Logo (TV channel)
Encyclopedia
Logo is an American
digital cable television
channel owned by Viacom
's MTV Networks
division. Launched in June 2005, the channel's programs are geared towards the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
(LGBT) community. The advertiser-supported channel struck carriage deals prior to its launch date with DirecTV
, Charter Communications
, Adelphia, Cablevision, Time Warner Cable of New York City
, and RCN. A deal with Comcast
was reached after the launch date. However, as of July 2009, Comcast has not added Logo to its channel lineup in certain areas such as in Comcast's Jackson, Mississippi
and Monroe, Louisiana
markets, due to local opposition. Logo was also not carried by Comcast in Utah, but has been carried as of September 2010. Dish Network
has added the channel as an option for their HDTV package. Logo has partnered with CBS News
to provide news briefs and has developed a relationship with LPI Media
, publisher of The Advocate
, Out
, and The Out Traveler magazines. Logo replaced VH1 Mega Hits
in some markets when it was launched. On December 11, 2006, MTV Networks and Time Warner Cable announced an agreement to expand its distribution of Logo to additional markets. Logo became available on the Dish Network
in May 2009.
Logo was available in an estimated 41 million homes as of September 2010 and is in the 25 largest media markets in the United States.
The channel was founded by former MTV Executive, Matt Farber. Its first President, Brian Graden
, was named by Out Magazine as the 10th most powerful gay person in America in 2007.
Day to day operations are handled by Lisa Sherman, who is Executive Vice President and General Manager. Prior coming to Logo, Sherman was Senior Vice President and Group Account Director of the New York office of the Hill Holliday
advertising agency.
, travel programming, dating/romance shows, documentaries
, music videos, stand-up comedy
, news, and syndicated programs with gay characters or gay interest/fanbases. According to their website, "We're kind of big on fierce stuff, and that can mean a lot of things. Fiercely original programming to us means that in a perfect world everyone would be this interesting." Some content originated from other Viacom properties including Comedy Central
, MTV
and VH1
. Logo has also acquired the rights to British series, Absolutely Fabulous
in April of 2011.
Logo's first web site, LOGOonline.com, launched shortly before the channel in June 2005. In 2006, Logo acquired three LGBT websites: 365gay.com (a site featuring news relevant to the LGBT community), AfterEllen.com (a site featuring news and commentary on bisexual and lesbian women in media and entertainment), and AfterElton.com (a site featuring news and commentary on bisexual and gay men in media and entertainment). In 2007, Logo acquired Downelink.com (a social networking site primarily targeted to LGBT people of color) for a reported $4.8 million, although the exact amount is unknown.
On March 22, 2006, Logo launched its second site, NewNowNext.com (a blog on pop culture news and trends). On May 29, 2007, Logo launched HappiestGayCouple.com (a site for fans of the series Rick & Steve). On August 2, 2007, Logo launched VisibleVote08.com (a site offering Logo's coverage of the 2008 U.S. Presidential election). On November 5, 2008, Logo launched the second phase of its site re-design. In summer 2009, Logo moved its flagship site to the LOGOtv.com domain name. On October 27, 2011 a redesigned NewNowNext.com was relaunched with a broader culture-and-style focus.
became the first film released in theaters in conjunction with Logo. Their second film was released in 2008, the film version of the Noah's Arc
television series entitled Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
digital cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
channel owned by Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
's MTV Networks
MTV Networks
MTV Networks is a division of media conglomerate Viacom that oversees the operations of many television channels and Internet brands, including the original MTV channel in the United States...
division. Launched in June 2005, the channel's programs are geared towards the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
(LGBT) community. The advertiser-supported channel struck carriage deals prior to its launch date with DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
, Charter Communications
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
, Adelphia, Cablevision, Time Warner Cable of New York City
Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable is an American cable television company that operates in 28 states and has 31 operating divisions...
, and RCN. A deal with Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
was reached after the launch date. However, as of July 2009, Comcast has not added Logo to its channel lineup in certain areas such as in Comcast's Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson, Mississippi
Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
and Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe is a city in and the parish seat of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 53,107, making it the eighth largest city in Louisiana. A July 1, 2007, United States Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 51,208, but 51,636...
markets, due to local opposition. Logo was also not carried by Comcast in Utah, but has been carried as of September 2010. Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
has added the channel as an option for their HDTV package. Logo has partnered with CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
to provide news briefs and has developed a relationship with LPI Media
LPI Media
LPI Media was the largest gay and lesbian publisher in the United States. The company targeted LGBT communities and published such magazines, books, and web sites, with its magazines alone having more than 8.2 million copies distributed each year...
, publisher of The Advocate
The Advocate
The Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...
, Out
Out (magazine)
Out is a popular gay and lesbian fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle magazine, with the highest circulation of any gay monthly publication in the United States. It carries itself in a similar editorial manner to Details, Esquire, and GQ. Out was published by PlanetOut Inc...
, and The Out Traveler magazines. Logo replaced VH1 Mega Hits
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
in some markets when it was launched. On December 11, 2006, MTV Networks and Time Warner Cable announced an agreement to expand its distribution of Logo to additional markets. Logo became available on the Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
in May 2009.
Logo was available in an estimated 41 million homes as of September 2010 and is in the 25 largest media markets in the United States.
The channel was founded by former MTV Executive, Matt Farber. Its first President, Brian Graden
Brian Graden
-Biography:Graden grew up in Illinois and graduated from Hillsboro High School in 1981. He graduated from Oral Roberts University in 1985 with a degree in business, and later graduated with an MBA from Harvard University....
, was named by Out Magazine as the 10th most powerful gay person in America in 2007.
Day to day operations are handled by Lisa Sherman, who is Executive Vice President and General Manager. Prior coming to Logo, Sherman was Senior Vice President and Group Account Director of the New York office of the Hill Holliday
Hill Holliday
Hill, Holliday is an American advertising agency. It is part of the world's third largest advertising conglomerate, IPG.It was founded as Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, Inc., in 1968 in Boston, by founding partners Jack Connors, Jay Hill, Steve Cosmopulos and Alan Holliday...
advertising agency.
Name
A LGBT-themed channel named "Logo" led some viewers to think the "l" and the "g" referenced "lesbian" and "gay," but according to company executives, the name does not represent anything, nor is it an acronym. The channel's website says:Programming
Logo's programming is a blend of movies with gay themes, reality televisionReality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
, travel programming, dating/romance shows, documentaries
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, music videos, stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
, news, and syndicated programs with gay characters or gay interest/fanbases. According to their website, "We're kind of big on fierce stuff, and that can mean a lot of things. Fiercely original programming to us means that in a perfect world everyone would be this interesting." Some content originated from other Viacom properties including Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
. Logo has also acquired the rights to British series, Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous
Absolutely Fabulous, also known as Ab Fab, is a British sitcom created by Jennifer Saunders, based on an original idea by her and Dawn French, and written by Saunders, who plays the leading character. It also stars Joanna Lumley and Julia Sawalha, along with June Whitfield and Jane Horrocks...
in April of 2011.
Online
Logo publishes a collection of web sites, all of which it describes as being a part of LOGOonline, the umbrella name for these sites.Logo's first web site, LOGOonline.com, launched shortly before the channel in June 2005. In 2006, Logo acquired three LGBT websites: 365gay.com (a site featuring news relevant to the LGBT community), AfterEllen.com (a site featuring news and commentary on bisexual and lesbian women in media and entertainment), and AfterElton.com (a site featuring news and commentary on bisexual and gay men in media and entertainment). In 2007, Logo acquired Downelink.com (a social networking site primarily targeted to LGBT people of color) for a reported $4.8 million, although the exact amount is unknown.
On March 22, 2006, Logo launched its second site, NewNowNext.com (a blog on pop culture news and trends). On May 29, 2007, Logo launched HappiestGayCouple.com (a site for fans of the series Rick & Steve). On August 2, 2007, Logo launched VisibleVote08.com (a site offering Logo's coverage of the 2008 U.S. Presidential election). On November 5, 2008, Logo launched the second phase of its site re-design. In summer 2009, Logo moved its flagship site to the LOGOtv.com domain name. On October 27, 2011 a redesigned NewNowNext.com was relaunched with a broader culture-and-style focus.
Wireless
As of March 2007, Logo is available on wireless platforms on Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and Helio. (Helio has since been absorbed into Virgin Mobile)Downloads
As of September 2006, Logo has programming content available for download on iTunes, Amazon Unbox, and AOL Video. In December 2006 Logo began offering content for download on Wal-Mart's service. In February 2007, Logo also started publishing shows for download with BitTorrent http://www.bittorrent.com/users/logo. In June 2007 and November 2008, Logo programming became available for download on Xbox LIVE and Zune Marketplace, respectively.Video On Demand
As of September 2006, Logo features select programming content on the Video On Demand platform on Comcast, Cox, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon cable providers. Logo programming has been available on the Roost service since the time of its official launch.Theatrical
In early 2007, Puccini for BeginnersPuccini for Beginners
Puccini for Beginners is a 2006 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Maria Maggenti. The film debuted at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival...
became the first film released in theaters in conjunction with Logo. Their second film was released in 2008, the film version of the Noah's Arc
Noah's Arc (TV series)
Noah's Arc is an American cable television dramedy. The series, which predominantly features gay black and Latino characters, focused on many socially relevant issues, including same sex dating, same-sex marriage, same-sex parenthood, HIV and AIDS awareness, infidelity, promiscuity, homophobia, gay...
television series entitled Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom
Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom
Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom is a 2008 Canadian-American romantic comedy-drama film based on the LOGO television series Noah's Arc. It was released on October 24, 2008 in select theaters and video on demand...
.
DVD
- Noah's Arc season one (released August 6, 2006)
- Noah's Arc season two (released June 12, 2007)
- Rick & Steve season one (released August 28, 2007)
- The Big Gay Sketch Show seasons one and two (released April 29, 2008)
- Exes & Ohs season one (released May 20, 2008)
- Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom (released February 3, 2009)
- Out at the Wedding (released February 17, 2009)
- Rick & Steve season two (released March 3, 2009)