CBS Cable
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| CBS Cable | |
|---|---|
| Launched | October 12, 1981[1] |
| Closed | December 17, 1982 |
| Owned by | CBS |
| Picture format | NTSC |
| Country | United States |
CBS Cable was an early cable network operated by CBS, Inc., dedicated to the lively arts (i.e. symphony, dance, theatre, opera, etc.). It debuted in October 1981[2] and ceased operations on December 17, 1982[3].
CBS Cable was a personal project of CBS founder William Paley, who hoped it would blaze a trail for cultural programming in the then-emerging cable television medium. Its program offerings were ambitious and often critically praised. Nevertheless the network struggled, and ultimately failed, largely because of the reluctance of many cable systems across the United States to give it carriage, limiting severely its ability to attract both viewers and advertisers for its costly lineup of programming. Cable systems in the early 1980s had far more limited channel capacity than they do today (usually only a few dozen channels in most cities). CBS Cable was competing for channel space by appealing to a select and relatively small upscale audience, while other networks coming on line at the same time such as MTV and ESPN promised larger and more broad-based viewership and therefore got cable operators to carry them far more easily. MTV and ESPN thrived and gave rise to additional companion channels within a short time, while the CBS Cable channel folded after just over 14 months in operation.
Not to be confused with the CBS-operated cable network, Eye On People, which launched in 1996 and soon turned into Discovery People in 1998, it was quickly rebranded again in 1999 to Discovery Civilization, ultimately reorganized in 2002 to Discovery Times, and in 2008 is Investigation Discovery.
The CBS Cable name was renewed for three years as the name of the network's cable division, after the 1996 purchase of The Nashville Network (now Spike) and Country Music Television from Gaylord Entertainment, along with CBS' existing stakes in the regional sports networks Midwest Sports Channel in the Twin Cities (now FSN North) and the Home Team Sports networks in the Baltimore/Washington and Dallas/Ft. Worth areas (now Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic and FSN Southwest, respecitvely). TNN and CMT were folded into MTV Networks after the 1999 merger with Viacom, with the sports networks sold to other parties shortly after the merger.
[edit] Continuity Host
- Patrick Watson (Also known for PBS' "Live At Lincoln Center")
[edit] Programs
- "Nichols And Dimes": A documentary film about business investment, with Mike Nichols' very successful Arabian horse business portrayed as an example. This was the first show broadcast on the network.
- "Signature", an interview series that never cut away from the interviewee.
- "Confessions of a Cornermaker", an original dance piece by Twyla Tharp.
- "The Quiz Kids", a resurrection of the fifties/sixties game show, hosted by Norman Lear.
- "Count Basie Live at Carnegie Hall", one of Basie's final performances, featuring guests Tony Bennett, George Benson, Joe Williams and Sarah Vaughan.
- "Music Music Music" (1981) - The history of music in 90 seconds, with a score arranged by Mel Tormé. Design/direction by John Canemaker.
- "Singin'!", three specials produced by and featuring Nancy Dussault singing popular classics. Eileen Farrell, accompanied by Ted Taylor, may have appeared on this show.
- Gilbert & Sullivan productions by Brent Walker (HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance, Iolanthe, The Mikado, and The Gondoliers) aired in its last week of broadcast.
- "The Ring of the Fettuccines", parody opera co-authored by Marie Allyn King
- "Tintypes", a revue of American music from 1895-1912.
- "Morning's At Seven"
- "Artists and Mothers" included the film "A Film About My Home", an autobiographical piece by Oren Rudavsky, as well as pieces by Joseph Cornell, Martin Scorsese, Jonas Mekas and Mark Rance. "Mom Art" by Larry Miller may also have aired here.
- "Mixed Bag", a selection of highlights from the channel's short history, shown as the network's final program.
[edit] References
- ^ Schwartz, Tony. "CBS Cable Starts Cultural Service Tonight", New York Times, October 12, 1981, p. C17.
- ^ Clarke, Gerald. "Cable's Cultural Crapshoot", Time, October 26, 1981.
- ^ O'Connor, John J.. "TV VIEW; WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR CULTURAL PROGRAMMING", New York Times, December 12, 1982.
- Beck, Kirsten. Cultivating the Wasteland: Can Cable Put the Vision Back in TV?. New York: American Council for the Arts (Edwards Brothers Printing), 1983. Chapter: "The CBS Cable Story".
