TNA 3
TNA 3 is a North Arlesburian television channel operated by the North Arlesburian Broadcasting Corporation. Like most Eurectipherian "third channels" operated by public broadcasters, it targets the youth while simultaneously being an alternative to "commercial vermin", promoting freedom of speech and local talents.
History[edit | edit source]
Prelaunch[edit | edit source]
In the early part of the 90s, the North Arlesburian government issued three new licenses: two for the newly-opened commercial sector and one for Television North Arlesbury. TNA planned to use the new license to create a service that would counter the wider TNA 1 (then Channel One) and the cultural TNA 2 (then Channel 2, later Network 2), by showing progrmaming primarily for the youth. TNA approved the license on October 1, 1992, and initiated a process to create the new service. The new service was to broadcast using an exclusively UHF network of transmitters.
1993-1996[edit | edit source]
In early 1993, TNA announced the name of its third channel, The Zone, and would broadcast for about six hours a day on weekdays (18:00 to midnight) and eight on weekends (16:00 to midnight). The channel was given its own budget and management, although it was initially considered that it would depend on Channel One's management.
The channel formally opened on September 17, 1993 at 18:00. As The Zone, its programming consisted largely of alternative programming, including lots of music shows, primarily dedicated to metal, alternative rock and indie music. These would be the base for what RNA 3 would become upon its launch in April next year. It would also show "experimental" television productions made in North Arlesbury and some movies from the Troma catalog. Despite initial speculations that the new service was a huge mistake and was to be wasted on viewing figures stuck in the few hundreds, the channel managed to earn 80.000 or so viewers in its first night on air.
In order to accomplish the rule of having an obligatory news operation (as was the style in the days before Freeview), The Zone broadcast pre-recorded (often recorded less than an hour before) news bulletins from the TNA News studio. However it quickly gained its own newscast, News Zone, that lasted for about five minutes (by average the pre-recorded news bulletins ran for three minutes) and went on air live. Eventually it became a half-hour news show at 8pm, the pre-recorded bulletins remaied on the schedule before closedown at least until June 1996.
The Zone also made its own award ceremony, The Zone Awards, in honor of its first anniversary.
