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!

> 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.

In article
<super70s-7C6543.15104514022023@reader01.eternal-september.org>,
super70s <super70s@super70s.invalid> wrote:

> > Weigel is also behind the national broadcast networks MeTV, Start
> > TV,

Yes

> > 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.

In article <tsgnn5$2jvfe$1@dont-email.me>, Ubiquitous
<weberm@polaris.net> wrote:

> Daytime will be focused on female superstars via shows like ìI Love Lucy,î
> ìThe Mary Tyler Moore Show,î ìRhoda,î ìLaverne & Shirleyî and the hour-long
> full version of ìThe Carol Burnett Show,î which has rarely been seen in
> syndication. Early primetime includes the Norman Lear classics ìGood Times,î
> ìSanford and Sonî and ìAll in the Family.î And then later in the evening
> comes ìNight Court,î ìThe Dick Van Dyke Show,î ìCheers,î ìTaxi,î ìThe Bob
> Newhart Showî and ìNewhart.î

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 ìNight
> Court,î 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 ìSquare Pegs.î

Okay ... maybe.

In article <140220231618235098%nope@noway.com>,
A Friend <nope@noway.com> wrote:

> In article
> <super70s-7C6543.15104514022023@reader01.eternal-september.org>,
> super70s <super70s@super70s.invalid> wrote:
>
> > > Weigel is also behind the national broadcast networks MeTV, Start
> > > TV,
>
> Yes
>
> > > 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.

I enjoy MeTV but if it means increasing the cable bill just to get all
those other Weigel networks it's just as well I don't get them.

Apparently Weigel doesn't have some "must carry" BS for all those other
networks if you carry MeTV like Warner/Discover, Viacom and the other
big boys on the block do.

On Tuesday, February 14, 2023 at 3:21:11 PM UTC-6, A Friend wrote:
> 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.

WKRP lasted about a year after Taxi, and its better than the rest.

Ubi's crosspost to newsgroups he doesn't read cut.

super70s <super70s@super70s.invalid> wrote:

>. . .

>Apparently Weigel doesn't have some "must carry" BS for all those other
>networks if you carry MeTV like Warner/Discover, Viacom and the other
>big boys on the block do.

"Must carry" doesn't apply to secondary subchannels. As far as
recipricol compensation, Weigel just asks for carriage of the secondary
subchannels but they don't get all of them carried.

super70s@super70s.invalid 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.

I'm getting Decades (after an extended abscence) and H&I here.

--
Let's go Brandon!

In article <140220231621054864%nope@noway.com>, nope@noway.com wrote:
> Ubiquitous <weberm@polaris.net> wrote:

>> 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.�
>
>Yawn. Been there (a lot), seen that.

Agreed. I can see most of those anywhere.

--
Let's go Brandon!

In article <tshjo9$2pcee$2@dont-email.me>,
"Adam H. Kerman" <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

> Ubi's crosspost to newsgroups he doesn't read cut.
>
> super70s <super70s@super70s.invalid> wrote:
>
> >. . .
>
> >Apparently Weigel doesn't have some "must carry" BS for all those other
> >networks if you carry MeTV like Warner/Discover, Viacom and the other
> >big boys on the block do.
>
> "Must carry" doesn't apply to secondary subchannels.

Well if a local station broadcast Start, Heroes, MOVIES, etc. I'm pretty
sure my provider would be obliged to carry it because they have MeTV on
the lowly basic tier.

> As far as recipricol compensation, Weigel just asks for carriage of the
> secondary subchannels but they don't get all of them carried.

I was thinking more along the lines of if a local station carried MeTV
would they also be obliged to carry all those other Weigel networks,
like the "package deals" that Warner, Viacom, etc. force down the
providers' throats.

I wasn't even aware Weigel/MeTV controlled any other networks, I've
never heard of most of them except Decades which used to run some ads in
TV Guide.

In article <tsijad$2slcn$4@dont-email.me>, Ubiquitous
<weberm@polaris.net> wrote:

> In article <140220231621054864%nope@noway.com>, nope@noway.com wrote:
> > Ubiquitous <weberm@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
> >
> >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
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.

super70s <super70s@super70s.invalid> wrote:
>"Adam H. Kerman" <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
>>super70s <super70s@super70s.invalid> wrote:

>>>. . .

>>>Apparently Weigel doesn't have some "must carry" BS for all those other
>>>networks if you carry MeTV like Warner/Discover, Viacom and the other
>>>big boys on the block do.

>>"Must carry" doesn't apply to secondary subchannels.

>Well if a local station broadcast Start, Heroes, MOVIES, etc. I'm pretty
>sure my provider would be obliged to carry it because they have MeTV on
>the lowly basic tier.

It doesn't work like that. The current rules from the 1992 Telecom Act
are must carry/retransmission consent. "Must carry" is the right of a
broadcast station to be carried by the cable distributor, and
stations with weak signals can be carried by cable throughout a
metropolitan area beyond the effective broacast radius. "Must carry" is
the default assumption but a tv station can refuse to be carried.

In multiplexed digital broadcast, "must carry" applies to the main subchannel
and not secondary subchannels.

"Retransmission consent" is the right of the broadcast channel to demand
compensation from cable, which is what led to massive industry
consolidation in which broadcast networks are in the same conglomerates
as satellite channels typically redistributed by cable. It's why ESPN is
part of ABC and why Comcast owns NBC and various satellite channels.

In Weigel's case, they don't typically demand compensation, just
carriage of applicable digital subchannels.

Weigel owns the license for Channel 26 in Chicago and a handful of
broadcast licenses in other markets. This makes it important as the last
remaining independent channel which forces syndicators to negotiate with
it. Weigel is not a major player in television station licenses
nationwide.

Instead, they own rights (most of which do not appear to be exclusive)
to a vast library of television programming. This is how they assembled
their networks.

Decades channel was different. Nationwide, the CBS O&Os were late taking
advantage of multiplexing of their broadcast signals and when they wanted
to go into that business, it was cheaper to ask Weigel to come up with
programming than to do it on their own. Also, the programming wss different
as it was from the Viacom library. Decades channel was therefore part of
the CBS retransmission consent deal and not the Weigel deal. In markets
without a CBS O&O, Weigel signs up affiliates.

It's also why Bill Kurtis, a retired well-known Chicago news anchor
for the CBS O&O here, was the host of some of the retrospective
programming on the channel.

In 2019, Decades left CBS O&O subchannels in a number of markets and Fox
O&Os became the affiliates. Here in Chicago, Weigel does it on its own
subchannel.

>>As far as recipricol compensation,

I meant retransmission consent.

>>Weigel just asks for carriage of the secondary subchannels but they
>>don't get all of them carried.

>I was thinking more along the lines of if a local station carried MeTV
>would they also be obliged to carry all those other Weigel networks,
>like the "package deals" that Warner, Viacom, etc. force down the
>providers' throats.

If Weigel is doing the negotiation on behalf of its own O&O or sometimes
an affiliate in certain markets, it's friendlier than that because
Weigel wants the carriage and the ability to make money directly on
their share of the air time sold.

>I wasn't even aware Weigel/MeTV controlled any other networks, I've
>never heard of most of them except Decades which used to run some ads in
>TV Guide.

If there wasn't someone out there like Weigel, the O&Os or the handful
of remaining independent broadcast licensees would have to do their own
programming for the subchannels and it's just easier and cheaper to do
it through Weigel in a lot of cases.

Unfortunately, Weigel edits for time and lops off the top and bottom to
turn 4:3 into 16:9 even though it's still SD on most of the subchannels
they're on, because everybody assumes that the viewer freaks out if he
sees the black bars. Weigel doesn't usually broadcast anamorphic as I've
seen others do, which introduces all new aggravation.

On 2/15/23 7:13 AM, A Friend wrote:
> In article <tsijad$2slcn$4@dont-email.me>, Ubiquitous
> <weberm@polaris.net> wrote:
>
>> In article <140220231621054864%nope@noway.com>, nope@noway.com wrote:
>>> Ubiquitous <weberm@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
>>>
>>> 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
> 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.

That sounds like Pubie.

In article <tsir0j$2tlsl$1@dont-email.me>,
"Adam H. Kerman" <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

> It's also why Bill Kurtis, a retired well-known Chicago news anchor
> for the CBS O&O here, was the host of some of the retrospective
> programming on the channel.

You were lucky to get to watch him locally for so long, I always thought
he was smooth as silk and had an agreeable style. Kind of like CNN's
Martin Savidge who hails from Canada, he was born to be a news anchor.

Unfortunately Savidge was among those who got pink slips from CNN in
December in a cost cutting move along with Robin Meade on HLN, Chris
Cilliza and Alison Kosik.

> Unfortunately, Weigel edits for time and lops off the top and bottom to
> turn 4:3 into 16:9 even though it's still SD on most of the subchannels
> they're on, because everybody assumes that the viewer freaks out if he
> sees the black bars. Weigel doesn't usually broadcast anamorphic as I've
> seen others do, which introduces all new aggravation.

Yes it's amazing when you watch MASH on MeTV and then watch it on
TVLand, which does a strict 4:3 thing.

If Weigel edits for time at least they show the full end credits for all
their programs, unlike TVLand which does that tiny thing at the bottom
of the screen while the end of the program is still going on.

I tell you what bugs the hell out of me though -- when I use the cable
provider's rewatch function to watch something earlier in the day (they
claim they have 3 days' worth but I never go back that far) and it
starts about a minute earlier than the beginning of the show, then chops
off some at the end. Is this due to the networks not starting the shows
exactly at the top of the hour (and not ending exactly half past the
hour), or is the cable provider's DVR set up to do that to make sure you
don't miss the beginning of the show? Seems like they should have some
way you could adjust that in the preferences section.

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
per episode and crop and/or stretch the picture?