“Sidewalks Entertainment” expands TV distribution throughout Northern and Central California
The celebrity / music series, “Sidewalks Entertainment,” is premiering on two California broadcast stations during the week of April 23, 2012: Monterey-based KOTR (Ch.11 in most locations) and KQSL (Ch. 8 over-the-air and on Dish Network).
The pickup on these stations is somewhat a landmark moment for the long-running series that got its start on access television in the late 80’s.
“Being on these broadcast stations in a weekly run is a first for ‘Sidewalks’ after being seen exclusively on regional cable for practically all of it’s life,” says Richard R. Lee, the creator, executive producer, and occasional co-host of the series. “In a way, this has been a long-awaited dream for me and some of the dedicated crew to get a chance to be seen in this spectrum.”
For the last several years, “Sidewalks” — which currently presents major celebrity interviews and music from national recording artists — has been slowly and quietly expanding its geography. A couple of years ago, Comcast Hometown Network (Channel 104), a channel that can be viewed by its 2.5 million subscribers in Northern and Central California, picked up the show as one of their first non-in-housed produced local programs. The show also found a home on another Comcast Hometown channel in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
Since its early days, “Sidewalks” was being cablecasted on various San Francisco Bay Area public access stations, which many are now defunct. KCRT-TV, a Richmond, CA station that Lee continues to work during the day, has been showcasing the program on its schedule since 1993.
Lee remarks, “We have been around for a long, long time. ‘Sidewalks’ has had generational viewers watching us. It may not have been a lot of eyeballs that could catch us weekly, but now new TV viewers with the broadcast expansion can experience our hard work.”
Sidewalks on-air personalities Maaika Westen and Richard R. Lee. Photo by Christian Wimmer.
Joining the lineup of KOTR and KQSL isn’t the first time “Sidewalks” has been broadcasted on TV. In 2009, “Sidewalks” made its debut on KOFY-TV with a one-time special on Thanksgiving Day.
“This was a big day for me when we saw the show on channel 20,” adds Lee, who paid out of his own pocket to fund the leased programming. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to go weekly at that time because we had no direct budget. We were unable to find someone to help us with the experience in selling sponsor ads.
”Luckily, this time around, Chang Broadcasting, the owner of KQSL and co-owner of KOTR, likes what they saw with ‘Sidewalks Entertainment’ and is giving us the big opportunity to expand on their stations. Sometime in May, the show is scheduled to premiere on a newly revamped station in Los Angeles, so we are getting an opportunity to be viewed by Southern California viewers, too.”
Lee is hoping to revamp the program’s format this summer and bring back regional performers to the show, like it had during the show’s first couple of seasons.
“Sidewalks Entertainment” is scheduled to premiere on Tuesday, 4/24 and Thursday, 4/26 at 11AM and 3PM on KQSL, The Cool TV affiliate, a recently-introduced music video network. Then, on Sunday, 4/29 at 1PM on KOTR, the MyNetworkTV affiliate for the Central Coast.
The show can still be seen regularly on Comcast Hometown Network, cable channel 104, weekdays at 11AM and 10PM on most evenings. East Bay viewers near Richmond can find the show daily on KCRT on Comcast channel 28 and AT&T U-Verse channel 99.
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About Sidewalks Entertainment
“Sidewalks Entertainment” is a growing project that consists of TV shows (“Sidewalks Entertainment” and music video spin-off “Sidewalks: Video Nite”) and a media-enriched website at SidewalksTV.com. The media company is owned by Sidewalks Entertainment, Inc.
The current format of the parent show, “Sidewalks Entertainment,” presents major celebrity interviews and music from national recording artists. The show’s interviews include many big names in music, TV, film, sports and fashion. Through the use of satellite tours, film press junkets, and shooting in-person interviews, some of the recent guests have been Glenn Close; Will Ferrell; Ewan McGregor; Gary Oldman; Eva Longoria; T-Pain; Jane Seymour; Antonio Banderas; Salma Heyek; Seth Rogan; Apolo Anton Ohno; Claire Danes; Gerard Butler; Jodie Foster; Daughtry; country singers Katie Armiger, Neal McCoy, Trisha Yearwood & Martina McBride; the stars of the current “Doctor Who”; international pop stars BoA & Rain; teen singers Jenny & Ashley; and many others. Viewers who catch ‘Sidewalks Entertainment’ are usually surprised, especially if they discovered that the program is produced locally in the San Francisco Bay Area. The show’s format looks like it’s produced by Hollywood producers and not just by a couple of core members. The show, which is self-funded but is seeking commercial sponsorship, is created by executive producer Richard R. Lee, who is also the main editor and webmaster of SidewalksTV.com and is hosted by on-air personalities Cindy Rhodes, Maaika Westen, Lee, Rafael Siegel, and new correspondent Mika Abogado. Other core production members include videographers Justin Langston, William Hodgson & Ray Alvarado, social media coordinator Rebeca Zuniga, and promoter Dwayne Sparks. The theme song and background music is produced and performed by Jeryl Orsino (JerylMusic.com). The long-running program — which started in 1988 with the sole title of “Sidewalks” and spotlighted local performers such as bands, belly dancers, marionette performers, and fashion designers – has won many awards, including the coveted Bay Area Cable Excellence Award (BACE) in 1995. “Sidewalks Entertainment” can be seen primarily in Northern and Central California on Comcast Hometown Network, KOTR, KQSL, KCRT, and Channel 27 in Fairfield, as well as Comcast Hometown in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Starting in summer of 2012, the show is being reformatted to include regional acts and story packages on arts and entertainment, along side celebrity interviews and music videos.
”Sidewalks: Video Nite” is a spin-off series that features the music videos of national recording artists like Beyonce, Katy Perry, and Selena Gomez. Currently, this program is exclusively seen daily on KCRT.
SidewalksTV.com, a companioned media property to the TV series, features celebrity interviews, movie reviews and other entertainment features. The site features hundreds of new and archived celebrity interviews from the TV show, as well as new exclusive materials. Regular contributors on the website include Jeanne Powell, Langston, Abogado, and Lee.
