Catchy Comedy
| Company type | Digital multicast television network |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Predecessor | Decades |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | United States |
| Owner | Weigel Broadcasting |
| Parent | Weigel Broadcasting |
Catchy Comedy, previously known as Decades, is a U.S.-based digital broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. This channel, which is mainly distributed through digital subchannels of various TV stations, focuses on airing classic sitcoms spanning from the 1950s up to the 2010s. Launched in 2015, it underwent a rebranding to Catchy Comedy in 2023.
As part of Weigel Broadcasting's suite of networks, Catchy Comedy operates alongside its sister channel MeTV and broadcasts in 480i widescreen format. Since the autumn of 2019, it has been available on Fox-owned stations across 12 markets through a multi-year deal with Fox Television Stations, having previously been affiliated with stations owned by CBS.
History
On October 21, 2014, CBS Corporation and Weigel Broadcasting revealed plans to introduce a new network named Decades, targeting a launch in 2015. CBS’s partial ownership ensured that its owned-and-operated CBS stations served as the initial charter affiliates for the network.
This initiative represented CBS Television Stations' first foray into national multicasting, as their subchannel presence had been minimal before 2013. At the time Decades was announced, only three CBS O&O stations operated subchannels: WCBS-TV (New York City) and KYW-TV (Philadelphia) broadcast continuous news under the "CBS Plus" brand, while independent station KTXA (Dallas–Fort Worth) aired MeTV. Additionally, CBS Television Distribution had an existing content distribution agreement with Weigel’s classic TV network MeTV, providing much of Decades’ programming from that library.
On January 13, 2015, Weigel confirmed that Milwaukee’s CBS affiliate WDJT-TV would add Decades on its fourth digital subchannel, replacing the digital news service TouchVision.
Decades officially began broadcasting at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time on May 25, 2015, launching with Through the Decades as its premiere program. At launch, the network reached over 45% of U.S. television households.
Programming was scheduled across all six U.S. time zones; for example, a show airing at 8 PM Eastern would be seen at 5 PM Pacific.
On March 27, 2023, Decades transitioned to Catchy Comedy, refocusing its content toward classic sitcoms and sketch comedy variety shows during weekdays and featuring comedy marathons on weekends.
Launch
Decades’ programming heavily utilized CBS Television Distribution's vast content library, including the pre-2006 Paramount Television catalog obtained following CBS’s split from Viacom in 2006 (which later recombined as ViacomCBS in 2019). The lineup also incorporated series from Desilu Productions, Bing Crosby Productions, Don Fedderson Productions, QM Productions, Spelling Television, Republic Pictures Television, along with shows from NBCUniversal, Warner Bros., Disney (20th Century Studios), Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, MGM, Lionsgate, Sonar Entertainment, Shout! Factory, The Carsey-Werner Company, and public domain titles.
To set itself apart from other retro multicast networks such as MeTV and Antenna TV, Decades initially featured weekday themed programming blocks accompanied by interstitial segments that highlighted each day’s theme. Each six-hour block was repeated four times daily and included feature films, thematically related TV episodes, and biographical programs about notable celebrities and public figures. These blocks were bookended by Through the Decades, an hour-long series hosted by Bill Kurtis that examined historical events using archival footage owned by CBS.
On weekends, Decades dedicated marathon blocks lasting up to 42 hours to single classic series primarily sourced from CBS Television Distribution or Weigel Broadcasting’s contracted programs (including those seen on MeTV), beginning Saturdays at noon Eastern Time.
In February 2016, The Dick Cavett Show was incorporated into the daily themed blocks; this featured episodes from Cavett’s ABC talk show (1969–74) as well as his later interview series aired on PBS, USA Network, and CNBC.
A major adjustment in programming occurred on November 1, 2016: the weekday themed block was scaled back to two airings (mid-morning to mid-afternoon and overnight), while the time slot from 2:00 p.m. to midnight ET became a "daily binge" showcasing a different series each day—November’s lineup focused on weekday cop shows.
Starting December 5, 2016, Decades added two daily airings of NBC's Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, inserting them into the binge block schedule with episodes at 6:00 p.m. ET and following the conclusion of the binge period.
Through the Decades
Through the Decades, presented by Bill Kurtis, was a retrospective program broadcast on Decades that showcased significant historical events corresponding to each calendar day. It debuted in September 2016. After the network transitioned to Catchy Comedy on March 27, 2023, the show was discontinued; nevertheless, Weigel continued to offer it as an E/I-compliant program on select independent stations, particularly flagship WCIU-TV in Chicago, before ultimately ceasing its distribution the following year.
2017–2023
Beginning in 2017, Decades reoriented its schedule toward a lineup dominated by sitcoms, ending weekday theme and binge blocks. The "Television Across the Decades" segment aired classic comedies from the 1950s through the 1980s during weekdays from mid-morning until early evening. Evening programming featured the "Smart Comedy" block, spotlighting timeless series such as The Dick Van Dyke Show, Cheers, Taxi, and The Honeymooners.
Prime time slots occasionally included vintage variety shows like The Ed Sullivan Show, Through the Decades, and The Dick Cavett Show. Weekend binge sessions persisted with marathon blocks focusing on a single series for approximately 42 hours, regardless of genre. The final airing under the Decades banner was The Mod Squad during the weekend of March 25–26, 2023.
Catchy Comedy (2023–present)
At 6 a.m. ET on March 27, 2023, Decades rebranded as Catchy Comedy, emphasizing primarily sitcoms while also featuring select variety and sketch comedy programs. The inaugural broadcast under this new identity was the premiere episode of Full House. Unlike its predecessor, Catchy Comedy modifies some shows by trimming episode lengths and shortening end credits.
Weekend binge marathons remain part of the schedule but are now exclusively comedy-themed and, starting January 2025, are limited to Sundays due to a newly established fixed Saturday lineup.
The network’s only non-comedy programming complies with FCC mandates by airing E/I educational content on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. (ET).
Affiliates
When Decades launched in May 2015, it secured affiliation agreements with 35 stations covering at least 44% of U.S. households. Weigel Broadcasting oversaw affiliate distribution beyond the core CBS owned-and-operated stations.
Decades operated on a barter arrangement, sharing advertising inventory and commercial time with local affiliates. CBS-owned stations had the right of first refusal to carry the network before it was offered to other broadcasters. Additionally, the network was accessible through local cable television providers and other multichannel television in the United States, depending on affiliate agreements.
CBS Television Stations initially planned to carry Decades on all 16 of their owned-and-operated stations, excluding certain standalone CW O&Os; these were incorporated by April 2015. In Chicago, Decades aired on CBS O&O WBBM-TV rather than Weigel-owned channels; similarly, in Milwaukee, Weigel’s WBME-CD carried the network. Additionally, WMYS-LD in South Bend broadcasted Decades.
On January 9, 2015, Decades gained its first non-CBS affiliate when Media General’s ABC station WBAY-TV in Green Bay, Wisconsin announced plans to replace Live Well Network on its subchannel after LWN ceased operations in March 2015. Eventually, WBAY aired Ion Television under Media General’s group deal; following E.W. Scripps’ acquisition of Ion in 2020, Decades relocated to WBAY’s digital channel 2.6.
On September 3, 2018, CBS-owned stations replaced Decades with Start TV, a Weigel-owned digital network specializing in female-led crime dramas. Despite this change, Weigel maintained support for Decades through its owned stations in Los Angeles and Chicago—shifting it to Fox-owned KTTV in Los Angeles while retaining it on Weigel’s WMEU-CD and WCIU-TV in Chicago.
Decades broadened its reach on April 19, 2022, by joining the live streaming service Frndly TV.
| Media market | State/District | Station | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsville | Alabama | WAAY-TV | 31.7 |
| Troy–Montgomery | WIYC | 48.2 | |
| Tuscaloosa–Birmingham | WSES | 33.2 | |
| Anchorage | Alaska | KDMD | 33.9 |
| Phoenix | Arizona | KUTP | 45.4 |
| Fort Smith | Arkansas | KFLU-LD | 20.3 |
| Fresno | California | KKDJ-CD | 8.2 |
| Los Angeles | KPOM-CD | 14.1 | |
| KTTV | 11.4 | ||
| San Francisco–San Jose–Oakland | KAXT-CD | 1.2 | |
| KICU-TV | 36.4 | ||
| Stockton–Sacramento–Modesto | KOVR | 13.5 | |
| Denver | Colorado | KCNC-TV | 4.5 |
| Glenwood Springs | KREG-TV | 3.4 | |
| Hartford–New Haven | Connecticut | WHCT-LD | 35.5 |
| Washington, D.C. | District of Columbia | WDME-CD | 48.3 |
External links
- Articles with short description
- Digital multicast television networks in the United States
- Lists of American television network affiliates
- Classic television networks
- Comedy television networks
- Weigel Broadcasting
- Television channels and stations established in 2015
- 2015 establishments in the United States