Tuesday, November 13, 2012
FamilyNet Merges with Rural TV on January 1, 2013; ABC Picks Up Full Season of Nashville
Rural Media Group, Inc., the parent company for both RFD-TV/RFD HD and Rural TV, is proud to announce that it has purchased FamilyNet, a 32-year-old basic cable channel currently distributed into 14.8 million U.S. homes, from Interactive Television And Gaming Networks, LLC (formerly Comstar Media). The move takes RMG's total distribution into over 61,000,000 homes through its cable and satellite carriers in all 50 states. The program schedules of Rural TV and FamilyNet will be formally merged into one network on January 1, 2013. As of now, some of the series from FamilyNet have already started popping-up on Rural TV, including primetime sitcoms Mr. Belevdere, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart from 8-10pm ET, airing right now on both networks. Rural TV also airs Highway to Heaven weeknights at 10pm and Bonanza on Saturday nights.
The acquisition of FamilyNet brings, for the first time, Rural Media Group's popular rural-themed program library to many major U.S. cities, including New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Houston, Dallas, and Los Angeles, plus the countryside of Kansas, Oklahoma, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, and California. In addition, the expanding list of quality advertisers and sponsors who seek family-oriented programming and demographics now have another choice with a proven track record that delivers a large, and growing, Nielsen-rated audience. FamilyNet was bought by Comstar in December 2009, after Comstar bought AmericanLife TV Network. It later reprogrammed AmericanLife into YouToo TV, with a social media focus, allowing viewers to upload their own videos.
Stay with us for further information on Rural TV and to see if any more series programming will air on the network after the merger is complete on January 1! Will we see other FamilyNet series like Remington Steele? Stay tuned!
ABC has picked up a full season of new drama Nashville. Nashville joins previously announced full season orders for new comedy The Neighbors and returning second-year drama series Scandal. No decision yet on fellow ABC new dramas Last Resort and 666 Park Avenue, while new comedy Malibu Country is only in its second week, but is headed for a full-season pick-up. Stay tuned. Nashville airs Wednesday nights at 10:00 p.m. ET on the ABC Television Network.
Nashville stars Connie Britton as Rayna Jaymes, Hayden Panettiere as Juliette Barnes, Charles Esten as Deacon Claybourne, Eric Close as Teddy Conrad, Clare Bowen as Scarlett O'Connor, Jonathan Jackson as Avery Barkley, Sam Palladio as Gunnar Scott, Robert Ray Wisdom as Coleman Carlisle and Powers Boothe as Lamar Wyatt.
Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Sunday, June 15
none scheduled
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of June 9)
Friday, June 13
- David Spade (Rules of Engagement/8 Simple Rules/Just Shoot Me!) - Watch David on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Dakota Johnson (Ben and Kate) - Dakota is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
- Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll) - Natasha appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Whoopi Goldberg (Whoopi/Bagdad Cafe) - Whoopi is a guest on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
- Jon Hamm (Grimsburg/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) - Jon stops by the studio to talk Your Friends & Neighbors on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Sebastian Maniscalco (Bookie) - NBC's Today catches up with Sebastian sometime between 7-9am.
- Joel McHale (Animal Control/The Great Indoors/Community) - Joel talks about The 1% Club on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
- Susie Essman (Curb Your Enthusiasm/Broad City/Baby Boom) - Drew is chatting with best friend duo Joy Behar and Susie on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Morris Chestnut (Out All Night) - Drew is chatting with Morris about starring in Watson on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Luke Kirby (Étoile) - Luke talks about Prime's Étoile on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
New on DVD and Blu-ray
01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/08 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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