MTV and Showtime to do a gay cable channel
 

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/10/bu...ia/10CABL.html

Inevitable wasn't it? :)

Re: MTV and Showtime to do a gay cable channel
 

Always good to see the networks admit their decision are completely based on greed.

Well, we've had one in Canada for a little while now. I don't see why though, my sexual preferance doesn't really effect my TV watching experiance (I guess if I watched porn it would...)

It reminds me of a late night lesbian cooking show I saw a while back. I mean come on... lesbian cooking!?!? What's the difference?? :confused:

I'm not sure how it'd be too different from regular MTV...:confused:

is there really a need for a gay channel? are gay viewing tastes really that different from normal people? are they going to show will and grace and ellen episodes 24/7? this is a ridiculous idea for a channel

I have a family member who is gay and he says it's stupid, but when a group of people is persecuted, they will often group together and set themselfs apart, even though that is kind of what they are fighting against (being made to feel apart from the rest of us.)

I guess that's kind of true.

I don't know, I mean, sexual orientation is the major thing about being gay. So say I was gay, maybe I'd watch shows with hot guys in it... but that would be on regular TV stations too... I don't know. I guess there could be shows about gay people... but enough to make a TV station?

I just don't see it, I don't think being gay is a big deal... why a TV station for it?

2 words that explain why this will soon be the #1 network...

Hot Lesbians


D

I'm reminded on an SNL sketch.

"These aren't lesbians... where are their long red nails?"
"Yeah, and where's the asian?!"

(Paraphrased!)

Come on - let's not be so completely stereotypical here. I mean they have a channel for just about everything else (Lifetime - television for women, Home and Garden, Cooking?). There is a lot more programming that could florish here instead of having to make a lucky break and surviving on current broadcast networks like Will & Grace did. Would Showtime's Queer as Folk have made it there? Extremely doubtful.

C1TV showed the British QAF (C1TV is on in NYC) and got it wider viewership here in the states which led to the creation of the Showtime American version. If anything, there are a number of movies that are not available on video that could be shown on this channel instead of the one-month-a-year showings that Sundance typically does in the spring.

There's already one, it's called the Home Decorating Channel. ;)


Bad joke, I know.

Can we have a show hosted by <b>Jason Cerbone</b> otherwise known as Jackie Jr on <b>The Sopranos???</b> Heart is melting....

I'll be watching! :thumbsup:

BTW, I love the line in All Over The Guy where Richard Ruccolo's character refers to Lifetime as "Television for women and gay men". :D

If they put out shows with gay relationships worth watching, then it'll be worth it. Will and Grace and Ellen are the Uncle Tom's Cabin of gay entertainment, IMHO.

wormwood :)

I guess I better turn in my gay card....I'm not into home decorating, "Will and Grace", divas or brunches.

Funny...

I have every episode on tape...

I'd even fly out to LA just to see a taping. I think it is THE best thing on TV right now.

Will and Grace, that is.

I think that Ellen show is a bunch of Cr*p.

Actually, there probably wouldn't be a need for such a channel if so many "normal" people didn't consider gay people as something other than normal.

Btw, LiquidSky, I'm pretty much with you here. I can't decorate, either; rarely listen to "divas" (I tend to prefer guy singers, hehehe); and have never had brunch in my life. Where does the gay-card-revocation line form?

Since it most likely will be straight males (network/studio execs)running the thing, it will be interesting to see if they try to be (as mentioned above) just another channel like the Food Network, Lifetime, H&G, etc, or if they do that stupid straight-male's-idea-of-what-gays-want and make it some soft core pr0n channel.

Or, will they market it toward straight males by showcasing lots of lesbian stuff?

Its nice to have characters to identify with so, as a gay man, I would watch it. Network TV except Will and Grace, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and maybe Ellen are still too scared to deal with gay men who have a regular life and arent streotypes like in the Birdcage. We dont talk with lisps and where leather all the time.
I am all for a channel like this if they make some good shows.

Remember how scared ABC got over SOAP with Billy Crystal as a gay character and Thirtysomething where everyone got upset where two gay men were in bed together, just lying next to each other?

Its 2002, give some intelligent characters that arent stereotypes with Good writing.

Actually, that is a good point.

I know... but I see making it as making gays more seperate. See my post above.

I agree it wont be geared to normal gay people either, just the stero types...

Your points are good ones, and I agree that gay people are sometimes guilty of self-segregation, as are other minority groups...but as you said, sometimes there's comfort in that when a group feels persecuted by the "outside" world. Until people learn to accept one another as equals (and I don't see that happening anytime soon), there's just not going to be an easy answer to the dilemma.

Ultimately, as I said in the "Other" Forum thread regarding this issue, what we all want is good programming. Gay, straight, or otherwise, if it's of high quality, people will seek it out. (Of course, people also seek out the lowest-quality stuff, but that's another topic.)

Three's Company marathon!!!!!

Ridiculous? No, that's the <i>Golf Channel</i>.

But seriously.... it's not a question of gay viewing tastes, but rather an opportunity to provide information and services not elsewhere available. Does the Travel Channel provide information on gay-friendly travel destinations, or information on places to avoid (Cayman Islands, Egypt, etc)? Does the History Channel provide any insight into gay heritage? Will A & E's <i>Biography</i> series focus on prominent (and out) gay people? Does CourtTV cover legal activities that affect the gay community? Will ESPN cover the Gay Games? If it's done right, there won't be time for Will and Grace reruns!

As a gay man in his mid-20's, I'm very happy that America will FINALLY get a gay oriented channel (on cable I'm sure, I just hope cable companies will offer it everywhere and not just major cities.) I can imagine companies having to require customers to specifically ask for the channel so as not to offend religious types.

Marty gave many good examples of the type of progamming the new channel could broadcast, I'd love to see the Gay Games.

As for segregation, like others have said, many groups are NOT represented by mainstream media and the FEW offerings we get either get cancelled quickly or are just total crap. Having a network cater to your tastes is a positive thing. So while we eventually gain acceptance with mainstream media, we'll have something just for us in the meantime.

If you don't like it, you don't have to watch it.

i don't see a problem with it. we have Black Entertainment Television that tailors shows towards blacks, so what's wrong with a network producing shows for gays that wouldn't ordinarily get made on the current networks? i'm sure it'll be more than just silly sitcoms, i imagine it'll probably have more talk show and lifestyle kinds of shows.

You guys made good points. I guess if it's done right it could be a very good resource for someone who is gay.

I work for MTV Networks and there's a lot of great buzz going on around here about this new channel. I really don't think we'll fall into the scenario that you described, BoatDrinks... although I can certainly see why people would have that suspicion. We have a thriving gay population here at MTVN (we're EVERYWHERE!!!), and a lot of us want in on this new venture. After hearing about some of the people who are involved and spearheading the venture, and knowing how they work, I think you can expect great things from the new channel!

Hey westvillage31, I have a few questions.

1. How much longer is Kurt Loder staying around at MTV? (btw, I like Kurt and would like to see him on another news channel, he's too good for you guys now)

2. Will MTV ever play videos again?

I guess I'm in favor of the channel, as any voice that's not being heard should have its say: whether it be science fiction or sports or silly films about "strong" women.

I will however shy away from what I imagine will be a lot of their programming package. The Gay Games was mentioned. I find many minority events to be separtist and counter-productive, playing the double standard of "Give me special treatment when I want it, but don't treat me differently when I don't." I get tired of that from all minority groups. Like any channel, if the shows are good, I'll watch them. I flip over to Lifetime periodically and Oxygen sometimes, and I'm certainly not a man-hating feminist. I'll do the same for this channel. But if it becomes a platform for hipocrisy, I'll just ignore it like I ignore MTV and BET.

das

Amen, Coop! Although I will have to admit, you're pretty much asking for the Holy Grail here. ;)

Actually, I believe there is hope if shows of the caliber of Six Feet Under have a chance to get producer. The ideas and great writers are out there, but like Alan Ball, they just need to be allowed to have their passionate scripts produced. This may be that outlet.

Holy smoke! MTV/Showtime? Hire this man! :) Never even considered all those options (never thought they'd be considerable!). I would want at least one wacky game show too, however. ;)

As for what westvillage31 said, that was my suspicion all along. I doubt MTV has a plethora of straight men who would want to spearhead this project. Without outing anyone there, I have to say that this channel is in better hands with MTV/Showtime than anyone else I can think of.

Gee - I'm kind of excited about this now. Showing the Gay Games would absolutely ROCK!

From today's Washington Post [HUMOR]
 

<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46140-2002Jan14.html">FULL ARTICLE</a>

What's on, girlfriend?!

The Gay Channel, that's what!

With Viacom's announcement last week that MTV and Showtime are collaborating on a new pay cable channel devoted to gay programming, what self-respecting homosexual cannot help but flex his or her showbiz muscles and hope they notice?
Comedian Kate Clinton already told CNN she wants a talk show called "Satellite Dish," and now everybody is hot to develop a show.

The market potential, after all, is simply huge -- well . . . hugeish, anyhow: Viacom estimates that 6.5 percent of the nation's 105 million households have at least one gay clicker in them.

"We want to develop something that, when it hits the marketplace, will be right," Showtime executive vice president Mark Greenberg told the Associated Press.

Sister, we read you loud and clear. What you're saying is that there are only so many ways to repackage those "Queer as Folk" and "Absolutely Fabulous" reruns. You need content. We got some. Please consider the following and have your people ring our cellies.

The Real World: Rehoboth (reality): Find out what happens in the summer rental house when 23 men (it was supposed to be seven) have to stop being polite and start getting real.

The Weakest Twink (game show): Randomly selected nightclub patrons compete to answer incredibly easy questions to which the answer is usually "Stonewall." Dismissive host Ian McKellen gets snippy when they don't know the answer.

Law and Order: Special Rights Unit (drama): Tough-minded team works to pass equal-rights and domestic-partner laws in states that don't want them.

Bitchy Switches (lifestyle): Lesbian couples swap houses with male couples and each has just two days and $1,000 to completely redecorate a room in the other's house. Pilot: Fur flies when Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie Brown add wood paneling and Napa Valley style to Jann and Matt's ultra-minimalist loft.

That Early '90s Show (sitcom): This week: Josh quits ACT UP and joins Queer Nation; Lucy tries to meet k.d. lang; Steve is outed by a hipster magazine.

With Six You Get Eggroll (reality): Upscale American couples race across China to navigate communist adoption laws. First one back -- with baby -- wins $1 million and a bonus baby.

Everybody Hates Andrew (cartoon): Once-sensible conservative pundit starts a contrarian Web site with his wisecracking pet beagle.

Savvy Regina (drama): Gutsy but lonely teenage lesbian snarkily narrates life in her Catholic high school.

I'll Wait in the Xterra (nature): Join hunky Kyle McAdoo on gritty wildlife adventures into jungles, swamps and grasslands. Or fine, don't.

You Gotta Love Rae (sitcom): Big ol' gal Rae gets overly involved with the lives of her family and neighbors.

Live to Tell (reality): Young contestants have just 60 minutes to come out to their parents, fight, reconcile and get back to college before the semester starts.

Bear With Me (sitcom): Sam and Art -- a couple of bearded guys -- start a bed-and-breakfast for like-minded hirsuters. But the neighborhood association's not too happy!

Never Again (more drama): Follows the complicated lives of Tom and Brian, who broke up after 11 years together and are now finding their separate ways in a new world.
Yves (talk): Retired hautecouturiste welcomes guests, hems skirts, smokes Gauloises.

It Was, You Know, Okay(dining): Two men (formerly boyfriends, now "business partners") travel to other cities and review trendy restaurants in a peevish manner.

Abercrombie's Creek (drama, b/w): Artfully shot saga of a shirtless teenage boy and his many, many friends who all live near a misty swimmin' hole at the edge of town.

Where'd You Get That? (shopping): Underemployed designers Todd Oldham and Isaac Mizrahi take you on a never-ending clothes spree through the streets of Manhattan.

Queen Bea (dramedy): Robert lives alone in his later years, but fantasizes his life as a "Golden Girls" episode. This week: A pre-Oscars dinner party goes horribly wrong.

Take Back the Night (adventure): Vigilante drifters Marsha and Jo (and their Weimaraner, Cleopatra) travel the country and help out womyn in dire straits.

The Fix Is In (cartoon): Clueless but lovable pastor runs rehab center for homosexuals who want to turn straight.

Breeder Lane (drama): Daily life in a cul-de-sac of straight people involves cookouts, soccer practice, Lamaze classes. Critically acclaimed, diversity-oriented glimpse of life in another world.

Re: From today's Washington Post [HUMOR]
 

Bears! Butts! Bellies! Beards!

I am so there.

;)

Too bad I have a feeling this new gay channel will only cater to the stereotypical shallow "clubby" twinkie. Not to mention the fact that it will be near impossible to get on your local cable. We here on the northside of Chicago still don't have MTV2 available on our local cable company.

I have to be careful here...

1) I work for MTVN, not MTV the channel itself, so I'm not familiar with Mr. Loder's comings and goings. I just see him in the elevator now and then.

2) No.

LOL

It's funny -- everyone wants to see videos, but they get very poor ratings. What gets ratings is lifestyle programming, like CRIBS, TRL, stuff like that. MTV aims for 12-18-yr-olds, so if you're not in that demo, you might not find much of a connection to the channel.

I'm a gay guy who could care less about the new "gay channel". Like others have pointed out, it only segregates us from everyone else, and bottom line it's all about $$$, not feel-good programming. But as a libertarian, on the other hand, if people want it, then let them have it.

I'm in Canada and we have the "world's first network geared towards gays, lesbians and transgendered" (I guess bisexuals should look elsewhere). It's embarrassing and AWFUL. Here is their program guide for today:

6:00 am Caribbean Workout Lifestyle
Shot in beautiful Barbados, this workout program covers high and low-impact circuit training, and strength and toning exercises.
6:30 am What's for Dinner Lifestyle
Grilled BBQ Salmon with Tangy Grapefruit Sauce
7:00 am A Taste of Life Lifestyle
A tour to downtown historic Nassau and a visit to the hidden shopping gems.
7:30 am Queer Television Magazine
QT examines Nazi persecution of gay in WWII and meets one of the few remaining gay Holocaust survivors.
8:00 am Dyke TV Magazine
Produced by lesbians, for lesbians. A mix of news, political commentary, the arts, health, sports, and much more to present lesbian lives with intelligence and humor.
8:30 am Shorts for all Sorts Documentary Series

9:00 am Best of the Fests Documentary Series

10:00 am Under the Pink Carpet Lifestyle
A gay news program offering a satirical, campy look at gay issues and events.
10:30 am Road Movies Documentary Series
Young videographers telling unique Canadian stories and giving their impressions as they travel across the country with a camera.
11:00 am Queer Television Magazine
QT examines the rave and circuit party scenes.
11:30 am A Taste of Life Lifestyle
A tour to downtown historic Nassau and a visit to the hidden shopping gems.
12:00 pm Caribbean Workout Lifestyle
Shot in beautiful Barbados, this workout program covers high and low-impact circuit training, and strength and toning exercises.
12:30 pm What's for Dinner Lifestyle
Grilled BBQ Salmon with Tangy Grapefruit Sauce
1:00 pm Queer Television Magazine
QT examines Nazi persecution of gay in WWII and meets one of the few remaining gay Holocaust survivors.
1:30 pm Shout Magazine
Program will include feature interviews with newsmakers, visiting celebs, unsung heroes from our community, cover special events, and offer "news you can use".
2:00 pm Dyke TV Magazine
Produced by lesbians, for lesbians. A mix of news, political commentary, the arts, health, sports, and much more to present lesbian lives with intelligence and humor.
2:30 pm Shorts for all Sorts Documentary Series

3:00 pm Best of the Fests Documentary Series

4:00 pm Under the Pink Carpet Lifestyle
A gay news program offering a satirical, campy look at gay issues and events.
4:30 pm Road Movies Documentary Series
Young videographers telling unique Canadian stories and giving their impressions as they travel across the country with a camera.
5:00 pm Queer Television Magazine
QT examines the rave and circuit party scenes.
5:30 pm Shout Magazine
Program will include feature interviews with newsmakers, visiting celebs, unsung heroes from our community, cover special events, and offer "news you can use".
6:00 pm What's for Dinner Lifestyle
BBQ Peanut Beef Satay with Tomatoes
6:30 pm Savoir Faire Lifestyle
Nik prepares a dinner of Cornish hen and a vegetable stir fry and learns how to create a host book.
7:00 pm Canadian Wine Cellar Lifestyle
Robin looks at the correlation between red wine and good health, then looks at the popularity of winemakers dinners.
7:30 pm Linehan Entertainment
Lynn Redgrave
8:00 pm Wax Acts PrideVision Marquee
Before a live audience, actress and comedienne Ruby Wax exposes her version of the truth behind the state of the world and its inhabitants. From the collapse of the American Dream to the problems of keeping shoulder-pads under control, all aspects of her life are explored.
9:00 pm Barry Manilow Wednesday Night Special
Barry Manilow performing many favourites including 'Could it be Magic', 'Mandy', 'I Made it Through the Rain' and 'Can't Smile Without You'.
11:00 pm Best of the Fests Documentary Series

12:00 am Barry Manilow Wednesday Night Special
Barry Manilow performing many favourites including 'Could it be Magic', 'Mandy', 'I Made it Through the Rain' and 'Can't Smile Without You'.
2:00 am Best of the Fests Documentary Series

3:00 am Wax Acts PrideVision Marquee
Before a live audience, actress and comedienne Ruby Wax exposes her version of the truth behind the state of the world and its inhabitants. From the collapse of the American Dream to the problems of keeping shoulder-pads under control, all aspects of her life are explored.
4:00 am What's for Dinner Lifestyle
BBQ Peanut Beef Satay with Tomatoes
4:30 am Savoir Faire Lifestyle
Nik prepares a dinner of Cornish hen and a vegetable stir fry and learns how to create a host book.
5:00 am Linehan Entertainment
Lynn Redgrave
5:30 am Canadian Wine Cellar Lifestyle

BARRY MANILOW!!! Wow, where can I sign up? The only show I would MAYBE watch would be Ruby Wax because she's hilarious. I don't cook or decorate or aerobicize or rave so I have no interest in watching that kind of stuff. Maybe if they had some decent films I would tape them, but I can already find good gay-themed films or documentaries on other stations like the CBC, Bravo or Showcase. Unless PrideVision gets an exclusive of Robbie Williams getting f***** up the a** then I won't be tuning in anytime soon.

I'm divided on the issue - I'm all for everyone having a voice and if there's a need/desire for this network, go for it. But I also wish that minority groups weren't segregated off...but I guess that's the society we live in. I can definitely see it filling an important role if it carries programming like Marty888 described - after all, (as a stereotypical example, please forgive me :)) if you're gay and a young person in the middle of the bible belt, it might be comforting to see your lifestyle portrayed realistically on tv...not everyone can be lucky enough to have accepting communities and families.

As to the canadian programming that Teorama described - I'm loathe to condemn what appears to be unfortunate programming since I've never seen any of the shows. But a great cooking show is a great cooking show, and from the names of the recipes listed, can I just say that I'd LOVE to get "What's for Dinner" here in the states - the BBQ Salmon with tangy grapefruit sauce and BBQ Peanut Beef Satay with Tomatoes sound FANTASTIC. :D Anyone have the recipes? :) Food Network is always the network on at my house when my regular shows aren't on. :)

The inside buzz at MTVN is that while they will be having some lifestyle shows and playing already-existing films and series, they're looking to develop original programming and longform dramatic series. My guess would be that they would aim to compete with HBO along the lines of Sex and the City (can't you just imagine a gay version of that, just as well-written??) or Six Feet Under.

I live in NYC now, but if I had had a gay cable channel when I was growing up in the midwest, it would've made a world of difference to me.... not so much because of the programming they offered, but more because it showed, by virtue of its existence, that I wasn't the only one.

I think that ultimately, if it's good TV, people will watch it regardless of their orientation. My friend in London said that when the original Queer as Folk premiered over there, Channel 4 was surprised to see that it had a larger straight audience than gay audience -- proving that good TV is just good TV!

Kerry

Um, just to clue you in: "Sex and the City" is actually about 4 gay men. They just happen to have breasts and a penchant for $400 footwear.

At least that's the way my partner and I view "Sex and the City." Just be sure to put your fingers in your ears and chant "la, la, la" really loudly whenever those vagina references start flying.

(In fact, there even used to be a bear-specific and very humorous parody called "Bears and the City" some time ago. Sadly I think the website is now de-funked.)

Of course, this whole baby plotline will quickly scuttle what was once a carefree, witty sex-com. Oh well.

Is that a motorcycle engine I hear revving? Release the shark into the net!! Jumping in 4 more episodes.

I still do not believe that there will be enough programs to justify this channel to air 24/7.

Secondly, will this channel be offered on regular cable, or will this be a premium channel similiar to Showtime. Cause if I am going to pay extra for this channel. I want some these shows to be rated TV-MA (uncensored language and rampent nudity) if you catch my drift.

They're looking at a number of different scenarios. If it's 100% advertiser-supported (i.e. free like any other cable channel) then they have to deal with sponsors taking issue with things like nudity, do they want to sponsor something that will alienate people from their product, etc.

If it's a premium channel, like Showtime, they don't have to worry about that.

The latest I've read is that it could possibly be a 50/50 split -- that it could be a low-premium channel, maybe $5 or $6 a month, but would also contain advertising. It hasn't been decided tho; they're still in the very early stages of development.

And hey, if the GOLF CHANNEL can fill 24 hours..... puh-leeze!