Satellite Program Network: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|American television network from 1979 to 1989}}
{{distinguish|ESPN}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}

{{Infobox television channel

| name = Satellite Program Network

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==History==

===Early years===

{{more citations needed| section|date=April 2019}}

SPN was created by Ed Taylor, an associate of [[Ted Turner]] and the head of the Southern Satellite Systems company. The network, which began in 1979, was the second-oldest cable-only network. In 1985, SPN was acquired by [[Satellite Syndicated Systems]].<ref>"Satellite Syndicated Systems reports earnings for Qtr to June 30." ''[[The New York Times]]''. August 6, 1985. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990DEFDB1639F935A3575BC0A963948260] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402150845/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/06/business/satellite-syndicated-sysems-reports-earnings-for-qtr-to-june-30.html |date=2023-04-02 }}</ref>

SPN was created by Ed Taylor, an associate of [[Ted Turner]] and the head of the Southern Satellite Systems company. The network, which began in 1979, was the second-oldest cable-only network.

Among the programs broadcast on SPN were ''[[Video Concert Hall]]'', an early [[music video]] show (before the launch of [[MTV]]); ''News from Home'', a program for Canadians in the US, hosted by early [[CNN]] news anchor Don Miller; ''[[The Shopping Game]]'', a Nicholson-Muir [[game show]] produced in [[Nashville]] and hosted by [[Art James]]; ''The Susan Noon Show'', featuring celebrity interviews; ''Nutrition Dialogue'', hosted by Dr. Betty Kamen; ''[[Sewing with Nancy]]''; ''The [[Paul Ryan (actor)|Paul Ryan]] Show'', another celebrity interview program with the actor/interviewer of the same name; and ''Moscow Meridian'', a [[Current affairs (news format)|current-affairs]] program produced by [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] authorities and hosted by [[Vladimir Pozner Jr.|Vladimir Posner]]. [[Rerun]]s of old [[situation comedies]] and movies, mostly from [[B movie|low-budget]] studios, rounded out the schedule.

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In 1984, the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association]] (NCAA) paid SPN to broadcast some [[college football]] games of the [[Division I-AA]] playoffs, including that season's [[1984 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship Game|championship game]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31284927/bobcats_ready_for_iaa_championship/ |title=Bobcats ready for I-AA championship shootout |first=George |last=Geise |newspaper=[[Great Falls Tribune]] |___location=[[Great Falls, Montana]] |page=1-B |date=December 15, 1984 |access-date=May 5, 2019 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=November 18, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191118033231/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31284927/bobcats_ready_for_iaa_championship/ |url-status=live }}</ref> following a [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] ruling (''[[NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma]]'') that halted the NCAA's practice of negotiating television contracts for its members.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30866152/iaa_playoffs_spell_trouble_money/ |title=I-AA playoffs spell trouble M-O-N-E-Y |first=Roscoe |last=Nance |newspaper=[[The Clarion-Ledger]] |___location=[[Jackson, Mississippi]] |page=2D |date=December 1, 1984 |access-date=April 22, 2019 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=April 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430040826/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30866152/iaa_playoffs_spell_trouble_money/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

SPN was created by Ed Taylor, an associate of [[Ted Turner]] and the head of the Southern Satellite Systems company. The network, which began in 1979, was the second-oldest cable-only network. In 1985, SPN was acquired by [[Satellite Syndicated Systems]].<ref>"Satellite Syndicated Systems reports earnings for Qtr to June 30." ''[[The New York Times]]''. August 6, 1985. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990DEFDB1639F935A3575BC0A963948260] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402150845/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/06/business/satellite-syndicated-sysems-reports-earnings-for-qtr-to-june-30.html |date=2023-04-02 }}</ref>

===Tempo Television===

===Later years===

In March 1986, Satellite Syndicated Systems changed its name to Tempo Enterprises, and SPN and SPN International were changed to Tempo Television and Tempol International, respectively.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30866505/tv_column/ |title=(TV column) |newspaper=[[Akron Beacon Journal]] |___location=[[Akron, Ohio]] |page=C4 |date=March 10, 1986 |access-date=April 22, 2019 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=April 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430063517/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30866505/tv_column/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30866409/notice/ |title=(notice) |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |page=13 |date=March 23, 1986 |access-date=April 22, 2019 |via=newspapers.com |archive-date=April 30, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190430061106/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/30866409/notice/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Tempo Television was a 24-hour national cable network serving all contiguous states, [[Alaska]], [[Hawaii]] and [[Puerto Rico]].