American cable television network
Television channel
The Cowboy Channel
(formerly
FamilyNet
) is an American cable television network in over 42 million cable and satellite homes,
[1]
which carries
Western
and
rodeo
sports. The network was founded in 1979 as the
National Christian Network
, and took the name FamilyNet in 1988 under the ownership of
Jerry Falwell
.
[2]
It is operated under Rural Media Group, which also owns
RFD-TV
.
History
[
edit
]
As FamilyNet
[
edit
]
FamilyNet's logo from 2009 until 2017.
The channel was acquired by
InTouch Ministries
in October 2007 from the
Southern Baptist Convention
.
[3]
In December 2009, FamilyNet was acquired by
Robert A. Schuller
's ComStar Media Fund.
[4]
In 2010, FamilyNet was spun out into its own company, with Robert A. Schuller as the chairman.
[5]
The organization also operated
FamilyNet Radio
161, a full-time Christian talk channel on
Sirius Satellite Radio
, but was discontinued on November 30, 2010;
FamilyTalk
replaced it.
From 2011 to 2012, the channel showed sitcoms like
The Bob Newhart Show
,
Newhart
, and
Mr. Belvedere
.
On October 24, 2012,
Rural TV
purchased FamilyNet, and the transaction took effect on January 1, 2013. At first the network was used to carry an all-trading day format of farm and market news, which eventually moved to a reduced timeslot on RFD-TV due to low interest and ratings. Rural Media, which had considered merging RFD-TV and FamilyNet together to gain over-the-air carriage, eventually decided to keep FamilyNet as a separate service, but with a refocus in programming towards classic television programming which was not picked up by competitors
MeTV
,
Antenna TV
and
Cozi TV
. Rural Media also decided not to renew over-the-air contracts with stations in a slow process in order to make it a cable-only network. A number of former FamilyNet affiliates (mainly religious stations) continue to carry programming recorded from the network's feed before the Rural TV sale, seemingly under a perpetual license.
In September 2014, FamilyNet was refocused with classic television series and films from the
Sony Pictures Television
libraries, with Sony also assisting with advertising sales. Religious programming, which used to make up the vast majority of the schedule under SBC and Schuller's ownership, was limited to Sunday mornings, though Rural Media also maintained FamilyNet's
paid programming
overnights despite their executives' traditional disdain for depending on those programs for revenue. (RFD-TV since also began to carry overnight
paid programming
.)
As The Cowboy Channel
[
edit
]
On June 19, 2017, Rural Media Group CEO
Patrick Gottsch
announced that on July 1, FamilyNet would be rebranded as The Cowboy Channel, featuring a focus on Western sports and rodeo events, which had proven to be a popular attraction on RFD-TV.
[6]
Gottsch thanked Sony Pictures Television for bringing the network to a solid footing, but noted that overwhelming competition in the classic television space from networks such as
MeTV
,
Antenna TV
,
Cozi TV
,
Heroes & Icons
and several other networks and streaming options had made the space more competitive and crowded, while a Western sports network was seen as a unique opportunity to stand out in cable and satellite lineups.
[7]
[8]
[9]
Among the network's first offerings were encore events from RFD's
The American Rodeo
, the
Calgary Stampede
, and the
Professional Bull Riders
archives. Sony's archived programming thus moved to their own
GetTV
at the start of 2018.
The Cowboy Channel signed a multi-year agreement with the
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
to televise and stream their major events, including the
National Finals Rodeo
, starting in 2020.
[10]
With the network conversion, Rural Media used the opportunity to end their carriage agreements with over-the-air broadcasters, rendering the Cowboy Channel as a pay-TV only offering.
A
Canadian version
of the channel was launched on February 1, 2020, on Shaw Direct television systems through a partnership with Rural Media.
The Cowgirl Channel was launched on March 1, 2023. It specializes in programming about women in professional rodeo, western fashion, and rural lifestyles in general through the perspectives of women. Rodeos not televised on The Cowboy Channel are televised on The Cowgirl Channel.
[11]
In 2023, The Cowboy Channel signed a multi-year agreement with the
Canadian Professional Rodeo Association
to televise and stream their major events, including the
Canadian Finals Rodeo
through December 31, 2027.
The Cowboy Channel Canada
will also televise these events.
[12]
Patrick Gottsch, the founder and president of Rural Media Group, died on May 18, 2024, at the age of 70.
[13]
Programming
[
edit
]
Much of the Cowboy Channel's non-sports programming is drawn from RFD-TV's program library, with an emphasis on ranching and rodeo programs (thus the Cowboy Channel does not carry RFD-TV's music,
agribusiness
or news programming). Like RFD-TV, the Cowboy Channel carries brokered
televangelism
programming on Sunday mornings.
Current programming
[
edit
]
- Best of America By Horseback
- Better Horses
- Bullseye with Jeff Medders
- Chris Cox Horsemanship
- Cinch High School Rodeo Tour
- Cowboys of Thunder
- CPRA Rodeo
- Debbe Dunning
's Dude Ranch Round-Up
- Equestrian Nation
- Gentle Giants
- Hayden Outdoors Life on the Land
- Hidden Heritage
- Horse of the West
- Hunt Warz
- Legends
- Little Britches Rodeo
- PBR
Now!
- PRCA Rodeo
- ProRodeo Tonight
- Red Steagall
is Somewhere West of Wall Street
- Ride Smart with
Craig Cameron
- Road to the
NFR
- Rodeo Queens
- Saddle Up with Dennis Brouse
- Special Cowboy Moments
- Steve Lantvit Horsemanship
- The American Rancher
- The Edge
- Western Sports Round-Up
- Wild Rides
- Women's Pro Rodeo Today
- Zero In
Reruns
[
edit
]
Former programming
[
edit
]
FamilyNet (1988–2017)
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Ammoland (March 6, 2019),
Cowboy Channel Continues Commitment To Western Sports & Rodeo With Live Coverage
, retrieved
January 30,
2020
- ^
"Religious Networks Change for Profits".
Broadcasting & Cable
.
114
(19): 51. May 9, 1988.
ISSN
1068-6827
.
- ^
Noah, Mickey (October 29, 2007).
"NAMB completes FamilyNet sale to In Touch"
.
Baptist Press
.
- ^
"FamilyNet TV and Radio Network Sold to Robert A. Schuller's ComStar"
.
Black Christian News
. December 29, 2009. Archived from
the original
on February 19, 2012
. Retrieved
November 13,
2012
.
- ^
"Celebrated Televangelist Robert Schuller Named Chairman of FamilyNet TV"
.
PR Newswire
. March 23, 2011
. Retrieved
June 26,
2017
.
- ^
Snyder, Rachel (May 19, 2024).
"Rural Media Group founder Patrick Gottsch dead at 70"
.
WFAA
. Retrieved
May 20,
2024
.
- ^
"So Long FamilyNet, Hello The Cowboy Channel!"
(Press release). Rural Media Group
. Retrieved
July 1,
2017
.
- ^
"Introducing The Cowboy Channel ? Launching July 1, 2017"
.
RFD-TV
. June 22, 2017
. Retrieved
June 26,
2017
.
- ^
"Rural Media Is Changing FamilyNet to Cowboy Channel"
.
MultiChannel News
. June 22, 2017
. Retrieved
June 26,
2017
.
- ^
406mtsports.com (September 17, 2019).
"PRCA signs TV deal with The Cowboy Channel, RFD-TV"
.
The Billings Gazette
. Retrieved
January 7,
2021
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
"The Cowgirl Channel launches"
.
The Cowboy Channel
. Retrieved
May 20,
2024
.
- ^
"Canadian pro rodeos added to The Cowboy Channel"
.
The Cowboy Channel
. April 21, 2023
. Retrieved
November 2,
2023
.
- ^
"Rural Media Group president Patrick Gottsch passes away"
.
The Cowboy Channel
. Retrieved
May 20,
2024
.
External links
[
edit
]
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