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| Type | Defunctbroadcasttelevision network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Affiliates | List of affiliates |
| Programming | |
| Picture format | 480i (NTSC) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Warner Bros. Domestic Television BHC Communications |
| Parent | Prime Time Consortium |
| History | |
| Launched | January 20, 1993 (1993-01-20) |
| Closed | October 27, 1997 (1997-10-27) (4 years, 280 days) |
| Replaced by | The WB UPN |
ThePrime Time Entertainment Network (PTEN) was an American television network that was operated by the Prime Time Consortium, ajoint venture between theWarner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution subsidiary ofTime Warner and theBHC Communications subsidiary ofChris-Craft Industries. First launched on January 20, 1993, and operating until 1997, the network mainly aired drama programs aimed at adults between the ages of 18 and 54. At its peak, PTEN's programming was carried on 177 television stations, covering 93% of the country.[1] Taking on a pay-TV network-type appearance, with its scheduling strategy, the network andpremium-TV-like nature of this network followed theCinemax model. At the time, Cinemax was the top-rated pay TV network, having had a reputation for securing high-profile films and shows (being the exclusive premiere network ofGoodFellas in 1991, and having the last seasons ofSCTV in the 80s). This is significant asUPN would be the primary network of the stations that carried this network, such asWWOR andKCOP.
At the time of PTEN's founding, co-owner Chris-Craft Industries ownedindependent television stations in several large and mid-sized U.S. cities (among them its two largest stations,WWOR-TV inNew York City andKCOP-TV inLos Angeles) through itsBHC Communications division, which formed the nuclei of the network.[2]
PTEN was launched in 1993 as a potential fifth television network (the second since the demise ofStar Television Network, launched in 1990, but shutdown the year after, in 1991), and was created in reaction to the launch of theFox network (which debuted in October 1986, seven years before PTEN launched) as well as the successes of first-run syndicated programming during the late 1980s and early 1990s. It offered packaged nights of programming to participating television stations, beginning with a two-hour block on Wednesday evenings, with a second block (originally airing on Saturday, before moving to Monday for the 1994-95 season) being added in September 1993.[3] Originally, the station groups involved in the Prime Time Consortium helped finance PTEN's programs; however, that deal was restructured at the beginning of the network's second year.
The service sought affiliations with various television stations not affiliated with theBig Three television networks. However, close to half of PTEN's initial affiliates were stations that were already affiliated with Fox; as a result, these stations usually scheduled PTEN programming around Fox's then five-nightprime time schedule (although Fox would expand its schedule to seven nights with the addition of programming on Tuesdays and Wednesdays on January 19, 1993, the day before PTEN launched). PTEN launched on January 20, 1993, with two series: the science fiction seriesTime Trax and the action dramaKung Fu: The Legend Continues.[2]
PTEN faced two obstacles created by its parent companies which would affect the network. On November 2, 1993, the Warner Bros. Entertainment division of Time Warner announced that it would form its own fifth network,The WB, as a joint venture with theTribune Company,[4] Six days earlier, on October 27,Chris-Craft Industries announced the launch of the United Paramount Network (UPN), in a programming partnership with theParamount Television division ofViacom (which would become part-owner of the network in 1996). As a result, the core Chris-Craft independent stations (as well as those owned byParamount) would serve asflagship stations of the new network; Chris-Craft also chose to pull out of the partnership to focus on operating UPN.
The network also faced issues from some PTEN-affiliated stations that took issue with the network's barter split, which gave nine minutes of advertising time per hour to the syndicator, leaving only five minutes for the stations to sell and program locally. PTEN also ran into difficulty when the studio was forced to let stations out of their back-end commitments for several series. PTEN adopted a variable schedule for the 1995-1996 season, for affiliates to schedule around The WB and UPN's programming on the night of their choosing. With Chris-Craft pulling out of the venture, PTEN essentially became a syndication service for its remaining shows, before ceasing operations altogether in 1997. One of the two series that aired during the service's final year of operation, thescience fictiondramaBabylon 5, would later be revived byTNT, where it aired for a fifth and final season beginning in 1998.