The Country Network
 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (October 2012) |
 | |
| Type | Broadcast television network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Broadcast area | Nationwide |
| Headquarters | Haltom City, Texas |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | TCN Country, LLC |
| History | |
| Launched | January 7, 2009 |
| Former names | Artists & Fans Network (2009) American Music Video Network (2009–2010) ZUUS Country (2013–2016) |
| Links | |
| Website | tcncountry.com |
The Country Network is an American cable, streaming and broadcast television network that specializes in broadcasting country music videos and exclusive original music-based content; its playlist of videos extends from the 1990s through the present day. The network also airs occasional infomercials and traditional advertising.
The network is headquartered in Haltom City, Texas, with offices in Nashville, Tennessee, and New York.
History
[edit]The network first launched on January 7, 2009, as the Artists & Fans Network; the music video that inaugurated the network was the Kid Rock video "All Summer Long". AFN was first carried on satellite through DirecTV on channel 236.
In August 2009, after suffering from financial problems, Southern Venture Capital Group sold all the assets of the company to one of the founders, Warren Hansen, who then changed its name to the American Music Video Network, and rolled out the programming with a new look and feel. On February 15, 2010, the company was renamed The Country Network to represent its focus on country music. Around this time, The Country Network began to transition into a digital multicast network, carried over-the-air on broadcast television stations across the United States as well as the first broadcast network to simulcast to Roku, iPhone, iPad, web, and other OTT outlets.
On May 20, 2013, Zuus Media announced its acquisition of The Country Network. On June 1, 2013, Zuus Media announced the rebranding as Zuus Country. Zuus Country was to be the first of several music video networks of various formats. Only one of these other formats, Zuus Latino, ever made it to air.[1]
In January 2016, the network was purchased by a Texas-based company, TCN Country LLC, with a 43,000-square-foot studio, production and broadcast facility. TCN Country changed the brand back to The Country Network, reviving its original name and logo for the revival of the network.[2][3]
In 2021, The Country Network, after having previously placed its online Web stream behind a paywall, launched TCN FAST (Free Advertising Supported Television), a free online feed of the channel that is distributed through advertiser-supported over-the-top streaming services.
Affiliates
[edit]As of 2013, Zuus Country has television stations in over 41 television markets in 26 states, covering approximately 34 million over the air households an 18 million cable subscribers. ZUUS Country (at the time, still named The Country Network) signed a deal with Sinclair Broadcast Group in August 2010 to be carried on digital subchannels of Sinclair stations in most of its media markets;[4] the network began airing on Sinclair owned and/or operated stations on October 10, 2010. After Sinclair's original drop of several affiliates in late 2015, the network was down to 24 markets (The contract with Sinclair was expired in June 2017). When TCN Country LLC purchased the network, they immediately started growing the distribution and as of January 30, 2017 the network was up to 54 markets along with the launch of a Roku channel and a slot on smart TVs manufactured by Hitachi and Panasonic.
As of 2019, most of The Country Network's affiliates are low-powered stations controlled by HC2 Holdings or its subsidiary DTV America.
Current affiliates
[edit]| City | Station | Channel TV[5] / RF |
Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
California[edit] | |||
| Bakersfield | KCBT-LD | 34.5 (34) | Cocola Broadcasting |
| Fresno | KMSG-LD | 39.5 (29) | Cocola Broadcasting |
| Los Angeles | KFLA-LD | 8.1 (8) | Roy Mayhugh |
| Monterey | KMBY-LD | 27.6 (27) | Cocola Broadcasting |
| Sacramento | KSAO-LD | 49.7 (49) | Cocola Broadcasting |
| San Francisco | KCNZ-CD | 28.15 (3) | Poquito Mas Communications |
Florida[edit] | |||
| Orlando | WRCF-CD | 29.4 (35) | Univision Communications |
Georgia[edit] | |||
| Atlanta | WDWW-LD | 28.1 (28) | DTV America |
Idaho[edit] | |||
| Boise | KZAK-LD | 49.3 (35) | Cocola Broadcasting |
Indiana[edit] | |||
| Fort Wayne | WLMO-LD | 2.4 (2) | Metro Video Production |
Iowa[edit] | |||
| Des Moines | KCYM-LD | 45.2 (26) | DTV America |
Kansas[edit] | |||
| Topeka | KSQA | 12.1 (12) | Barbara Wade (51%) Cooper-Fowler Media (49%) |
| Sublette, Kansas | KDGL-LD | 23.4 (23) | High Plains Broadcasting, LLC. |
Kentucky[edit] | |||
| Bowling Green | WDNZ-LD | 11.3 (11) | Daily News Broadcasting Company |
Missouri[edit] | |||
| Joplin | KPJO-LD | 49.5 (31) | DTV America |
| Kansas City | KAJF-LD | 21.1 (16) | DTV America |
North Carolina[edit] | |||
| Charlotte | WVEB-LD | 40.2 (14) | DTV America |
| Durham | WUBX-CD | 31.1 (24) | L4 Media Group, LLC |
Oklahoma[edit] | |||
| Oklahoma City | KTOU-LD | 21.5 (21) | HC2 Holdings |
Puerto Rico[edit] | |||
| Ceiba | W18DZ-D | 18.2 (18) | TV Red de Puerto Rico, Inc. |
Tennessee[edit] | |||
| Nashville | WJDE-CD | 31.2 (23) | Word Broadcasting Network |
Texas[edit] | |||
| Amarillo | KAUO-LD | 15.1 (14) | DTV America |
| Austin | KADF-LD | 20.2 (20) | Bridge Media Networks |
| Waco | KZCZ-LD | 34.1 (20) | DTV America |
| Houston | KBPX-LD | 46.6 (27) | Word Broadcasting Network |
| Dallas | KJJM-LD | 34.7 (34) | HC2 Holdings |
References
[edit]- ^ ZUUS Media Announces The Launch Of Its Next Generation Music Video Network, PR Newswire, May 20, 2013.
- ^ "The Country Network Returns On-Air, Online". TVNewsCheck.com. May 2, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
- ^ [ The Country Network returns onair & online]
- ^ "Sinclair links with The Country Network to fill digital TV tier". Television Business Report. August 23, 2010. Retrieved August 25, 2010.
- ^ Rabbitears.info results on ZUUS Country