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The United Network (commonly referred to as United; known prior to launch as the Overmyer Network or ON) was an attempt at a fourth television network in the United States that operated through the month of May 1967. Founded by Daniel H. Overmyer, a Toledo, Ohio, warehouse chain operator and television station owner, majority control of the network was sold by Overmyer to a 14-person syndicate weeks before it launched, resulting in the name change to the United Network.
Despite lofty plans outlined by network president Oliver Treyz, United's lone offering was The Las Vegas Show, a late-night talk show hosted by comedian Bill Dana. This program was successfully cleared in a majority of the nation's television markets; many United affiliates had existing primary affiliations with a Big Three network. Significant financial losses, poor timing, and a lack of overall advertising support prompted the network to shut down after only one month of operations.
The creation of the Overmyer Network was announced on July 12, 1966, with former ABC president Oliver Treyz hired as network president. In addition to Overmyer's planned UHF outlets serving as owned-and-operated stations, New York City station WPIX-TV, owned by Tribune Broadcasting, was signed up as the planned flagship. Los Angeles station KHJ-TV, owned by RKO General, was announced as the lead station for the West Coast; had KHJ-TV not signed, KFTR-DT, a station that had yet to sign on the air, would have been designated as West Coast flagship. The network, abbreviated "ON" with the slogan, "Turn ON", was regarded as the first credible attempt at forming a fourth national network to join ABC, NBC and CBS since ABC's formal reorganization in 1953.
Treyz envisioned ON supplying up to eight straight hours of evening programming to affiliates, including a prime time block devoted to different genres every night, two hours of newscasts supplied by United Press International (UPI), and a late-night talk show originating from Las Vegas, Nevada. Cultural and sports programming including Tales from the Great Book (an animated Bible series) and regional games of the Continental Football League were also planned, as was professional soccer. Lewron Television, a Baltimore, Maryland–based production company that provided mobile television facilities for ABC, CBS and NBC, was contracted to supply their facilities for the late-night show. By July 1966, 35 stations agreed to affiliate with the new network; this grew by October to 100 stations, 75 of which already agreed to carry the late-night show. The number of planned affiliates increased to 123 by December, including 24 of the largest 25 markets. Many of these new affiliates were existing CBS affiliates; after ON made the late-night show a priority, CBS declined to launch a late-night show of their own.
Overmyer announced the sale of 80 percent majority control in the network on March 5, 1967, to a 14-person syndicate led by three stockholders in the Mutual Broadcasting System: Jack McGlothlin, a Texas oil operator; Willard Garvey, a grain dealer, an oil investor and land developer; and James Nichols, a Texas advertising and public-relations executive. No money changed hands. By February 15, 1967, Overmyer encountered second thoughts over the feasibility of the network and realized the original projected April 3 launch date promised months earlier in trade advertising would not be met. Overmyer proposed to the Mutual board a merger with the Overmyer Network as a way to help finance production of the new late-night show until advertising revenue became more available. While the Mutual board rejected the idea, McGlothlin, Garvey and Nichols, were receptive and formed the syndicate. As part of the deal, ON was renamed the United Network and now had a launch date of May 1, 1967. The new date came after negotiations with Lewron that included a $60,000 rider inserted in their contract and the right for United to terminate with seven days' notice. Broadcasting called the transaction "a rescue mission ... that has saved the fourth television network from death in the womb." Overmyer also relinquished any managerial role or board seats with the network.
With Las Vegas derisively dubbed "Ollie's Follies" by industry insiders, United was described by Variety as a syndication service similar to Sports Network, but utilizing AT&T Bell System transmission lines—the main carrier for television network transmissions—to send programming on a regular schedule. United's affiliate base was regarded as "irregular" by Variety and retrospectively seen as "erratic". As the network was made up mostly of existing Big Three affiliates, The Las Vegas Show aired in Broadcast delay in most markets; some NBC affiliates delayed the show to the late afternoon or aired it after Tonight. The show's airtime on WPIX varied during the week, which was also the case for WGN-TV in Chicago. The network also lacked clearance in some large cities, including San Francisco, which was waiting for KEMO-TV to sign on.
While initially debuting to strong ratings in New York and Los Angeles, Las Vegas experienced significant declines through the month of May 1967. By the third week, Las Vegas was ranked dead last in New York and reportedly fell to a fraction of a point nationally. Dana later said some audience surveys showed Las Vegas had an average viewership of around 2.6 million, a respectable number given the varied airtimes among the stations and competition against Tonight, Joey Bishop and The Merv Griffin Show.
United also launched at the end of the traditional television season, which was also the last quarter for traditional advertising budget cycles, limiting the ability for blue-chip companies to become clients for the network, although companies like Colgate-Palmolive, General Mills and General Foods did emerge as advertisers. During the last days of operation, network president Oliver Treyz made an on-air appeal to potential sponsors, pointing out that air time on The Las Vegas Show was a mere $6,000 a minute, barely a third of what NBC was charging for The Tonight Show. Syndicated columnist Jack O'Brian reported these $6,000 rates were reduced further by up to two-thirds. Lewron was also not paid on May 22 and May 29 and issued a Telegraphy threatening to deny United usage of their facilities. Other columnists began to suggest United "is in financial trouble", had a "shaky" future, or was "dying", with O'Brian calling Las Vegas both "new and ailing".
A notice was sent to the network's 107 affiliate stations on June 1, 1967, which stated:
United filed for bankruptcy on June 22, 1967, having accrued a debt of $690,000. Creditors included Chase Manhattan Bank, Texas Bank and Trust, Overmyer Network and Productions, and Bill Dana. Treyz left at the end of June. Managing director James Nichols expressed hope to resume United's operations within two months, saying the network did not fold but dropped all programming while undergoing a reorganization. Nichols retained Robert Pauley, formerly of ABC Radio, to serve as United's future president. Minority shareholder Willard Garvey planned to incorporate a new company named Detinu, Inc. (United spelled backward), to "precede development of a fourth nationwide television network".
By September 1967, Nichols announced United would relaunch with seven hours of news and public affairs per week, transmitted between 2 a.m. and noon when AT&T fees were lowest. Pauley "severed ties" with United's investor team the following month and established Independent Broadcasting Co., which like United would provide news and public affairs, including content from Pathé News, to affiliates. This network also failed to materialize and Pauley was eventually hired as president of Mutual Broadcasting. Pete Barbutti told the Omaha World-Herald in a January 1968 interview any plans to revive United or Las Vegas were "quite unlikely" as ownership decided to write-off the network for tax purposes.
Lewron Television sued both the network and Overmyer for $117,000 in unpaid rental bills, half of what had been owed to them under their contract; Overmyer was included because of his past status as a minority owner. While Overmyer was initially found liable of up to $53,683 in a summary judgment, this was later reversed on appeal. The lawsuit against United was decided on May 8, 1972, with the network owing the firm $13,326.86.
Jack Gould mused in his Times column at the end of 1967 that United's failure was "further evidence that expansion of commercial TV is little more than a pipe dream". In a February 1969 column on recent attempts at a fourth television network (including DuMont, NTA and a Pat Weaver effort), Newspaper Enterprise Association media critic Joan Crosby deemed United "the latest, and most noteworthy fiasco ... that barely lasted long enough for the first commercial". Industry spokesmen described United to Crosby as "a promotion stunt" and "a fraud". Homer Brickey of the Toledo Blade later called the network "a victim of the Overmyer cash crunch" and claimed Treyz "slid into oblivion and reportedly became a bum on the streets of New York City." Historian Hal Erickson wrote that "... the United Network came to an end—making The Las Vegas Show the first series in history to leave the air because its network was cancelled."
A blue background indicates a station only included in the April 3, 1967, list.
| +United Network affiliates ! scope="col" | Station ! scope="col" | Channel ! scope="col" | Primary affiliation ! scope="col" | City of license ! scope="col" | Refs ! scope="col" | Notes |
Some listed affiliates did not carry the show:
The following stations were listed as affiliates in the December 5, 1966, list and had no market replacement:
Affiliates negotiated with the network but did not came through nor finalized:
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