The Tube Music Network
 | |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Availability | Defunct |
| Owner | The Tube Media Corp. |
Launch date | 2004 |
| Dissolved | October 1, 2007 |
The Tube Music Network was an American digital multicast television network. The network was a wholly owned subsidiary of The Tube Media Corp. (Grey Market: TUBM), 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. 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.
The network was carried on free-to-air satellite television, the digital subchannels of select broadcast television stations, and the digital tiers of cable television providers. The network's president and founder was Les Garland, a veteran of MTV and VH1.
Affiliates
The Tube was initially available primarily in markets with stations operated by Raycom Media. 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.[1] 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 various U.S. cities.
Sinclair Broadcast Group would sign an affiliation agreement to carry The Tube as well, announcing on March 23, 2006 that it would start carrying the network on many of the station group's outlets. That relationship stopped on January 1, 2007, in a dispute involving FCC requirements for digital subchannels.
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-and-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.
Suspension of operations
Per a statement on The Tube's website, the network announced that it was suspending operations effective October 1, 2007, though some stations stopped carrying the network earlier. According to the statement, "financial limitations ultimately contributed to its incapacitated state". Many stations carrying the network were informed to direct viewers to their website for further information, and several stations began searching for content to replace the network over-the-air and on cable providers.
Final song
The last song played on the network was Alabama 3's "Woke Up This Morning" (the Chosen One Mix). The song finished exactly at 12:00 a.m. Eastern/11:00 p.m. Central with a black screen. This might have been done on purpose by the network as the HBO series The Sopranos ended in a similar fashion; The Sopranos used the song as their opening theme song for the duration of its run.
Affiliates
| 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 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 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 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) DT2 | Comcast 254 Insight 834 | Tribune Broadcasting | This TV |
| 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 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-Huntingon 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 81 | Barrington Broadcasting | Was Retro Television Network, now American Sports Network |
| 72 | Honolulu | KFVE 5 (MyNetworkTV) DT2 | Oceanic Time Warner 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 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 | This TV, Was Movies!, Then Me-TV, Now Grit (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 |
| 136 | Wilmington, NC | WSFX-TV 26 (Fox) DT2 | Time Warner 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 | |
| 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 | This TV |
| 199 | Ottumwa/Kirksville | (Dropped by station prior to closedown) | unknown | Barrington Broadcasting | |
| 200 | Jonesboro, AR | KAIT 8 (ABC) DT3 | unknown | Raycom Media | Slient |
References
- ↑ "The Tube enters Tribune markets". South Florida Business Journal. March 9, 2006. Retrieved October 14, 2014.