I guess this is an idea whose time has come - Co-Media to Launch the Gay Television Network, beginning February 2, 2001.
>>Co-Media, Inc. to Launch Gay Television Network
PALM SPRINGS, Calif., Jan. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Marvin Jenkins, President and Chief Executive Officer of Co-Media, Inc.
(OTC: CMDA - news) announced today that the company will launch its Gay Television Network (GTN), to be aired on Dish
Satellite Network, beginning February 2, 2001. Co-Media has been specializing in target programming for a number of years.
``This project has been eight years in the making,'' said Jenkins. ``We have finally overcome the obstacles of distribution,
availability of programming and acceptance in the advertising community.''
Gay Television Network is available only through the Dish Network, the digital satellite subscriber system, as a Premium
Channel choice. Sign up for their Basic Package, which includes 150 channels of TV and audio programming, and for an extra
charge of $19.95 the subscriber will receive GTN and, as a bonus, a gay Internet radio channel. If one signs up now, one gets
the 18-inch satellite dish and installation free.
``In the beginning programming will be 7 days a week, 12 hours weekdays and 24 hours per day on weekends,'' explained
Jenkins. ``Programming will include news, information and entertainment especially for the gay and lesbian community. We will
eventually have original programming, such as ''Gay Dating Game,`` ''Gay Court,`` ''Gay Bandstand,`` and 40 new movies each
month. We will be covering events such as Gay Olympics, Gay Rodeos, Gay Conferences and Gay Prides all over the nation,
as well as the activities surrounding the Nabisco (Dinah Shore) Golf Tournament.''
The initial film schedule includes ``Claire de Lune,'' ``Red Rain,'' ``Defying Gravity,'' ``Latin Boys Go to Hell,'' ``Twisted,'' ``All
the Rage,'' ``It's in the Water,'' ``A Boy Named Sue,'' ``Caravaggio,'' and ``Edward II.''
Produced programs planned include a morning talk show, ``Good Morning, Gay America;'' ``Gay Archives,'' a one hour
program which traces gay life in New York and Los Angeles in the early days of the '70s and '80s; ``Gay Pride, Palm Springs;''
music video shows; ``Gay Across the Globe,'' an hour special that documents international gay happenings; ``Mardi Gras
2000,'' a documentary on the hot celebrations down under from Sydney, Australia; and religious services broadcast live from
Fort Lauderdale's Sunshine Cathedral and Dallas' Cathedral of Hope.
In the near future we will be adding a cooking show hosted by transvestite Betty Delicious, as well as a gay history program.
Also planned is a Girls' Night, featuring lesbian-themed films, and a Boys' Night.
Gay producers and gay writers have been producing programs for years. Co-Media, Inc., GTN, combined with the Dish
Network, provides an ideal distribution system for the entire GLBT community.
Through trade ads in the gay press, their subscriber base is projected at 10,000 during the first few months; it currently stands
at about 2,000. Naturally the Dish Network's subscriber base of 5 million is a rich resource for new viewers.
The demand for niche television programming by the advertising community has become very evident by the recent purchase of
BET (Black Entertainment Television) for $200,000,000 plus by Viacom, as well as the entrance of non- traditional television
producers such as Microsoft teaming with NBC to form MSNBC. Other networks are also in demand as noted by the
increase in advertising dollars spent for advertising time.
``The company will now devote its time to the execution of its business plan and continue seeking acquisitions, to create and
enhance shareholder value,'' Marvin Jenkins stated. The company's audited financial statements have been completed and plans
to file, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, its Form 10 by the middle of February 2001 to become a 12G
Company. Co-Media, Inc. is a vertically integrated entertainment company that includes radio, television
programming/production for network syndication, Internet and real estate holdings. GTN's projected gross revenues for the
next five years exceed $250 million. For additional information please visit our website at: www.wearegaytv.com.<<
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