The Works (TV network)
The Works was an American digital broadcast television network owned by the MGM Television division of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[1] The network, which was primarily carried on the digital subchannels of television stations, maintained a general entertainment format featuring a mix of feature films, classic television sitcoms and drama series from the 1950s through the 1980s, and news and interview programming.
 | |
| Type | Digital broadcast television network |
|---|---|
| Country | |
| Availability | Nationwide on OTA digital television and LPTV (covered 37%)[1] |
| Headquarters | Beverly Hills, California |
| Owner | MGM Television (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) |
Launch date | April 1, 2014[2] |
| Dissolved | February 28, 2017 |
Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
| Affiliates | List of former affiliates |
Official website | www |
| Replaced by | Charge! |
Through its ownership by MGM, The Works was a sister network to This TV, a joint venture between MGM and Tribune Broadcasting which also focuses on films and classic television series from the 1950s to the 1990s and carries programming from The Works' corporate cousin MGM Television.
History
With little prior announcement of its formation in advance of its debut, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer launched The Works on April 1, 2014; the network debuted on nine television stations owned or operated by Titan Broadcast Management (though either NRJ TV or Ellis Communications), with an initial clearance rate of, at minimum, 31% of all television households in the United States.[2] In addition to carrying The Works on its stations, Titan Broadcast Management also handles advertising sales for the network.[1] To make room for the network, Titan ended its affiliations with the Retro Television Network on most of its stations, swapping out that network with The Works.[3] The network was formally launched in January 2015, with 26 affiliate stations, covering 37% of the nation's television households.[1][2]
The Works subchannel network quietly pulled off the air around February 28, 2017, when remaining affiliates, consisting mainly of Titan Broadcast Management operated stations, switched to Charge!, a subchannel network operated by MGM.[4][5]
"The Works" remains in use for an online-only channel focusing on classic movies.[6]
Programming
The Works' program schedule relied primarily on the extensive library of films and television programming currently owned by MGM and subsidiary United Artists. Unlike many other digital multicast networks, The Works also featured some more recent and originally-produced programming.
The network maintained a general entertainment programming format with a large emphasis on theatrical feature films from the MGM library, sports and classic television series.[2] News programming was also provided by the network through a programming agreement with The Huffington Post, which provided a rebroadcast of its discussion program Huff Post Live in separate two-hour blocks of news in the midday and early evening on Monday through Fridays; affiliates were also inclined to produce local news content to air on the network.[1]
Classic television series
- The Addams Family
- American Gladiators
- Comedy Time
- Home Run Derby
- Science Fiction Theatre
- The Rat Patrol
- Quick Laffs
Children's programming
- BoomerangE/I
- Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot
- Heroes Among UsE/I
- Jack Hanna's Into the WildE/I
- Killer InstinctE/I
- Prince Planet
News/interview programming
Former affiliates
| City | Station | Virtual channel |
Physical channel |
Owner (Management Company) | Date of affiliation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arkansas | ||||||
| Harrison | K26GS-D | 26.2 | 26 | Reynolds Media, Inc. | ||
California | ||||||
| Concord/San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose | KTNC-TV | 42.3 | 39 | NRJ TV1 (Titan Broadcast Management) | ||
| Fresno | KFAZ-CA | 8.1 | 18 | Cocola Broadcasting | ||
| San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose | KCNS | 38.6 | 14 | NRJ TV (Titan Broadcast Management) | ||
| Visalia (Fresno) | KJKZ-LP | 27.1 | 27 | Cocola Broadcasting | ||
Connecticut | ||||||
| Bridgeport (New York City) | WZME | 43.2 | 42 | NRJ TV (Titan Broadcast Management) | ||
Georgia | ||||||
| Atlanta | WANN-CD | 32.9 | 29 | Prism Broadcasting Network | May 27, 2015 | |
Illinois | ||||||
| Chicago | WOCH-CD | 41.1 | 49 | NRJ TV (Titan Broadcast Management) | ||
Iowa | ||||||
| Iowa City | KWKB-TV | 20.2 | 25 | KM Communications | ||
Kansas | ||||||
| Wichita | KCTU-LD | 43.4 | 43 | River City Broadcasters, Inc. | ||
Massachusetts | ||||||
| Lawrence (Boston) | WMFP | 62.3 | 18 | NRJ TV (Titan Broadcast Management) | ||
Mississippi | ||||||
| Pascagoula | WKFK-LD | 7.5 | 13 | NCN Cable Advertising | ||
Nevada | ||||||
| Las Vegas | KGNG-LD | 47.5 | 48 | King Kong Broadcasting, Inc. | ||
Pennsylvania | ||||||
| Reading/Allentown (Philadelphia) | WTVE | 51.2 | 25 | NRJ TV (Titan Broadcast Management) | ||
| Red Lion (York/Harrisburg/ Lancaster/Lebanon) | WGCB-TV | 49.3 | 26 | |||
Puerto Rico | ||||||
| Culebra | W24DW-D | 21.1 | 24 | TV Red de Puerto Rico, Inc. | Ceased affiliation prior to The Works' closure | |
Texas | ||||||
| Baytown (Houston) | KUBE-TV | 57.2 | 41 | NRJ TV (Titan Broadcast Management) | ||
Notes:
- 1 NRJ TV is 33.3% owned by the principals of Titan Broadcasting Management, Bert Ellis and his partners.[7]
References
- Kevin Downey (January 21, 2015). "Next diginet entry: MGM's The Works". TVNewsCheck. NewsCheck Media. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
- Michael Malone (May 2, 2014). "Exclusive: MGM Launches Digi-Net The Works". Retrieved January 3, 2015.
The channel reaches 31% of U.S. households, according to the insider.
- Michael Kokernak (June 12, 2014). "Titan Adds The Works While Dropping Retro TV". Across Platforms (Subchannel Report). Across Platforms. Inc. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
- Stilson, Janet (July 18, 2017). "Optimistic Outlook On Multicast's Prospects". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
And it also rebranded a classic TV diginet, The Works. It’s now called Charge and has narrowed its retro focus to action-adventure.
- "Stations for Owner - Titan Broadcast Management". RabbitEars.Info. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
- https://therokuchannel.roku.com/watch/549360fccf725231a3539cc2ab5620fa/the-works
- Harry A. Jessell (January 18, 2013). "NRJ Adds 2 Stations To Portfolio For $32.5M". TVNewsCheck. NewsCheck Media. Retrieved January 29, 2015.