If you owned a TV station

[Melakon]

This is a bit of a thought experiment. If you were (or are) independently wealthy, and owned an independent television station not part of a conglomerate, what type of syndicated programming would you air?

This would not include programs currently in first run on a network, only programs already in syndication. As station owner/programming manager, you might decide to include an evening or nightly newscast covering your local broadcast territory.

I'd probably be running a station heavy with sci-fi programming including Star Trek (all incarnations), Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Irwin Allen shows, Gerry Anderson series, and anything else I could find. Of course, there would be old movies as well.

My local news shows would include coverage of high school/college sports and cultural events like school plays and concerts.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Wheel Of Fish
Conan The Librarian
Uncle Nutsy's Clubhouse

 

[urbandefault]

Wheel Of Fish
Conan The Librarian
Uncle Nutsy's Clubhouse

YES!

But only if Stanley Spadowski is the janitor.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

^ Then it get's renamed "Stanley Spadowski's Clubhouse" and ratings go through the roof.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Am I so rich that I don't have to worry about making the network profitable? That would affect my decision.

I'd just play a lot of series I like and that I think people would enjoy watching. A lot of stuff like Star Trek, also older stuff like Hill Street Blues, Twilight Zone, etc.

Also I'd try to find some very low budget original programming. Just find some talented writers with a good idea who can't find a job and let them go crazy.

 

[Amaris]

^ Love the UHF references, guys.

Anyhoo, I'd probably show classic sci-fi shows (The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, Lost in Space, etc), science shows (Bill Nye, Beekman's World, etc), and such. The only thing I wouldn't have would be "reality TV" shows, as I consider most of them a cancer on society. Yes, I realize this means I won't get as many viewers, but my soul will be clean.

 

[Melakon]

Am I so rich that I don't have to worry about making the network profitable? That would affect my decision.

The premise is you're independently wealthy, it's your own station, you're not affiliated with any network, and the only people you have to answer to are the FCC. If nobody wants to advertise on your station, you don't care because you're rich.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Am I so rich that I don't have to worry about making the network profitable? That would affect my decision.

The premise is you're independently wealthy, it's your own station, you're not affiliated with any network, and the only people you have to answer to are the FCC. If nobody wants to advertise on your station, you don't care because you're rich.

Ok, if the station doesn't have to make any money I'd definitely focus on original programming where talented writers have creative control.

 

[Melakon]

That's what I was aiming for in the OP when I mentioned covering local high school and college cultural events, but I didn't quite have it pinned down where I wanted it. A local anthology series would be interesting, basically creating your own little studio with set designers, costumers, writers, directors, etc. drawn from local talent. Every night could be amateur night.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

I'd be the Jim Henson network. Muppets - TV shows and movies. Fraggle Rock. Classic Sesame Street. Dark Crystal. And so on ... including original shows that showed the same irreverent, vaudevillian sensibilities that Henson and his shows did. The world needs a new Henson ... and my network would put him/her in the proper context.

 

[Forbin]

In addition to whatever other programming, I'd have one hour every night called "Shows Fox Cancelled" and run Space: Above & Beyond; Alien Nation; Tru Calling; Dollhouse; Strange Luck; etc, etc, etc,...

 

[Amaris]

I'd be the Jim Henson network. Muppets - TV shows and movies. Fraggle Rock. Classic Sesame Street. Dark Crystal. And so on ... including original shows that showed the same irreverent, vaudevillian sensibilities that Henson and his shows did. The world needs a new Henson ... and my network would put him/her in the proper context.

I would very much watch your network.

 

[bbjeg]

Mine would be part Science Channel, part Discovery Channel, part G4, part Comedy Central, part AMC, and part (the late) Current TV with room for network shows like Agents of Shield, Doctor Who, and all the Star Trek reruns.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

In addition to whatever other programming, I'd have one hour every night called "Shows Fox Cancelled" and run Space: Above & Beyond; Alien Nation; Tru Calling; Dollhouse; Strange Luck; etc, etc, etc,...

You could go 24/7 with "shows Fox cancelled" and never hit a rerun.

 

[tomalak301]

I'd be the Jim Henson network. Muppets - TV shows and movies. Fraggle Rock. Classic Sesame Street. Dark Crystal. And so on ... including original shows that showed the same irreverent, vaudevillian sensibilities that Henson and his shows did. The world needs a new Henson ... and my network would put him/her in the proper context.

If you included Farscape in that, I would watch your network.

For me, I would put on shows that haven't been in syndication in a long time, like Babylon 5, but I would try to bring back the variety show, like the Muppet show. There are some genres of TV that I wish would make a comeback, and the Variety show, Sci Fi (space based) show, and the game shows are three of those genres.

 

[sojourner]

Cartoon blocks from 6am to noon every saturday and sunday. Thundarr, B:TAS, Scooby-doo, Johnny Quest, etc. With some of the live action stuff thrown in like Space Academy, H.R. Puff and stuff, Sid and Marty Krofft Super show, all that stuff.

 

[bbjeg]

^I can never get enough of B:TAS, it was so detective-noir.

 

[Shaka Zulu]

Okay, where to start (because this is hard).....

If I owned a TV station (keep in mind, you don't have to be wealthy to own one, especially if it's a LPTV one-and most of us would be only able to afford LPTV stations), I'd be making the station's programming like that of the original CITY-TV in Toronto during the period that Moses Znaimer ran it (from 1973-2000); original shows like The New Music, Media Television, Movie Television, Sex TV (eventually the channel Sex TV), Fashion Television (eventually the channel also called Fashion Television), The Originals, Late Great Movies/Great Movies/More Great Movies, combined with some reruns of good TV shows, local music video shows (remember those?) that showcase local bands and solo artists, and airing of some new syndicated drama or comedy ones (no reality TV, tabloid/sleaze news TV, or anything else crappy.) I'd also show porn movies late nights on Friday and Saturday!

 

[J.T.B.]

I would run lots of reruns of the best show ever about a TV station: SCTV.

 

[Shaka Zulu]

There are some genres of TV that I wish would make a comeback, and the Variety show, Sci Fi (space based) show, and the game shows are three of those genres.

About the three mentioned:

*Game shows still exist (Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, Let's Make A Deal, The Price Is Right) and they're syndicated and on network TV respectively, with most new game shows on GSN

*Variety shows still exist in Europe and other countries but would be hard to bring back in North America generally for a lot of reasons, as mentioned here.

*Space sci-fi could be brought back, but it requires a shitload of money to make (the Star Trek shows of the Berman-Rodenberry-Piller era had costs in the millions alone) and is beyond the costs of a single TV station to bankroll even if you are wealthy (you'd burn through your fortune in two years and go bankrupt if the show couldn't get any buyers or ad revenue.) A better idea on that part would be to bankroll an animated space sci-fi show instead (find a local animation studio and get them to work on it.)

I would run lots of reruns of the best show ever about a TV station: SCTV.

As a fan, I'd be watching this channel if you had that show (bonus points if you could convince Second City Entertainment to give you all of the episodes from the later seasons.)