"Got a Pop History/Pop Culture question from the 60's, 70's, 80's or 90's?" Just askmrpophistory@mrpophistory.com

CBS

From Jeff T – What was the name of the ill-fated CBS-owned cable channel of the 1990’s? How long did it last?

Mr. Pop History – CBS finally got into the cable business with its own channel, “Eye on People.” It launched in March of 1997 with 2 million subscribers. The channel was supposed to differentiate itself from Fox News, MSNBC and others by featuring more personalities. Debut was March of 1997 but by the end of the decade – it was gone and sold to the folks at Discovery.  The problem – limited channel availability. Had CBS waited a few more years – this may have not been a problem.  

Some of the original programming on “Eye” was “The Things People Do” with host Charles Osgood and “Off Tenth” – featuring headlines of the day with Richard Schlesinger and Thalia Assuras.