It's almost showtime for gay-oriented channel

By David Bauder
Associated Press

SEOMIN: Says TV still underserves gay audience

Two Viacom outlets — MTV and Showtime — are collaborating on a plan for a new gay-oriented premium service. Meanwhile, Canada's existing Pridevision TV is looking to expand into the United States.

Showtime, whose successful "Queer as Folk" drama helped change the business climate, has scheduled homosexual-oriented movies and programs on its Showtime Two service on Wednesday nights. "Night Out on Sho Too Wednesdays" begins May 22.

Homosexual activists say it's about time.

"Despite the progress the gay community has made in the mainstream media, it is still underserved as a television audience," said Scott Seomin, spokesman for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

MTV and Showtime's prospective gay channel has been talked about since 1994, but only recently have executives started outlining their plans to cable and satellite distributors.

However, in Honolulu, Oceanic/Time Warner Cable president Nate Smith said the company had no plans to add the gay-oriented network to its digital service.

"We'd certainly look at it when it's completed, and if it's a good product, we'd put it on," said Smith. "At this time, it's just too early. If we had to talk about every conceived project that's being contemplated for a cable channel, (those talks) would probably number in the hundreds."

The conservative American Family Association plans to oppose any effort to get a gay-oriented channel established, regardless of whether it offers X-rated movies, said Ed Vitagliano, its spokesman.

"I have reviewed 'Queer as Folk,' " he said. "From our perspective, that was pornographic."

Vitagliano is concerned that, despite present plans, a gay channel will eventually be offered as part of a general premium package and would be seen by unsuspecting eyes.

Although Viacom still hasn't given the official go-ahead, "we wouldn't be going through all this if we didn't think the channel, as a consumer proposition, was going to be a home run," said Gene Falk, senior vice president of digital media programming at Showtime.

Their plans — even the channel's name — have been kept under wraps. But Falk said Viacom's other successful niche networks, such as MTV and Nickelodeon, hint at the mix of games, reality shows, talk shows and movies that the channel may include.

John Levy, chairman of Canada's Pridevision, says his network has an advantage over Viacom.

"First of all, we exist," he said. "We have a commitment to do this thing on a full-time basis. We're not testing or doing a block of programming once or twice a week."

Pridevision's fare includes "Locker Room," a comedy about homosexuals in sports; "Undercovers," a phone-in sex advice show; "Dyke TV," a news and commentary show about lesbians; and "Urban Fitness TV," a lifestyle show. Its on-air hosts are called "gay jays."

Seomin said he has been impressed. Pridevision's range of original shows is strong for a startup, he said, and its executives show savvy in scheduling — airing the camp classic "Mommy Dearest" on Mother's Day.

Both prospective networks want to be premium services, meaning cable or satellite customers would have to request and pay for the channel. It wouldn't come as part of a general movie package.

One important area where they diverge: Pridevision offers late-night erotic films, and the Viacom venture won't.

"You almost can't launch the network if you don't have some form of erotica as part of it," Levy said. Otherwise, he said, "you're not being true to the community."

Falk said most homosexuals can easily find erotica. What they can't find is other quality programming geared to their interests.

"As a gay man, I resent the notion that the only way you're going to sell me something is if it has porn on it," Falk said. "To say that it's the only way the audience is going to respond is, I think, offensive."

With some cable and satellite operators likely to be nervous about offering a network aimed at homosexuals, a decision to screen X-rated material could be suicidal, Seomin said.

"There are certain segments of the gay and lesbian community that would like to see the adult fare late at night," he said. "However, if they do offer it, they will be shooting themselves in the foot with operators. Let's get it on the air and change the programming down the road."

After years in which the homosexual audience has been ignored, why have the forces of competition now been unleashed?

"Queer as Folk" proved to many television programmers that a gay-oriented program could be a ratings winner without a damaging backlash from cultural critics.

At the same time, cable has shifted to the belief that niche networks are easier to establish and be profitable than those that offer general entertainment. Homosexuals are considered a loyal audience with money to spend.

The expansion of digital service also means there is more "shelf space" available for new channels on cable and satellite systems.