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Weigel Broadcasting's Decades Network Will Flip to Sitcom-Centric "Catchy Comedy" in March, Led by Original ‘Night_Court’
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Ubiquitous
Feb 14, 2023, 2:34:00 PM2/14/23
to
Weigel Broadcasting Co. is flipping its digital broadcast network Decades
into the sitcom-centric Catchy Comedy on March 27, Variety has learned
exclusively. The over-the-air network will focus on a library of classic
comedies, with an emphasis on key female stars including the signature shows
from Lucille Ball, Mary Tyler Moore and Carol Burnett.
But also central to the Catchy Comedy lineup are key series from Norman Lear,
as well as some of the most lauded sitcoms of all time – including the
original “Night Court,” which is back in the spotlight thanks to the success
of the revival series on NBC.
Unlike Decades, which wasn’t measured by ratings, Catchy Comedy will be
Nielsen-rated. “That takes it into a different sphere, in terms of advertiser
availability and access,” said Neal Sabin, vice chairman of Weigel
Broadcasting Co. “There are many advertisers that won’t look at these
networks unless they’re rated, and we’re pretty confident that we have
something here that will rate well.”
Catchy Comedy is cleared in 69.5% of U.S. TV markets, including Fox, CBS and
Weigel Broadcasting stations. The network will also continue to be available
on the Philo and Frndly TV streaming platforms, just as Decades had been.
Weigel is also behind the national broadcast networks MeTV, Start TV, Heroes
& Icons, MOVIES! and Story Television. Sabin said the decision to switch
Decades to Catchy Comedy was a way to differentiate the network from Start
TV, which has found success by focusing on female-focused procedural dramas.
With some of that overlapping with Decades, Sabin said he opted to hone in on
the female-focused comedy theme, some of which had already aired on the
channel.
Decades launched in 2014 with a different kind of format, focusing more on a
historical day-by-day look at pop culture, news and TV shows on the air
during various time frames. The network later shifted to a more contemporary
look.
“But what that did was, it made Decades less of a prominent network in our
portfolio,” Sabin said. “And it is doing just fine as an unrated diginet, but
we felt it was time to up the game.”
Sabin said he noticed that in the markets where he could see ratings for
Decades, it appeared that sitcoms were performing the best for the channel.
“Classic sitcoms and sitcoms with a really good pedigree,” he noted. Hence
the decision to “embrace the comedy elements of the network that were there
before, by just adding a few more sitcoms to the schedule — and to give it a
new name so that advertisers, station affiliates and others know that we are
fully focused on comedy.”
Daytime will be focused on female superstars via shows like “I Love Lucy,”
“The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Rhoda,” “Laverne & Shirley” and the hour-long
full version of “The Carol Burnett Show,” which has rarely been seen in
syndication. Early primetime includes the Norman Lear classics “Good Times,”
“Sanford and Son” and “All in the Family.” And then later in the evening
comes “Night Court,” “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “Cheers,” “Taxi,” “The Bob
Newhart Show” and “Newhart.”
On the weekends, Catchy Comedy will focus on marathons, airing just one or
two series throughout the entire weekend for a binge. First up is “Night
Court,” a nod to the success of the revival. Beyond that, Sabin plans to also
sprinkle the weekend binges with some little-seen or short-lived sitcoms that
still made an impact on pop culture, like “Square Pegs.”
“We plunked ‘Night Court’ right down into primetime because this is ‘Night
Court’s’ moment, and we were very fortunate to pick it up before we knew this
was going to happen,” Sabin said. “It’s serendipitous.”
As for the new name, Sabin quipped, “We were looking for something catchy.
And we like alliterative things. It just seemed to work and we found it
friendly. We shared it with some people and we got positive vibes. We thought
it fit our portfolio of fun names.”
Here’s the Catchy Comedy weekday schedule:
Monday-Friday Daytime (All Times ET)
6:00am – Full House
6:30am – Full House
7:00am – Full House
7:30am – Full House
8:00am- The Brady Bunch
8:30am- The Brady Bunch
9:00am- Family Affair
9:30am- The Donna Reed Show
10:00am – The Carol Burnett Show
11:00am – The Lucy Show
11:30am – The Lucy Show
12:00pm – I Love Lucy
12:30pm – I Love Lucy
1:00pm – The Mary Tyler Moore Show
1:30pm – Rhoda
2:00pm – Laverne & Shirley
2:30pm – Laverne & Shirley
3:00pm – Mama’s Family
3:30pm – Mama’s Family
4:00pm- The Love Boat
Monday-Friday Primetime (All Times ET)
5:00pm – The Odd Couple
5:30pm – The Odd Couple
6:00pm – Good Times
6:30pm – Good Times
7:00pm – Sanford and Son
7:30pm – Sanford and Son
8:00pm – All in the Family
8:30pm – All in the Family
Monday-Friday Late Night (All Times ET)
9:00pm – Night Court
9:30pm – Night Court
10:00pm – The Dick Van Dyke Show
10:30pm – The Dick Van Dyke Show
11:00pm – Cheers
11:30pm – Cheers
12:00am – Taxi
12:30am – The Bob Newhart Show
1:00am – Newhart
Here’s a first look at Catchy Comedy:
https://content.jwplatform.com/previews/Lxio1GGt
--
Let's go Brandon!
into the sitcom-centric Catchy Comedy on March 27, Variety has learned
exclusively. The over-the-air network will focus on a library of classic
comedies, with an emphasis on key female stars including the signature shows
from Lucille Ball, Mary Tyler Moore and Carol Burnett.
But also central to the Catchy Comedy lineup are key series from Norman Lear,
as well as some of the most lauded sitcoms of all time – including the
original “Night Court,” which is back in the spotlight thanks to the success
of the revival series on NBC.
Unlike Decades, which wasn’t measured by ratings, Catchy Comedy will be
Nielsen-rated. “That takes it into a different sphere, in terms of advertiser
availability and access,” said Neal Sabin, vice chairman of Weigel
Broadcasting Co. “There are many advertisers that won’t look at these
networks unless they’re rated, and we’re pretty confident that we have
something here that will rate well.”
Catchy Comedy is cleared in 69.5% of U.S. TV markets, including Fox, CBS and
Weigel Broadcasting stations. The network will also continue to be available
on the Philo and Frndly TV streaming platforms, just as Decades had been.
Weigel is also behind the national broadcast networks MeTV, Start TV, Heroes
& Icons, MOVIES! and Story Television. Sabin said the decision to switch
Decades to Catchy Comedy was a way to differentiate the network from Start
TV, which has found success by focusing on female-focused procedural dramas.
With some of that overlapping with Decades, Sabin said he opted to hone in on
the female-focused comedy theme, some of which had already aired on the
channel.
Decades launched in 2014 with a different kind of format, focusing more on a
historical day-by-day look at pop culture, news and TV shows on the air
during various time frames. The network later shifted to a more contemporary
look.
“But what that did was, it made Decades less of a prominent network in our
portfolio,” Sabin said. “And it is doing just fine as an unrated diginet, but
we felt it was time to up the game.”
Sabin said he noticed that in the markets where he could see ratings for
Decades, it appeared that sitcoms were performing the best for the channel.
“Classic sitcoms and sitcoms with a really good pedigree,” he noted. Hence
the decision to “embrace the comedy elements of the network that were there
before, by just adding a few more sitcoms to the schedule — and to give it a
new name so that advertisers, station affiliates and others know that we are
fully focused on comedy.”
Daytime will be focused on female superstars via shows like “I Love Lucy,”
“The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Rhoda,” “Laverne & Shirley” and the hour-long
full version of “The Carol Burnett Show,” which has rarely been seen in
syndication. Early primetime includes the Norman Lear classics “Good Times,”
“Sanford and Son” and “All in the Family.” And then later in the evening
comes “Night Court,” “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “Cheers,” “Taxi,” “The Bob
Newhart Show” and “Newhart.”
On the weekends, Catchy Comedy will focus on marathons, airing just one or
two series throughout the entire weekend for a binge. First up is “Night
Court,” a nod to the success of the revival. Beyond that, Sabin plans to also
sprinkle the weekend binges with some little-seen or short-lived sitcoms that
still made an impact on pop culture, like “Square Pegs.”
“We plunked ‘Night Court’ right down into primetime because this is ‘Night
Court’s’ moment, and we were very fortunate to pick it up before we knew this
was going to happen,” Sabin said. “It’s serendipitous.”
As for the new name, Sabin quipped, “We were looking for something catchy.
And we like alliterative things. It just seemed to work and we found it
friendly. We shared it with some people and we got positive vibes. We thought
it fit our portfolio of fun names.”
Here’s the Catchy Comedy weekday schedule:
Monday-Friday Daytime (All Times ET)
6:00am – Full House
6:30am – Full House
7:00am – Full House
7:30am – Full House
8:00am- The Brady Bunch
8:30am- The Brady Bunch
9:00am- Family Affair
9:30am- The Donna Reed Show
10:00am – The Carol Burnett Show
11:00am – The Lucy Show
11:30am – The Lucy Show
12:00pm – I Love Lucy
12:30pm – I Love Lucy
1:00pm – The Mary Tyler Moore Show
1:30pm – Rhoda
2:00pm – Laverne & Shirley
2:30pm – Laverne & Shirley
3:00pm – Mama’s Family
3:30pm – Mama’s Family
4:00pm- The Love Boat
Monday-Friday Primetime (All Times ET)
5:00pm – The Odd Couple
5:30pm – The Odd Couple
6:00pm – Good Times
6:30pm – Good Times
7:00pm – Sanford and Son
7:30pm – Sanford and Son
8:00pm – All in the Family
8:30pm – All in the Family
Monday-Friday Late Night (All Times ET)
9:00pm – Night Court
9:30pm – Night Court
10:00pm – The Dick Van Dyke Show
10:30pm – The Dick Van Dyke Show
11:00pm – Cheers
11:30pm – Cheers
12:00am – Taxi
12:30am – The Bob Newhart Show
1:00am – Newhart
Here’s a first look at Catchy Comedy:
https://content.jwplatform.com/previews/Lxio1GGt
--
Let's go Brandon!
A Friend
Feb 14, 2023, 4:18:25 PM2/14/23
to
In article
<super70s-7C6543...@reader01.eternal-september.org>,
> > Heroes & Icons,
Yes
> > MOVIES!
Yes
> > and Story Television.
No
> How many cable subscribers are getting Decades or any of the above other
> than MeTV, which has a "local sponsor"? That's my situation.
<super70s-7C6543...@reader01.eternal-september.org>,
super70s <supe...@super70s.invalid> wrote:
> > Weigel is also behind the national broadcast networks MeTV, Start
> > TV,
Yes
> > Weigel is also behind the national broadcast networks MeTV, Start
> > TV,
> > Heroes & Icons,
Yes
> > MOVIES!
Yes
> > and Story Television.
No
> How many cable subscribers are getting Decades or any of the above other
> than MeTV, which has a "local sponsor"? That's my situation.
A Friend
Feb 14, 2023, 4:21:08 PM2/14/23
to
In article <tsgnn5$2jvfe$1...@dont-email.me>, Ubiquitous
<web...@polaris.net> wrote:
> Daytime will be focused on female superstars via shows like ÏI Love Lucy,Ó
> ÏThe Mary Tyler Moore Show,Ó ÏRhoda,Ó ÏLaverne & ShirleyÓ and the hour-long
> full version of ÏThe Carol Burnett Show,Ó which has rarely been seen in
> syndication. Early primetime includes the Norman Lear classics ÏGood Times,Ó
> ÏSanford and SonÓ and ÏAll in the Family.Ó And then later in the evening
> comes ÏNight Court,Ó ÏThe Dick Van Dyke Show,Ó ÏCheers,Ó ÏTaxi,Ó ÏThe Bob
> Newhart ShowÓ and ÏNewhart.Ó
Yawn. Been there (a lot), seen that.
> On the weekends, Catchy Comedy will focus on marathons, airing just one or
> two series throughout the entire weekend for a binge. First up is ÏNight
> Court,Ó a nod to the success of the revival.
Ditto.
> Beyond that, Sabin plans to also sprinkle the weekend binges with
> some little-seen or short-lived sitcoms that still made an impact on
> pop culture, like ÏSquare Pegs.Ó
Okay ... maybe.
<web...@polaris.net> wrote:
> Daytime will be focused on female superstars via shows like ÏI Love Lucy,Ó
> ÏThe Mary Tyler Moore Show,Ó ÏRhoda,Ó ÏLaverne & ShirleyÓ and the hour-long
> full version of ÏThe Carol Burnett Show,Ó which has rarely been seen in
> syndication. Early primetime includes the Norman Lear classics ÏGood Times,Ó
> ÏSanford and SonÓ and ÏAll in the Family.Ó And then later in the evening
> comes ÏNight Court,Ó ÏThe Dick Van Dyke Show,Ó ÏCheers,Ó ÏTaxi,Ó ÏThe Bob
> Newhart ShowÓ and ÏNewhart.Ó
Yawn. Been there (a lot), seen that.
> On the weekends, Catchy Comedy will focus on marathons, airing just one or
> Court,Ó a nod to the success of the revival.
Ditto.
> Beyond that, Sabin plans to also sprinkle the weekend binges with
> some little-seen or short-lived sitcoms that still made an impact on
Okay ... maybe.
Ubiquitous
Feb 15, 2023, 7:28:33 AM2/15/23
to
supe...@super70s.invalid wrote:
>> Weigel is also behind the national broadcast networks MeTV, Start TV,
>> Heroes & Icons, MOVIES! and Story Television.
>
>> Weigel is also behind the national broadcast networks MeTV, Start TV,
>> Heroes & Icons, MOVIES! and Story Television.
>
> How many cable subscribers are getting Decades or any of the above other
> than MeTV, which has a "local sponsor"? That's my situation.
I'm getting Decades (after an extended abscence) and H&I here.
> than MeTV, which has a "local sponsor"? That's my situation.
Ubiquitous
Feb 15, 2023, 7:31:11 AM2/15/23
to
In article <140220231621054864%no...@noway.com>, no...@noway.com wrote:
> Ubiquitous <web...@polaris.net> wrote:
>> Daytime will be focused on female superstars via shows like ěI Love Lucy,î
> Ubiquitous <web...@polaris.net> wrote:
>> ěThe Mary Tyler Moore Show,î ěRhoda,î ěLaverne & Shirleyî and the hour-
>> long full version of ěThe Carol Burnett Show,î which has rarely been seen
>> in syndication. Early primetime includes the Norman Lear classics ěGood
>> Times,"Sanford and Son", and ěAll in the Family.î And then later in the
>> evening comes ěNight Court,î ěThe Dick Van Dyke Show,î ěCheers,î ěTaxi,î
>> ěThe Bob Newhart Showî and ěNewhart.î
>
>Yawn. Been there (a lot), seen that.
Agreed. I can see most of those anywhere.
>Yawn. Been there (a lot), seen that.
A Friend
Feb 15, 2023, 8:13:43 AM2/15/23
to
In article <tsijad$2slcn$4...@dont-email.me>, Ubiquitous
> >> long full version of ÏThe Carol Burnett Show,Ó which has rarely been seen
> >> in syndication. Early primetime includes the Norman Lear classics ÏGood
> >> Times,"Sanford and Son", and ÏAll in the Family.Ó And then later in the
it used to. It's very tiresome to be presented with the same old crap
over and over and over again. There's nothing in that mix I'd go out
of my way to see, especially for the fiftieth time.
This is TV for people in comas.
<web...@polaris.net> wrote:
> In article <140220231621054864%no...@noway.com>, no...@noway.com wrote:
> > Ubiquitous <web...@polaris.net> wrote:
>
> In article <140220231621054864%no...@noway.com>, no...@noway.com wrote:
> > Ubiquitous <web...@polaris.net> wrote:
>
> >> Daytime will be focused on female superstars via shows like ÏI Love Lucy,Ó
> >> ÏThe Mary Tyler Moore Show,Ó ÏRhoda,Ó ÏLaverne & ShirleyÓ and the hour-
> >> long full version of ÏThe Carol Burnett Show,Ó which has rarely been seen
> >> in syndication. Early primetime includes the Norman Lear classics ÏGood
> >> Times,"Sanford and Son", and ÏAll in the Family.Ó And then later in the
> >> evening comes ÏNight Court,Ó ÏThe Dick Van Dyke Show,Ó ÏCheers,Ó ÏTaxi,Ó
> >> ÏThe Bob Newhart ShowÓ and ÏNewhart.Ó
> >
> >> ÏThe Bob Newhart ShowÓ and ÏNewhart.Ó
> >
> >Yawn. Been there (a lot), seen that.
>
> Agreed. I can see most of those anywhere.
I think they're repurposing stuff that isn't moving nearly as well as
>
> Agreed. I can see most of those anywhere.
it used to. It's very tiresome to be presented with the same old crap
over and over and over again. There's nothing in that mix I'd go out
of my way to see, especially for the fiftieth time.
This is TV for people in comas.
trotsky
Feb 15, 2023, 6:41:21 PM2/15/23
to
Pluted Pup
Feb 17, 2023, 4:01:24 PM2/17/23
to
On Tue, 14 Feb 2023 13:10:45 -0800, super70s wrote:
> > Weigel is also behind the national broadcast networks MeTV, Start TV, Heroes
> > & Icons, MOVIES! and Story Television.
>
> How many cable subscribers are getting Decades or any of the above other
> than MeTV, which has a "local sponsor"? That's my situation.
So does that mean "Catchy" is to cut several minutes
> than MeTV, which has a "local sponsor"? That's my situation.
per episode and crop and/or stretch the picture?
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