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well, we may be taking baby steps... but it is progress.
hopefully before i turn to dust.
oh well, another one bites the dust. our day will come.
she's probably too busy counting her millions of Q retirement money.
nor is the news on etrade yet.
it also mentions, "The channel will get its new, wider distribution on Shaw within the next week or two." so if we are involved maybe we'll hear something soon.
not sure if this relates to Q in anyway, but worth a look:
Gay TV gains more exposure
TORONTO -- Lengthy negotiations to gain wider distribution appear to be over for the country's gay-themed TV channel.
Bill Craig, president of OUTtv, says an agreement has been reached with Calgary-based Shaw Communications to make the channel available on Shaw Cable and Star Choice satellite as a regular specialty channel. He says a similar deal is very near with Bell ExpressVu.
"I think it's terrific that Shaw is now seeing the wisdom of keeping the world's first gay television station alive," Craig said. "I just wish it wasn't so difficult to get us distributed, but that's the nature of being gay, I guess, in this day and age."
Helping to break the log-jam was a move in April by new owners - a private consortium of gay businesses - to re-brand the former PrideVision as OUTtv. The hard-core content was transferred to a spinoff channel called Hard TV, which remains a premium service like the Playboy Channel.
While the move made OUTtv more acceptable to such key systems as Rogers, Cogeco and Videotron, Shaw and Bell still resisted including the channel in their regular packages.
When negotiations reached a deadlock, the issue was headed to the CRTC.
The channel owners were ready to argue that Shaw and Bell - which together control nearly 70% of the country's digital TV subscribers - were required by law to carry OUTtv.
Shaw president Peter Bissonnette confirmed that a deal had been reached, but denied any whiffs of homophobia in his company's initial reluctance to reach an agreement.
He says talks stalled because the broadcaster tried to force Shaw into carrying not only its newly mainstream OUTtv, but also the explicit Hard TV service, which Shaw still declines to do.
"It was actually strictly a commercial, contractual issue. It had nothing to do with the content," Bissonnette says. "We had a contract with the former owners and the contract had some time to run on it and Bill Craig wanted to change the terms of the contract."
Craig stresses, meanwhile, that OUTtv hasn't exactly been toned down, that it will still be risque late at night, but no more so than, say, Showcase. The channel will get its new, wider distribution on Shaw within the next week or two.
The feuding between PrideVision and Shaw Communications actually goes back to 2001 when the first tier of diginets was launched. Shaw at that time refused to bundle the gay-themed channel with others during a free-preview period, instead requiring viewers to go through a special two-step process to acquire the signal.
Company chairman Jim Shaw said at the time that he believed some of their cable and Star Choice customers would "revolt" if forced to take PrideVision with all the other channels and that Shaw was merely responding to the "sensitivities of subscribers."
But in ruling on a complaint, the CRTC concluded that in so doing the carrier had violated regulations.
Scott Thompson, the openly gay actor and comic, says he doesn't understand what all the fuss is about.
"It's like they're always going 'children might see it!' Children might see what? Two men lying in bed together? So what?"
Thompson has been consulting for Viacom's recently launched American gay channel Logo, which is being offered free on cable south of the border.
"Citytv used to do the Baby Blues," he says, referring to the Toronto TV station's 1970s experiments with late-night soft-core films. "I mean, when I was 14, I saw I Am Curious (Yellow) on a Friday night, and it didn't ... well, OK, maybe it did warp me! But it's just sex."
http://www.edmontonsun.com/Entertainment/Showbiz/2005/07/11/1126201-sun.html
what's your site link... and i'll have a look.
yes, why do you ask?
doesn't look like the backlash will be too strong according to this article from a christian newspaper:
TV review: Logo channel
Cable TV viewers who do not want a channel devoted to homosexuality in their home have a choice to make / by Gene Edward Veith
July 1 marked the debut of Logo, a TV channel devoted exclusively to homosexuality. Unlike other all-gay, all-the-time channels—such as Here! and Q—available only through pay-per-view or subscription, Logo takes its place on basic cable and is easily accessible for channel-surfers of all ages.
Cable TV does not fall under FCC standards, which only apply to over-the-air broadcasting. The cable industry has rough guidelines of its own, so Logo will not show overt pornography. Still, the channel features R-rated gay-themed movies at night, as well as same-sex kissing and sex-talk round the clock. But Logo's emphasis is on "the gay lifestyle" and cultural advocacy. Programming includes a reality show in which same-sex couples win the perfect wedding, concerts featuring homosexual performers (such as the Indigo Girls and Melissa Etheridge), sporting events such as gay rodeos, and documentaries supporting gay rights.
Logo is part of Viacom, which also owns MTV, Nickelodeon, and CBS, which supplies the channel with news. With Viacom's clout, Logo has been picked up by most of the major cable and satellite carriers, including TimeWarner, Comcast, Charter, Cablevision, and DirecTV.
The advertiser-supported gay channel is usually part of the "second tier" of services. On DirecTV, the channel is included with the "Total Choice Plus" package. Thus, if you want NASCAR, you also get homosexuality.
Those who do not want the gay channel in their homes should learn to use the channel-blocking feature. They should also complain to their local cable providers. And vote with their cable bills, changing to a different provider or to a lower, less-expensive tier of service. Or make this the last straw and go TV-free. •
wow, what a great day for the DOW... too bad Q didn't follow suit. well, we've got 5 minutes before our last chance for a PR if we're gonna get one at 3:30. otherwise, let the weekend begin. maybe next week.
lol, that's a good one. i actually feel like i've been grabbing my ankles for the past year that i've been invested in the Q. wow, what a bedside manner these people have.
q_me_up
thanks for bringing this info here... this is great info. guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens. so maybe the pridevision deal still has some potential.
nah, just having a little fun. but i could use a vacation... when are we leaving?
thats some pretty extensive traveling... let me give you my travel itinerary. i'll be heading to the unemployment office next week, bankrupcy court by the end of the summer, divorce court by the end of the year, and the the homeless shelter by the spring of next year. lol, thanks for the memories frank.
now there's a dilemma, what do i wish for... Q's success or lobo's naked wife.
i guess i was hoping for a bone with a little meat attached... this bone was picked clean.
yeah, i'm ready for the BIG news NOW!!! come on frank, throw us a bone!
yeah, it was just released 8 minutes ago but i wasn't sure if it was rehashed from something we already read... either way, the Q is moving forward and getting exposure. let just hope that we don't have to wait until June 2006 for the 150 markets.
q_me_up
not sure if this is old or new news but here it is:
Chicago-Based Jam Productions Will Produce Gay Games Ceremonies
2005-07-06
When 12,000 athletes and artists march into the Gay Games VII Opening Ceremony at Soldier Field on July 1, 2006, proudly watching with 40,000 or more spectators will be a production “dream team” put together by Chicago’s very own Jam Productions.
Chicago Games, Inc. ( CGI ) announced that Chicago-based Jam Productions has been selected to produce the ceremonies associated with Gay Games VII in Chicago. The 34-year old firm was selected by the CGI Board of Directors after a rigorous five-month review process which attracted bids from top producers around the USA.
Jam Productions, Ltd. is one of the USA’s largest producers of live entertainment. Headquartered in Chicago, with offices in Los Angeles and Minneapolis, Jam is one of the top-grossing concert companies over the past 30 years and is the largest independent company of its kind in the U.S. Jam averages $110 million in gross revenues annually and produces more than 1,200 concerts, theatrical productions and special events in 22 states.
Jam will produce the Opening Ceremony at Soldier Field on July 15, 2006, Closing Ceremony at Wrigley Field on July 22, 2006, and the Medal Ceremonies at Millennium Park July 16-21, 2006. As many as 100,000 people are expected to experience at least one of the ceremonies.
Both Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be televised live on the Q Television Network in at least 150 USA and international markets.
“We are so excited to be working with a Chicago-based firm with an international reputation for high-quality events. Top entertainers want to work with experienced producers, and Jam knows how to produce events that remain on budget,” said Greg McNitt, Ceremonies Committee co-chair of the Chicago Games, Inc. board of directors. “We can’t wait to begin working on the entertainment lineup with Jam.”
Producer Matt McGinn and Executive Producer Donna Sue Van Cleaf, both long-time Jam employees, will lead the Gay Games Ceremonies Production Team at Jam. Joining as Creative Director will be New Yorker Kile Ozier, producer of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies at the 1994 New York Gay Games.
“Jam understands the commitment to a fiscally sound, yet visually spectacular experience for the participants and fans,” said Van Cleaf. “With Kile Ozier on our team, we establish a connection to the legacy of past Gay Games and ensure that these stunning ceremonies comply with Gay Games protocols.”
“In Jam we have selected a company with deep experience in all levels of production,” said Ceremonies Committee co-chair Tracy Baim. “Jam Productions was selected because they work with the world’s top talent, are financially sound, and brought creative ideas to the table for fundraising and special events.”
“Jam will be joined by experienced Gay Games staff and freelance creative and production experts—both paid and volunteer—who make this a veritable dream team,” said McNitt.
Planning for Gay Games VII Ceremonies is already underway and details regarding entertainment, ticketing and volunteers will be posted on the Gay Games Web site at www.gaygameschicago.org .
Jam is known for consistently putting the right act in front of the public and for having created career spanning loyalty from artists including Bruce Springsteen, Melissa Etheridge, David Bowie, Elton John, Genesis, Billy Joel, the Police, Madonna, U2, Bette Midler, Shania Twain, and the Dave Matthews Band. Jam helped start the careers of new artists including John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, Norah Jones, Usher, Matchbox Twenty, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill. Over the past 30 years, Jam has been Chicago’s leading musical and live event producer. Over the past seven years, Jam has produced an average of almost 600 events per year, sold close to 1.2 million tickets annually to those events and grossed $50 million per year just in the Chicago area. Jam produces events at dozens of Chicago venues, including Soldier Field, US Cellular Field, United Center and the Chicago Theatre. See www.jamusa.com .
See www.GayGamesChicago.org
and 4. he knows that pesky, impatient and annoying shareholders will hound any carrier that is potentially thinking about or in negotiations with the Q.
yeah, i agree, i think they need to be forthright and tell us what's up. i'm pissed too. i was just trying to calm Socal_Helix down... i could nearly hear him screaming from here.
well, i'm not that complacent... i'll have to admit i'd love to hear news today to kickstart my weekend but i'm not spitting venom yet. as for Socal_Helix rant... probably one of the best i've heard in a while. i'm tired too of hanging at .0018. i'm just not gonna let it ruin my weekend thats all.
q_me_up
i feel your pain, man... but you need to chill out... you're gonna burst a blood vessel or something. go pour yourself a damn cold beer already.
what is viacoms symbol... VIA represents mtv... is this also the same symbol that Logo shares.. i know the company split. is the symbol for both still the same?
q_me_up
its a good idea and worth consideration.. go to their website and email them your ideas.
Q is guaranteed to succeed... their programming is far superior and their new website kicks*ss! i'm lovin' it!
i try... but most of it is crap.
q_me_up
TLA Releasing
TLA stands for Theatre of the Living Arts, which was an experimental theatre group in Philadelphia founded by André Gregory in the early 1960s. Upon the group's demise in the late '60s, its theatre was turned into an art film house, which was run by TLA Entertainment Group, founded by Raymond Murray, film historian and author of "Images in the Dark: An Encyclopedia of Gay and Lesbian Film and Video." In 1985, the company opened a video store next door to the theatre. Today it owns and operates six stores in Philadelphia and New York City, selling videos of all persuasions on-site, through direct mail, and over the Internet at www.tlavideo.com. But it wasn't until 2001 that TLA Releasing was formed and the company began releasing films theatrically and on DVD, with a primary focus on LGBT-themed work. Just recently it moved into producing as well, with three properties currently in production: Todd Stephens' "Porky's"-style comedy "Another Gay Movie," Christian Calson's romance "Flirting With Anthony," and Richard Bell's street-kid drama "Eighteen," starring Alan Cumming, "Queer as Folk" 's Thea Gill, and the voice of Sir Ian McKellen.
With more than 200 employees and about 80 DVD releases and 12 theatrical releases per year, TLA Releasing is one of the bigger fish in the pond. Director of acquisitions Richard Wolff characterizes a TLA film as "a larger movie. We tend to be a little more aggressive, proactive in the scope of the projects we take on. Edgy is not a problem for us. And star power is a criterion: an actor or a director." A current example is "Mysterious Skin," Gregg Araki's highly acclaimed film of Scott Heim's novel about two teenage boys, one gay and one unspecified, dealing with the aftereffects of sexual abuse and possible alien abduction in their childhoods. A grown-up Joseph Gordon-Levitt, of "3rd Rock From the Sun" fame, provides the star power, along with director Araki, whose film "The Living End" (1992), about two HIV-positive men on a nihilistic and hedonistic road trip intending to "fuck the world," remains a seminal title in edgy, provocative gay cinema.
Why not release all films theatrically? "All filmmakers would like to see their films released theatrically," says Wolff. "Unfortunately, we can't always accommodate them. We try to educate them. We say, 'This movie has a smaller capacity. If we spend a lot of money on print and advertising, you're never going to recoup your investment.' " DVD sales increasingly represent the bulk of a movie's profits, and a theatrical release -- and the reviews that accompany it -- can help add to those profits substantially. But a direct-to-video release, still considered a sign of inferior quality in mainstream cinema, is not at all unusual for a niche market like the LGBT community. Even Marcus Hu of Strand Releasing, the only company we spoke with that always releases its movies theatrically, admits, "There are some real great entries in the straight-to-video market."
Like its competitors, TLA has good relationships with all the major chains: Blockbuster, Tower, Virgin, Netflix. It has even begun selling movies to Wal-Mart. "The retailers are savvy," says Wolff. "If it's a good movie and a gay movie, it doesn't really matter. The marketplace has changed so dramatically in the gay film arena." The company has sold around 25 titles to the Q Television Network, one of the new gay cable channels, and is also distributing some titles to Here! TV, which also offers LGBT content exclusively.
http://www.backstage.com/backstage/features/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000967415
yeah, i guess thats possible... but one would think that a responsible reporter would confirm his/her research before printing anything. i suppose we should consider it false until a PR confirms it.
CHECK THIS OUT.
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/cabletv/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000971757
Logo Debuts With Multi-Carriage
June 30, 2005
By Anthony Crupi
MTV Networks' gay-themed startup Logo launches today to some 13 million households, having just wrapped up carriage deals with DirecTV and Charter.
Logo gets the ball rolling tonight at 9:00 p.m. with the premiere of The Evolution Will Be Televised, a 90-minute documentary about gay culture, featuring interviews with authors Paul Rudnick and Armistead Maupin, among others.
Along with its two newest carriage partners, Logo has struck affiliation deals with Adelphia, Cablevision, Time Warner Cable of New York City and RCN.
The network has company in the space, including the on-demand pay service Here!, which is available in 42 million cable and households, and Q Television Network, a subscription service available via RCN in Boston, New York and San Francisco, as well as on 107 station nationwide as part of a deal with the Products On Demand Channel.
i hear ya.. thanks to you its been playing in my head as well. ;>) ... maybe soon, you can change your tagline to "Even the Losers, get lucky sometimes"
q_me_up
how about Gay Day.. that was also supposed to happen in June... guess not. way to go frankie boy!
hey KC, not sure if you're a tom petty fan or just a fan of the quote since its so appropriate... but my bro just saw him up in jersey last week... said he rocked the house.
q_me_up
hey, don't count the Q out.. it still has 18 minutes of trading time to be explosive in June! lol.
q_me_up
ok, now i just want to hear the bashers sing... that's it good... ok, now just the pumpers... great!!! ok, now everybody all together!
ohhhhh, you better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout i'm telling you why... QTN is comin' to town. come on now, don't be shy... sing along, you know the words... its gonna be christmas in June!
wow, only 11mill traded after 1.5 hours... new investors are very scared and skittish... they'll regret it when this thing hits .05 in the blink of an eye. too late then!
wow, so that percentage is much higher... how can RCN not be expanding us... we are gold to them!!!!
q_me_up
that's 5.5% of the total potential subscribers... not bad considering RCN has not done a whole lot to promote Q... also, is that 400,000 in all RCN markets or just the ones we broadcast in.
q_me_up