Here's a telling sign that things weren't going anywhere for upstart local programmer LTN: A month after it shut down operations, the local media (LATimes, LA Business Journal, Daily News, etc.) hadn't noticed.
You probably saw the bus ads promoting LTN, but weren't quite sure what it was. Here goes: A group of folks with TV experience -- including alums from E! Entertainment TV -- had secured enough investors to launch a fairly ambitious seven-night-a-week lineup of L.A.-based TV shows targeted toward a 18-34 year-old crowd. The LTN team bought prime airtime from KVMD-TV, a small station out of Joshua Tree (no lie) that airs mostly infomercials.
LTN programming consisted of shows like "Rough Cut L.A.," which chronicled the entertainment biz; "Red Light," which looked at alternative subcultures (think piercings and fire dancing); "Ballin'," about street basketball; and "Belle du Jour," about fashion. In success, LTN's creators hoped to export the franchise to other cities.
The channel launched in October, airing programming from 8 to midnight. According to this blog, the plug was pulled on Jan. 6:
One of LTN's investors pulled out, and unless some miraculous cash infusion occurred, we would all be out of work.
After the CEO dropped the bomb, there were plenty of tears in the audience. LTN was a young company. Not only was it only 6 months old, but the median employee age was 26. Many were straight out of college and thought they had long careers ahead of them at LTN. I'm 31 and have been cynical since my Bar Mitzvah, so I knew better.
I had been freelancing as an Associate Producer on LTN's action sports show "Dialed In." While I knew even less about action sports than other (non-action?) sports, my years of writing screenplays and working at "Blind Date" had given me a fantastic sense of story. a skill I brought to the table when piling through hours of footage of tattooed, EXTREME, Mountain Dew swilling athletes skating, surfing, and motorcrossing. I could find the drama and conflict in between their constant use of such words as "sick" and "gnarly." I was often commended for a job well done. I cannot say it was my dream job, but it paid more than what I was used to (which is still a pittance compared to what most folks my age are getting paid), and I was especially excited to begin work as an Associate Producer on their local travel show "Local Explorer."
A couple of thoughts: As someone who knows nothing about the LTN business plan, I could still tell you it was simply flawed. First off, targeting such a narrow crowd -- a thin slice of 18-34 year old Angelenos who are involved in the entertainment biz, go clubbing and enjoy extreme sports -- was questionable. (This audience is fickle as it is -- and the diehards aren't home watching TV, they're out participating in the things you're chronicling.)
The name and logo: LTN? "Local Television Network"? How does that describe anything? And the logo is strangely retro, almost out of a 70s movie like "Network."
The marketing: Those bus ads never explained what LTN was. Granted, they did some outreach to radio stations, but the word never got out, despite spending what must have been some hefty cash. Where was the grass roots marketing, like spreading the word to blogs? Or getting more consumer press? The LA Times never did a story, for example.
The programming: Too much. Why not start with a night or two, and a few less shows?
Less marketing, smaller staff, a wider but more targeted audience: This could have worked. I think there could be an audience for locally-produced programming -- but this wasn't it. Another local programmer that has been able to survive, the music video-heavy LATV, has been able to survive because its goals are more realistic.
Meanwhile, it's still sad to see the LTN promise dashed. KVMD is back to airing wall-to-wall infomericals in primetime.
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