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Trio (TV network)

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Trio
Trio logo
CountryUnited States
Broadcast areaNational
Programming
Picture format480i (SDTV)
Ownership
OwnerCanadian Broadcasting Corporation (1994–2000)
Power Corporation of Canada (1994–2000)
USA Network/NBC Universal (2000–2006)
Sister channelsNewsworld International
History
LaunchedJune 1, 1994 (1994-06-01)
ClosedJanuary 1, 2006 (2006-01-01) (11 years and 7 months)
Replaced bySleuth

Trio (stylized as TR!O) was an American cable and satellite television network.

Trio went on the air in 1994, then originally owned and operated jointly by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Power Broadcasting Inc. (a subsidiary of Power Corporation of Canada) along with 24-hour international news channel Newsworld International. The channel served as a venue for airing the CBC's arts, culture and entertainment programming in the U.S. It was sold to USA Networks in 2000,[1] and was subsequently transferred to Vivendi Universal and later NBC Universal.

With the slogan, "pop, culture, TV", Trio programming under Vivendi/NBC Universal ownership focused on television as a cultural tool and art form.

In January 2005, Trio was dropped from DirecTV, eliminating about two-thirds of the homes that could receive the network. On November 21, 2005, NBC Universal announced that the Trio brand would be transferred to a broadband Internet TV initiative under the Bravotv.com banner on January 1, 2006. Cable and satellite providers still carrying Trio were offered a new NBC Universal cable network instead, called Sleuth, which was renamed Cloo in 2011 and continued on until its sudden closure on February 1, 2017.

Notable Trio programs

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Original

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  • The N-Word, Peabody Award–winning documentary starring Whoopi Goldberg, Samuel L. Jackson and many other African American celebrities discussing the origin and power of the word nigger.[2]
  • Outlaw Comic: The Censoring of Bill Hicks, documentary hosted by Janeane Garofalo, focusing on his David Letterman appearances, especially his last one, where he was cut from the program.
  • The Award Show Awards Show, examination of America's obsession with awards
  • The Christmas Special Christmas Special
  • Film Fanatic, cinema, hosted by Amy Sedaris
  • Flops 101: Lessons from the Biz
  • TV's Most Censored Moments, a documentary about censorship in television.
  • The Blockbuster Imperative, a documentary about Hollywood's obsession with blockbuster movies.
  • Saturday Spin Theatre, feature films like Leon the Pig Farmer and The Legend of the North Wind.

Reruns

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Brilliant But Cancelled

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This was the umbrella title under which Trio aired repeats of series that had very short lives on mainstream broadcast television, yet were still considered to be programming that "broke the mold" of what was normally expected from the "Big Three" networks. Series that appeared under the Brilliant But Cancelled umbrella included:

Brilliant But Cancelled was later used by Universal as a title for a series of DVDs that feature samples of short-lived series. Two of these have been released—one being a sampler of short-lived crime drama series, while the other was selected episodes of EZ Streets.

Flops

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Special airing of shows that flopped.

(The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer was supposed to air, but was pulled due to the controversial nature of the program, which played for laughs the relationship between a black nobleman and President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War).

Schedule Lineup

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Kids Block

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08:00 AM – The Raccoons

08:30 AM – Once Upon a Hamster

09:00 AM – Mr. Dressup

09:30 AM – The Littlest Hobo

10:00 AM – The Raccoons

10:30 AM – Once Upon a Hamster

11:00 AM – Mr. Dressup

11:30 AM – The Littlest Hobo

Lifestyle

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12:00 PM – Taste of Life

12:30 PM – Canadian Gardener

Red Hot Dramas

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01:00 PM – Blue Heelers

02:00 PM – North of 60

03:00 PM – Street Legal

04:00 PM – Murdoch Mysteries

After-School Theatre

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05:00 PM – Northwood

05:30 PM – (Monday; Max Glick) 05:30 PM – (Tuesday; Mysterious Island) 05:30 PM – (Wednesday; Dog House) 05:30 PM – (Thursday; Madison) 05:30 PM – (Friday; Deepwater Black)

06:00 PM – (Saturday; Degrassi)

06:30 PM – (Saturday; Street Cents)

In-Style

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06:00 PM – SCTV

06:30 PM – Fashion File

Highway 7

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07:00 PM – (Monday; Coltrane in the Cadillac) 07:00 PM – (Tuesday; The Fifth Estate) 07:00 PM – (Wednesday; Flightpath) 07:00 PM – (Thursday; Frost's Century) 07:00 PM – (Friday; Undercurrents

07:30 PM – (Friday; MediaTelevision)

Dramarama

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Mondays only
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08:00 PM – Black Harbour 08:30 PM – North of 60

Tuesdays only
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08:00 PM – Street Legal 08:30 PM – Mercury

Wednesdays only
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08:00 PM – Noah's Ark 08:30 PM – Murdoch Mysteries

Thursdays only
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08:00 PM – London's Burning 08:30 PM – Traders

Fridays only
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08:00 PM – Counterstrike 08:30 PM – McCallum

References

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  1. ^ "Power Broadcasting Inc. And CBC Sell Trio and Newsworld International to USA Cable". Archived from the original on 2004-12-12. Retrieved 2005-01-08.
  2. ^ 64th Annual Peabody Awards, May 2005.
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