Significant financial losses, poor timing, and a lack of overall advertising support prompted the network to shut down after only one month of operations.

[1] By 1966, Overmyer successfully built and signed on WDHO-TV in Toledo, Ohio,[2] owned the Toledo Monitor, a weekly tabloid paper,[3] and founded Progress National Bank;[4] he also secured construction permits for six additional ultra high frequency (UHF) stations across the country, joining existing UHF station WDHO.

[7] Cultural and sports programming including Tales from the Great Book (an animated Bible series) and regional games of the Continental Football League were also planned,[13] as was professional soccer.

[20][21] Overmyer sold off 80 percent majority control of these unfinished construction permits to American Viscose Corporation in exchange for a $3 million loan.

[22][23] Overmyer announced the sale of 80 percent majority control in the network on March 5, 1967, to a 14-person syndicate led by three stockholders in the Mutual Broadcasting System: Jack McGlothlin, a Texas oil operator; Willard Garvey, a grain dealer, an oil investor and land developer; and James Nichols, a Texas advertising and public-relations executive.

[24][25][26] By February 15, 1967, Overmyer encountered second thoughts over the feasibility of the network and realized the original projected April 3 launch date promised months earlier in trade advertising[12] would not be met.

[32][33] The primary focus on Las Vegas, coupled with changes to the network's distribution,[29] delayed the UPI newsfeed to a September 11, 1967, launch.

[35] Under existing toll tariff rules, United was prohibited from subleasing these unused hours to another program service or for educational television, which drew the ire of New York Times columnist Jack Gould.

[27] Other columnists began to suggest United "is in financial trouble",[52] had a "shaky" future,[50] or was "dying",[53] with O'Brian calling Las Vegas both "new and ailing".

United's executive board voted to cease operations on Thursday, June 1, 1967, forcing affiliates to find replacement programming that same evening, some with only a few hours notice.

[55] Las Vegas executive producer David Sontag said United needed up to $8 million more in order to sustain further production of the program.

[48] Managing director James Nichols expressed hope to resume United's operations within two months, saying the network did not fold but dropped all programming while undergoing a reorganization.

[59] Minority shareholder Willard Garvey planned to incorporate a new company named Detinu, Inc. (United spelled backward), to "precede development of a fourth nationwide television network".

[60] By September 1967, Nichols announced United would relaunch with seven hours of news and public affairs per week,[61] transmitted between 2 a.m. and noon when AT&T fees were lowest.

[66][c] Pete Barbutti told the Omaha World-Herald in a January 1968 interview any plans to revive United or Las Vegas were "quite unlikely" as ownership decided to write-off the network for tax purposes.

[27] WPIX president Fred Thrower called United "a valiant attempt" and said "it's a shame it didn't work... to ask for a success in five weeks was too much.

"[32] Bill Dana expressed frustration over United's management and finances, telling an Associated Press reporter, "this appears to be the definite case of 'the operation was a success, but the patient died'.

"[56] Jack Gould mused in his Times column at the end of 1967 that United's failure was "further evidence that expansion of commercial TV is little more than a pipe dream".

[72] In a February 1969 column on recent attempts at a fourth television network (including DuMont, NTA and a Pat Weaver effort), Newspaper Enterprise Association media critic Joan Crosby deemed United "the latest, and most noteworthy fiasco ... that barely lasted long enough for the first commercial".

[55] Homer Brickey of the Toledo Blade later called the network "a victim of the Overmyer cash crunch" and claimed Treyz "slid into oblivion and reportedly became a bum on the streets of New York City.