TV Land
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| TV Land | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Launched | April 29, 1996 |
| Owned by | MTV Networks (Viacom) |
| Slogan | Here for the TV Generation |
| Sister channel(s) | Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite |
| Website | TV Land |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| UHF-TV Inc. (Willmar, Minnesota) | K17FA Channel 17 |
| Satellite | |
| DirecTV | Channel 301 |
| Dish Network | Channel 106 |
| Cable | |
| Available on most cable systems | Check Local Listings for channels |
TV Land is an American cable television network which first started transmissions on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns MTV, Neopets, VH1, Nickelodeon and Noggin. TV Land is a spinoff of Nickelodeon's Nick at Nite.
TV Land's programming primarily consists of reruns of television series from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. More recently, however, shows from the 1980s have been aired, such as Cheers, The A-Team, and 227.
More recently TV Land has aired some original programing, including Sit Down Comedy with David Steinberg, 60 Minutes Legends and The 100 Most Unexpected TV Moments.
Another interesting aspect of the channel is that for several years the station broadcast old advertisements, called "TV Land Retromercials." Examples of advertisements aired are the "Mamma mia, that's a spicy meatball!" from Alka-Seltzer and "In Soviet Georgia" from Dannon yogurt, as well as the animated Tootsie Pop owl. Some retromercials have included future stars like Judd Hirsch, Rene Russo, Roy Scheider and Jodie Foster. Retromercials have not surfaced on TV Land in recent years. In early years, current commercials were not shown on TV Land.
TV Land often airs marathon weekends devoted to a single program. In the early 2000s, TV Land aired special programming blocks on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day: the final day of the year would revolve around final episodes of classic television series, and the first day of the new year would air exclusively pilot episodes.
When a particularly important program is airing on a regular network, TV Land will sometimes air nonsense programming (such as footage of staff members holding signs or wearing T-shirts) to encourage viewers to watch the network programming. Recent examples include the series finales of Friends (2004) and Everybody Loves Raymond (2005). The network went dark during the last episode of Seinfeld (1998).
Harry Shearer is the regular announcer for the commercials.
[edit] TV Land Awards
TV Land has been the broadcast home for the TV Land Awards show since the show's inception in 2003. The TV Land Awards are celebration of past classic TV shows and TV stars. The TV Land Awards also broadcasts simultaneously on Nick at Nite.
