TheBuzz Erika Engle

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KFVE finds new affiliate in News Corp's My Network TV

KFVE "The Home Team," known for its sports broadcasts, is one of the latest U.S. television stations to affiliate with My Network TV, a combination broadcast-channel/ network/service established by News Corp.

The affiliation agreement was confirmed by Les Eisner, vice president of media relations for Twentieth Television.

Twentieth will run My Network TV with Fox Television Stations Inc., all of which are under the News Corp. umbrella.

The new affiliations announced yesterday will put My Network TV in 40 percent of the country, but "we intend to be in 90-plus upon our (programming) launch Sept. 5th," Eisner said.

Initially, 12 hours of original prime-time programming will be provided from 8 to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Twentieth has begun shooting two hourlong, scripted dramas called "Desire," and "Secrets," but they are not soap operas, Eisner said.

"They're different from soap operas because soap operas run for many years -- they're open-ended. These dramas are self-contained," with a beginning, middle and end, he said. The dramas' story lines are based on Latin telenovelas, which are "huge," he said.

The 65 episodes of each show will air Monday through Friday for 13 weeks.

Twentieth is also developing additional shows including "Catwalk," a model search; "Celebrity Love Island," which puts celebrities and regular folks in a setting to see if romance develops; a quiz show called "America's Brainiest," stolen, as are many good shows, from Britain; and "On Scene," a crime investigation series. Twentieth is also working to develop an international format with FremantleMedia North America, a name you may recognize from "American Idol."

My Network TV was announced shortly after a competing network, the CW, was created by the merger of the WB and UPN in January.

Each had struggled under competition from the four major networks and cable channels, though each had found niche audiences to serve.

In the CW, the C stands for CBS Corp., which owns UPN, and the W stands for Warner Bros., owner of the WB.

KFVE is currently a WB affiliate, while UPN programming airs on KIKU. The WB and UPN will cease to exist in September, and the CW has not announced a Honolulu affiliate.

The new KFVE affiliation "makes for a good business decision," said John Fink, vice president and general manager of KFVE and KHNL.

KFVE does not have to pay for programming and "we get three times the inventory" of commercial time offered by the CW.

KFVE will get the 3 to 5 p.m. time slot back from the WB programming and is "looking to make some inroads there ... with available programming or perhaps even local programming down the road," Fink said.

Likely telenovela viewers may generally be older than viewers of the WB's shows that led into KFVE's 9 p.m. newscast, which bodes well for the news show's adult ratings, Fink said.