America's Voice Has New Bidder

By STEVE DONOHUE -- Multichannel News, 8/7/2000

Another company has emerged with a bid for bankrupt cable channel America's Voice.

Last month, the political-talk network signed a letter of intent to be acquired for about $1.3 million by Wild Frontier Network Inc. and Carleigh Films Inc., which planned to run Native-American programming on the network.

But after Wild Frontier and Carleigh failed to deliver financing, America's Voice accepted a lesser offer last week from another company called EcinéInc.

Last Tuesday, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge approved the new offer, which would see Eciné acquire the network for $900,000, America's Voice chairman Robert Sutton said.

"As far as I'm concerned, [Carleigh and Wild Frontier] are out of the picture," Sutton said last Thursday, adding that Eciné had already provided more than $200,000 in financing.

But Carleigh chairman Irving Brand said the deal was far from over, and that he would meet a court-imposed Aug. 14 deadline to come up with financing.

Sutton and Ray Horn, who said he will be Eciné's chief operating officer, said their deal will close Aug. 17, at another bankruptcy-court hearing.

Sutton said on Friday that if any company came up with a larger bid before Aug. 17, that the network would accept it.

Eciné's CEO is Eddie Vasker, who founded a Dallas-based company called Intelecon Services Inc., which Horn said provided lighting for the last tour by rock band Kiss and also does lighting for some Las Vegas casinos.

Horn said Eciné will consist of several companies, including America's Voice and Intelecon.

Eciné also hopes to use America's Voice to distribute 3-D programming. The plan is to digitize America's Voice and to offer three programming feeds, including one with 3-D programming, he added.

"We're trying to develop a better way of watching 3-D than the old cardboard glasses you have to wear," Horn said. He added that he has a background in syndication, and that his family owns Los Angeles independent station KPAL-TV.

Horn said Eciné would not make drastic changes to America's Voice's current focus on political programming. The network would also run infomercials, he added.

Sutton said America's Voice has 9 million full-time cable and satellite homes, but most of its distribution contracts have expired except for a carriage deal with Time Warner Cable that runs out next year.

Meanwhile, America's Voice is on the outs with 5th Ave. Channel Corp., which has a contract to distribute its financial-news show, Net Financial News, on America's Voice weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon.

The programmer-which recently disclosed that it may be sued for fraud by the Securities and Exchange Commission-owes America's Voice $40,000 for its July distribution, Sutton said.

Sutton said he told 5th Ave. Channel that the company has until Tuesday to make the payment. If America's Voice does not receive the payment, Sutton said he would pull the 5th Ave. programming.

Mel Rosen, 5th Avenue's CEO, did not return calls last week.