Posted by ABRockNJock on February 5, 2026, 3:41 pm
Not to reveal my own age, but there were 2 classic movies that used to air on broadcast TV annually for decades on CBS when I was a kid growing up. One of them was "Gone With The Wind", the 1939 MGM masterpiece starring Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland & Vivian Leigh. The other was another 1939 classic from the famous MGM lion.
For the first time since 1998, "The Wizard of Oz" is coming back to broadcast TV by way of WWME 23, flagship of the MeTV Network. The Weigel-owned classic TV channel has obtained the exclusive broadcast rights to the 1939 MGM classic starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger & Bert Lahr.
The film, based on L. Frank Baum's classic novel, will air in October as part of "Halloween BOO-Nanza", a month long celebration of classic family-friendly, sci-fi & horror movies, including a marquee Saturday night showcase hosted by "Svengoolie" as well as "The Sven Squad". The movie will air multiple times in prime time to mark the occasion.
Comments from Weigel Broadcasting Vice-Chairman Neal Sabin regarding MeTV's exclusive acquisition of the iconic film can be found here and not on the Yellow Brick Road:
TBT = You are giving me a bad flashback! From Wiki: In 1978 after the film had returned to CBS, a computer malfunction at the CBS owned-and-operated WBBM-TV in Chicago accidentally cut off most of the ending to that year's Oz telecast, interrupting the final minute with a commercial block that was not supposed to air until after the movie had ended. Because the break was only 42 seconds long, no attempt was made to override the computer, for fear of making the problem worse. For several hours thereafter, WBBM received angry calls from viewers, while those unable to get through chose to voice their displeasure wrote to the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times newspapers.
on February 5, 2026, 3:41 pm