06/28/2005
The MSM hits Gay TV today with an article in USA Today with a look at LOGO, Q Television, and Here! TV. Meanwhile, the NYT looks at how LOGO is taking the focus off of titillation. LOGO President Brian Graden: "When you tell a story about gay rodeo or gay surfers it's not a story about sex nor does it need to be. So much connects us beyond sexuality."
Sighting number two raises more questions about a certain reality relationship: are Queer Eye's Jai and The Restaurant's Rocco an item?
Posted 11:02 AM EST by Andy Towle in Elsewhere | Permalink
Like it?
Subscribe to FREE Towleroad daily headlines with our RSS feed!
RECENT STORIES:
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Yet another publicity stunt from two reality tv stars whose bright lights are waning.
Posted by: gabe | Jun 28, 2005 12:35:39 PM
On Logo's president Brian Graden . . . what is up with his undergraduate degree? "Mr. Graden, 42, who received his undergraduate degree from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla . . ." Umm, does this strike anyone else as weird? No wonder they are downplaying the sex on this network, the president is a christian. I am not normally prone to conspiracy theries but this has got me thinking.
Posted by: Little Daddy | Jun 28, 2005 12:38:38 PM
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050713/COLUMNS25/507130340/1085/NEWS01
http://www.qtelevision.com/site/
http://www.qtelevision.com/site/iwantqnetworkpop.asp
Mayor's vision fully in focus
Cindy Uken
The Desert Sun
July 13, 2005
As a member of the Palm Springs Human Rights Commission in the 1990s, Ron Oden was instrumental in getting Black Entertainment Television included in the local programming lineup. Now Mayor, Oden is lobbying to get more programming included that focuses on yet another minority group - gays and lesbians.
But his vision for what it could bring is much broader than local programming; it's an economic opportunity.
Oden, widely thought to be the country's first openly gay black mayor, is lobbying strenuously to get Q Television Network, a Palm Springs-based network, included on the Time Warner Cable television lineup. Q Television Network is a nationally syndicated gay television network run by and programmed for an audience that identifies itself as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender - and straight. It would be a natural fit for Palm Springs, which boasts a significant gay and lesbian population.
But for Oden, this is about so much more than just adding a network that is gay- and lesbian-based; it's about doing what's right for Palm Springs. And that's what really gets his creative juices flowing.
This is the place where noted retailers like Nordstrom and J. Crew frequently come for print advertising and catalog shoots.
More than 800 shooting days - including movies, TV shows, commercials and still photography - netted the valley $28 million in revenues in 2004, according to the Inland Empire Film Commission.
With the right production studio, Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley just might be able to take things to the next level. Theoretically, it could become a Hollywood satellite that turns media production into a source for year-round, high-paying jobs?
"If they get on Time Warner, they are going to build a production studio in the city," Oden said. "It gives us another opportunity to do things here. They're going to syndicate some national shows and broadcast from here on a daily basis. We're moving, baby."
Oden said one of the complaints he often hears is that there is no place in Palm Springs to produce programs; if Q Television Network builds a studio here, that would void that complaint.
Time Warner corporate officers are trying to negotiate a nationwide agreement with the type of network product Q Television Network offers, said Kathi Jacobs, director of government and community relations for Time Warner. The company is considering three different products in the same network genre; Q Television Network is one of them. She said a decision in expected "sometime in the future."
Carol Hinnant, vice president of acquisitions for Q Television Network, said Tuesday, "We are still talking with Time Warner and hope for a positive resolution in the next couple of months."
As I've gotten to know Oden better during his tenure as mayor - and watch how he works - there are no accidents. Most everything he does is by design.
Earlier this year, he talked of his vision to reestablish Palm Springs as a playground for the stars. He enlisted the help of actors, singers, writers and others to brainstorm ways to attract more stars and visitors to the city - and bring the Hollywood allure back to the desert.
Once a bit static, the picture is starting to become much clearer. It's becoming a don't-miss drama.
Posted by: Karl | Jul 21, 2005 3:32:17 AM