TBS Superstation is a popular American cable TV network that shows sports and variety programming. It is currently owned by Time Warner.

TBS, which originally stood for Turner Broadcasting System, was originally WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station owned by media mogul Ted Turner that broadcasted from Atlanta, Georgia during the late 1970s. WTCG, which reportedly stood for "watch this channel grow" (though the "TCG" officially stood for Turner Communications Group, the forerunner to Turner Broadcasting System).

At 1 p.m. on Dec. 17, 1976, WTCG Channel 17's signal was beamed via satellite to its four cable systems in Grand Island, Nebraska; Newport News, Virginia; Troy, Alabama; and Newton, Kansas. All four cable systems started receiving the sleepy 1948 Dana Andrews - Cesar Romero film "Deep Waters" already in progress. The movie had started 30 minutes earlier. WTCG went from being a little television station no one was watching to a major TV network that every one of the 24,000 households outside of the 675,000 in Atlanta was receiving coast-to-coast. WTCG became a so-called Superstation and created a precedent of today's basic cable television.

HBO had gone to satellite transmissions to distribute its signal nationally in 1975, but that was a service cable subscribers were made to pay extra to receive. Ted Turner's innovation signaled the start of the basic cable revolution.

WTCG was re-launched in 1979 as WTBS. The new call letters were purchased by equipment donation from the MIT student radio station, now WMBR.

The channel 17 transmitter is located at 1018 West Peachtree Street NW, with antenna located on a large self-supporting tower. The building at this site was once home to the studios of WAGA (TV) and later channel 17 as WJRJ. Soon after being purchased by Turner, the studios were moved to the former Progressive Club site a few blocks west.

Programming

Series, past and present

TBS Superstation is well known for broadcasting reruns of popular network television and cable shows from the past. These shows include:

• All in the Family
• Amen
• The Andy Griffith Show
• Ask Rita
• Baby Blues
• Beverly Hillbillies
• Bewitched
• The Brady Bunch
• CHiPs
• Cosby
• The Cosby Show
• Dawson's Creek
• The Drew Carey Show
• Family Guy
• Family Ties
• The Flintstones
• The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
• Friends
• Futurama
• Gilligan's Island
• Growing Pains
• Good Times
• Happy Days
• Home Improvement
• I Dream of Jeannie
• I Love Lucy
• The Jeffersons
• Laverne & Shirley
• Leave It To Beaver
• Little House on the Prairie
• Mama's Family
• Mr. Show
• The Munsters
• One Day at a Time
• The Parent'Hood
• Sanford and Son
• Saved By The Bell
• Seinfeld
• Sex and the City
• The Steve Harvey Show
• Who's The Boss?
• Yes, Dear

TBS has also produced a few original series as well, including:

• The Chimp Channel
• House Rules
• Ripley's Believe It or Not!
• Worst-Case Scenario

One type of programming that TBS does not produce or broadcast is news.

Movies

TBS airs a great deal of movies. It is often criticized for its sometimes poor and/or obvious censoring and editing of some movies. In addition, the station also produces and airs original movies.

Several TBS movies air in blocks such as Dinner and a Movie, The Man-Made Movie and Movie and a Makeover, with small segments airing between the movie and the commercial break.

Sports

TBS airs broadcasts of the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball team, and college football games. It broadcast WCW programming for many years prior to its sale to WWE and also formerly aired National Basketball Association games.

External links

• TBS Superstation
• History of TBS