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For the station in Hamilton, Ontario that used the branding "OnTV" during the 1990s, see CHCH-TV. Hamilton (ˈhæməltən ( 2006 population 504559 UA population 647634 CMA population The 1990s collectively refers to the years between and including 1990 and 1999
ON-TV
ON-TV Logo
Type Pay television network (movies, sports)
Availability United States, national
Owner Oak Communications Inc. A television network is a distribution network for Television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many Television stations Sport is an Activity that is governed by a set of rules or Customs and often engaged in competitively The United States of America —commonly referred to as the
Key people Jerry Perenchio
Launch date 1977

ON-TV was a subscription television service, also known as National Subscription Television, launched in 1977 by Oak Industries, Norman Lear's Chartwell Enterprises and Jerry Perenchio. Andrew Jerrold "Jerry" Perenchio (born December 20, 1930) was the former chairman and CEO of Univision, the largest Spanish-language company in Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays The year 1977 in television involved some significant eventsBelow is a list of Television -related events in 1977. Norman Milton Lear (born July 27 1922 in New Haven Connecticut) is an American Television writer and producer who produced such popular Andrew Jerrold "Jerry" Perenchio (born December 20, 1930) was the former chairman and CEO of Univision, the largest Spanish-language company in Oak was a manufacturer of satellite and pay-TV decoders and equipment. ON-TV operated in major markets such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States.

Contents

Origins

ON-TV was one of many "scrambled UHF" services in many major markets around the country in the era before multi-channel cable television became widely available. Others included SelecTV, Prism, Starcase, Spectrum, Preview, VEU, and SuperTV. SelecTV was a subscription ( Pay TV) television service beginning operation in 1976 and ending in 1991 PRISM (Philadelphia Regional In-Home Sports and Movies was a 24-hour premium Cable television channel intended for cable customers in the Philadelphia Pennsylvania Spectrum was a subscription TV channel in the Chicago area that existed in the early 1980s Preview was a Subscription television service started in 1980 similar to ON TV and Select TV. VEU was a subscription television channel owned by Golden West Broacasting. Super TV was an early form of subscription television featuring recently-run movies unedited and commercial-free

Programming

ON-TV, like other PayTV networks, aired a mixture of movies, sports events, and concerts. For example, the Los Angeles-area service aired many home games of the Los Angeles Dodgers, California Angels, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Kings, as well as some of the day's biggest championship boxing matches. The Los Angeles Dodgers are a Major League Baseball team based in Los Angeles California, USA The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California. The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association (NBA team based in Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles California. Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight, In Chicago, ON-TV aired Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls and Chicago Blackhawks games (which eventually migrated over to a second ON-TV owned station, Sportsvision. The Chicago White Sox are a professional Baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Bulls are an American professional Basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Fox Sports Net Chicago was a Regional sports network based in Chicago Illinois.

ON-TV not only aired mainstream films, but much like Z Channel, also aired more unique films and concerts, featuring such acts as Talking Heads and Siouxsie and the Banshees. The Z Channel was one of the first pay cable stations in the United States. Talking head Talking Heads was an American New Wave band formed in 1974 in New York City and active until 1991 Siouxsie & the Banshees were a British rock band which formed in 1976 ON-TV also opted for a uniquely New Wave and heavy metal-dominated music video lineup between films, including acts that MTV and other video shows often ignored, such as Oingo Boingo, Slade, Adam and the Ants, Devo, Men Without Hats, Rush, The Police, J. Geils Band, Wall of Voodoo and many others. MTV ( Music Television) is an American Cable television network based in New York City. Oingo Boingo was an American New Wave band They are better known for their influence soundtrack contributions and high energy Halloween concerts Slade are an English Glam rock band Slade were one of the most recognizable acts of the glam rock movement and were at their peak the most commercially popular Devo (pronounced DEE-vo (IPA /'diːvoʊ/) or dee-VO (IPA /diː'voʊ/) often spelled "DEVO" or "DEV-O" is an American Men Without Hats are a pop group from Montreal, Quebec that achieved their greatest popularity in the early to mid 1980s. The Police were a three-piece rock band consisting of Sting ( vocals, Bass guitar) Andy Summers ( Guitar, The J Geils Band was an American rock band who were formed in 1967 in Worcester Massachusetts, that had a successful R&B -influenced Wall of Voodoo was a new wave group from Los Angeles best known for the 1983 hit " Mexican Radio "

The cult movie Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains, featuring a very young Diane Lane, Laura Dern and various members of the Sex Pistols and The Clash, also aired on the service. A cult film is a Film that has acquired a highly devoted but relatively small group of fans. Ladies and Gentlemen The Fabulous Stains is a 1981 film shot in Canada about three teenage girls including Diane Lane and Laura Dern, who start Diane Lane (born January 22, 1965) is an American film Actress. Laura Elizabeth Dern (born February 10, 1967) is an Academy Award -nominated American Actress. The Sex Pistols are an English Punk rock band that formed in London in 1975 For the debut album by The Clash see The Clash (album The Clash were Another cult item, slasher film My Bloody Valentine was shown with several minutes that were never seen theatrically (they were edited out to avoid an X rating) -- the only known showing of the film in its entirety. The slasher film (sometimes referred to as bodycount films and dead teenager movies) is a Sub-genre My Bloody Valentine are an Alternative rock band formed in Dublin Ireland in 1984 and predominantly based in London. ON-TV was also the only network that dared to broadcast the uncut version of the original Dawn of the Dead. Dawn of the Dead (also known as George A Romero's Dawn of the Dead, Zombie internationally Zombies in Britain, and alternately called Between films, ON favoured artistically-driven film shorts and the oddball Canadian comics Roger and Roger, who aired daily in an afternoon time slot.

In 1982, ON-TV's executives convinced George Lucas to sell them the rights for the very first TV broadcast of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope as a means to "help a pioneering PayTV technology fight the likes of HBO and Showtime cable networks from taking over. George Walton Lucas Jr (born May 14, 1944) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, producer, Screenwriter Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope (originally released as Star Wars) is a 1977 Space opera Showtime is a subscription television Brand used by a number of channels and platforms around the world but primarily refers to a group of channels in the United " HBO and Showtime were not able to acquire Star Wars rights until several years after ON-TV's showing in September 1982. (Lucas would do the same favor for LA's Z Channel by granting them the rights to air Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back in January of 1985. Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 Space opera Film directed by Irvin Kershner. )

Famed Canadian horror filmmaker David Cronenberg (who would later direct The Fly) was probably directly influenced by ON-TV (many of whom were Canadian) when he devised the film Videodrome, in which a small-time PayTV owner (played by James Woods) obsessively tries to combat the major cable networks by using dark, supernatural and taboo programming. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page David Paul Cronenberg OC, FRSC (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian Film director and occasional Actor. The Fly is a 1986 Science fiction / Horror film produced by Brooksfilms and 20th Century Fox, directed by David Cronenberg Videodrome is a 1983 sci-fi horror Canadian Film directed by David Cronenberg. James Howard Woods (born April 18 1947) is a two-time Academy Award -nominated Emmy Award -winning and Golden Globe -winning American

Basic service fees

In Los Angeles, basic service was $19 a month, plus an extra charge for a selection of softcore pornography marketed as "ON Plus. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been Softcore (or soft porn) is a form of Pornography, either video or nude Glamour photography, that is less explicit than hardcore material " Plans were developed for a second ON-TV channel, which never appeared. In Detroit, the service cost $22. 50 a month flat for all progmming.

There were two basic steps to access ON-TV programming:

The technology was sometime called multipoint distribution system. Viewers without decoder boxes saw a scrambled, flickering picture and garbled or substituted audio. However, some older models of black-and-white TV sets were able to receive a clear signal, due to a fluke with the older technology. (The film American Pie shows a boy trying to glimpse a soft-core movie on a scrambled TV channel similar to ON. " American Pie " is a Folk rock song by Singer-songwriter Don McLean. )

Since the signal went out over-the-air, it was a popular target for signal pirates. [1] This was especially true in the Detroit market, where many Windsor, Ontario residents built homemade decoder boxes. Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and lies at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. The boxes were also popular on the American side, and hobbyists sold them for as much as $150 each.

First issue of Season Ticket, the ON-TV program guide (April 1977)
First issue of Season Ticket, the ON-TV program guide (April 1977)

Stations transmitting ON-TV programs

Among the stations that transmitted ON-TV programs were:

Chicago

ON-TV began broadcasting in Chicago in 1980, airing on Channel 44, WSNS and competing directly with the similar Spectrum service, which was owned by United Cable. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West KVEA, "Telemundo 52" is an NBC -owned and operated television station in the Los Angeles area and is the West Coast flagship station of the WSNS-TV 44 is the Telemundo affiliate in Chicago Illinois. It is owned by NBC Universal. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. KTXA, channel 21 is an independent Television station based in Fort Worth Texas, and serving the Dallas /Fort Worth Designated market area The Dallas – Fort Worth – Arlington metropolitan area, a title designated by the U MyNetworkTV (unofficially abbreviated MyNet or MNT) is a Television network in the United States, owned by the Fox Broadcasting Company WSTR-TV ( My64) is a broadcast television station in Cincinnati Ohio, affiliated with My Network TV. WMYD ("MyTV20 Detroit" is Detroit Michigan 's MyNetworkTV affiliate station owned and operated by Granite Broadcasting. Fort Lauderdale, known as the "Venice of America" due to its expansive and intricate Canal system is a city in Broward County, Florida, WSCV Telemundo 51 is the Telemundo O&O that serves the Miami - Fort Lauderdale area and licensed to Fort Lauderdale. KNXV-TV, channel 15 is the ABC television affiliate in Phoenix Arizona. Phoenix (ˈfiːˌnɪks O'odham Skikik, Yavapai Wasinka, Western Apache Fiinigis, Navajo Hoozdo, The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. The year 1980 in television involved some significant eventsBelow is a list of Television -related events in 1980. WSNS-TV 44 is the Telemundo affiliate in Chicago Illinois. It is owned by NBC Universal. Spectrum was a subscription TV channel in the Chicago area that existed in the early 1980s The service went dark in May 1985, largely due to the long-awaited entrance of cable television into Chicago. Chicago was the last remaining ON-TV market to go under due to Chicago's overlong debate over how to divide the city up for cable distribution to avoid a monopoly. The only new film ON-TV purchased rights to and televised that month was Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan; however, as a farewell and thank you to their Chicago subscribers, ON-TV filled the remainder of May 1985's schedule with what seemed to be their entire back-catalog of films, a different set of programs every day, with no authorization from any of the related film studios. The motto that entire month was "Get your VCRs ready, because you, our last devoted subscribers, are in for a treat with a new lineup of programs every single day!". The only film actually repeated that month was, ironically, Greystoke; the others only aired once each. (Oddly, no studio ever lodged any complaints with ON-TV, probably because the service was closing its doors. )

So ON-TV in Chicago went out with a bang, although many subscribers were alarmed with both the end of ON and the lack of forewarning about the bonanza of films being shown. The only indication that ON was doing anything unusual were the on-air announcements and in the May ON-TV Program Guide; any earlier advertising of that month's schedule risked raising red flags. During ON-TV's six years in Chicago (and for several years thereafter), WSNS was involved in numerous lawsuits related to ON-TV's late night adult programming, but nothing ever came of their final month of unauthorized back-catalog programming. [2]

Detroit

In 1979, ON-TV came to Detroit on WXON, Channel 20. Like the services in other cities, ON-TV in Detroit carried local sports action (Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers, etc. The Detroit Red Wings are a professional Ice hockey team based in Detroit Michigan, and current Stanley Cup champions The Detroit Tigers are a professional baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan, USA ) in addition to movies and specials, but soon ran into a problem: ON-TV did not begin transmitting until 8PM. Since many games began before 8 PM, fans missed the start of many contests: in one famous incident, the Red Wings racked up a 5-0 lead in a game against the Calgary Flames before ON began its coverage!

In 1982, WXON began airing ON-TV on weekend afternoons and soon faced challenges from "In-Home Theatre" (which aired 24 hours a day on what is now WPXD in Ann Arbor) and MORE-TV, a Livonia, Michigan-based service that beamed HBO directly to viewer's houses, in a precursor to today's DSS services like Dish Network and DirectTV. WPXD is a Television station licensed to Ann Arbor Michigan. It is the ION Television network (formerly Pax TV and i affiliate for Detroit. Livonia is a city located in the northwest part of Wayne County in the U Not be confused with Indian Service Dish TV DISH Network is a Direct broadcast satellite (DBS service that provides Satellite television DirecTV (trademarked as "DIREC' TV' " is a Direct broadcast satellite (DBS service based in El Segundo California, USA, that was founded WXON dropped ON-TV on March 31, 1983.

Merger with SelecTV and eventual decline

In 1983, ON-TV merged its Los Angeles operations with SelecTV, a similar service that was carried on KWHY, now a Spanish-language independent. The year 1983 in television involved some significant eventsBelow is a list of Television -related events in 1983. SelecTV was a subscription ( Pay TV) television service beginning operation in 1976 and ending in 1991 KWHY-TV Channel 22 is a Spanish Independent station owned by the Telemundo network / NBC, a subsidiary of NBC Universal. However, the merger could not forestall the technological changes that made the service obsolete: as cable TV became more widely available, ON-TV's popularity declined. The last shows aired sometime around 1987. The year 1987 in television involved some significant eventsBelow is a list of Television -related events in 1987. [3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Ced Magazine #1
  2. ^ Chicago Television
  3. ^ Ced Magazine #2

External links

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