Omni Broadcasting Network

{{Infobox television channel

| name = Omni Broadcasting Network

| logo = OBN-TV-logo.jpg

| type = Broadcast television network

| country = United States

| area = Nationwide

| owner = OBN Holdings

| launch_date = {{start date and age|2003}}

| closed_date = {{end date and age|2013}}

| website = [https://archive.today/20130131135621/http://www.obn-tv.com/ www.obn-tv.com]
(Website is no longer online)

}}

The Omni Broadcasting Network was a small over-the-air broadcast television network in the United States. The company's motto was "Less Edge and More Entertaining". Omni's flagship station was low-power station KSSY-LP. The network's reach was reported as 50 million households, according to a quote in Variety.

History

The Omni Broadcasting Network was incorporated in 2001.{{Cite web |title=OMNI Broadcasting Network, Inc.:: Delaware (US) :: OpenCorporates |url=https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_de/3345195 |access-date=2021-07-01 |website=opencorporates.com}} Its parent company, OBN Holdings,{{Cite web |title=OBN Homepage |url=http://www.obnholdings.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040321012812/http://www.obnholdings.com/ |archive-date=2004-03-21 |access-date=2021-07-01 }} produced films as well as television.{{Cite web |title=Bloomberg - OBN Holdings Inc |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/OBNIE:US |access-date=2021-07-01 |website=www.bloomberg.com}} OBN's target demographic was adults age 25 and older during prime time, and ages 8 to 13 on weekend mornings.

Broadcast operations began in September 2003. In December 2003, Omni announced affiliation agreements with 119 stations and cable systems, as well as the All Sports Television Network.

According to an Omni executive, the network struggled to get the funding necessary for new projects. OBN Holdings' stock was delisted in 2013.{{Cite web |date=2013-01-29 |title=In the Matter of Largo Vista Group, Ltd., Montavo, Inc., OBN Holdings, Inc., PrepaYd, Inc., Ready Welder Corp., and Snowdon Resources Corp.; Order of Suspension of Trading |url=https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2013/01/29/2013-01964/in-the-matter-of-largo-vista-group-ltd-montavo-inc-obn-holdings-inc-prepayd-inc-ready-welder-corp |access-date=2021-07-01 |website=Federal Register}}

Programming

Omni broadcast 60 hours of programming per week, 21 hours during prime time.{{Cite web |title=Omni Broadcast Schedule |url=http://obn-tv.com/Omni_schedule.htm |access-date=2021-07-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070811133942/http://obn-tv.com/Omni_schedule.htm |archive-date=2007-08-11 }} The network primarily ran classic films, usually during late-night hours or on the weekends. Omni also offered a few original programs. One was "Thirteen O'Clock Theater", an umbrella title for old science fiction and horror films in public domain, shown at 1 AM. The network also showed older children's programming such as Birdz,{{Cite web |date=2007-08-28 |title=Kids TV |url=http://www.obn-tv.com/Kids-TV/index.htm |access-date=2021-07-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070828091918/http://www.obn-tv.com/Kids-TV/index.htm |archive-date=2007-08-28 }} (to meet FCC requirements for educational and informative programming requirements), as well as The MovieTime Showcase, The Flutemaster, The Mini-Movie Hour, and Wizards Tales.

The network also broadcast the 50th Anniversary concert of the Four Tops.{{Cite book |last=Ghaffari |first=Elizabeth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iVlDZGj4Td0C&q=%2522OBN%2522%252B%2522four+Tops%2522&pg=PA36 |title=Women Leaders at Work: Untold Tales of Women Achieving Their Ambitions |date=2012-01-15 |publisher=Apress |isbn=978-1-4302-3730-3 |pages=36 |language=en}} This was the network's first original production, taped July 28, 2004,{{Cite web |last1=Chaney |first1=Lindsay |date=2004-07-18 |title=Four Tops concert an Omni 1st |url=https://variety.com/2004/music/markets-festivals/four-tops-concert-an-omni-1st-1117907903/ |access-date=2021-07-01 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} Titled From the Heart: The Four Tops 50th Anniversary and Celebration, the special aired in 2005,{{Cite news |date=2005-07-24 |title=Fairbanks Daily News Miner Archives, Jul 24, 2005, p. 86 |language=en |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/fairbanks-daily-news-miner-jul-24-2005-p-86/ |access-date=2021-07-01}} and starred musicians Aretha Franklin, Paul Rodgers, Dennis Edwards (of The Temptations), and Mary Wilson (of The Supremes), in addition to the Four Tops themselves.{{Cite web |title=From the Heart: The Four Tops 50th Anniversary & Celebration (TV Special 2005) |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0837147/ |access-date=2021-07-07 |website=IMDb |language=en-US}} The special won the network a Telly Award.{{Cite web |title=The Telly Awards - 2005 |url=https://www.tellyawards.com/winners/2005/filmvideo/162v/four-tops-special/79617 |access-date=2021-07-01 |website=Telly Awards |language=en-US}}

Other original programs included The Vegas Variety Hour and The Adventures of Unit 28.{{Cite press release |last=Inc |first=OBN Holdings |date=2004-05-25 |title=OBN Holdings, Inc. Begins Trading with symbol OBNH |url=https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2004/05/25/310931/3562/en/OBN-Holdings-Inc-Begins-Trading-with-symbol-OBNH.html |access-date=2021-07-01 |website=GlobeNewswire News Room |language=en}}

Former affiliates

The following were signed or pending OBN affiliates in December 2003:{{Cite web |title=Registration Statement - OBN Holdings |url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1261204/000121839603000072/obnsb2a3.txt|year=2003|publisher=U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission}}

Omni Broadcasting Network

History

Programming

Former affiliates

References

External links