TNN To Debut Trek Programming In October

Not only did cable network TNN strike a deal to air all 179 episodes of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation', it also liked TNG so much that it named its entire Fall lineup after the series.

At its Upfront presentation for ad agency executives, the Viacom-owned cable network unveiled its Fall lineup of newly acquired and original programming. The network called the new lineup 'TNN: The Next Generation', a name particularly fitting with one of the shows that will be premiering as part of the new lineup.

In October 2001, the first episodes from the Star Trek franchise will begin airing on TNN, which will celebrate this with a week-long Trek marathon featuring five of the movies and several episodes from 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'. DS9 and Voyager have also been acquired by TNN, but won't begin showing on the network for another few years.

According to TNN General Manager Diane Robina, the new name reflected the new audience the network is reaching. "We're putting the finishing touches on the next generation of TNN programming," she said. "With Star Trek, CSI, Pamela Anderson's VIP and Baywatch, pop culture movies like 'The Godfather' as well as reality series that feature real people, real stories, the next generation of TNN is pop television, pop stars, and pop culture. The next generation of TNN viewers is also getting younger, more active, more vibrant and more free-spending than previous TNN viewers."

These previous TNN viewers knew the network as The Nashville Network, airing country-oriented programming. Last year, parent company Viacom decided to rebrand TNN as The National Network, a general entertainment network similar to the USA Network. The network received a new slogan, 'We've Got Pop', and thanks to a deal with the World Wrestling Federation managed to quickly draw in viewers with the popular 'RAW is WAR' wrestling series. Last month, it managed to enter the top-10 of most popular cable networks for the first time.

Other shows scheduled to debut on TNN next season include original series such as 'Small Shots', a 30-minute series in which local people in small towns are cast to star in spoofs of theatrical films, 'Pop Across America', in which comedian Steve Marmel goes in search of the humorous side of pop culture on the back of a flatbed truck, and 'Robot Wars', an adaptation of the popular British series. TNN has also acquired the off-network rerun rights of 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation', and will air a special three-day tribute to 'The Godfather' movie trilogy.

More info on the cable network's Fall lineup can be found by popping over to this page.

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