Found this on the Drudge Report... except their headline read: TV GUIDE: VIACOM, MTV, SHOWTIME PLOT 'GAY CHANNEL'... PLOT? they're not discussing it, they're plotting it... which to me, sounds like they are trying to do something evil? If you ask me, it'll just be another channel to surf over while looking for sports on TV. ------ <b>MTV and Showtime are in "serious discussions" about launching a gay channel, according to several sources familiar with the project.</b><p>The would-be developers are part of the Viacom media empire that includes CBS, UPN, Nickelodeon and VH1. However, they're not the only big-time players considering a gay network. According to industry sources, there have been such discussions at HBO, USA Networks, as well as at Rainbow Media, the programming arm of Cablevision, which runs Bravo and AMC. But the proposed MTV/Showtime venture appears to be closer to reality, although both parties declined comment.</p><p>"It's being given real consideration," says a Viacom insider, who indicates such a network could launch within the next year. [As early as March, Showtime may begin a trial run with a four-hour gay programming block on its companion service Showtime Too.] Little wonder such a network may launch soon. An already successful Canadian model exists: PrideVision, which launched last year.</p><p>"Look at the success Showtime has with programming like <a href='/tv/shows/showPage.asp?iProgramID=2769771'><I>Queer as Folk</I></a>," the insider says. "And MTV has a long history of being out in front on gay issues and marketing to that community."</p><p>Both networks have been pioneers in bringing gay storylines to television, long before <a href='/tv/shows/showPage.asp?iProgramID=935144'><i>Will & Grace</i></a> became prime-time players. <i>Real World</i>, MTV's long-running hit reality series has included gay participants since it began in 1992, as have the game-show <i>Singled Out</i> and the late-night teen soap <i>Undressed</i>.</p><p>Showtime got into the game even earlier. In 1984, the premium cable network launched Brothers, the first gay-themed TV series. It also has offered <i>Tales of the City</i>, a recurring miniseries based on the <b>Armistead Maupin</b> novels about gay and straight life in San Francisco. <i>Queer as Folk</i>, the drama based on a hit British series, recently began its second season. The show credited with boosting Showtime's audience.</p><p>"It's about time somebody had gone after that audience with a network," says <b>Tom Wolzien</b>, senior media analyst of the investment firm Sanford C. Bernstein & Company. "It's an important segment of the audience that has traditionally been under-served. The money is certainly there to support it."</p><p>According to the marketing publication <i>Brandweek</i>, research suggests that six percent of the adult population, roughly 15 million people, identifies itself as gay or lesbian, with combined annual spending in the $250-$350 billion range. Major advertisers including Miller Brewing and General Motors, have increasingly targeted gay and lesbian consumers, with select commercials and print ads.</p><p>"Whoever does this could win big," says <b>Randy Barbato</b>, co-president of World of Wonder, an independent production company that created <i>The RuPaul Show</i> for VH1.</p><p>MTV and Showtime are undecided if the proposed gay network will be advertiser supported like MTV or a commercial-free pay service like Showtime. Some industry observers believe the latter might minimize resistance from anti-gay groups against cable systems that would carry the network as part of a basic cable package. "You wouldn't have the content issues that you're inevitably faced with if you go the ad-supported route," Wolzien says.</p><p>Programming for the gay channel may include existing and original programs, including gay-hosted talk and music video shows, relationship game shows and news.</p> click for article --
i'm thinking about launching a heterosexual channel. i understand from adweek that roughly 94% of the US population considers itself hetero...soooo..sounds like big bucks to me!!! how odd that the sole focus of this channel is the sexual orientation of its viewers. so much for mainstream, huh?
why is that odd? if the "mainstream" were more accepting of gay-oriented programming then this wouldn't be necessary.
yeah..you're right outlaw...will and grace clearly is unacceptable to the public!! i'm not sure what you mean by "gay programming" i guess. i assumed you would argue with my point. i just don't watch a show because of my sexual preferences...i guess i just don't understand that. to me it seems to do the "gay movement" much more good to have gay characters integrated in with straight characters in mainstream shows...like Spin City...or the new Ellen show. ultimately it doesn't matter if i understand the concept...the real concept of advertisers reaching a target market is quite understandable to me.
maybe not on a conscious level but you watch shows based on characters/situations that you can relate to, I don't see how this is any different. It's not just about sexual preference, it's about identity and community.
Look, I hate flipping channels and accidentally landing on Gay Folk to see a bunch of naked guys getting it on. It really does give me the willies. It's just a personal preference, but I will hate this channel.
maybe this isn't about activism. maybe this is just about entertainment? Spin City and Ellen have done a lot for gay characters on TV but why should we have to settle for a few token storylines and characters? Network TV Shows with regular gay characters: 10 NBC - ER, Will & Grace ABC - Spin City, NYPD Blue CBS - Ellen Show FOX - Simpsons, Dark Angel WB - Dawson's Creek, Felicity UPN - Buffy the Vampire Slayer
good, then you'll know how we feel when we watch TV and see nothing but straight people making out. besides, maybe you'll see a bunch of naked women getting it on (I don't think you'll be complaining then)
I dont understand it either. What does being gay have to TV programming? What does it have to do with community and identity? I dont watch TV to get my identity and sense of heterosexual comraderie from watching TV. I dont relate to the crap that happens on 24 but it is entertaining. I dont relate to the crap on Sopranos but it is entertaining. I dont relate to a lot of the stuff I watch because it is entertainment. I think Will and Grace is somewhat funny but I sure as hell dont relate to it.
<B>I dont understand it either. What does being gay have to TV programming? What does it have to do with community and identity? I dont watch TV to get my identity and sense of heterosexual comraderie from watching TV. I dont relate to the crap that happens on 24 but it is entertaining. I dont relate to the crap on Sopranos but it is entertaining. I dont relate to a lot of the stuff I watch because it is entertainment. I think Will and Grace is somewhat funny but I sure as hell dont relate to it.</B> You may not realize it -- or maybe you don't do this in particular -- but TV viewers as a whole watch shows that relate to them the most. That's why more women watch Ally. More kids watch shows with kids in them. More 20-something's watch shows like Friends. More African-Americans watch shows centered on African-American characters. etc etc etc... Sitcoms that have characters most like us (in whatever way) are the ones we'll find funnier because you'll relate to the humor and the content more closely. If you were watching a show (lets say its dubbed in English) based on jokes that are funny in Russia but not here, you probably wouldn't enjoy it, even if it was the greatest show on TV in Russia.
The Simpsons? No way! While it has been highly speculated for years that Smithers is gay, it has never actually been PROVEN...Sure, he's had gay like fantasies about Mr. Burns, told Mr. Burns that he loved him, and has a Malibu Stacy collection, but those are clearly the acts of a confused person that is still trying to discover his sexuality...If ANYTHING, he's bi-curious The only true homosexual characters on the Simpsons were that guy that saved Homer from the killer reindeer, and all those gay steel workers...(We work hard...but we also play hard!) EVERYBODY DANCE NOW!
major -- i suppose that's true that people relate to those they're most like...i have things in common with bill cosby...but i also have some distinct differences from him...i didn't tune in because he's a heterosexual...i tuned in because he was entertaining. i watch ellen quite frequently...i think she's hilarious...you know when i think she's not funny??? when she gets on her soapbox about her sexaul preferences...i could care less...which i would assume would be the response a homosexual would want me to have. i judge her show by its own merit, not by the fact she's gay. she's funny so i watch. she's gay, i don't care. if ellen were straight, i'd like her just the same. this is why i have a hard time comprehending this sort of channel....but again, don't fool yourself...every decision like this is based on one thing...MONEY...somebody thinks they can hit a specific target market that they wish to reach with this channel. i certainly would never want them to be denied that opportunity...but unless the programming is funny in and of itself and is not a constant rant about social issues, i will not watch. of course, they're not counting on me to watch in order to make money!
Gay TV is an excellent idea, but just because B.E.T. did it for "their" people, can everyone else do it? Not sure... My brother is an executive of an up and coming Latino network out of L.A., SiTV. They are THIS close to being their own network on air and in your cable boxes, but for the time being they have a few shows around, one of them "The Brothers Garcia" on Nickolodeon is an excellent show...but an entire network just for latinos, just for gays, just for "your" people?! But then again, this lartino station may really take off and he become a multi millionaire, than I'll be like..."See I toldya, the racecard man, always play the racecard"...NOT! But hey, if this Gay TV works and brings a big enough audience NOT to flop and stay on air and give their audience what they want, well then...YOU GO GIRL!!!!!!! oh yeah, i think its nice to see a mix of people. Its rare that I'm only around hispanic people so I doubt real life, even for a gay man, would be just gay people...that'll be all.
PhiSlammaJamma "Look, I hate flipping channels and accidentally landing on Gay Folk to see a bunch of naked guys getting it on. It really does give me the willies. It's just a personal preference, but I will hate this channel." I almost fell out of my chair laughing so hard.... A-Train, "The only true homosexual characters on the Simpsons were that guy that saved Homer from the killer reindeer, and all those gay steel workers...(We work hard...but we also play hard!) EVERYBODY DANCE NOW!" YOU ROCK A-Train...that was awesome!! Ok My Point Hey now i'm all for equal rights for everyone but its kind of Ironic that you can have a African American Channel, Gay channel, Women channel, yet to have a Anglo Channel, Straight Channel or Men channel would be downright hideous. We learn through diversity, it is always easier to divide than it is to bring together whether it is in clashes, television or any situation. I'm sure a Anglo, TV awards show would get a LOT of approval ratings.... And now the nominees for White man in a white series is......(drum roll please.)....... And i'm not white so don't lump me as a racist...
They do have Anglo stations...check out these new ones called ABC, CBS, NBC. They also have awards...check out the Emmys and Oscars.
This is nothing more than niche marketing. On a smaller scale, magazines work exactly the same way. There are magazines that cater to subjects as diverse as surfing and vintage costume jewelry collecting. They make up a range of choices offered that I personally think is a great thing. Do we really have to have 3 or 4 Christian channels? Well, actually the government says every cable system does have to have at least two, but that's another issue. There are channels dedicated to food, sports, Asians, African Americans, Hispanics, women, men, news, style, entertainment, music...and on and on. If they can find room to squeeze on the World's Strongest Man Competition on, I think we can find room for a homosexual tv channel. If you don't like the idea of a gay tv channel, just don't flip to that channel.
<B>major -- i suppose that's true that people relate to those they're most like...i have things in common with bill cosby...but i also have some distinct differences from him...i didn't tune in because he's a heterosexual...i tuned in because he was entertaining. </b> I agree they have to be entertaining, but certain types of programming are going to be more entertaining to certain groups of people. For example, that new channel WE (Women's Entertainment) is targetted, obviously, at women. Now, I could watch the shows on there, but I probably won't find many of them as interesting as the average woman does. By putting them all on that channel, they can develop loyalty amongst a particular segment of the population. A "Gay Channel" would work the same way. The programming would probably be designed to be more entertaining to a certain segment of the population. The only difference is that the population in question is much smaller than that of WE, but the ad revenue (and thus profits) would also be correspondingly lower.
Khan, I am in total agreement. Everyone talks about how we should be one people. The human race. Not white, not black, not gay, not hetero, not this, not that. My opinion is that the people that say they want unity the most segregate themselves more than the ones that they want to be equal with. I am not supposed to, as a white male, look at someone and see a hispanic man (for example). I am supposed to see a person. More often than not I do. Then why do we have to have an awards show that honors strictly african american people? Why cant they be evaluated the same as everyone else. What is the purpose of celebrating Cinco de Mayo here in the states? I havent been to Mexico during the 4th of July but I have a feeling that they would get pretty pissed if I went throught the streets waving my flag and saying how great America was. I am not trying to pick on anyone, it is something that I have observed.
