G4techTV

G4techTV was a cable and satellite channel resulting from a merger between Comcast-owned G4 and TechTV. The headquarters was in Los Angeles. The name changed back to G4 on February 15, 2005, in the United States.

G4 and TechTV merger

On March 25, 2004, Comcast announced its plans to purchase TechTV, a channel devoted to computers and technology. The purchase was completed on May 10, 2004, allowing Comcast to merge their G4 station with the newly acquired TechTV, resulting in G4techTV. G4techTV officially launched in the United States on May 28, 2004.

G4techTV kept shows from TechTV, such as The Screen Savers, as well as shows previously on G4, such as The Electric Playground. The merger caused one of TechTV's most prominent personalities, Leo Laporte, to leave the channel because of a contract dispute. Laporte had been the host of Call for Help, a call-in help show, which was cut after the merger. A new Call for Help series hosted by Leo Laporte began airing on G4techTV Canada (now called G4 Canada), the Canadian affiliate of G4techTV, on August 16, 2004; the series ended on February 26, 2007. The Lab with Leo Laporte replaced Call for Help in April 2007 before ending in August 2008. The Canadian produced version of the show was briefly aired in the U.S., but this ended on January 3, 2006, though individual episodes could have been purchased through Google Video in the US.

Retro Television Network

The Retro Television Network (branded on-air as Retro^tv and alternately abbreviated below by its former on-air brand RTN for brevity) is an American broadcast television network that is owned by Luken Communications. The network mainly airs classic television sitcoms and drama series from the 1950s through the 1980s, although it also includes more recent programs from the 1990s and 2000s. Through its ownership by Luken, the Retro Television Network is a sister network to several broadcast network properties that are wholly or jointly owned by the company, including the family-oriented Family Channel and country music-oriented network Heartland.

At its outset, the Retro Television Network was designed to be broadcast on the digital subchannels of television stations; however in recent years, the network's affiliate body has been drawn down to primarily low-power stations, as many station groups have replaced the network on the subchannels of their full-power major network affiliates with similarly formatted networks such as Antenna TV and Me-TV, which have assumed rights to many of the distributors that formerly held programming agreements with RTN. The network is also available nationwide on free-to-air C-band satellite via SES-2 in DVB-S2 format; as individualised transmitter-ready feeds for each station are centrally generated using broadcast automation and delivered to the stations by satellite.

G4 (TV channel)

G4 (also known as G4 TV) was an American digital cable and satellite television channel that was owned by G4 Media, a joint venture between the NBCUniversal Cable division of NBCUniversal and Dish Network. The channel was geared primarily toward young male adult viewers and originally focused on the world of video games, before transitioning to a more general entertainment format. G4 was headquartered in Los Angeles.

In late 2012, G4's studio programming ceased in preparation for its relaunch as Esquire Network on September 23, 2013, as part of a licensing deal with Hearst Corporation, owner of Esquire magazine. However, on September 9, 2013, NBCUniversal announced that Esquire Network would instead replace sister channel Style, leaving G4 "as is for the foreseeable future, though it's highly unlikely the company will invest in more original programming". In August 2013, it was reported that approximately 61,217,000 American households (53.61% of households with television) were receiving G4.

The Know

The Know is an Australian talk show on Max. The pop culture show features Yumi Stynes, musician Jimmy Barnes and actress Lisa Hensley as the main show hosts along with former Machine Gun Fellatio keyboardist, Chit Chat Von Loopin Stab. The show discusses and reviews movies, music, television and the creative arts.

Former Panelists

External links