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MSG Metro Channels
MSG Metro Channels was a series of local-minded New York City cable networks which launched on August 5, 1998, and closed in late 2005. Owned by Rainbow Media, the Metro networks were founded as a spinoff of the MSG sports network. The network was originally split into three separate channels, MSG MetroGuide, MSG MetroTraffic & Weather, and MSG MetroLearning Center. The tri-channel network was termed as "What to do, what to know, and how to get there" among similar billings and was an attempt by Rainbow Media to compete with newspapers and the internet for detailed coverage. Rainbow sought carriage in the mid- to high-teen numbers for the channels, so as to highlight that they "[fit] together like sections of a Sunday newspaper".
MSG MetroGuide was a 24-hour entertainment and local venue guide to the Tri-State area. It offered local information on places to vacation, eat at, visit, and be a resource to local viewers in their hometown. It also featured six hours daily of arts and cultural programming from WNET. Ed Koch contributed some movie reviews as part of the programming. Other-on air talent included Bobby Rivers, Christina Ha, Ed Levine and Tinabeth Piña.
MSG MetroTraffic & Weather was the first sole traffic and weather channel in the tri-state area, and while local news networks and The Weather Channel offered weather news, the traffic component was the network's main feature.
MSG Metro Traffic & Weather originally began as News 12 Weather. In the early 1990s it would air in the mornings on most Cablevision systems in place of Bravo (which was owned by Rainbow, but sold to NBC Media in 2002 and later NBCUniversal) and E! when they shared a channel on Cablevision in the Long Island area. When Optimum TV launched in 1996, it got a full-time location in those areas. When the MSG MetroChannels launched in 1998, a traffic element was added to the channel and it became MSG MetroTraffic & Weather.
Currently, MSG MetroTraffic & Weather is the only MSG Metro channel still on the air. It became News 12 Traffic & Weather in 2005 and now goes by the name News 12+. The channel is available on Cablevision (now Altice) systems on Channel 61 (97 on the former Service Electric system in Sparta acquired by Altice).
MSG MetroLearning Center actually began in the late 70s as a public service by Cablevision. Throughout the 80s and into the 90s, it aired as Extra Help on Long Island's TeLICare channel before finding its home on Long Island One in the early 90s. Long Island One featured mostly Public-access television cable TV shows, as well as a photo bulletin board detailing events on Long Island and was available on channel 1 on most Cablevision systems.
In the late spring of 1995, Cablevision "retooled" the show, improving its image for middle- and high-schoolers, and created an "adult-programming" block, which included shows on gardening, computers, cars, finance, and legal issues. Viewers were invited to "join the show" and ask questions by calling 1-800-EXT-HELP. The after-school programming featured a number of EJ's or educational jockeys who presented the different segments. Marissa Fenech, Mark Citorella, and Mark Kenny were among the first of this group. One of the High School geared segments, called "Peer to Peer," featured High School students answering questions from viewers; many of these early panelists went on to become EJ's themselves. Marc Morrone actually got his start on this channel hosting a show called Extra Help: Pets. This "retooling" was entrusted to Thomas Garger and Brad Dorsogna, executive producers, William L. Palminteri, production designer, Michael Zmuda, assistant production designer, Rocyna Yoingco and Kathleen Nugent, producers. Mr. Palminteri notes that the studio was re-designed from the ground up to accommodate the new series, and Rick Ruggles installed the new broadcast console. Numerous students from Hofstra University got their internship requirements fulfilled during this period, including Lorraine Buzzetta.
The approach to educational TV pioneered during this time has become the template for educational TV throughout the country. In 1997, Extra Help was expanded to 24 hours on weekdays, and the Long Island One branding was removed. On weekends, they would still show the Photo Bulletin Board, but the Cablevision logo was pasted over the Long Island One logo in the banner that showed up every five minutes telling viewers how to submit events. At the end of its first Spring Season (March 1995 to July 1995) Extra Help won a CableACE Award for Best New Educational Show Concept – 1995.
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MSG Metro Channels
MSG Metro Channels was a series of local-minded New York City cable networks which launched on August 5, 1998, and closed in late 2005. Owned by Rainbow Media, the Metro networks were founded as a spinoff of the MSG sports network. The network was originally split into three separate channels, MSG MetroGuide, MSG MetroTraffic & Weather, and MSG MetroLearning Center. The tri-channel network was termed as "What to do, what to know, and how to get there" among similar billings and was an attempt by Rainbow Media to compete with newspapers and the internet for detailed coverage. Rainbow sought carriage in the mid- to high-teen numbers for the channels, so as to highlight that they "[fit] together like sections of a Sunday newspaper".
MSG MetroGuide was a 24-hour entertainment and local venue guide to the Tri-State area. It offered local information on places to vacation, eat at, visit, and be a resource to local viewers in their hometown. It also featured six hours daily of arts and cultural programming from WNET. Ed Koch contributed some movie reviews as part of the programming. Other-on air talent included Bobby Rivers, Christina Ha, Ed Levine and Tinabeth Piña.
MSG MetroTraffic & Weather was the first sole traffic and weather channel in the tri-state area, and while local news networks and The Weather Channel offered weather news, the traffic component was the network's main feature.
MSG Metro Traffic & Weather originally began as News 12 Weather. In the early 1990s it would air in the mornings on most Cablevision systems in place of Bravo (which was owned by Rainbow, but sold to NBC Media in 2002 and later NBCUniversal) and E! when they shared a channel on Cablevision in the Long Island area. When Optimum TV launched in 1996, it got a full-time location in those areas. When the MSG MetroChannels launched in 1998, a traffic element was added to the channel and it became MSG MetroTraffic & Weather.
Currently, MSG MetroTraffic & Weather is the only MSG Metro channel still on the air. It became News 12 Traffic & Weather in 2005 and now goes by the name News 12+. The channel is available on Cablevision (now Altice) systems on Channel 61 (97 on the former Service Electric system in Sparta acquired by Altice).
MSG MetroLearning Center actually began in the late 70s as a public service by Cablevision. Throughout the 80s and into the 90s, it aired as Extra Help on Long Island's TeLICare channel before finding its home on Long Island One in the early 90s. Long Island One featured mostly Public-access television cable TV shows, as well as a photo bulletin board detailing events on Long Island and was available on channel 1 on most Cablevision systems.
In the late spring of 1995, Cablevision "retooled" the show, improving its image for middle- and high-schoolers, and created an "adult-programming" block, which included shows on gardening, computers, cars, finance, and legal issues. Viewers were invited to "join the show" and ask questions by calling 1-800-EXT-HELP. The after-school programming featured a number of EJ's or educational jockeys who presented the different segments. Marissa Fenech, Mark Citorella, and Mark Kenny were among the first of this group. One of the High School geared segments, called "Peer to Peer," featured High School students answering questions from viewers; many of these early panelists went on to become EJ's themselves. Marc Morrone actually got his start on this channel hosting a show called Extra Help: Pets. This "retooling" was entrusted to Thomas Garger and Brad Dorsogna, executive producers, William L. Palminteri, production designer, Michael Zmuda, assistant production designer, Rocyna Yoingco and Kathleen Nugent, producers. Mr. Palminteri notes that the studio was re-designed from the ground up to accommodate the new series, and Rick Ruggles installed the new broadcast console. Numerous students from Hofstra University got their internship requirements fulfilled during this period, including Lorraine Buzzetta.
The approach to educational TV pioneered during this time has become the template for educational TV throughout the country. In 1997, Extra Help was expanded to 24 hours on weekdays, and the Long Island One branding was removed. On weekends, they would still show the Photo Bulletin Board, but the Cablevision logo was pasted over the Long Island One logo in the banner that showed up every five minutes telling viewers how to submit events. At the end of its first Spring Season (March 1995 to July 1995) Extra Help won a CableACE Award for Best New Educational Show Concept – 1995.