Decades

Bill Kurtis

 Decades is one of several fledgling digital networks that have schedules that compromise of library material.  One show it has is Through the Decades hosted by CBS News veteran West Coast correspondent Bill Kurtis, alongside Kerry Sayers and Ellee Pai Hong, which chronicles historic events and birthdays that uses footage from Kurtis's former employer and other sources.  It has an episode for each day of the year.  However, if the day falls on a weekend, it will not air.  It's not even online.  On Saturdays, a theme episode is played instead.  Also, what lead off the CBS Evening News on any given year is played if it's anything significant.  I was too young to remember the late great Walter Kronkite as he retired from the newscast when I was small, so I could see some of what he and other anchors did.

Another feature of Decades is the Decades binge on weekends.  One show that should be considered is Here's Lucy with the legendary Lucille Ball (we share a birthday).  It hasn't aired in ages as her other two classics air daily on Decades.  Her Lucie and Desi Jnr are there with her as they address the generation gap that was prevalent in the late sixties to early seventies without the dreadfulness.  The Cattaraugus County natives estate may own the rights to the show, so it would be up to the family if they will sell the rights to the series, which the comedy trailblazer started after selling The Lucy Show, as she didn't want to be on something that was no longer hers.  It gets overlooked next to much of her legacy and was one of the last old guard stars left on TV by its second generation.  Here's Lucy however has aired on Decades' rival Cozi TV in recent years and can be streamed on Hulu and Tubi instead.

Cagney & Lacey with Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly was also recently aired, even though Start TV, a female-led network, usually has it.  Better to have shows not already somewhere else to avoid double-dipping.  Original Walker: Texas Ranger is on Charge! and Get TV, even though the latter is not on local TV in Syracuse right now, just Dish if not DirectTV, FiOS or cable.

The Dick Cavett Show changed networks often, and had almost everyone who was anyone.  An episode he taped in 1981 with ABBA in their native Sweden (so group member Agnetha Fältskog, who has aviophobia, didn't have to travel to the US) I'm not sure if it aired here then as it did in Europe, so it'd be nice if it were seen on Decades along with the 1972 episode with John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

In my area, Decades is only available on terrestrial on WTVU 22.5, a low-budget, low-power, low-rated station with translators in Oneida and Utica.

UPDATE: As of March 2023, Decades is now Catchy Comedy.