Retro TV channels on broadcast/over-the-air television

I just got a replacement TV with an indoor HD broadcast antenna instead of having cable hooked up to it and I realized that (at least in my area) there are some pretty terrific sub-channels!

Especially if you like old/retro TV shows- there are quite a few stations devoted entirely to old shows kind of like what Nick At Nite and TV Land used to be.

Maybe it's because I wasn't really watching much TV before when I had cable hooked up to a previous TV, but I'm finding I don't miss the cable channels at all.

 

Yeah, MeTV is awesome. It is what TV Land used to be. Now if we could only get a channel that was like the OLD SciFi Channel with The Incredible Hulk, The Prisoner, Planet Of The Apes, Land Of The Giants, etc. We have cable. The kids love the cartoon channels (Nick Toons, Boomerang, Disney XD, Cartoon Network, etc). My youngest enjoys Discovery Kids (I think that is what it is called, it used to be called The Hub). And I gotta have my ESPN and SEC Network. We DVR tons of shows on MeTV then watch them on Sat and Sun night.

 

Check out Comet TV.

http://comettv.com

It isn't available in your area yet, unfortunately.

 

I'm guessing that these retro channels have to be somewhat successful, or there wouldn't be such a proliferation of them. The first I ever encountered were RTV and "this". One had old TV shows, the other had older movies. RTV, later renamed "RetroTV", had a great line-up initially and then much of its product was lost in bidding wars with the new kid on the block, MeTV, owned by Weigel out of Chicago. MeTV gained a foothold of audience, and remains the "one to beat". MeTV has always had integrity when it comes to the complete airing of start and end credits without interruption. Unfortunately, they DO have to resort to tricks like sped-up prints or actual syndication edits in some cases. RTV is meanwhile a shadow of its former self with a lot of public domain episodes of old TV shows and some Canadian product.

The next startup was Antenna TV, a Tribune product, also from Chicago, that started out well and has now begun the path to "the dark side" by scrunching end credits while a new show is starting. This technique is too much like "cable TV" and leaves me cold, so I usually avoid Antenna. But they've recently resurrected JOHNNY CARSON, so they get some points for that. Bidding wars have erupted between Me and Antenna with shows like "Leave It To Beaver" being on one channel, then another, and then back again.

Another big entry has been COZI. This one's a product of NBC/U and has also succeeded in plucking stuff away from MeTV (THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW, MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY). You'll find a lot of older NBC/U-owned shows here, like QUANTUM LEAP, THE A-TEAM, IT TAKES A THIEF. One odd thing about COZI was that initially it ran on these subchannels in a postage stamp format - black bars on all four sides of the image. Now, the two affiliates in my area,have it blown up to 16:9 default, so their commercials occupy the total widescreen TV - and some of their shows are re-edited to widescreen too, like the aforementioned MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY, which looks like it was "tilted and scanned".

Since then, other networks have started up:
GET-TV - a movie channel that features older product, sort of a free, commercial-filled TCM.
Heroes & Icons - another Weigel product, this time with dramas and westerns with "heroes".
DECADES - a CBS/Weigel product with a jumbled schedule depending on birthdays, anniversaries and past events.
LAFF - another channel devoted to comedy - both movies and TV shows. Right now they're big on DREW CAREY, GRACE UNDER FIRE, and SPIN CITY.
ESCAPE - a movie channel that aims at women.
GRIT - a movie channel that aims at men.
and someone's mentioned a new COMET TV that'll concentrate on science-fiction and horror. They have limited product at the moment, as well as limited distribution.

So, with all of this proliferation, there must be ratings (and money) out there!

Harry

 

Sweet! Looks awesome!

 

So are these free channels? If so, maybe they will show up at some point. I sure hope so, all of them sound pretty cool. TVLand just isn't what is used to be. At all. Even ABC Family is different now, they have changed their name (I forgot what the name is now). I enjoyed it when it was Fox Family, then ABC Family and now something else. Not sure if they have changed yet but it is coming.

 

Yes, these are all free, over-the-air channels. Every main digital channel can have several digital subchannels. At first a lot of these channels went for repeats of the main channel's newcasts, some opted for static weather channels, some opted to add a regular network that wasn't full time in the area, and some opted to lease the space to religious or foreign language outfits.

Once MeTV started showing in the ratings, these other channels began to spring up, signing up affiliates as fast as they could.

 

I watched Carson on Antenna TV and there were so many stupid commercials that I haven't watch again.

 

There are several great DVD set of Carson shows that you would like. No commercials.

 

Video "gimmicks" are exactly the reason I don't watch TV. I can't take that. And while I do like the "Antenna" programming, I can't stand that "logo in the corner" thing that 99.9% of channels do. I just cover it with duct tape. Duct tape doesn't SAY anything. Duct tape doesn't DO anything. Therefore, it's not a distraction. (But I only do that on my CRT receiver). I wrote to Antenna to complain about that, and their answer blew me away. THEY DON'T PUT A LOGO IN THE CORNER! The logo is added by the local affiliate, not Antenna itself.

 

Youtube works best for me

 

Unless you select the "with original commercials" option, then it is fun to watch the commercials. So many "Oh yeah, I remember that one" moments!

 

Or like a DVR that you can skip through the commercials.

 

I recently emailed RTV/Retro TV through the contact form on their website to ask about their affiliate listing, but never got a response. They claim to be available in Houston, but the subchannel they list for the Houston area isn't currently carrying any programming, as far as I can tell. TitanTV listings show that subchannel broadcasting "informational programming" around the clock.

 

I bet they were an affiliate at one point but whoever owns that channel decided to air informercials instead.

 

That's basically what I asked in my email. I was trying to figure out if they used to be an affiliate and were no longer, or if someone had jumped the gun and updated the affiliate list in advance of the channel actually airing their content. Looks like it was the former scenario, as they've updated the website to cover Winter 2016 programming, but the seemingly outdated affiliate info hasn't changed.

 

I wish that ThisTV had the same "integrity" as I've gotten hooked watching (and finding filming locations for) "Highway Patrol". They started chopping off the goofy little epilogues that Broderick Crawford used to say at the end of each episode. I can't imagine that they'd gain all that much ad time by only removing a :15 sec. bit of video.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zhyBZBeXoKRs.k2frzIixSIkk&usp=sharing

 

The show is available on DVD. I assume it's uncut.

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/shows/Highway-Patrol/1649

 

Haven't seen HIGHWAY in recent presentations. I felt that THIS-TV was pretty good at presenting it's vintage tv shows complete- especially the early AM ones like OUTER LIMITS, ADDAMS FAMILY, HIGHWAY PATROL and SEA HUNT. I'm sure I watched them on THIS-TV complete at one time. But over the last year or so (For both TV shows and movies), they started shrinking the end titles/credits into a little window to put up a large THIS-TV logo and what the next show was going to be. Sometimes with an announcer. This especially has RUINED the ends of some movies with pertinent scenes continuing during the titles. And just gave an overall bad taste after a considered classic like WEST SIDE STORY.

In the past year, on ANTENNA TV, they have started presenting the end credits of shows in one tiny window on the left, with the opening of the next episode in a slightly larger window on the right- then expanding to full screen after the 1st end credits are over. A practice I think started on TV LAND and continues to this day on SOUTH PARK reruns (and others) on COMEDY CENTRAL and I'm sure other channels. (I just have rabbit ears tv!) I kinda prided that for years these channels (Antenna/MeTV) showed the complete end credits with NO interruptions or voiceovers even. The beginning of the end???

 

Yes I used to work at a radio station that also owned a Fox Station. The local affiliate does it. I remember when 24 was hot I noticed the Fox was gone. I thought "Kevin is gonna be pissed when he notices no logo!". Sure enough the next day he was raising hell about the missing logo on 24.

 

I can't get retro tv anymore.. I was for awhile I got to see most doctor who's I wanted for free.
Retro told me I had to get a new antenna B.S the programming is lacking showing
The Joey Bishop show and Mr Peepers boring...
Eventually Retro will be gone to much competition
I happy what I can get..

 

Hi from northern Michigan.

Have you been following the developments, across the country, regarding broadcast stations (which offer these fun subchannels) and the cash being offered for their spectrum space?

Just 7 years after broadcast stations were squeezed into smaller spaces, via digital requirements, now even those smaller spaces are desired by the cell/wireless companies.

Many where I live simply can't afford cable/satellite/internet monthly subscriptions.

 

Yeah, it's really not a big deal. Almost no over-the-air stations will be going away.

http://cordcuttersnews.com/why-the-2015-broadcast-spectrum-auction-is-not-the-end-of-free-ota-tv/

 

Been watching this channel for a couple weeks now - I like it! Lots of fun/campy horror movies and low/mid budget (but usually decent) sci-fi material. And it includes the Stargate SG-1 series (on for 10 years yet I still run into people who've never heard of it) and the 90s-era Outer Limits which were a nice surprise.

I hope it stays around awhile.

 

Another sub channel not mentioned is BUZZR, which is a channel of all old game shows. That is certainly fun to watch sometimes.