Prime Time Entertainment Network

Infobox Network
network_name = Prime Time Entertainment Network
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network_type = Defunct broadcast television network
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country = United States
available = National
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owner = Warner Bros. Domestic Television, Chris-Craft
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launch_date = 1993
closure_date = 1997
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footnotes = |The Prime Time Entertainment Network (also known as PTEN) was a United States television network launched in 1993 by the Prime Time Consortium, a joint venture between Warner Bros. Domestic Television and the Chris-Craft group of independent stations. Originally, the station groups in the consortium helped finance the shows on PTEN, but that deal was restructured at the beginning of the network's second year. At its peak, PTEN had 177 stations covering 93% of the country.

Origins

PTEN was launched as a potential fifth network, and offered packaged nights of programming to television stations, beginning with a two-hour block, with second block added one year later. However, close to half of PTEN's initial affiliates were FOX stations, and PTEN programming was usually scheduled around FOX's then five-night prime time schedule. Some PTEN-affiliated stations took issue with the network's barter split, which gave nine minutes of advertising time per hour to the syndicator, leaving only five minutes to the stations. The network also ran into difficulty when the studio was forced to let stations out of their back-end commitments for several series.

Demise

When Chris-Craft pulled out of the partnership and realigned with the just-launched UPN in 1995, and Warner Bros. launched The WB with the Tribune station group, PTEN essentially became a syndication service for its remaining shows. The network eventually closed down in 1997.

Programming

The most successful PTEN program was the science fiction drama "Babylon 5". Other shows included "Pointman", "Island City", "Time Trax", and "" and two 10-hour documentary mini-series: "The Wild West" and "The History of Rock 'n' Roll".

Broadcast schedule

1) Airtimes not verified.

Network affiliates

References

*cite news |first=Mike |last=Freeman |pages=16 |title=PTEN goes to two evenings, sort of |date=May 31, 1993 |publisher=Broadcasting & Cable |url=

*cite news |first=Mike |last=Freeman |pages= |title=Lots of action in action-adventure genre |date=January 17, 1994 |publisher=Broadcasting & Cable |url=

*cite news |first=Susan|last=King |pages=4 |title=Space, 2258 |date=January 23, 1994 |publisher=Los Angeles Times |url=

*cite news |first=Mike |last=Freeman |pages= |title=Action escalates For Syndicators |date=August 29, 1994 |publisher=Broadcasting & Cable |url=

*cite news |first=David |last=Tobenkin |pages= |title=Fate of WB's `Pointman' undecided |date=April 24, 1995 |publisher=Broadcasting & Cable |url=

*cite web |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 |title=B5: Babylon 5 TV Station List/Times updated! |accessdate=2006-11-27 |last=Whiteside |first=Lee |date=1995-04-06 |work=rec.arts.sf.tv |publisher=Google Groups