Backchannelmedia

The Fresno Bee

By Rick Bentley, The Fresno Bee, Calif.

Sep. 4--PASADENA -- A new chapter in the television history of KAIL, Channel 53, is starting. MyNetworkTV, programming made up of two telenovela-style dramas, begins at 8 p.m. today. This goes along with the recent launch of local news on KAIL produced by KSEE, Channel 24.

The local television station spent years without any ties to network television. Programming was a mix of original and off-network shows, sports and movies. Since 1995, KAIL was a UPN affiliate.

UPN programming was dramatically different for a while. Then it was known for its "Star Trek" spinoffs. The network chased male viewers, then female viewers. Eventually, it became a haven for comedies featuring predominately black casts.

Bob Jenkins, KAIL program director, says that no matter the look of UPN, being a network affiliate was important for the local TV station.

"We were independent before they came along. Bringing UPN on board helped our brand. It gives you, as a station, a certain amount of credibility to be a network affiliate," Jenkins says.

Switching to MyNetworkTV was a matter of necessity. UPN ceased to exist when the network merged with The WB network to become The CW network, which is on KFRE, Channel 59.

Jack Abernathy, the chief executive officer of Fox television stations, the company behind MyNetworkTV, tells television critics that programming will be different. Each of the two shows will air five days a week over a 13-week period. Then new programming will launch.

"MyNetworkTV is the first network to provide 52 weeks of original programming," Abernathy says.

MyNetworkTV launches with the one-hour dramas "Desire" and "Fashion House." Two '80s icons -- Bo Derek and Morgan Fairchild -- star in "Fashion House." Sofia Milos, best known for her work on "CSI: Miami," anchors the relatively unknown cast of "Desire."

"It is a new idea. And sometimes they are hard to come by," Jenkins says of MyNetworkTV's telenovela style.

The average shooting schedule for a network one-hour drama is seven working days. That would be a lifetime for the casts of these new shows. The shows shoot an episode a day.

Derek, best known for her feature-film work, is surprised at how easily she has been able to adapt to the rapid filming schedule.

"I didn't know I could memorize so much in a day. But we're doing it. Part of the problem with acting on film or television is the sitting around and keeping your energy up. So I haven't had any of those complaints," Derek says.

As for being based on the telenovela format, Derek likes the idea. She is a fan of such offerings that are a mainstay on Spanish-language television.

The new series will not just be inspired by the telenovela format. The scripts for the shows actually are being adapted from telenovelas from other countries. The big difference is how the American efforts are being produced. Generally, telenovelas are filmed while the shows are being aired. All episodes for "Desire" and "Fashion House" were completed before the first episodes air.

To make the rapid shooting schedule work, different crews work at the same time. Each was given a color such as blue, green and purple. Three or four directors worked at the same time, and actors bounced from set to set.

"I think it's exciting to launch a new network and a new format for the United States. I don't think that we in the 16-, 17-, 19-hour days had time to even think to add more pressure," Milos says. "You just have to be trusting. It is a little bit like theater. You trust your character, you go with it, and you bring it on the table."

Fairchild finds the work on MyNetworkTV challenging and invigorating.

"The business is changing so much right now. To be part of a new breakout network in a whole new format and a whole new kind of programming, I really wanted to be part of that," Fairchild says. "I think it's really fun. I think it's very ambitious what they're attempting to do.

"But it's also been very gratifying to be part of that cutting edge."

The new format for KAIL goes along with the addition of local news on the channel. A one-hour news show, produced by KSEE, is broadcast at 10 p.m. weeknights on KAIL, a first for the local station.

KAIL's 10 p.m. news also marks the first time KMPH, Channel 26, has had competition in that time slot for its news program.

Todd McWilliams, general manager of KSEE, is happy with how the relationship with KAIL is going.

"The newscast on KAIL allows viewers who might not stay up to see our 11 o'clock news see us at 10. Because of that, we are confident the KAIL newscast will add to the mix of viewers for our news," McWilliams says.

The launch of MyNetworkTV comes two weeks before the actual end of UPN. KAIL will not broadcast the last two weeks of UPN shows except for "Friday Night Smackdown!" The wrestling programs will be broadcast at noon Saturday and Sept. 16.

The reporter can be reached at rbentley@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6355.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Fresno Bee, Calif.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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