Los Angeles Nationalizes Cable Television

While revelers were ringing in the new year at the stroke of midnight, the image on public access cable television channels switched to the following:



Okay just kidding but it was just as bad:

 

As expected the City took over control of the public access channels once owned by Time-Warner Cable.  It was getting a little hairy because of a dust-up between Time-Warner and Viacom there was a chance that stations such as MTV, BET, VH-1 and TV Land would also go dark on Time-Warner cable systems. Fortunately the two media giants settled their difference at the last minute but had they not the City would have taken over those channels as well and TV Land would have traded airing classic episodes of I Love Lucy, The Brady Bunch and Bonanza to re-runs of Huell Howser Roots Through John Ferraro's Desk Drawer, Ruth Galanter and Friends and Mike Hernandez's Coke Time Fun Hour.