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Research dossier · Places & Architecture

Onyx.tv

former German television station (1996-2004)

Architectural plans, a scale model, maps and brass measuring instruments
Places and architectureInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJun 2, 2026
Entity authorityQ2024736 ↗
Source-derived summary

Onyx.tv was a German music television channel operated by the French AB Groupe.

Unlike MTV and VIVA, it had a reputation for less mainstream but alternative music such as punk subculture, electronic music or trip hop.

History

The broadcast began on 6 January 1996 under the name Onyx Music Television. On 15 September 2004, the French owner AB Groupe replaced the channel with the documentation channel terranova.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Onyx.tv” as former German television station (1996-2004). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Onyx, former and German.

Editorial reviewA strong orientation record where physical form, institutional use and historical geography need to be read together. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1996, 2004—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1996-01-01. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Onyx, former and German providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Onyx.tv”, the useful work is to connect “former German television station (1996-2004)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2024736. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1996 and 2004.

Critical limits

Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.

Best used for
  • Historic place names
  • Jurisdictional context
  • Routes into maps and plans
Verify next

Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Onyx.tv”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Onyx.tv primary sources, Onyx.tv archive and Onyx research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Onyx.tv”?
  2. What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
  3. Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Onyx.tv” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.