The Chance Network

The Chance Network, more commonly referred to as TCN, is a United States over-the-air television network launched on January 17, 1998. The network airs a mix of original programs and reruns of classic shows, mainly from the 1960's to the 1990's. 
== History ==
The Chance Network's first affiliate, WTCP in Philadelphia, signed on the air on December 21, 1997. For the brief period between WTCP's first broadcast and TCN signing on, the station aired a test pattern with text that read:TCN programming is coming soon! Beginning at noon on January 17, 1998, new programming will come to WTCP. Get ready!The network's inaugural primetime program was I Love Lucy (every January 17 since, the network airs a four-episode marathon of the show in place of their primetime programming). The following day, January 18, 1998, the station's second affiliate, KARJ in Los Angeles, California, signed on. The first local newscast to air on the network was NewsChannel9 at Ten on WTCP, which aired on the evening of January 17.
By 1999, the network was often beating UPN, and occasionally The WB and/or Fox, in ratings. On September 7, 1999, TCN's first newscast, TCN News Nightcap with Gene Gough (now TCN News Nightcap with Melissa Black) premiered. The program originally aired at 10:30 pm/9:30 pm Central, but later moved back to air an hour later. 
From September 11 to September 14, 2001, TCN aired live coverage of the terrorist attacks in New York City, with Gene Gough and WTCP's Pat Price fronting the coverage. However, the network continued to provide its morning and afternoon TCN Kids' Zone blocks of childrens' programming to affiliates, as parents likely did not want their children to see the disturbing images on TV. The blocks were extended, airing from 6:30 to 10 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. every day that week. However, many affiliates chose not to carry the shows again until September 17, 2001, when TCN completely ended coverage outside of reports on Nightcap. 
== Today ==
On June 21, 2021, an evening newscast, TCN Tonight with Donna Lake, debuted. It airs live at 6:30 pm/5:30 pm Central. A Saturday edition, anchored by correspondent Chip Bartlow, hit the airwaves on June 26.
TCN's two most popular programs are Lansing Cake Company and The Amira Clarke Show. The former series premiered in 2014, the latter in 2019. Sunday night reruns of Magnum, P.I. are also highly rated, although Fox's cartoon block often dominates. 
In July 2021, the network announced it would be collaborating with PBS Kids to create a Saturday-morning children's programming block, PBS Kids on TCN. The block will first air in November 2021. Later in 2021, it was announced that the @TCN #SaturdayNight block would premiere the following television season. The block will feature four shows, all original to TCN: Sweet Home Alabama, Gus & Wally, Comedy Court, and Ice Cream Antisocial. 
The full summer 2022 schedule was announced on Friday, October 22, 2021. It will feature one original program: the sitcom Jackpot. The program will be followed by reruns of Lansing Cake Company on Thursday nights. 
== Newscasts ==
=== Mornings ===
==== TCN News Early Edition ====
TCN News Early Edition is the first network newscast to air during TCN's broadcast day. Premiering on September 1, 2010, the program covers overnight news stories, upcoming events, and national weather forecasts (during this segment, affiliates can air their own local weather insert). The show is aired live at 4 a.m. Eastern Time (3 a.m. in Chicago, where it is recorded), to accommodate 4:30 a.m. newscast start times on the East Coast. It is transmitted in a continuous loop from 4 a.m. Eastern Time to 10 a.m. Eastern Time, when TCN News This Morning begins in the Pacific Time Zone. The newscast is anchored by Tyreke Sumner and Jacob Heaton.
==== TCN News This Morning ====
TCN News This Morning is the channel's main morning newscast, competing with many other network morning shows, including CBS Mornings and Sunrise America. The show airs from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. in all time zones (however, some affiliates in the Central Time Zone can choose to air it live at 6 a.m.), and first aired on July 5, 2007. TNTM features national and international stories, financial news, human interest stories, weather forecasts, and more. Like other morning programs, affiliates can air local news updates at 7:27 a.m., 7:57 a.m., 8:27 a.m., and 8:57 a.m. 
=== Evenings ===
==== TCN Tonight ====
TCN Tonight with Donna Lake debuted on June 21, 2021, and is essentially an earlier version of Nightcap. The newscast showcases the news of the day, sports recaps, and international headlines. The Saturday edition, anchored by Chip Bartlow with sports from Bronwyn Carson, premiered the following Saturday.
==== TCN News Nightcap ====
TCN News Nightcap is the network's longest-running morning news program. It debuted in 1999 with anchor Gene Gough. When Gough retired in 2004, Marvin Woodard took over. Woodard was in turn succeeded by current anchor Melissa Black in late 2009. The show features in-depth investigations, the following day's national weather (like Early Edition, affiliates can air local inserts), and more. Unlike TCN Tonight, there is no Saturday edition.
=== Weekends ===
==== TCN News Saturday Morning ====
TCN News Saturday Morning debuted on May 12, 2018. The newscast is "fluffier" than TNTM, with more pop culture segments and human interest pieces. However, there are normal news stories as well. 
==== TCN News Sunday Morning ====
TCN News Sunday Morning debuted the following day, on May 13, 2018. It is anchored by Hilda Broughton-Sears, and provides an in-depth look on the stories of the week. 
==== TCN Tonight Saturday ====
TCN Tonight Saturday premiered on June 26, 2021. Anchored by Chip Bartlow, it features national news and sports reports.
== Programming aired on TCN ==
=== Original programming ===
==== Comedies ====
* Lansing Cake Company 
* The Amira Clarke Show
* Whatever Happened To..?
* Step by Step (reboot)
* This Just In
==== Dramas ====
* Cold Blood
* Detective Dawn
* Silk Stalkings (reboot)
==== Game shows ====
* Tic Tac Dough (reboot)
* Wordy
==== Soap operas ====
* Before You Go
* Landis County Trading Post
==== Reality shows ====
* Impress Me
==== Newscasts ====
* TCN News Early Edition
* TCN News This Morning
* TCN Tonight with Donna Lake
* TCN News Nightcap with Melissa Black
* TCN News Saturday Morning
* TCN Tonight Saturday with Chip Bartlow
* TCN News Sunday Morning
=== Acquired programming ===
==== Comedies ====
* Ellen
* Grace Under Fire
* WKRP in Cincinnati
* Step by Step (original)
* Bewitched
* I Dream of Jeannie
==== Dramas ====
* Silk Stalkings (original)
* Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior
*Magnum, P.I.
==== Game shows ====
* Supermarket Sweep
==== Soap operas ====
* Port Charles
==== Reality shows ====
* America's Next Top Model
=== TCN Special Movie Presentation ===
There are three movies that TCN airs annually for different reasons:
Film 	Date aired 	Reason aired 	Time aired 	Aired on TCN since
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory	August 29 	Tribute to Gene Wilder	8:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET 	August 29, 2017
The Nutcracker 	Various; always in December	Christmas 	8:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET 	December 13, 2001
9/11 	September 11 	Anniversary of 9/11 	8:00 PM to 10:00 PM ET*	September 11, 2003
*We Remember, a half-hour TCN-produced special airs at 10:00 PM following the movie. However, Nightcap is not aired that night; TCN gives the 11:30 PM ET slot back to affiliates. 
== Schedules (TIMES EASTERN) ==
=== Primetime fall schedule (September 13, 2021 - May 20, 2022) ===
 	Monday 	Tuesday 	Wednesday 	Thursday 	Friday 	Saturday 	Sunday
7:00 PM	Local programming 	Local programming 	Local programming 	Local programming 	Local programming 	Local programming 	America's Next Top Model
7:30 PM	Local programming 	Local programming 	Local programming 	Local programming 	Local programming 	Local programming 	America's Next Top Model
8:00 PM	Impress Me 	Step by Step (original) 	Grace Under Fire 	Bewitched 	The Amira Clarke Show	WKRP in Cincinnati 	Wordy
8:30 PM	Impress Me 	Step by Step (reboot) 	Whatever Happened To...?	I Dream of Jeannie	Ellen 	WKRP in Cincinnati 	Tic Tac Dough
9:00 PM	This Just In 	Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior	Detective Dawn 	Cold Blood 	Silk Stalkings 	Port Charles 	Magnum, P.I.
9:30 PM	Lansing Cake Company	Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior	Detective Dawn 	Cold Blood 	Silk Stalkings 	Landis County Trading Post	Magnum, P.I.
=== Primetime summer schedule (May 21, 2022 - September 12, 2022) ===
 	Monday 	Tuesday 	Wednesday 	Thursday 	Friday 	Saturday 	Sunday
7:00 PM	Local programming 	Local programming 	Local programming 	Local programming 	Local programming	Local programming 	Chicago Hope
7:30 PM	Local programming 	Local programming 	Local programming 	Local programming 	Local programming	Local programming 	Chicago Hope
8:00 PM	She Spies 	Las Vegas 	Alias 	The Good Wife 	Elementary 	TCN Saturday Night Movie	ER
8:30 PM	She Spies 	Las Vegas 	Alias 	The Good Wife 	Elementary 	TCN Saturday Night Movie	ER
9:00 PM	Yes, Dear 	Brooklyn Nine-Nine 	The Bernie Mac Show	Jackpot 	Full House 	TCN Saturday Night Movie	7th Heaven
9:30 PM	The Drew Carey Show	Arrested Development	Mama's Family 	Lansing Cake Company	Blossom 	TCN Saturday Night Movie	7th Heaven
== Affiliates ==
See: List of TCN affiliates
== Staff ==
=== Anchors ===
* Tyreke Sumner - TCN News Early Edition
* Jacob Heaton - TCN News Early Edition
* Zoe Tierney - TCN News Early Edition Weekend, also correspondent
* Curtis Marquez - TCN News This Morning
* Tonisha Ridley - TCN News This Morning
* Jenny Philmont - TCN News This Morning
* Luther Stacey - TCN News Special Report, also correspondent
* Donna Lake - TCN Tonight
* Melissa Black - TCN News Nightcap
* Chip Bartlow - TCN Tonight Saturday, also correspondent
=== Meteorologists ===
* Ally Jackson - TCN News Early Edition and TCN News This Morning
* Jaden Smith - TCN Tonight and TCN News Nightcap
* Byron Kent - TCN News Early Edition Weekend, TCN News Saturday Morning, and TCN News Sunday Morning
* Kirstin Crowther - TCN Tonight Saturday
=== Correspondents ===
* Kimora Velasquez - chief correspondent
* Cole Brown
* Hattie Duffy - foreign affairs correspondent
* Levi Pate
* Kate O'Neill
* Amanda Carroll - White House correspondent
* Marco Goodwin
* Judy Lane
* Zach Chapman - international correspondent
* Manny Mac - chief justice correspondent
* Tommy Cantrell-Lee - chief financial correspondent
* Hayden Harvey - political analyst
* Donald Osborn - legal affairs correspondent
* Aisha Bradley
* Martin Dedrick - economy and techology correspondent
* Nicky Roach - arts and pop culture correspondent
* Lucie Williams - race correspondent 
* Amelia Thorpe
* Drew Milano - medical and environmental correspondent
* Gurpreet Ventura - chief Capitol correspondent
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Category:Fictional television networks
Category:Television channels and stations established in 1998
Category:Chicago
Category:The Chance Network
Category:The Pierre Péladeau Company
Category:Quebecor Media