Starting this fall, CHCH will be bringing its A game to local primetime.

The Hamilton-based TV channel – formerly known as E! — had stocked its primetime schedule with a double bill of movies sandwiched between its 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts. Although the newscasts have proven a success, they found that viewers tended to only watch one movie, Romen Podzyhun, president and director of programming at Channel Zero, explains. At the same time, he says, advertisers were asking for more traditional programming.

All of that changes this fall, when the channel unveils its new programming to viewers, reducing its movie lineup to one per evening and adding a host of new shows. In addition to launching one new local program, Sportsline with Mark Hebscher (based on a previous program of the same name on Global) weeknights at 7 p.m., the channel is also introducing more news, drama and comedy to its roster. The channel will also beef up its sports offering with a once-a-week NBA game pickup from ABC on the weekend.

The channel gained ‘four of the top five’ news shows from U.S. networks, Podzyhun says, including 48 Hours Mystery (Saturdays at 10 p.m.), 20/20 (Fridays at 10 p.m.), Nightline (weeknights at 11:30 p.m.) and 60 Minutes, which will air Sundays at 7 p.m. starting January 2011. Each of the news shows will air in simulcast.

Drama-wise, the channel went sci-fi, picking up the sixth season of the CW’s Supernatural for its Thursday 10 p.m. timeslot, and the 10th season of Smallville, airing Tuesdays at 10 p.m. The fourth season of NBC’s Chuck will air in simulcast Mondays at 8 p.m.. CHCH also picked up the syndicated past seasons of Everybody Hates Chris, Monday to Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Late night will see Jimmy Kimmel in the CHCH house, with Ed the Sock taking over Saturday nights with I Hate Hollywood at 12 a.m. and This Movie Sucks at 12:30 a.m.

Podzyhun says the Montreal channel CJNT will also be rebranded as Metro14, featuring ‘Omni-like’ programming that will include international music videos during the day, more US programming and one foreign film in primetime.

Plans for the promotional campaign behind the new programming have not been finalized, but CHCH spokesperson Rhonda Messieh confirmed that a localized multimedia campaign will be launched for fall.

From Media in Canada