THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 13, 1997 TAG: 9701110057
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Larry Bonko
LENGTH: 69 lines
WHY THE ANIMAL PLANET? Why did Cox Communications choose that channel to replace WWOR on Dec. 31 when the New York Superstation stopped being a Superstation (it is no longer available coast to coast on satellite)?
Why not Nick at Nite's TV Land, the Ovation Fine Arts Network, Robert Redford's Sundance Channel or other channels out there begging for exposure?
Larry Michel, Cox Communications' marketing and sales manager, said he listened to the voice of the people in choosing the Animal Planet, which has been promoted heavily by The Learning Channel and Discovery since it signed on with ``all animals all the time'' last June 1.
``Animal Planet has been among our most requested channels. We've had lots of calls and mail about it,'' said Michel.
So, now we have it - pandas and wallabies on the Animal Channel replacing New York Mets' baseball and ``Baretta'' reruns on WWOR. I've seen pandas munching bamboo - it's all they eat - and pandas yawning, pandas drinking at the water's edge and panda moms nuzzling their young.
After sampling the Animal Planet, I am amazed that there are any panda babies to nuzzle. Animal Planet has shown us how reluctant these creatures are to mate. So far, I prefer the Animal Channel over WWOR's tired old reruns, but if it had been my call, I would have picked Nick at Nite's TV Land.
What I've seen of the channel, which signed on with 15 million subscribers, has been fun to watch - reruns of ``Hill Street Blues'' and other TV classics, to be sure, but with the nice light touch you find on Nick at Nite.
Here are some other channels that are up and running and might have been a better choice than the Animal Planet, although I do love those pandas:
M2: Music Television - With MTV expanding its programming greatly since it was a 24-hour music video channel in the 1980s, Viacom decided to go back to basics with all-music on M2, and leave the quiz shows and politics to MTV. It was launched last Aug. 1.
Nick at Nite's TV Land - Vintage TV presented by people who really appreciate the old stuff, including drama series, sitcoms, westerns and variety shows. I like seeing 1960s' commercials again. ``Show us your Lark!''
Ovation: The Fine Arts Network - This one has been up and running since last April and is what the name suggests - 20 hours a day of programming that includes dance, music, literature, profiles of artists, opera and museum visits.
The Sundance Channel - Robert Redford in partnership with Showtime and PolyGram started the channel 11 months ago and has built up to 4.7 million subscribers. This channel is a showcase for independent film producers, with Redford giving lots of input. Redford has sold this channel hard, even schmoozing with TV writers in Los Angeles last year. He's aged some.
Fashion Network - More than 5 million subscribers are watching this channel, which started up in July 1996. It does for fashion what ESPN does for sports - covers the subject in depth, all day long, with designers and models all over the place. This channel also dabbles in travel, entertainment and cuisine. Sounds great.
ESPNews and CNNSI - Both networks signed on recently, and Cox passed on both, adding instead the Classic Sports Network. That decision prompted about 50 calls to my Infoline number (640-5555, press 2486) from readers such as Bob Corbin in Virginia Beach who asked this question: ``With two new and exciting sports channels available about what's happening in sports today, why did Cox pick a sports network which shows nothing but old game tapes and old sports quiz shows all day long?''
Because the decision-makers at Cox thought you would prefer seeing programming that revived such great teams as North Carolina's 1982 highly talented basketball bunch - Michael Jordan was just a supporting player in that lineup - than an all-day-long version of ESPN's SportsCenter. ILLUSTRATION: NBC
Michael Conrad in a vintage "Hill Street Blues."