The Tube Music Network

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.

The Tube Music Network
Type
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaNationwide
Ownership
OwnerThe Tube Media Corp.
History
Founded2004; 20 years ago (2004)
LaunchedJune 2005; 19 years ago (2005-06)
FounderLes Garland
ClosedOctober 1, 2007; 17 years ago (2007-10-01)

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

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The 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

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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

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References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "Les Garland's Latest Video Invention". Broadcasting & Cable. May 22, 2005. Archived from the original on September 8, 2017. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
  6. ^ "The Tube enters Tribune markets". South Florida Business Journal. March 9, 2006. Archived from the original on July 6, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  7. ^ 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.
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