Editing Hallmark Channel (section)

===Odyssey Network===
In 1995, cable conglomerate [[Tele-Communications Inc.]]'s [[Liberty Media]] acquired a 49% ownership stake in the Faith & Values Channel, and took over operational control of the network. It added more secular programming to the network and reduced religious programming to about 10 hours a day. In 1996, the network was rebranded as the Odyssey Network (although on-air [[promo (media)|promotions]] often referred to the network simply as "Odyssey"), and launched a website, Odysseyfamily.com.
[[Image:Odyssey Network.svg|thumb|150px|left|Logo as Odyssey Network from 1996 to 2001]]

[[Crown Media Holdings|Hallmark Entertainment]] and [[The Jim Henson Company]] bought significant stakes, paid partly through programming commitments, in Odyssey in late 1998; by this time, Odyssey carried a mix of religious programming and family-friendly secular shows, with a limited amount of original productions. Liberty had convinced Hallmark not to launch its own domestic channel, citing difficulty in getting carriage for a new network on existing cable systems. The NICC and Hallmark-Henson would hold equal shares while Liberty increased their stake, and the three groups shared control of the board. Hallmark and Henson would have say over chief executive selection. While adding Henson's and Hallmark's libraries, the channel could not make major programming format changes, so cable systems could not drop them.<ref name="vty">{{cite news|last1=Katz|first1=Richard|title=Hallmark into Odyssey|url=https://variety.com/1998/tv/news/hallmark-into-odyssey-1117478004/|access-date=January 9, 2018|work=Variety|date=June 29, 1998|archive-date=January 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110174422/http://variety.com/1998/tv/news/hallmark-into-odyssey-1117478004/|url-status=live}}</ref> Hallmark hired former [[Fox Kids|Fox Kids Network]] worldwide vice-chairman [[Margaret Loesch]] that year to overhaul Odyssey into a family channel (Loesch had quit Fox in late 1997, ironically after acquiring Odyssey's rival, [[The Family Channel (American TV network, founded 1990)|The Family Channel]], with plans to revamp that network; however, she had to wait out a non-compete clause in her contract before officially joining Odyssey).<ref name="idch">{{cite book|title=International Directory of Company Histories. Volume 45.|date=2002|publisher=St. James Press|via=FundingUniverse|url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/crown-media-holdings-inc-history/|access-date=December 27, 2017|language=en|chapter=History of Crown Media Holdings, Inc.|archive-date=December 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228171531/http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/crown-media-holdings-inc-history/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Variety Staff |date=1997-11-21 |title=Loesch ankles Fox Kids post |url=https://variety.com/1997/tv/news/loesch-ankles-fox-kids-post-1116675079/ |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Mifflin |first=Lawrie |date=1997-11-20 |title=Fox Said to Be Ousting Children's TV Pioneer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/20/business/fox-said-to-be-ousting-children-s-tv-pioneer.html |access-date=2024-02-24 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Matzer |first=Marla |date=1997-11-21 |title=Founder of Fox Kids Quits, Ending Months of Speculation |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-nov-21-fi-56159-story.html |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Katz |first=Richard |date=1998-11-17 |title=Loesch on Odyssey |url=https://variety.com/1998/tv/news/loesch-on-odyssey-1117488595/ |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>

Under the new ownership structure, Odyssey underwent a major programming revamp on April 4, 1999; the revamp decreased the amount of religious programs on the network down to an average of four hours a day, although more hours were religious on the weekend. The channel began to focus more on family-targeted entertainment programming, including classic [[Situation comedy|sitcoms]] and variety series (such as ''[[ALF (TV series)|ALF]]'' and ''[[The Muppet Show]]''), children's programs (such as ''[[The Archie Show]]'', ''[[Fraggle Rock]]'', and ''[[Zoobilee Zoo]]''), and family-oriented films and miniseries (such as the cable broadcast premiere of Hallmark and Henson's 1996 adaptation of ''[[Gulliver's Travels (miniseries)|Gulliver's Travels]]''). The afternoon block ''[[Leonard Maltin]] Presents'' featured films from the [[Halcyon Studios|RHI Entertainment]]-owned [[Hal Roach Studios]] library, while Wednesday nights featured classic ''[[Hallmark Hall of Fame]]'' productions.<ref name="dn">{{cite news |last1=Pierce |first1=Scott D. |date=April 4, 1999 |title=Hallmark, Henson take on Odyssey Cable channel is being relaunched one more time |language=en |work=[[Deseret News]] |url=https://www.deseret.com/1999/4/4/19438095/hallmark-henson-take-on-odyssey-br-cable-channel-is-being-relaunched-one-more-time/ |url-status=live |access-date=January 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110174605/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/689430/Hallmark-Henson-take-on-Odyssey.html |archive-date=January 10, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=By |date=1999-04-02 |title=FAITH & VALUES REBORN AS |url=https://www.courant.com/1999/04/02/faith-values-reborn-as/ |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=Hartford Courant |language=en-US}}</ref>

Loesch explained that the three owners shared a commitment to "quality programming" and "raising the bar on television", and that the channel was being programmed in a direction reminiscent of television in the 1950s and 1960s, where broadcasters "really had quite broad fare, but you never had to ask anyone to leave the room, like your children".<ref name="dn" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Tribune |first=Chicago |date=1999-06-09 |title=RETRO TV |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1999/06/09/retro-tv/ |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref>