Today, there are seven different "over-the-air" ( FREE ) stations available which play 24-hour classic TV/movie programming....a sheer delight for hobby-less baby-boomers, mesothelioma victims, and incontinent housewives. We never thought we'd live to see the day when we'd utter the words "there is too much on television!". During a Hart to Hart commercial break we can now hop on over to MeTV and watch The Andy Griffith Show, or click on RetroTV and see Doctor Who, or even catch the ending of The Trouble with Angels on the GET TV channel. Holy TV overload, Batman!
Anyway, as a tiny service to any of our Eastern readers who were not aware of what cult-classic riches were lurking within their boob-tubes, we have put together this brief post highlighting some of these stations and their current scheduling. Note : some of the stations change their schedules for summer.
The Mega-Four:
COZI TV - Channel 5. 2 in Cleveland. Click here to view the schedule in your area.
Retro TV - Channel 29/35 in Akron. Click here to view the schedule in your area.
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MORNING
8:00AM
The Andy Griffith Show - MeTV ( 2 Episodes )
Father Knows Best - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
E/I Programming - Retro TV
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp - COZI TV ( 2 Episodes )
9:00AM
Daniel Boone - MeTV
The Patty Duke Show - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Black Beauty - Retro TV
The Lone Ranger - COZI TV ( 2 Episodes )
10:00AM
Perry Mason - MeTV
Mr. Ed - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Moviestar - Retro TV
Walt Disney's Zorro - COZI TV ( 2 Episodes )
11:00AM
Quincy M.E - MeTV
Green Acres - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Crosswords - Retro TV ( 2 Episodes )
Dragnet - COZI TV ( 2 Episodes )
AFTERNOON
12:00PM
The Rockford Files - MeTV
Bewitched - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
The Doctors - Retro TV ( 2 Episodes )
Adam-12 - COZI TV ( 2 Episodes )
1:00PM
Gunsmoke - MeTV
I Dream of Jeannie - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Naked City - Retro TV
Starsky and Hutch - COZI TV
2:00PM
Bonanza - MeTV
Dennis the Menace - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Route 66 - Retro TV
Charlie's Angels - COZI TV
3:00PM
The Riflemen - MeTV ( 2 Episodes )
Leave it to Beaver - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
The Campbells - Retro TV ( followed by Ozzie and Harriet )
Murder, She Wrote - COZI TV
4:00PM
Star Trek - MeTV
Mr. Belvedere - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
The Cisco Kid - Retro TV ( 2 Episodes )
Murder, She Wrote - COZI TV
5:00PM
Emergency! - MeTV
Three's Company - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Tarzan - Retro TV ( followed by The New Zorro )
The Dick Van Dyke Show - COZI TV ( 2 Episodes )
EVENING
6:00PM
C.H.I.P.S - MeTV
Barney Miller - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Lucy Show/Beverly Hillbillies/Petticoat Junction/Dusty's Trail/Soupy Sales - Retro TV ( followed by The Joey Bishop Show )
Here's Lucy - COZI TV ( 2 Episodes )
7:00PM
MASH - MeTV ( 2 Episodes )
Sanford and Son - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Highway to Heaven - Retro TV
Make Room for Daddy - COZI TV ( followed by My Favorite Martian )
8:00PM
The Andy Griffith Show - MeTV ( 2 Episodes )
Good Times - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Doctor Who - Retro TV ( 2 Episodes )
Hart to Hart/Starsky/Six Million Dollar Man/Charlie's Angels/ or Murder She Wrote - COZI TV
9:00PM
Hogan's Heroes - MeTV ( followed by The Twilight Zone )
All in the Family - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
The Doctors - Retro TV ( 2 Episodes )
Hart to Hart/Starsky/Bionic Woman/Magnum P.I/ or Murder, She Wrote - COZI TV
10:00PM
The Odd Couple - MeTV ( 2 Episodes )
The Jeffersons - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Police Surgeon - Retro TV ( 2 Episodes )
It Takes a Thief/Knight Rider/Bionic Woman/Magnum P.I/ or Murder, She Wrote - COZI TV
11:00PM
Carol Burnett and Friends - MeTV ( followed by Perry Mason )
One Day at a Time - Antenna TV ( 2 Episodes )
Cold Squad - Retro TV
Miami Vice - COZI TV ( followed by The Avengers )
SATURDAY PROGRAMMING
The afternoon arrangement changes with Antenna TV featuring Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Mr. Ed, Flipper, The Monkees, and The Partridge Family. Retro TV has a Saturday Movie Matinee at 1pm for the big-kiddies, followed by Hopalong Cassidy, Sherlock Holmes, and One Step Beyond to cap off the afternoon. MeTV gives us westerns galore with The Big Valley, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Wanted Dead or Alive and The Rifleman, while COZI has two feature films ( usually 1980s flicks ) followed by several comedy episodes of The Dick Van Dyke Show to wash away the taste of the former.
Things take a turn to the horror/sci-fi genre for the evening with MeTV's line-up of Batman, Wonder Woman, Star Trek and the mystery/cult movie hosted by Svengoolie ( who, just for the record, copied off of the Cleveland icon Ghoulardie ). Retro TV has the classic Doctor Who and Mystery Science Theatre 3000. Antenna TV tries to tickle your funny bone with comedies such as Small Wonder, The Ropers, Doogie Howser, and Too Close for Comfort, while COZI concludes the day with Miami Vice, Fantasy Island and I Spy.
SUNDAY'S FUN DAY
The week kicks off with MeTV's Sunday lineup which includes back-to-school classics such as Welcome Back Kotter, Gilligan's Island and Saved by the Bell before beginning their Sunday Brunch with four episodes of The Brady Bunch followed by The Love Boat, Remington Steele, and The Streets of San Francisco. Sunday nights are "murrrrder!" as Lionel Stander would say, and MeTV puts The Mod Squad, Hawaii Five-O, and Black Sheep Squadron in the mix before Columbo begins at 8pm. Then it is spy time with The Man from UNCLE, Mission Impossible and Get Smart.
COZI TV got My Favorite Martain, The New Howdy Doody Show, and Maverick with a Make Room for Daddy marathon in the afternoon. In the evening, Here's Lucy acts as the appetizer for two episodes of Murder, She Wrote and the Sunday night flick. Retro TV rotates some of their weekly programs with Robin Hood, Ozzie and Harriet and The New Zorro starting off the lineup while Bonanza, Movin' On and Mystery Science Theatre 3000 play until the Sunday night movie begins.
Lastly, Antenna TV gets off to a flying start with The Flying Nun, Gidget, The Monkees, Green Acres, Small Wonder, Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie before beginning their 1970s sitcom programs : All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, The Jeffersons, and Sanford and Son.
THE WEE HOURS
Some of the best programs get the worst time-slots and all four stations seem to have the gems playing in the night : The Saint, Peter Gunn, Mr. Lucky, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and The Real McCoys are just some of the titles.
THE FILM CHANNELS
Get TV : Sony's own classic film channel features some rare Columbia Pictures films and a lot of the big name films from the Sony Pictures archive. Features include the Get Out of Town westerns on Saturday, Get Groovy Tuesdays ( 1950s/60s films ), Afternoon Delights spotlighting legendary actresses, and an Icon of the Week ( usually in conjunction with a stars birthday ). Channel 61.3 in Cleveland.
Click here to visit their website.
Movies! : Since Fox owns the lion's share of this classic film network, you can be sure that a lot of 20th Century Fox rarities will show up here, but some Columbia and Paramount Picture releases sneak in upon occasion as well. Some of their titles included : Anna and the King of Siam, Rhubarb, The Flying Tigers and the Mr. Moto collection. Channel 55.3 in Cleveland.
Click here to visit their website.
THIS TV : This channel puts a few good titles in the mix ( especially among the westerns ), but mainly their focus is on 1960s/1970s films and some really corny 1980s movies. They also toss a few television programs in such as Sea Hunt. Formally Channel 55.3 in Cleveland.
Click here to visit their website.
Geeze, I feel left out - the only one we get in my area (Big Sur, Cali) is Retro-TV - no matter if you are on satellite or cable. We get TCM on the cable service however for older movies. I was a 40s kid so I like the early 50s TV stuff and a lot of them are on You-Tube
ReplyDeleteYes, the gods of cult tv took pity on us poor Clevelanders and gave us lots of channels to pick up on with our antennae. Living in the snowbelt has at least one benefit. Most of these channels are aiming at the baby boomers who grew up in the 1960s so they don't play too many of the shows from television's golden era. Did you ever watch The Halls of Ivy ( Ronald Colman's program )?You might be able to pick up Me-TV on Channel 27.1 in your area.
DeleteI really enjoyed this posting! I remember when we first got Antenna TV! It was classic tv all day for us! We still cherish the wholesomeness of those wonderful old sitcoms like Hazel, Dennis the Menace, Father Knows Best, etc.... Especially in the world we live in today! God bless!
ReplyDeleteIt sure is fun having a full load of television episodes to choose from. I, too, really enjoyed watching Father Knows Best, but now Antenna TV has moved it to an awkward hour. Now with all the classic film channels available, we don't even have time to watch the tv shows anymore!
DeleteAlmost worth considering immigration!
ReplyDeleteThis is shocking! Do you mean to tell me that Canadians do not have the riches of quality programs, such as The Bionic Woman, to expand their knowledge with? CW, you must certainly write a letter to your governor and voice your concern.
DeleteIt's true! I live in Canada and we get NONE of these channels!! I'm missing out on a lot of great old classic shows and our cable companies do not care one bit! Sad but true.
Delete".a sheer delight for hobby-less baby-boomers, mesothelioma victims, and incontinent housewives..." My laugh for the day. So spot-on.
ReplyDeleteWe don't get any of these channels yet in my neck of the woods, but here's hoping we will someday.
Honestly, sometimes I feel guilty watching these programs knowing full-well that I am not retired, wet in my pants, or a victim of asbestos poisoning. These commercials almost give you the impression that something must be wrong with you before you can watch classic television. Gee whiz!
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ReplyDelete