C-3 (TV channel)

Its history dates back to December 1, 1977, when Warner Cable Communications (later known as Time Warner Cable) launched the first 2-way interactive cable system, QUBE,^[1] in Columbus, Ohio. C-3 carried Pinwheel daily from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time,^[2][3] and the channel was labelled "Pinwheel" on remote controllers, as it was the only program broadcast.

It was originally a preschool channel until 1979. Pinwheel became successful enough for Horner to expand her idea into a full channel on national television over a year later.

On April 1, 1979, C-3 was closed and replaced by Nickelodeon. After C-3 closed down, Nickelodeon was officially launched on April 1, 1979 (as the first-ever children's network) on Warner Cable franchises across the country. (The launch date, coincidentally, was Vivian Horner's birthday.) Initial programming on Nickelodeon included Pinwheel, Video Comic Book, America Goes Bananaz, Nickel Flicks, and By The Way, all of which originated at the QUBE studios in Columbus. For its first few years, Pinwheel was the network's flagship series, and it was played for three to five hours a day in a block format.^[4]