NEW YORK - In an effort to spread the good word through wholesome television programming and reap revenue from local advertising, Home Shopping Network co-founder Lowell Paxson today announced the creation of a nationwide family-values TV network, PaxNet. Combining their purchasing power to get shows like Touched by an Angel and Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman onto their prime-time airwaves, the 73 independent television stations that will make up PaxNet aim to fill 70 percent of each station's advertising slots with local advertising.
"Violence and sex will be minimized on [PaxNet] - the family is 'in'," Paxson said at a news conference this morning. Unlike struggling new networks like WB or UPN that are top-heavy with flops, PaxNet won't risk "developing prime-time failures," Paxson assured. "I'm not projecting billions of revenue - we're an economic model of 73 independent stations ... who said, 'Let's unite and put our money together to buy programming - oh, gosh, that's a lot of money.'"
Individually, the stations have contributed US$1 million to PaxNet to buy the 24-hour programming, and will operate with an average of 18 employees per station. PaxNet is scheduled for an August debut in major cities like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Dallas. The network has been specifically designed to give local advertisers the chance to get into prime-time slots on a broadcast channel, said Paxson.
PaxNet is an interesting counterpoint to CitiVision, the brainchild of current Home Shopping Network chief Barry Diller, who is trying to pull together a nationwide network of independent local television news stations. With their national experience, the two HSN kahunas obviously see something to milk in the local market - albeit from very different angles. While Diller hopes to make alternative, non-cookie-cutter news, Paxson apparently has set his eyes on high, with the family network.
PaxNet will carry series like I'll Fly Away and Sisters that have already run their course on the big networks, while also developing new programming. A late-night comedy show, The Mike Levey Show, and a talk show, Live Link, are in the works.
For the early-morning hours, PaxNet will run infomercials and programming from the subsidiary cable channel Christian Network. The network has already paid dearly for the first jewel in its crown - TV's Number Three show, Touched by an Angel, for which PaxNet is paying $950,000 per episode.
