Normally, I don\u2019t get excited about the announcement of new programming, or of new programming sources. And don\u2019t get me wrong, I\u2019m not excited now, either.<\/p>\n
But I am intrigued with Fox\u2019s new My Network TV<\/a>, which will launch September 5 of this year. <\/p>\n When UPN<\/a> (owned by CBS) and the WB<\/a> (owned by Time Warner) announced they would merge to form the CW<\/a> this fall, it left all ten of Rupert Murdock\u2019s News Corporation<\/a> stations in major markets facing a future with no programming.<\/p>\n News Corporation also owns the Fox<\/a> network, who quickly announced the formation of My Network TV.<\/p>\n A year ago News Corporation purchased MySpace<\/a> dot com, a web destination that reportedly has eighty-five million users. So far, MySpace is known as a young people\u2019s social networking site as well as a good vehicle for selling new music.<\/p>\n So, it\u2019s really no surprise that My Network TV is going to be targeted to the eighteen-to-thirty-four crowd. However, it appears to me that My Network TV is targeted to an even narrower (and faster growing) demographic: the eighteen-to-thirty-four Hispanic market.<\/p>\n Across the US Hispanics represent just over 10% of all households. But in the cities that make up My Network\u2019s initial affiliates Hispanics account for over a third of all homes.<\/p>\n In markets like Southern California, nearly half of the Hispanic residents are under 25. And all across America the vast majority of younger Hispanics are bilingual.<\/p>\n In many of those markets, the local Spanish language TV stations lead the market in ratings, and identify themselves as \u201cNuestro Canal\u201d or \u201cTu Canal\u201d (Our Channel or Your Channel).<\/p>\n The new network is called My Network. Hummm. You be the judge.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at the programming.<\/p>\n My Network will broadcast only twelve hours per week. There will be two serialized hour-long dramas for the first season called \u201cDesire<\/a>\u201d and \u201cSecret Obsessions<\/a>.\u201d New episodes will air every weeknight, with a weekly recap on Saturday.<\/p>\n Each story will run for 13 weeks, and be replaced with another telenovela<\/a> (Spanish for Short Novel). Univision<\/a> and other Spanish language broadcasters have found this format to be a hit with their viewers. With the popularity of such television drama as Lost<\/a>, Gray\u2019s Anatomy<\/a>, and Desperate Housewives<\/a>, don\u2019t be surprised if the English speaking market warms up to the telenovela format as well.<\/p>\n Other shows in the works include a fake psychologist who falls in love with a patient; a reality show searching for top models; a contest show with prizes for trivia knowledge; the story of a pilot and an heiress who survive a plane crash; and a Fox-developed investigative crime series.<\/p>\n Yup. I\u2019m intrigued by My Network TV, because it appears to target young English-speaking Hispanics.<\/p>\n And, just as Spanish words have become part of mainstream America, just as Mexican dishes have become regular American fare, the telenovela will become a staple of younger Americans, too.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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