CHUM Television’s mission at the L.A. screenings was to come back with more simulcast programming from ‘the big four’ U.S. nets for its Citytv stations this fall. Mission accomplished, says Ellen Baine, VP, programming.

CHUM left the City of Angels with simulcast rights to the Selma Hayek-produced telenovela Betty the Ugly and the relationship dramedy Men in Trees, which will originate from ABC in a two-hour block beginning Fridays at 8 p.m.

It also nabbed the post-apocalyptic drama Jericho, starring Skeet Ulrich and airing Wednesdays at 8 p.m. via CBS, and Simon Cowell’s Idol-ish Duets, airing out of Fox on Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m. in a similar performance/results show fashion. It also grabbed the first two seasons of HBO’s comedy Entourage, to air Fridays at 10 p.m.

Last year, CHUM buys included the WB thriller Supernatural and the sought-after comedy Everybody Hates Chris from UPN – now merged with the WB into the CW Network.

‘It was time to graduate to the big four American networks,’ says Baine. ‘It’s harder for us to get those big simulcasts because we don’t quite have the buying power of CTV or CanWest, but every year we up the ante a little bit.’

The CHUM-produced, cancer-themed 10 x 60 drama Terminal City – which first aired on The Movie Network and Movie Central – will run on the City stations in the mid-season. Other CHUM originals running in 2006/07 include the anthology Murdoch Mysteries (13 x 60), drama Across the River to Motor City (6 x 60), and the supernatural mystery Blood Ties (22 x 60), all in prepro to fill the Cancon void left by CHUM’s recently dumped Godiva’s and The Collector.

Chris, Supernatural, Smallville, The Bachelor and the two Stargate series will all return for the Citys. CHUM sci-fi specialty Space has picked up the Nicolas Cage-produced The Dresden Files and syndication rights to recently wrapped Alias, while its arts channel Bravo! wrangled Barry Avrich’s doc The Last Mogul and three-part doc series Ballet Girls. Its entertainment/celebrity focused specialty Star! acquired the intriguing I Pity the Fool, a reality, personal advice show featuring Mr. T.

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