Launched 25 March 1990 Analogue Marcopolo 1, 12.01518 | Closed 8 April 1991 Founded 1990 | |
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Sister channel(s) The Movie ChannelThe Sports ChannelGalaxyNowThe Computer Channel Owners British Satellite Broadcasting (1990), Sky plc (1990–1991) | ||
The Power Station was a British television channel that was operated by British Satellite Broadcasting (later British Sky Broadcasting, after BSB and Sky Television merged). It was a dedicated music channel.
Contents
Programmes
Power Up (weekdays 7-9am) was the Power Station's Breakfast Show, hosted by Chris Evans.
Other main shows included The Carmen Ejogo Video Show (weekdays 4-5pm), The Power Chart with Pat Sharp (weekdays 5-6pm), Sushi TV (weekdays 6-7pm) and Jonathan Coleman's Swing Shift (Monday-Thursday 11pm-1am) (Times given are for October 1990).
The channel also featured Boy George's weekly chat show Blue Radio, The Power Club, The Power Hour (a top 10 show, for example albums), Krush Rap, Rage (where DJ Elayne presented funky rap, soul, acid house and funk), The Chart of Charts (a two-hour chart pick with indie, dance, metal and US music), and Power Haus (a 'headbangers' heaven'). Speakeasy featured jazz with rock music a feature of Raw Power.
Live concerts came from artists including the Inspiral Carpets, Belinda Carlisle, Jason Donovan, Jerry Lee Lewis and Phil Collins.
BSB/Sky merger
In November 1990, British Satellite Broadcasting and Sky Television merged. BSB's Galaxy and Now channels were closed, but at first the Power Station survived, gaining a "British Sky Broadcasting" suffix on its logo.
However, The Power Station was closed at 4am on 8 April 1991 as it was decided that MTV would be used as the music channel on BSkyB's Astra satellite service. At 03:56 "All Together Now" by the Farm was the last music video to be played, and two hours later, at 05:59, channel 4 for BSB viewers became Sky Movies, a subscription movie channel. It was given free to BSB viewers for one month if they also subscribed to the Movie Channel.