View source for Prime Time Entertainment Network

{{short description|American television network}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2013}}
{{Infobox television channel
| name = Prime Time Entertainment Network
| image = Prime Time Entertainment Network (logo).jpg
| type = Defunct [[Terrestrial television|broadcast]] [[television network]]
| country = United States
| affiliates = [[#Affiliates|List of affiliates]]
| picture_format = 480i ([[NTSC]])
| owner = [[Warner_Bros. Television Studios#Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution|Warner Bros. Domestic Television]]<br>[[BHC Communications]]
| parent = Prime Time Consortium
| launch_date = {{Start date|1993|01|20}}
| closed_date = {{End date|1997|10|27}}<br>({{age in years and days|1993|01|20|1997|10|27}})
| replaced_by = [[The WB]]<br>[[UPN]]
}}
The '''Prime Time Entertainment Network''' ('''PTEN''') was an American television network that was operated by the Prime Time Consortium, a [[joint venture]] between the [[Warner Bros. Television Studios#Warner Bros. Domestic Television_Distribution|Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution]] subsidiary of [[Time Warner]] and the [[BHC Communications]] subsidiary of [[Chris-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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Space, 2258, in the Year 1994|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-01-23-tv-14354-story.html|page=4|author=Susan King|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=January 23, 1994|access-date=June 25, 2009}}</ref> Taking on a pay-TV network-type appearance, with its scheduling strategy, the network and [[subscription television|premium-TV]]-like nature of this network followed the [[Cinemax]] 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 of ''[[GoodFellas]]'' in 1991, and having the last seasons of ''SCTV'' in the 80s). This is significant as [[UPN]] would be the primary network of the stations that carried this network, such as [[WWOR-TV|WWOR]] and [[KCOP-TV|KCOP]].

==History==

===Origins===
At the time of PTEN's founding, co-owner Chris-Craft Industries owned [[Independent station (North America)|independent]] television stations in several large and mid-sized U.S. cities (among them its two largest stations, [[WWOR-TV]] in [[New York City]] and [[KCOP-TV]] in [[Los Angeles]]) through its [[BHC Communications]] division, which formed the nuclei of the network.<ref name=vty>{{cite news|title=Warner weblet to 2-night sked|url=https://variety.com/1993/tv/news/warner-weblet-to-2-night-sked-107288/|author=Jim Benson|periodical=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|publisher=[[Reed Business Information|Cahners Business Information]]|date=May 28, 1993}}</ref>

PTEN was launched in 1993 as a potential fifth television network (the second since the demise of [[Star Television Network]], launched in 1990, but shutdown the year after, in 1991), and was created in reaction to the launch of the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] 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.<ref>{{cite news|title=PTEN goes to two evenings, sort of|author=Mike Freeman|page=16|periodical=[[Broadcasting & Cable]]|publisher=Cahners Business Information|date=May 31, 1993}}</ref> 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 the [[Big 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-night [[prime 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 series ''[[Time Trax]]'' and the action drama ''[[Kung Fu: The Legend Continues]]''.<ref name=vty/>

===Demise===
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 the [[Tribune Media|Tribune Company]],<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140610085342/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-22543783.html Time Warner TV Network to Cover 40% of Nation], ''[[The Buffalo News]]'', November 2, 1993.</ref> Six days earlier, on October 27, [[Chris-Craft Industries]] announced the launch of the United Paramount Network ([[UPN]]), in a programming partnership with the [[Paramount Television]] division of [[Viacom (1952–2006)|Viacom]] (which would become part-owner of the network in 1996). As a result, the core Chris-Craft independent stations (as well as those owned by [[Paramount Stations Group|Paramount]]) would serve as [[Flagship (broadcasting)|flagship 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, the [[science fiction]] [[drama]] ''[[Babylon 5]]'', would later be revived by [[TNT (American TV network)|TNT]], where it aired for a fifth and final season beginning in 1998.

==Programming==

===Former programming===

====Series====
* ''[[Babylon 5]]'' (February 22, 1993, as a [[television film]]; January 26, 1994{{Snd}}October 27, 1997, as a weekly series)
* ''[[Kung Fu: The Legend Continues]]'' (January 27, 1993{{Snd}}January 1, 1997)
* ''[[Pointman]]'' (January 24, 1994, as a television film; January 26{{Snd}}November 27, 1995, as a series)
* ''[[Time Trax]]'' (January 20, 1993{{Snd}}December 3, 1994)

====Films and mini-series====
* ''[[The History of Rock 'n' Roll]]'' (March 6, 1995) 10 hour documentary<ref>{{cite news |last1=B |first1=M |title=Rock 'n' roll finds home on Internet |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1995/BC-1995-03-06.pdf |access-date=March 16, 2020 |work=Broadcasting & Cable |date=March 6, 1995 |page=34}}</ref>
* ''[[Island City (1994 film)|Island City]]'' (March 2, 1994)
* ''[[The Wild West (1993 TV miniseries)|The Wild West]]'' (March 22–26, 1993)

==References==
{{reflist}}
*{{cite magazine|title=Lots of action in action-adventure genre|author=Mike Freeman|magazine=Broadcasting & Cable|date=January 17, 1994}}
*{{cite news|title=Action escalates For Syndicators|author=Mike Freeman|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|publisher=Cahners Business Information|date=August 29, 1994}}
*{{cite news|title=Fate of WB's 'Pointman' undecided|author=David Tobenkin|periodical=Broadcasting & Cable|publisher=Cahners Business Information|date=April 24, 1995}}
*{{cite web|title=B5: Babylon 5 TV Station List/Times updated!|url=http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.sf.tv/browse_thread/thread/98843822ed20a79c/5dbb63b15ca806e7?lnk=st&q=%22Prime+Time+Entertainment+Network%22+%22station+list%22+95&rnum=1|author=Lee Whiteside|work=rec.arts.sf.tv|publisher=[[Google Groups]]|date=April 6, 1995|access-date=November 27, 2006}}

{{American broadcast television}}
{{The WB}}

[[Category:Prime Time Entertainment Network| ]]
[[Category:1993 establishments in the United States]]
[[Category:1997 disestablishments in the United States]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations established in 1993]]
[[Category:Television channels and stations disestablished in 1997]]
[[Category:Defunct television networks in the United States]]
[[Category:Television programming blocks in the United States]]
[[Category:Former joint ventures]]
[[Category:Simulcasts]]