launched in June 1998 on USA's Miami station WAMI (now a UniMás owned-and-operated station).^[120][121]

Additional networks were formed with increasing frequency immediately before and especially following the digital television transition, which gave stations the ability to multiplex their broadcast signals by adding subchannels, many of which since 2009 are being used to host networks focusing less or not at all on original content and relying mainly on programming acquired by various distributors (particularly classic series and feature films that are no longer being picked up by many cable networks).^{[122][123][124]}

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