[musimax]

The title says it all, Lonestar will offically become MovieTime on October 6, 2008.

From Broadcaster Magazine:

Canwest Launches MovieTime

MovieTime the newly branded digital specialty service, announced today by Canwest
Broadcasting, will provide unparalleled access to more than 250 movies a month showcasing popular titles that celebrate the adventure essential to every great movie plot. It will kick off October 6, 2008, replacing Lonestar.

http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/issues/ISArticle.asp?id=88523&issue=08212008

Note that the in a few days it article from the URL probably won't be visible unless you have a subscription to Broadcaster Magazine.

 

[nicohockey9]

Looks like another crap channel by canwest. Probaly like showcase movie channels

 

[querty-m4n]

Big discussion on why Lonestar was playing movies and not the western programming they were remembered for http://digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=69941&highlight=Lonestar

Checking out Wikipedia, it says

It was announced by Canwest on August 21, 2008, that Lonestar will rebranded as MovieTime on October 6, 2008. MovieTime will showcase action and adventure films. Essentially it will simply be a rebrand of the network rather then a change of format due to the fact that Lonestars schedule consists mainly of the type of programming that MovieTime will offer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonestar_(TV_channel)

I agree with nicohockey9 on that it looks just like what Showcase Action is like now.

 

[kingsford90]

Looks like another crap channel by canwest. Probaly like showcase movie channels

Couldn't agree more

 

[Lindsay649]

No matter what colour you paint it.......an outhouse is still an outhouse. Can hardly wait until it becomes one of the Movie Extra HD channels on Evu!!!!

 

[dmccorm140]

I guess this channel can compete with showcase Action - Allthough maybe they will rebrand it as the western channel I mean CMT plays endless sitcom reruns were are the country music videos. History channel was in to showing CSI reruns. A lot of these digital channels are a complete waste of time because they don't stick to what they were originally set-up for.

 

[Brent McKee]

Let's face it, all this rebranding is doing is acknowledging what Canwest did to the channel months ago, which was to turn it into a cheap Showcase Action knock-off. When I dropped it a couple of months ago the Shaw CSR couldn't find it in her to even try to argue me out of it.

 

[musimax]

It's true, all this rebranding is, is simply a name change for the channel. Other then what I assume will be a 24 hour schedule of movies, that's the only significant change to the channel, which is hardly that be of a change since the amount of series the channel has is pretty minimal.

The channel for awhile now has been nothing but an action and adventure movie channel and even the terms "action" and "adventure" is questionable when it airs movies like Liar, Liar. It's been awhile since I've seen that movie, but i don't recall it being full of action or adventure.

If they want to rebrand the channel, fine, personally I could care less about Westerns and so on, never watch that stuff, but if they are going to rebrand, give us something new, give us movies that won't air on any of the Showcases, IFC or any other Canwest channel the next day, or within the same week or next. All I see for this channel will be more of the same from Canwest, pick up a bunch of shows/movies and then air them across all of their channels to save a buck.

 

[bigoranget]

I truely believe that the CRTC needs to impose much more strict rules on how much programming can be shared between channels by the same owner.

Canwest is already starting to add a lot of 2nd and 3rd run programming in Showcase (ie House, Numbers and The Apprentace).

I'm fairly certain that new Canadian programming on the former Alliance Atlantis channels will probably be reduced over the next few years and will instead repeat the cancon excesively between all there channels to meet cancon requirements. A good example of this is What Ever Happened to? Airs on Global/E!, TVTropolis, DejaView and IFC.

 

[TJ77]

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (with Ty Pennington ) is now airing on HGTV.
They haven't been able to ruin Food yet. If they had the opportunity they would have, they just don't have any 10 year old cooking shows in the vault. (Or was What's For Dinner on Global?) CanCrap just doesn't know how to run TV channels.

 

[musimax]

I completely agree, the CRTC needs to step in and do something about this cross-airing of shows from one chanel to another within the same company.

Those 3 shows mentioned that Showcase is airing now, is only the tip of the iceberge, wait until this fall, Showcase will look like Global-mini, from just skimming through the shows Showcase will air this fall, a total of 15 shows that have already at one point aired on Global will air on Showcase and 16 if you Billable Hours which will air this fall on Global. Completely ridiculous. Canwest is ruining this channel and the other AAC channels just they've already done with the ones they launched themselves. Personally, I blame the CRTC for letting this happen. First by approving the sale of AAC to Canwest and secondly for letting this kind of practise happening.

 

[TJ77]

I suppose Global Currents will end up on NatGeo as well. They need a 10% rule. I believe that there was mention of CTVgm willing to agree to such a rule when the CRTC was doubting the buyout, but nothing ever became of it.
I really do hope that the US owners of Food, HGTV and NatGeo put some serious pressure on CanWest.

 

[bigoranget]

The media consolidation in the last 2 years should never have been allowed to happen. First the buyout of Craig by CHUM, then the buyout of CHUM by CTVgm and finally the buyout of Alliance Atlantis by Canwest. I would wager a guess that CTVgm and Canwest alone probably own more then 50% of the english dial. Astral Media and Corus entertainment are the only other real big players in the english market.

IMO, Canwest and CTV control WAY TO MUCH of the media.

 

[PlayitSimple]

While I agree with the points that have been made about Canwest, I think you are deluding your self if you think the CRTC is actually going to do anything about it. Its clear that these broadcasters have a pretty big influence on those in Ottawa and any changes that are detrimental to the broadcasters probably won't happen.

Perhaps the CRTC is all bark and no bite meaning they don't have the ability to actually meat out punishment llike fines or dare I say license revocation. What I would like to see is a system whereby a broadcaster is warned on their first offence then if it persists (whatever the issue is) they suspend their license until such time as they fix the problem. I agree about the limiit on airing the same shows across all their channels however I would go a step further and impose a restriction where they can't air any given show on more then one channel. So every channel would have unique, distinct programming. Also the comment about the US broadcasters getting involved won't happen since they do pretty much the same thing. Discovery airs certain shows on several of their channels.

We will find out if the CRTC is a real watch dog or simply a lapdog for the broadcasters when they release their decisions on the hearing that was held in April. Your best chance of seeing some changes is to complain to the CRTC. I remember during the hearing mentioned above that one of the ethnic broadcasters made a comment along the lines of 'you have rules in place- why don't you enforce them'? One of the stupid comissioners answered him that they don't really have the means to enforce them and that the complaint system is their primary means of addressing any problems that might exist. So the more people who complain the better chance they may actually look into it and force Canwest to make some changes

 

[dmccorm140]

Another channel I think that is being LoneStarred is Sextv by CTVgm. I don't think they really wanted to own it and it is becoming more like Slice and the W channel.

 

[Mixar69]

Well it would be a plus if the channel didn't air commercials but I think I'm living in dreamland on that one. What we need is channels like the Fox Movie Network now thats a good channel but getting the CRTC to see it that way is another story.

 

[burgoonster]

I Have Lonestar Currently In My Package On Cogeco So This Movietime Channel Will be Available To Me So It Would be Interesting To See How This Channel Turns Out

 

[Kloraff]

cptcarter:

There have been at least two other applications approved in the past for Western themed channels. Both unfortunately may be dead in the water unless they reapply.

#1) Craig Broadcast Systems Inc. -- The Western Channel

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2001/db2001-700.htm

As we now know, Craig was bought out by CHUM in 2004, and with it came all its existing channels and licences for unlaunched channels. Before the buyout of CHUM by CTV, It is clear that CHUM was interested in possibly launching this channel as Stampede (the new name Craig proposed for the channel before sale) and applyed to have it extended for a second time.

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2006/db2006-16.htm

The extention only gave them until November 2006 however so that one would need to be reapplied for, and as far as I know, CTV hasn't demonstrated an interest since they bought up CHUM in 2007.

#2) Global Television Network Inc. -- Lonestar II

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2005/db2005-85.htm

Here we see a more recent application in which Global proposes a similar channel to the previously licensed Stampede. (The original Lonestar was not intended to be western themed. It was licensed as Adventure) Lonestar II would have looked like the Lonestar channel that launched in 2001 with the addition of programming categories 6 (a) Professional sports and 6 (b) Amateur sports. Sports programming would have made up 10% of the schedule and could not have been drawn from hockey, baseball, football, basketball, golf, soccer, or tennis. The channel would have likely aired rodeos, lumberjacking and other related outdoorsy western sports in addition to the western series and movies already being aired by Lonestar.

Since Global had 36 months to get it launched which expired in March 2008, this channel is not likely to see the light of day either. As we all know, Global just shut down its original Western channel in favor of an Adventure movie channel as was originally proposed in its license.

>>UPDATE<<

Some further searching shows that as recently as October 2007, Canwest applied to extend the launch deadline of Lonestar II and it was accordingly extended to March 2009.

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Notices/2007/pb2007-135.htm
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/public/broad/applications/2007/2007-1489-1.pdf

According to the letter above:

At this time, we believe that the market conditions are right for expanding our specialty footprint and anticipate launching Lonestar II within the next year.

So maybe, Canwest plans to launch a new western themed channel after all. Perhaps they gradually morphed the original Lonestar into the Adventure channel licensed to them (now called MovieTime) so they wouldn't have two nearly identical channels when they launched Lonestar II. Just a thought.

 

[Roger Corman]

I guess this channel can compete with showcase Action - Allthough maybe they will rebrand it as the western channel I mean CMT plays endless sitcom reruns were are the country music videos. History channel was in to showing CSI reruns. A lot of these digital channels are a complete waste of time because they don't stick to what they were originally set-up for.

I think there should be a substancial penalty when stations rebrand themselves. When they decide to create a certain type of channel, there should be a responsibility to actually deliver that.

Everyone but the company doing the rebranding loses. The fans of the genre lose out and the other people that applied to deliver that type of station lose as well. I just wonder how much better some of the other applicants would have done if given the chance to create their version of the channel.

The CRTC has to grow a pair and stop this practice. If you can't make a go of a station, then the license should be revoked and another group given a chance to make it work instead of being rewarded for it with a "Create any channel that you want to now" license.

 

[nicohockey9]

I think that there should be fines for extending applications... Because as I look at it now, they just drag there feet on applications, and sometimes just drop them...

Don't apply for channels if you don't have plans to launch them soon!!!