Cablevision’s Rainbow Media and MetroChannels: Getting Real, With More NY Attitude

New York, NY, March 21, 2000 — Spring will usher in the first of several major changes for MetroChannels, the award-winning trio of cable networks dedicated to the experience of living in New York. The bold new moves – which include a bevy of series premieres and new channel packaging – are the first initiatives implemented by former Discovery Networks head Greg Moyer, the President of Regional Programming for Rainbow Media Holdings.

“New York is a human circus and Metro is here to give you a ringside seat – 24-hours a day, and with all the honesty and attitude that is the Big Apple” states Moyer. “Our new programming philosophy goes beyond our much-appreciated informational programming to include long-form entertainment series and live, unfiltered event coverage that lets the city speak for itself.”

Curiously, at a time when the interconnectivity is “shrinking the globe,” Moyer sees local television programming as the next media frontier. “At the same time people find the entire world just a click away, they feel a genuine longing for a real connection to the communities in which they live,” Moyer says. “Metro is television about the experience of living in New York. And we’re filling the need by providing an unprecedented 378 hours of New York-centric original television on three channels each week.”

Over the next six months, MetroChannels will premiere more than a dozen original series that eavesdrop on the art, entertainment, sports, and cultural events that unfold across the region on any given day. The intent is to capture the excess of excitement and stimulation that no one has the time to experience in person, but that the individual would watch if it were available at the touch of a remote control.

The changes begin on April 3 as the MetroGuide channel is renamed METRO and a fresh line-up of primetime programming makes its debut. Over the Summer more shows premiere on METRO while the second channel, MetroLearning, gets a makeover. By Fall, Metro Traffic & Weather will also sport a new look and feel.

METRO: New Programs With the “Authentic Voice” of New York

No show better expresses the “unfiltered” New York sensibility than Rhythm & Dues; the first weekly performance series wholly dedicated to the region’s local music scene. Every Friday night at 9 PM, viewers can join an intrepid team of music reporters as they uncover new sounds. Rhythm and Dues will showcase an hour of performance by both up-and-coming artists and cult favorites taped at institutions such as The Village Vanguard and the Bottom Line as well as edgy performance spaces such as Arlene Grocery and the Knitting Factory. The April 7 episode will feature The Bottom Line’s Singer/Songwriter Series “In Their Own Words,” with artist like Marshall Crenshaw, Beth Nielsen Chapman and Cindy Bullens discussing the inspiration for their songs with audience members and moderator Rita Houston of WFUV. Upcoming shows will be headlined by the critically-acclaimed singer/songwriter Toshi Reagon and Blue Floyd, an ensemble that performs blues interpretations of the “space anthems” of Sixties psychedelic warriors, Pink Floyd.

Additional “authentic New York voices” will be coming to viewers nightly beginning April 3 with Subway Q&A. This daily short-form program asks New Yorkers to speak their minds about subjects both serious and silly in the one venue where the high and mighty are side-by-side with the everyday working folks: the New York subway. Host Tad Low, co-creator of VH1’s Pop Up Video, will bring his edgy, exuberant and comic personality to these segments. A daily half-hour version of the show is slated to debut this Summer.

“Much of New York television is overly polite and packaged, a sharp contrast to the honest, in-your-face attitude of the man- and woman-on-the-street,” adds Patrice Andrews, SVP of programming and promotions for MetroChannels. “Our new shows take a giant step away from traditional television by eliminating the slick formats that the medium too often imposes on real-life events. We’re also putting people on television who are knowledgeable and passionate about their chosen areas of expertise rather than relying on the “teleprompted” talking heads seen in most news and talk programs.”

METRO will also debut Buzzcut, a regular top-of-the-hour newsbreak featuring updates on the hottest metro area entertainment and cultural events happening around town. From movie premieres and Broadway show openings to restaurant finds and concerts, Buzzcut will provide insider access to the personalities behind the productions. The series will include contributions from METRO reporters Maria Marino, Tinabeth Pina and Christina Ha.

METRO TVNY: Classic New York TV – Some Done Tongue-In-Cheek

New Yorkers will have the opportunity to look, and most times laugh, at themselves with TVNY, a primetime block of classic NY-based television series commencing April 4.

“Whether they’re rich or poor, over- or unemployed, New Yorkers have a real sense of humor about themselves, their life situations, and the daily trials of living in New York,” quips Metro’s Andrews. “Series television has long been a conduit through which we, and the world at large, have come to laugh at the way New Yorkers deal with life. Showcasing classic New York-based series — complete with our own pop-up opinions and attitude– is an ideal way to add some comedy and self recognition into Metro’s entertainment programming mix.”
TVNY will air Tuesdays – Thursdays, from 9 – 11 PM on Metro. The line-up includes: