Goodbye, TV Guide Network: Remembering the golden era of the scrolling grid
Goodbye, TV Guide Network: Remembering the golden era of the scrolling grid, You know those forgotten corners of TV you haven’t watched in years but suddenly mourn when you realize they’re gone? Welcome to our reaction when we found out that, as of this week, the last vestiges of the TV Guide Channel will be permanently erased.
Face it: You haven’t seen that once-familiar screen in about a decade, have you? Thanks to the “guide” button on cable remote controls, it’s been years since anyone really needed the TV Guide Channel — formerly known, prior to 1999, as the Prevue Channel. You probably didn’t even notice when it changed its name again, slightly, in 2007 to the TV Guide Network, and then settled on TVGN in 2013. And on Wednesday, even that name is gone as the channel officially rebrands as Pop, a (what else) pop-culture channel with the mission to show “the fun of being a fan.”
Channel executives recognized years ago that its grid would eventually become obsolete thanks to cable technology, and over the last five years it has been slowly scrubbing the scrolling grid off the screen as part of its contracts with various cable TV providers. As of this year, it’s completely scroll-free and proud, and boldly pushing new programming in an attempt to shed the reputation of “that channel you use to find other channels.”
But even if you hadn’t watched the scrolling grid in years, wasn’t it nice knowing it was there? A reminder of a simpler time, when you really had to work to find out what trashy thriller was going to be on TNT or USA, or what time a “Law & Order” rerun started. Then, of course, you’d accidentally get drawn in by one of the infomercials or celebrity suck-up interviews running behind it, and then you’d have to watch the entire grid scroll through again.
No, you say? Well, there you go. We’ve all moved on. Pop President Brad Schwartz said no one took the decision to get rid of the TVGN name lightly — especially because it’s been around in some form for years. But in the end, he said, it made sense. The name was coined during a moment of corporate synergy when the channel was owned by the same entity that had bought TV Guide magazine. But they were sold off to other owners years ago; the channel, now a joint venture from CBS and Lionsgate, had no way of controlling the brand name across other platforms.
Executives realized it would take more than polishing up the TVGN logo and adding a couple younger, hipper shows to attract a new, more advertiser-friendly demographic – something that competitors like ABC Family and History have done successfully in the last several years. Instead, Schwartz said, they decided to “rip it all apart and build a personality from scratch.”
“A lot of research went into the TV Guide brand. There is some nostalgia for it, but there’s not an excitement to it,” Schwartz explained. “It skewed old, it wasn’t exciting. . . to an older generation, there’s that nostalgia for that magazine on your coffee table every week. But it’s like being nostalgic for anything you grew up with.”
They landed on Pop, hoping to set itself apart from similar channels like E! and Bravo by focusing its effort on various fandoms. Pop is launching its first night, ironically enough, by tapping into ’90s nostalgia with a reality show called “Rock This Boat: New Kids on the Block” (8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.), chronicling passengers on a cruise with the now-middle-aged boy-banders. You’ll get to meet the group of single moms who are NKOTB diehards — as well as the trio of dudes who signed up for the tour hoping to hook up with the love-starved ladies who realize they have no shot with the stars.
Other shows on the debut night include “The Story Behind” (9 p.m.), a backstage look at beloved TV shows. And on Feb. 11, the network launches the curiously-named “Schitt’s Creek,” an original scripted comedy starring Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara as a wealthy couple who move to a small town after losing their fortune. Later this spring, look for another season of “Unusually Thicke,” a former TVGN reality show following “Growing Pains” star Alan Thicke, father of R&B cheeseball maestro Robin Thicke.
Thanks to its parent companies, Pop is hoping to tap into the obsessive fandoms of Lionsgate properties like “The Hunger Games,” “Divergent,” “Orange is the New Black” and “Mad Men,” with infotainment packages built around exclusive previews and interviews with the stars. Plus, the channel plans to lean on CBS-owned properties such as “Entertainment Tonight” and “The Insider” to broadcast breaking pop-culture news.
Overall, Schwartz said, the name is less important than the overall personality of the channel, which will evolve over time.
“Re-branding is not just a name change. It’s figuring out who you’re going to be and why you exist. We took the channel and thought about that,” he said. “The name comes last.”
Face it: You haven’t seen that once-familiar screen in about a decade, have you? Thanks to the “guide” button on cable remote controls, it’s been years since anyone really needed the TV Guide Channel — formerly known, prior to 1999, as the Prevue Channel. You probably didn’t even notice when it changed its name again, slightly, in 2007 to the TV Guide Network, and then settled on TVGN in 2013. And on Wednesday, even that name is gone as the channel officially rebrands as Pop, a (what else) pop-culture channel with the mission to show “the fun of being a fan.”
Channel executives recognized years ago that its grid would eventually become obsolete thanks to cable technology, and over the last five years it has been slowly scrubbing the scrolling grid off the screen as part of its contracts with various cable TV providers. As of this year, it’s completely scroll-free and proud, and boldly pushing new programming in an attempt to shed the reputation of “that channel you use to find other channels.”
But even if you hadn’t watched the scrolling grid in years, wasn’t it nice knowing it was there? A reminder of a simpler time, when you really had to work to find out what trashy thriller was going to be on TNT or USA, or what time a “Law & Order” rerun started. Then, of course, you’d accidentally get drawn in by one of the infomercials or celebrity suck-up interviews running behind it, and then you’d have to watch the entire grid scroll through again.
No, you say? Well, there you go. We’ve all moved on. Pop President Brad Schwartz said no one took the decision to get rid of the TVGN name lightly — especially because it’s been around in some form for years. But in the end, he said, it made sense. The name was coined during a moment of corporate synergy when the channel was owned by the same entity that had bought TV Guide magazine. But they were sold off to other owners years ago; the channel, now a joint venture from CBS and Lionsgate, had no way of controlling the brand name across other platforms.
Executives realized it would take more than polishing up the TVGN logo and adding a couple younger, hipper shows to attract a new, more advertiser-friendly demographic – something that competitors like ABC Family and History have done successfully in the last several years. Instead, Schwartz said, they decided to “rip it all apart and build a personality from scratch.”
“A lot of research went into the TV Guide brand. There is some nostalgia for it, but there’s not an excitement to it,” Schwartz explained. “It skewed old, it wasn’t exciting. . . to an older generation, there’s that nostalgia for that magazine on your coffee table every week. But it’s like being nostalgic for anything you grew up with.”
They landed on Pop, hoping to set itself apart from similar channels like E! and Bravo by focusing its effort on various fandoms. Pop is launching its first night, ironically enough, by tapping into ’90s nostalgia with a reality show called “Rock This Boat: New Kids on the Block” (8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.), chronicling passengers on a cruise with the now-middle-aged boy-banders. You’ll get to meet the group of single moms who are NKOTB diehards — as well as the trio of dudes who signed up for the tour hoping to hook up with the love-starved ladies who realize they have no shot with the stars.
Other shows on the debut night include “The Story Behind” (9 p.m.), a backstage look at beloved TV shows. And on Feb. 11, the network launches the curiously-named “Schitt’s Creek,” an original scripted comedy starring Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara as a wealthy couple who move to a small town after losing their fortune. Later this spring, look for another season of “Unusually Thicke,” a former TVGN reality show following “Growing Pains” star Alan Thicke, father of R&B cheeseball maestro Robin Thicke.
Thanks to its parent companies, Pop is hoping to tap into the obsessive fandoms of Lionsgate properties like “The Hunger Games,” “Divergent,” “Orange is the New Black” and “Mad Men,” with infotainment packages built around exclusive previews and interviews with the stars. Plus, the channel plans to lean on CBS-owned properties such as “Entertainment Tonight” and “The Insider” to broadcast breaking pop-culture news.
Overall, Schwartz said, the name is less important than the overall personality of the channel, which will evolve over time.
“Re-branding is not just a name change. It’s figuring out who you’re going to be and why you exist. We took the channel and thought about that,” he said. “The name comes last.”