Another Paramount TV network = DS9 ?
I did some research on other network and it seem that
- DuMont Television Network (1946-1956),
- Paramount TV Network (1948-1956),
- Paramount Television Service (1977-1978) and
- United Paramount Network (1995-2006)
were not the only network that Paramount was involved in. In the mid-1980s, Paramount Domestic Television had started with MCA TV (Universal's owner) to form Premier Advertiser Sales to sell ads across both entities' syndicated shows including Star Trek: The Next Generation in September 1989. MCA and Paramount had early also purchase one and a group of TV stations, respectively. In October 1989, they were shopping a new network to stations called Premier Program Services. PPS was to initially offer two days of programming on Wednesday and Friday starting January 1, 1991. (Fox was broadcasting from Saturday to Monday at the time and expect to expand.) Wednesday would be movies while Friday would be new TV series, one per partner. Interesting enough per the Los Angeles Times: "The series reportedly would be along the lines of Fox's "21 Jump Street" and Paramount's "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Thursdays would have been added as another night of films later in 1991. Also, interesting enough, Paramount TV Service was to be one night of programming, Phase II plus a movie, to start.
We know that Star Trek (Phase II) was in development for the Paramount Television Service. So, was Deep Space Nine originally developed, given the description for Paramount's show, for Premier Program Services?