Star Television Network

The Star Television Network (commonly branded as Starcast initially, then STN, prior to launch, then Star from its launch up to the network's shutdown), was an attempt, though unsuccessful, at a fifth television network based in Orlando, Florida. The network was notable as the first television network to have featured exclusively direct response commercials and infomercials among standard programming.

Star featured classic, though cheaper and lesser-known, 1950s and 1960s programming, movies and game shows under the ''TV Heaven'' slogan, with direct response infomercials rounding out the schedule. The network expected to buy newer programs and originate its own once it became fully-established.

Star was facing competition from the Home Shopping Network and Fox, which went after the bigger markets. In light of this, the network explained that its key advantage is in terms of operating costs for the station, in which a station affiliating with the network could save about 90% on their programming costs, and a national advertiser advertising on the network could pay about 68% of the major network rates.

History

The network was introduced under the Starcast branding in October 1987 as needing $15 million to launch and had just started contacting potential affiliates. The network expected to sign up 30 stations by the April 1989 launch date and have 18 hours of broadcasting a day. After the Black Monday stock market crash in October 1987, Starcast's investors pulled out. By January 1988, the company had 70 stations willing to sign on to the network.

By April 1989 (the projected launch date), the network, now under the STN branding (having changed from Starcast), pushed back their launch to July due to programming negotiations and financing hold ups. 64 stations had provisionally signed on as affiliates in markets like Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Jacksonville, Florida and Orlando to an estimated reach of 40 million households. The network was then in talks with an additional 33 stations. At this time, an affiliation fee ranging from $2,750 to $60,000 annually would be paid by the stations based on their market size instead of the standard network payments to affiliates. 36 minutes a day would be allocated for advertising sold by the network, with the remainder given to its affiliates. STN missed the July launch due to lack of additional funding and set a new September 1 deadline for enough affiliates to sign on for a possible November 1 launch. The network expected to be based at the then-new Universal Studios Florida in Orlando. At this time, the network restructured its affiliate agreement in dropping the annual carriage fee for the addition of some infomercials and a refundable deposit of $1,500 to $175,000 based on the station's size. The number of affiliates at launch and infomercials was a requirement to bring on replacement investor Dale W. Lang, owner of Lang Communications, which then owned several magazines including ''Success'' and '' Working Woman'' magazine. The infomercials would bring a steady source of income for the network and were mostly to be provided by Quantum Marketing International.

Missing the September 1, 1989 affiliate total deadline, the network, under the Star branding (its second & final name change), pushed back its launch to September 1990. As of August 12, 1990, there were 21 signed stations reaching 13.7 million households. Also, Star moved operations to a rented studio in Winter Park, Florida. Additionally, broadcasting hours were reduced to 8 hours a day, plus 4 hours of infomercials. The network expected to have revenue reach $100 million in its second year of operations. By July 1990, Star had been granted a federal permit for a station in Austin, Minnesota.

Star launched on September 29, 1990 with 10 affiliates reaching 9 million homes, as the additional stations were not ready or failed to receive FCC approval. With fewer stations, the network sold less through the infomercials, thus not meeting company goals. The infomercial companies were having their own problems, and thus unable to produce newer shows. Lang could not add more funding into the company due to difficulties at Lang Communications. Lang and the company sought out other investors, to no avail.

Star ceased operations on Monday, January 14, 1991, at 4:00 a.m. EST. All 25 staffers working for the network were laid off.

Aftermath

After Star's shutdown, another attempt at a viable fifth television network would be made in 1993, 2 years after, when the Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution subsidiary of Time Warner would partner with the BHC Communications subsidiary of Chris-Craft Industries to launch the Prime Time Entertainment Network (PTEN). That network would eventually cease operations in 1995 when both of the network's parent companies went off on their own. It would also be in that year that a new viable fifth television network would be launch by one of PTEN's parent companies; Warner Bros. would partner with the Tribune Broadcasting subsidiary of the Tribune Company to launch The WB Television Network. Meanwhile, PTEN's other parent company would launch a viable sixth television network: the United Television subsidiary of Chris-Craft would partner with the Paramount Television subsidiary of Viacom to launch the United Paramount Network (UPN), though both The WB & UPN would jointly be recognized as the fifth major TV network, due to both having launched at around the same time in order to compete with Fox.

Both The WB & UPN would eventually be replaced in 2006 by The CW Network, another viable fifth major television network joint venture between CBS Corporation (successor to the original Viacom & eventual full owner of UPN) & Warner Bros. Meanwhile, with the launch of The CW in 2006, News Corporation, then the parent company of Fox, would take its stations formerly affiliated with UPN & use them to launch in 2006 what then was the newest sixth television network, MyNetworkTV. However, by 2009, amidst poor ratings & viewership, MyNetworkTV would be switched from a TV network to broadcast TV syndication service.

Programming

Star's schedule was of four hours of infomercials and eight hours of classic shows under the ''TV Heaven'' slogan. Some of the programs known to have aired on Star included:
* '' The Invaders''
* ''The Life of Riley''
* '' My Little Margie''
* '' The Rebel''

'' Honey West'', '' Judge Roy Bean'', '' Mr. and Mrs. North'', and ''Richard Diamond, Private Detective'' were also announced as part of Star's line-up in August 1988, though it was unknown if these series had aired.

Infomercials are listed in schedules under various names, such as ''Star Showcase'', ''Star Opportunities'', ''Star Collections'', ''Star Sensations'', ''Star Innovations'', ''Market Place'', ''Morning Star'' and ''Direct to You''.

As with other networks, affiliates fill the rest of the time with their own local and syndicated programming, as well as sports, which would preempt Star programming.

Known affiliates

* WAYK channel 56, Melbourne, Florida, Beach TV Partners
** WAYQ channel 26, Daytona Beach, Florida Beach TV Partners; satellite of WAYK
* W48AP channel 48, Toledo, Ohio
* KXLI channel 41, St. Cloud, Minnesota, owned by Dale W. Lang/Star TV Network
** KXLT-TV channel 47, Rochester, Minnesota, satellite of KXLI, owned by Dale W. Lang/Star TV Network
* WPAN channel 53, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, owned by John Franklin MinistriesWPAN "TV Heaven" ad, ''Pensacola News-Journal'', September 29, 1990
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* W25AI channel 25, Cincinnati, Ohio, owned by Block Communications
* KDMD channel 33, Anchorage, Alaska
* KLXV channel 65, San Francisco, California
* KHFT channel 29, Albuquerque, New Mexico
* KBLR channel 39, Las Vegas, Nevada
*KOOG channel 30, Ogden–Salt Lake City, Utah
* WYED channel 17, Goldsboro, North Carolina
* KBGE channel 33, Seattle, Washington
* KKAK channel 61, Fresno, California
* WOCD channel 55, Albany, New York

The following stations signed up as affiliates of the network, but did not commence broadcasting until after the network's closure in January 1991:

* WBSV, channel 62, Venice / Sarasota, Florida; signed on in May 1991
*WTTA channel 38, St. Petersburg / Tampa, Florida; signed on in June 1991
* KSKN channel 22, Spokane, Washington; station had gone dark in 1987 and did not return to air until 1994
* WNHT channel 21, Concord, New Hampshire, and WPHX Boston; the sale of both stations to Rogue Television Corp. fell through, along with the WPHX call letters for then-WHRC, and the stations did not return to air until 1995 and 1996
* KJLF channel 65, El Paso, Texas; signed on in June 1991
* WWLA channel 35, Portland, Maine; signed on in 1997
* KZAR channel 16, Provo, Utah; signed on in 1998

One announced affiliate never broadcast:
*KCVF channel 40, Portland, Oregon

References

{{American broadcast television (English) defunct

Defunct television networks in the United States
Television channels and stations established in 1990
Television channels and stations disestablished in 1991