TNN was originally owned by WSM, Inc., a subsidiary of National Life and Accident Insurance Company that owned several broadcasting and tourism properties in Nashville and the traditional country radio and stage show The Grand Ole Opry, and initially focused on country music-related original programming.

[4] Some of TNN's popular on-air talent included Miss America 1983 Debra Maffett (TNN Country News), and local Nashville media personalities Ralph Emery,[5] Dan Miller, Charlie Chase, Lorianne Crook and Gary Beaty, as well as established stars such as country music singer Bill Anderson and actresses Florence Henderson and Dinah Shore.

Following the acquisition, TNN quickly phased out its music video blocks, while directing viewers to CMT for such fare.

The programming block TNN Outdoors debuted in 1993, and featured hunting and fishing shows, as well as PRCA rodeo and PBR bull riding.

In 1996, Crook and Chase left the show to relaunch their eponymous program in daytime syndication; it would return exclusively to TNN in 1997.

[8] Meanwhile, Music City Tonight was again overhauled to more closely resemble its original Nashville Now format, but was rebranded as Prime Time Country.

He was later replaced with singer/songwriter Gary Chapman, who enjoyed relative success with the show until its cancellation in 1999 as part of the network's change of focus.

Notable TNN racing personalities included Mike Joy, Steve Evans, Eli Gold, Buddy Baker, Neil Bonnett, Randy Pemberton, Ralph Sheheen, Dick Berggren, Matt Yocum, Brock Yates, Paul Page, Don Garlits, Gary Gerould, Army Armstrong, and Rick Benjamin.

[1] It also broadcast the 1998 Pepsi 400 on October 17, 1998, after CBS was unable to air it on the rescheduled date (from July 4, due to the 1998 Florida wildfires).

The late 1990s also saw the network's first attempts to distance itself from its country music/rural lifestyle image and court a younger demographic, one more attractive to potential advertisers.

Eventually, male-oriented shows such as Baywatch, Miami Vice, Monster Jam, Robot Wars and Star Trek: The Next Generation were added to the network's lineup as the demographic was changed to target "young adult males".

[19] In October 2013, the partnership between Jim Owens Entertainment and Luken Communications ended, and The Nashville Network name was changed to Heartland.

On April 24, 2019, corporate TV station owner Gray Television announced a joint-venture country music broadcasting service with Opry Entertainment Group (the legal successor to TNN's founding company, WSM, Inc.), which became Circle.

Gray would contribute distribution and marketing capabilities, multicast knowledge and affiliate all its TV stations' subchannels with the new service.