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Viacom's MTV to Launch Gay Cable Network


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http://www.yahoo.com/_ylh=X3oDMTB1c2ZmZzF2...V0YQ--/s/191781

Viacom's MTV to Launch Gay Cable Network

By Kenneth Li

NEW YORK (Reuters) - MTV Networks on Tuesday said it plans to launch a new entertainment cable channel catering to gay viewers, in a bid to snatch a piece of the action from successful gay-themed shows such as "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and "The L Word."

The music television network, a unit of Viacom Inc., plans to launch the channel, called LOGO, on basic cable by February 2005.

"We want LOGO to be the first stop for gay and lesbian people," Judy McGrath, MTV Networks President told reporters.

The announcement caps off months of deliberations over launching a separate channel, as marketers salivate over the growing and potentially lucrative group with a disposable income worth up to $500 billion.

MTV executives said programming will be comprised of about 25 percent originally developed shows, with the remainder coming from outside sources.

The network will also collaborate with other Viacom units including CBS News, MTV and VH1 for programming.

Executives declined to elaborate on its slate of shows, which it plans to do this summer at the annual television critics summer tour.

MTV executives said they expect to launch the network in about 10 to 14 million homes in February, and has already received a distribution commitments from Time Warner Cable in the New York area and Adelphia Communications Corp in Los Angeles.

Comcast Corp ., the largest U.S. cable operator, is also in discussions to possibly carry the network, MTV executives said.

A Comcast spokesman was not immediately reachable for comment.

The launch could complicate matters for parent company Viacom as it defends against indecency charges by the Federal Communications Commission (news - web sites) related to radio broadcasts of the Howard Stern show.

"We don't think it's indecent," said Tom Freston, MTV Networks Chairman and CEO, regarding the new network. "We're not using profanity, we're not using sex. This will be mainstream programming you're seeing everywhere else with the exception it will be targeting the lesbian and gay communities."

He added, "We think it's a legitimate and growing community."

I always knew MTV was gay.

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The only thing indecent about it is the fact that MTV thinks they can speak for the gay community. If I were gay, I know I'd be offended.

Any takers on how many Real World marathons there will be daily?

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Yeah, MTV had to acknowledge the clamor for gay programming, because God knows no one wants to see music related programs/videos on MUSIC Television. MTV & LOGO can both go to hell.

You're addressing an entirely different problem here. Nobody's calling this a music-based channel, so why bitch about it not airing music?

Looking at MTV's track record with being true to what their channels are supposed to be, though, I'm betting LOGO slowly but surely starts airing nothing reality shows based on celebrities who were rumored to be gay at some point in the Enquirer and airs shows featuring actual gay people only in the middle of the night.

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You're addressing an entirely different problem here. Nobody's calling this a music-based channel, so why bitch about it not airing music?

Looking at MTV's track record with being true to what their channels are supposed to be, though, I'm betting LOGO slowly but surely starts airing nothing reality shows based on celebrities who were rumored to be gay at some point in the Enquirer and airs shows featuring actual gay people only in the middle of the night.

My point is that if MTV can't actually put MUSIC on their own channel, how the hell are they going to develop another channel? As everyone has said it's going to end up being about anything BUT gay programming in the long run.

I can see it now LOGO Presents "Making The Fag", watch as LOGO's version of Queer Eye For The Straight Guy show thousands of hopefuls the secret to becoming gay icons. <_<

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If they show music videos, what are they gonna show, Kylie Minogue and Tatu videos all day?

Electric Six (Gay Bar), Pansy Division (they are queer-core), Junior Senior (one of them is gay), God Is My Co-Pilot, Team Dresch, The Nerves, Heatmiser, Tribe 8, Fifth Column, Scott Free, Behead The Prophet, and Sta-Prest all are very notable queer bands.

Not to even mention the homosexual inspired rap that hasn't even begun to break MTV and the mainstream culture.

Trust me, their are lots of things MTV can do with a gay channel. And hey, it is not like anyone is forcing you to watch. Don't like it, change the channel.

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