I’ve been meaning to write about the channel that launched on Direct TV on the first of July but keep forgetting to mention it which is odd because I’ve been watching it a lot.

No not that reality tv channel I haven’t stopped there for more than five seconds and that was to make sure the title of the show really was The Littlest Bachelor and I wasn’t having a caffeine-induced hallucination.

I’m talking about LOGO - the first general interest non-premium cable channel in the US (that I know of) where the target audience is Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and/or Transgendered. Their catchphase is The Evolution will be Televised. How friggin cool.

It’s run by Mtv networks (who obviously produce MTV as well as VH1, SpikeTV, and Nick at Nite) whose parent company is Viacom, which owns pretty much the largest collective group of entertainment companies (also affectionately known as the world’s largest entertainment global conglomerate), among them Paramount Pictures and Paramount Home Entertainment, Comedy Central, Showtime, Showtime network channels including Sundance Channel, The Movie Channel, and Flix; Spelling Television, Infinity Broadcasting (which runs over 150 radio stations in the US, not to be confused with Clear Channel), roughly 50 CBS channels, 35 UPN channels, and Simon and Schuster Publishing house, among other interesting holdings.

And people thought I was cynical when I talked about VH1s I love the (insert decade here)s shows being (as fun as they were to watch) basically shows with incredibly cheap overhead with interviews of actors who work for production companies producing shows for Viacom discussing scenes from old tv shows and movies owned by Viacom to generate sales of backcatalogued dvds on sale from…Viacom!!

Ok enough about my random media conglomerate insidious (some would say incestuous) marketing theories I meant this post to be about LOGO channel.

It’s clear they’re still in the process of filming original programming but in the meantime this channel has access to a gigantic vault of (edited to suit general public cable standards) movies, shows, standup comedians, live concerts, and documentaries through its parent comany. There’s also plans in the works for LGBT news updates via CBS

So the programming has been unique, and in some cases there’s been a movie on where it took me a second to recognize why it could be considered a “gay movie” or really hold any particular interest with the gay community. But that’s been happening with the BlackStarz channel for years, especially the early days where it almost seemed like the programming director would say “Oh! An American of African descent with two lines! Let’s put that in the lineup!” Honestly any company with a more specifically defined target audience runs the greater risk of a miss than hit sometimes and faces a lot of airtime to fill with films and shows that might have only a passing connection with the target group.

The strange nuances of catering to a diverse marketing target aside, I find the launch of this channel to be a reassuring sign. That while all this gay backlash and stupid ass anti-gay marriage bills going on a giant conglomerate company finally recognizes the power and interest (not to mention spending power) of this group of people enough to launch a channel aimed directly at them.

And I was delighted to see just how many advertisers there were even one day after the launch. And a diverse bunch of ads it is so far, including Miller Lite, Motorola, Tylenol PM, Lions Gate Films (which, as far as I know is not owned by Viacom), Showtime Network (which, of course, is), Key West Tourism Council (not owned by Viacom, yet), Debtfree.com, and Travelocity. (Ironically I found this list on a big anti-gay christian website calling for a boycott- lists like that work both ways assholes!)

My favorite moment on this channel so far has to be Alan Cumming’s brilliant acceptance speech on the broadcast of the GLAAD media awards. Like he wasn’t already my secret boyfriend.

Wish I could find a full transcript of it. It was brilliant. And in his dead sexy Scottish accent too. *swoon*

LOGO is airing on Direct TV channel 263 as part of the Total Choice Plus Package which includes the basic lineup and additional channels like Biography, History International, Lifetime Real Women, DIY Network, and a slew of Discovery channels.

According to Wikipedia it’s also airing on Charter Communications, Adelphia, Cablevision, Time Warner (a very interesting media conglomerate on its own) Cable, and RCN in an estimated 10 to 13 million homes in the US and will be delivered via Comcast soon. There’s the usual zip code search feature on the Logo website to see if and how you can get it.

Tonight I’ll be watching the final ep of Queer as Folk on Viacom-owned Showtime. It’s been a guilty pleasure of mine since season 3 and have to admit I’m kind of sad to see it go. I’m not a huge fan of gratiutous graphic sex scenes in gay or straight dramas, certainly not against characters having sex or anything, QAF just sometimes seemed to have scenes that were confrontational simply because they could be. But hey what show doesn’t take advantage of sex in one way or another? And yes there’s not one bear or non-cranky lesbian character amongst them. It made a fairly broad simplification of the “gay lifestyle” at times and the only fag hag was Michael’s mom. But all in all it was a fun show with apt social situational storylines in a shiny sugary (without being too precious) package. It was an adult gay soap opera with an occasional message. And it was fun to watch.