Programming
The network aired some original programming, along with films and older sitcoms and dramas. Some programming was also syndicated in markets without UATV stations, but most of its affiliate base was in densely populated metropolitan areas.
Ceasing of operations
According to its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Urban America Television experienced liquidity needs which severely hampered its ability to continue operations, and eventually lost the ability to pay for satellite and uplinking services, along with master control at the network level, effectively curbing the network's operations any further.
As a result, on May 1, 2006, Urban America Television suspended all operations indefinitely, eventually hoping to return if refinancing allowed it to return to the air, though this never occurred.
In response to UATV's unexpected termination, many affiliates were forced to find alternative sources of programming. Competing networks such as America One and 3ABN benefited from the failure of UATV, and stations such as WUHQ-LP in Grand Rapids, Michigan and WONS-LP in Olean, New York, simply changed to other minor networks. The digital age and the rise of subchannel networks with a much higher quality selection of programming and on-air production, including Bounce TV, also did in the majority of pre-digital minor networks, a fate likely to have befallen UATV even if survived into the digital age.
Attempted relaunch of assets as Punch TV/URBT TV
Though for all intents and purposes it has long left the air and is unlikely to return, an outside party purchased the remaining assets of UATV in 2012, attempting a new Black broadcast network concept called "Punch TV", and that parent company continues to trade publicly promoting UATV's return in various forums, albeit as a flat penny stock. As of 2018 however, this effort has resulted only in a low-distributed network under the Punch TV name with very little original programming made up mostly of public domain and brokered content, much of it in no way pertaining to Black American viewers or containing performers and actors of Black descent, such as the Canadian procedural drama Cold Squad . It only has scattered low-power station distribution, along with a now-terminated lease with Multicultural Broadcasting's KILM in the Los Angeles market, a station which effectively dissipated in September 2018 under the new ownership of Ion Media (KILM already shared the bandwidth of Ion's KPXN-TV under a channel share agreement) and became a simulcast of Ion Life/Plus, as was done with similar Ion arrangements (Multicultural terminated the Punch lease in August 2018). Other than that, the only signs of life for the network (which is not under the UATV name) have been required SEC filings, announcements of new corporate and creative officers, and occasional lifts in the penny stock's trading. In the summer of 2019, it rebranded again, as URBT TV.
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The American Independent Network was one of the first major attempts at building a commercial television network consisting of low-powered television stations. Started by Don Shelton, Randy Moseley, and Lyn Snyder, it was similar to the older Channel America, and was the foundation for Urban America TV (UATV). In 2000, several stations sold by USA Networks to Univision carried AIN for about a year while Univision got their second network, TeleFutura, ready to launch on the stations. AIN merged with Hispano Television Ventures in early 2000, forming Hispanic Television Network (HTVN). The new company operated both HTVN and AIN, but the majority of the company's attention was focused on HTVN. HTVN went off the air in 2003, while AIN went off the air two years earlier in 2001, and turned into Urban America Television, with most AIN affiliates either going independent or switching to other networks, like A1 or UATV.
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