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The Tube Music Network, Inc., or The Tube, was an American digital multicast television network. The network was a fully owned subsidiary of The Tube Media Corp., an independent company that was founded by David Levy in 2003. The Tube focused classic and modern music videos in a format similar to the original format of cable networks MTV and VH1, prior to those networks' shift towards long-form entertainment programming.[1] The network also aired occasional commercials and public service announcements, as well as three hours of educational and informational programming (as mandated by the Federal Communications Commission) on Saturday mornings.
 | |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | The Tube Media Corp. |
| History | |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Launched | June 2005 |
| Founder | Les Garland |
| Closed | October 1, 2007 |
The network's president and founder was Les Garland, a veteran of MTV and VH1. The ad split was 6 minutes per for the network and 1 minute to the station. The network was not sold any of the national ad time.[2] The Tube planned to attract a wider audience than MTV and other music channels by playing music regardless of genre or decade. 700 videos would be available to play with 14 videos per hours. Additional programming was made available for the station's main channel. The network's website would be a store as visitors could buy what they see on the network.[3]
History and closure
editThe Tube Music Network was founded by Les Garland.[1] Raycom Media was an initial round investor in the company. Shane Coppola, formerly of Westwood One, became involved and brought in Pat LaPlatney to head the network in 2005. LaPlatney was frustrated by a difficult capital structure that made it hard to raise additional capital. He end up working six or eight months for no salary. LaPlatney quit by August 2007 to work for Raycom Media, which was an initial round investor.[4]
The Tube was initially available primarily in markets with stations operated by Raycom Media. In April 2005, Raycom was testing the network on station WFLX-TV, a Fox affiliate, for three weeks. Raycom then announced on April 25, 2005, it was the launch station group for The Tube affiliating 29 stations.[3] Raycom launched the network in June 2005 on 30 stations with Cleveland being the largest market.[5]
According to a March 2006 article in The New York Times, Tribune Broadcasting announced that it would start carrying The Tube on its stations that summer.[6] However, it had already begun to be carried on digital subchannels of Tribune-owned stations in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia. The network was also carried on WLVI in Boston, which was sold by Tribune to Sunbeam Television in late December 2006.
Equity Broadcasting Corporation distributed the network's programming free-to-air on Galaxy 10R Ku-band satellite for carriage by some of the individual low-power televisions that it owned in diverse U.S. cities.
Sinclair Broadcast Group would sign an affiliation agreement to carry The Tube as well. That relationship ended on January 1, 2007, in a dispute of contractual issues.[2]
The FCC ruled that in addition to the main analog channels, each digital subchannel would also be required to run the government-mandated three hours of educational and informational programming per week, as well as any Emergency Alert System tests and bulletins. The Tube would air the animal-focused music program Wildlife Jams to meet the E/I requirements. The rules would later be changed, requiring the main channel to air more E/I programming in relation to how many subchannels that the station operated and how much "free programming" they offered.
On October 1, 2007 at 6:00 AM, The Tube ceased operations due to "financial limitations"; the last video played was Alabama 3's "Woke Up This Morning", taking advantage of its famed use as the opening theme to the TV series The Sopranos by abruptly cutting to black just as the video ended, just as how the show used the theme.[7] In early 2008, the company had three separate shareholder class-action lawsuits filed in Florida making financial improprieties claims.[2]
Affiliates
edit| Rank | Market | Affiliate | Digital cable channel | Owner at the time of shutdown | Replaced by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | WPIX 11 (The CW) DT2 | Comcast 250 Cablevision 184 FiOS 861 |
Tribune Broadcasting | Was Estrella TV, now Antenna TV |
| 2 | Los Angeles | KTLA 5 (The CW) DT2 | Comcast 192 Charter 305 Time Warner Cable 137 FiOS 865 Cox 805 |
Tribune Broadcasting | Was This TV, now Antenna TV This TV now on 5.3 |
| 3 | Chicago | WGN-TV 9 (The CW) DT2 | Comcast 197 | Tribune Broadcasting | Antenna TV |
| 4 | Philadelphia | WPHL-TV 17 (MyNetworkTV) DT2 | Comcast 250 FiOS 867 Cablevision 184 |
Tribune Broadcasting | Was This TV, now Antenna TV This TV now on 17.3 |
| 6 | Dallas/Fort Worth | KDAF 33 (The CW) DT2 | Time Warner Cable 419 FiOS 869 Charter 360 |
Tribune Broadcasting | Antenna TV |
| 7 | Boston | WLVI 56 (The CW) DT2 | Comcast 296 FiOS 862 |
Sunbeam Television (bought from Tribune after launch of The Tube) |
The Country Network |
| 8 | Washington, D.C. | WDCW 50 (The CW) DT2 | FiOS 863 Comcast 207 Cox 804 |
Tribune Broadcasting | Was This TV, now Antenna TV This TV now on 50.3 |
| 10 | Houston | KHCW 39 (The CW) DT2 (now KIAH) | Comcast 306 | Tribune Broadcasting | Was Universal Sports, now Antenna TV |
| 12 | Tampa/St. Petersburg | WTTA 38 DT2 (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) | unknown | Sinclair Broadcast Group | Currently silent |
| 14 | Seattle/Tacoma | KMYQ 22 (MyNetworkTV) DT2 | Comcast 116 Millennium Digital Media 723 |
Tribune Broadcasting | KCPQ |
| 16 | Miami / Ft. Lauderdale | WSFL-TV 39 (The CW) DT2 | Comcast 224 Atlantic Broadband 187 |
Tribune Broadcasting | Azteca América |
| 17 | Cleveland / Akron / Canton | WUAB 43 (MyNetworkTV) DT2 | Time Warner Cable 545 WOW! 140 Cox 124 |
Raycom Media | Was This TV, now Bounce TV (This TV now on WBNX-TV 55.3) |
| 18 | Denver | KWGN-TV 2 (The CW) DT2 | Comcast 248 | Tribune Broadcasting | This TV |
| 20 | Sacramento | KTXL 40 (Fox) DT2 | Starstream 241 Comcast 194 Charter 284 |
Tribune Broadcasting | Was LATV, now Antenna TV |
| 21 | St. Louis | KPLR-TV 11 (The CW) DT2 | Charter 136 | Tribune Broadcasting | This TV |
| 22 | Pittsburgh | WPMY (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) | Comcast Channel 241 | Sinclair Broadcast Group | Currently silent |
| 23 | Portland, OR | KRCW-TV 32 (The CW) DT2 | Comcast 303 | Tribune Broadcasting | Was Universal Sports, now Antenna TV |
| 24 | Baltimore | (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) | unknown | Sinclair Broadcast Group | |
| 25 | Indianapolis | WTTV 4 (The CW, now CBS) DT2 | Comcast 254 Insight 834 |
Tribune Broadcasting | Was This TV, now Indiana's 4.2, an Independent Station |
| 27 | San Diego | KSWB-TV 69 (The CW, now Fox) DT3 | Cox 199 | Tribune Broadcasting | This TV |
| 28 | Hartford / New Haven | WTXX 20 (The CW) DT2 (now WCCT-TV) | Comcast 250 Cox 810 Charter 752 Cablevision 184 |
Tribune Broadcasting | This TV |
| 29 | Raleigh / Durham | WRDC 28 DT2 (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) | never carried | Sinclair Broadcast Group | Currently silent |
| 30 | Nashville | WUXP-TV 30 DT2 (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) | unknown | Sinclair Broadcast Group | Currently silent |
| 32 | Columbus, OH | (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) | unknown | Sinclair Broadcast Group | |
| 33 | Cincinnati | WXIX-TV 19 (Fox) DT2 | Insight 140 Time Warner Cable 920 |
Raycom Media | Was This TV, now Bounce TV (This TV now on WBQC-LD Channel 25.2) |
| 34 | Milwaukee | WCGV-TV 24 (MyNetworkTV) DT2 (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) |
never carried | Sinclair Broadcast Group | Was The Country Network, now Comet |
| 36 | Greenville / Spartanburg / Anderson, SC | (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) | unknown | Sinclair Broadcast Group | |
| 37 | San Antonio | (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) | unknown | Sinclair Broadcast Group | |
| 38 | West Palm Beach/Ft. Pierce | WFLX 29 (Fox) DT2 | Comcast 220 & 184 | Raycom Media | Bounce TV |
| 39 | Grand Rapids | WXMI 17 (Fox) DT2 | Charter 137 Comcast 254 |
Tribune Broadcasting | Antenna TV |
| 40 | Birmingham/Tuscaloosa/Anniston | (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) | unknown | Sinclair Broadcast Group | |
| 41 | Harrisburg | WPMT 43 (Fox) DT2 | Comcast 250 | Tribune Broadcasting | Was News 24/7, now Antenna TV News 24/7 moved to 43.3 |
| 43 | Las Vegas | (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) | unknown | Sinclair Broadcast Group | |
| 44 | Memphis | WMC-TV 5 (NBC) DT3 | Comcast 755 | Raycom Media | This TV |
| 45 | Albuquerque/Santa Fe | KASA 2 (Fox) DT2 (Dropped by station prior to closedown) | Comcast 207 | LIN TV(Purchased from Raycom Media in 2006) | Currently silent |
| 46 | Oklahoma City | (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) | unknown | Sinclair Broadcast Group | |
| 48 | Louisville | WAVE 3 (NBC) DT3? | Insight 834 | Raycom Media | Was Weather Now, now Bounce TV |
| 56 | Albany, NY | WCWN 45 (The CW) DT2 | unknown | Sinclair Broadcast Group | Currently silent |
| 58 | Dayton | (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) | unknown | Sinclair Broadcast Group | |
| 60 | Knoxville | WTNZ 43 (Fox) DT2 | Comcast 195 Charter 195 |
Raycom Media | This TV |
| 61 | Richmond/Petersburg | WTVR-TV 6 (CBS) DT3 | Comcast 207 FiOS 867 |
Raycom Media | Now CBS 6 Xtra |
| 63 | Lexington, KY | (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) | WDKY-TV 56 (Fox) | Sinclair Broadcast Group | Currently silent |
| 65 | Charleston-Huntington WV | (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) | unknown | Sinclair Broadcast Group | |
| 66 | Flint / Saginaw / Bay City | (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) | unknown | Sinclair Broadcast Group | |
| 70 | Tucson/Sierra Vista | KOLD-TV 13 (CBS) DT3 | Comcast 207 Cox 763 |
Raycom Media | Me-TV |
| 71 | Toledo | WNWO-TV 24 (NBC) DT2 | Buckeye Cable System 625 Time Warner Cable 81 |
Barrington Broadcasting | Was Retro Television Network, now American Sports Network |
| 72 | Honolulu | KFVE 5 (MyNetworkTV) DT2 | Oceanic Time Warner Cable 590 | Raycom Media | Currently silent |
| 73 | Des Moines | (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) | unknown | Sinclair Broadcast Group | |
| 74 | Portland, ME | (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) | unknown | Sinclair Broadcast Group | Currently silent |
| 77 | Spokane, WA | KAYU 28 (Fox) DT2 | Comcast 116 | Mountain Broadcasting, LLC | This TV |
| 78 | Rochester, NY | (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) | unknown | Sinclair Broadcast Group | |
| 79 | Syracuse | WSTM-TV 3 (NBC) DT4 | Time Warner Cable 864 | Barrington Broadcasting | Currently silent |
| 80 | Paducah / Cape Girardeau / Harrisburg, IL | KFVS-TV 12 (CBS) DT3 | City Cable 139 | Raycom Media | Grit TV |
| 81 | Shreveport | KSLA-TV 12 (CBS) DT2 | Time Warner 1113 Cox 245 |
Raycom Media | This TV |
| 82 | Champaign/Springfield | (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) | unknown | Sinclair Broadcast Group | The Country Network (WICS) / Was, TheCoolTV Now silent (WICD) |
| 83 | Columbia, SC | WACH 57 (Fox) DT2 (Dropped by station prior to closedown) | unknown | Barrington Broadcasting | Currently silent |
| 84 | Huntsville / Decatur / Florence | WAFF 48 (NBC) DT3 | Charter 183 Comcast 184 Knology 175 Mediacom 226 |
Raycom Media | Currently silent |
| 85 | Madison, WI | WMSN 47 (Fox) DT2 (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) |
never carried | Sinclair Broadcast Group | Currently silent |
| 87 | Jackson, MS | WLBT 3 (NBC) DT3 | Comcast 153 | Raycom Media | This TV |
| 89 | Cedar Rapids/Waterloo/Iowa City/Dubuque | KWWL 7 (NBC) DT3 | Mediacom 106 Cedar Falls Cable 472 |
Quincy Newspapers | RTV |
| 93 | Baton Rouge | WAFB 9 (CBS) DT4 | Cox 120 | Raycom Media | WBXH-CA |
| 94 | Colorado Springs/Pueblo | KXRM-TV 21 (Fox) DT2 | Comcast 142 & 478 | Barrington Broadcasting | Retro Television Network |
| 97 | Savannah | WTOC-TV 11 (CBS) DT3 | Comcast 243 | Raycom Media | Was This TV, now Bounce TV |
| 100 | Charleston | (Dropped by Sinclair prior to closedown; see above) | unknown | Sinclair Broadcast Group | |
| 101 | Evansville | WFIE 14 (NBC) DT3 | Insight 834 Sigecom 248 |
Raycom Media | Was This TV, Then Movies!/Me-TV/Grit (TV network), Now Circle (TV Network) |
| 109 | Springfield, MA | WGGB 40 (ABC) DT2 | Comcast 6 Charter 10 |
Gormally Broadcasting, LLC |
Fox-primary/MNTV-secondary |
| 111 | Tyler/Longview | KLTV 7 (ABC) 7.3 | Suddenlink 245 | Raycom Media | Telemundo |
| 113 | Traverse City/Cadillac | WPBN-TV 7/WTOM-TV 4 (NBC) DT2 | Charter 200 | Barrington Broadcasting | Retro Television Network |
| 114 | Augusta, GA | WFXG 54 (Fox) DT2 | Comcast 241 Knology 179 |
Raycom Media | This TV |
| 128 | Columbus, GA | WXTX 54 (Fox) DT2 | Mediacom 230 Knology 179 Charter 187 |
Raycom Media | This TV |
| 131 | Amarillo, TX | KVII-TV 7 (ABC) DT3 | unknown | Barrington Broadcasting | was The Local AccuWeather Channel, now Comet TV |
| 136 | Wilmington, NC | WSFX-TV 26 (Fox) DT2 | Time Warner Cable 925 | Wilmington Telecasters, Inc. (under LMA by Raycom Media) |
This TV |
| 141 | Medford, OR | KMVU 26 (Fox) DT2 | Charter 286 | Stainless Broadcasting Company | |
| 145 | Albany, GA | (Dropped by station prior to closedown) | unknown | Barrington Broadcasting | |
| 147 | Lubbock, TX | KCBD 11 (NBC) DT3 | Suddenlink 113 | Raycom Media | This TV |
| 156 | Panama City | WPGX 28 (Fox) DT2 | Comcast 237 Knology 179 |
Raycom Media | |
| 160 | Biloxi/Gulfport | WLOX-TV 13 (ABC) DT3 | Cable One 455 | Raycom Media | Was This TV, now Bounce TV |
| 165 | Hattiesburg/Laurel | WDAM-TV 7 (NBC) DT2 | Comcast 195 | Raycom Media | This TV |
| 172 | Dothan | WDFX-TV 34 (Fox) DT2 | unknown | Raycom Media | |
| 175 | Lake Charles, LA | KPLC 7 (NBC) DT3 | Suddenlink 245 | Raycom Media | |
| 178 | Marquette | (Dropped by station prior to closedown) | unknown | Barrington Broadcasting | |
| 188 | Lafayette, IN | WTTK 29 (The CW) | Insight 834 | Tribune Broadcasting | Was This TV, now Indiana's 4.2, an Independent Station |
| 199 | Ottumwa/Kirksville | (Dropped by station prior to closedown) | unknown | Barrington Broadcasting | |
| 200 | Jonesboro, AR | KAIT 8 (ABC) DT3 | unknown | Raycom Media | Relaunched in 2018 as an affiliate of The CW |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Taub, Eric (June 9, 2008). "More Channels Are Coming. Will Anyone Be Watching?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
- ^ a b c Romano, Allison (March 10, 2008). "Local Stations Multiply". Broadcasting & Cable. NewBay Media, LLC. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
- ^ a b "Raycom Launches The Tube Music Network". Billboard. Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group. Mediaweek. April 25, 2005. Archived from the original on 2020-03-29. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
- ^ Jessell, Harry A. (August 3, 2016). "LaPlatney To Power Raycom With TV Digital". TVNewsCheck.com. pp. 1–2. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
- ^ "Les Garland's Latest Video Invention". Broadcasting & Cable. May 22, 2005. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
- ^ "The Tube enters Tribune markets". South Florida Business Journal. March 9, 2006. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
- ^ Malone, Michael (October 9, 2007). "The Tube Goes Down the Tubes". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.