CHUM TELEVISION SEEING STARS AND WATCHING EDUCATIONAL TV
By Adnews Staff
CHUM Television of Toronto has announced the launch of two new specialty channels. Star! The Entertainment Information Station and Canadian Learning Television. Both channels will be distributed via satellite for carriage on cable, satellite and wireless systems across Canada beginning in September 1999. STAR! will be a 24-hour station focused on the Canadian entertainment industry. It will include coverage of film, television, music, publishing and theatre and touch upon fashion, sports, electronic media, communications and politics. STAR! will also be in partnership with E! Entertainment Television in the U.S. and will have access to all of E!'s programs. The entertainment station will be headed up by Marcia Martin, as vice-president and general manager. Canadian Learning Television will be an English-language, 24-hour national education station targeted at adult learning. CLT will provide programs connected to courses of study offered by Canada's learning institutions. CLT will be led by Ron Keast, as president. CLT will originate from the Edmonton facilities of ACCESS - The Education Station, official provincial educational broadcaster for the province of Alberta. CHUM Television is a division of CHUM Ltd. and currently owns and operates 24 radio stations, six local television stations and eight Canadian specialty channels. Plans to promote the new channels include radio and television spots. Print is also being considered to advertise the channels. Advertising for CHUM is done in-house.