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MyNetworkTV Still A Work In Progress

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By WALT BELCHER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 9, 2007

TAMPA - After experimenting with American remakes of Spanish-language telenovelas, the MyNetworkTV programming service will offer a heavy dose of reality this fall.

New series will take viewers inside jails and into law enforcement academies. Also in the new lineup are relationship reality shows such as 'Decision House' and coverage of professional beach volleyball.

These prime time offerings can be seen in the Tampa Bay area on WTTA, Channel 38 (formerly a WB affiliate).

When The WB merged with UPN last year to form The CW, that new network went to WTOG, Channel 44, in St. Petersburg.

Tampa's WTTA, left without a network affiliation, signed up for MyNetworkTV, a hastily formed programming service owned by Rupert Murdoch's Fox News Corp.

This past season, MyNetworkTV, which is carried on more than 160 stations nationwide, struggled to build an audience.

Programming from 8 to 10 nightly, MyNetworkTV offered a series of 13-week soap operas such as 'Desire,' 'Secrets,' 'Wicked Wicked Games,' 'Fashion House,' 'Saints & Sinners' and 'American Heiress.' All were based on scripts from Spanish-speaking networks.

These low-budget telenovelas sometimes featured well-known names such as Morgan Fairchild, Bo Derek and Tatum O'Neal in minor roles.

Although those minisoaps failed, MyNetworkTV enjoyed some success with reruns of movies and the addition of 'IFL Battleground,' featuring bouts from the International Fight League (a mix of boxing and martial arts).

'IFL Battleground' continues at 8 p.m. Mondays, with an edited encore at 8 p.m. Saturdays, followed at 9 by 'NFL Network: Total Access,' a repeat of NFL Network's football preview show.

Saturday programming will be pre-empted when there is coverage of professional beach volleyball. Thursday and Friday nights will continue to be filled with movies.

Greg Meidel, president of MyNetworkTV, said the network will offer 'a slate of programming packed with compelling subjects and vibrant personalities from proven producers. The new schedule offers diverse choices, including action-packed sports to real-life, human interest dramas.'

New series this fall include:

•'Celebrity Expose,' which presents in-depth profiles on celebrity newsmakers at 8 p.m. Mondays beginning Oct. 1. 'Control Room Presents,' which follows at 9, showcases recent rock and pop concerts.

•'The Academy' (debuted Tuesday), which follows the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Training Academy's rigorous 18-week training course. It continues at 8 p.m. Tuesdays.

•'Jail' (debuted Tuesday), from John Langley, creator and producer of 'Cops,' which follows people who are arrested from their initial bookings through their first moments in the slammer. The first episode featured the Orient Road Jail in Tampa. Las Vegas, Cincinnati and Forth Worth, Texas, were also visited. It continues at 9 p.m. Tuesdays.

•'Decision House' (debuts at 8 p.m. Wednesday), an intense look at couples struggling to hold on to their relationships as they get help from Judge Lynn Toler ('Divorce Court') and a panel of experts, including family and marriage therapist Tara Fields ('Intervention').

•'Meet My Folks' (debuts at 9 p.m. Wednesday), a dating show with a twist. Inspired by the Ben Stiller movie 'Meet the Parents,' this reality show lets parents decide who dates their children. Potential love interests are put to the ultimate test through a series of revealing secret interviews, fun tasks and the all-knowing lie detector.

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