Ongoing History Daily: Ted Turner’s music video channel disaster

How many music video channels were there back when such things mattered? There was MTV and MuchMusic, of course. If you’re old enough, you might remember The Box and The Fuse. The UK had Channel U and 4Music. And there were dozens and dozens more available on cable in various places.

There were metal channels, alt-rock channels, channels that focused on hip-hop, dance, and all manner of regional, ethnic, and cultural channels around the world.

There was also a music video channel affiliated with CNN. Ted Turner, CNN’s founder, had a number of other cable channels, including TBS and TNT. He also launched Cable Music Channel on October 26, 1984. The goal was to take MTV head-on.

But it was a massive, massive flop. Cable Music Channel lasted all of 36 days before the plug was pulled because they couldn’t find enough cable systems to carry it.

If you don’t remember Cable Music Channel, don’t worry. No one else does, either.