Here’s the latest from the crossroads of faith, media & culture: 01/29/24

When you wish a upon a Star. Move over, Disney+. Saturday marked the first anniversary of the launch of the upstart faith and family (and free) streamer Canyon Star TV by country music singer and media visionary Joey Canyon and his programming-savvy business partner Kelly Kantz. I spoke the with creative duo last year about their swing-for-fences effort to go up against the big guys and offer the type of programming they want to see but have found lacking among the corporate streaming giants. Now, just about a trip around the sun later I caught up with Kelly to talk about the milestone and what’s ahead for Canyon Star TV.

JWK: You launched Canyon Star TV on January 27th of last year. What has happened in the year since?

Kelly Kantz: We have accumulated a lot of programming, all family friendly. We have created a diverse amount of genres for the network which has been really great – anything from entertainment, cooking, music, sports, kids programming, outdoor programming, health and fitness, travel/leisure (as well as) faith programming which has been really huge for us. We’ve added faith podcasts and faith radio shows because they’ve done so well. We’ve got some lifestyle programming, talk, art podcasts, classic TV, classic movies. We’ve added a lot of programming so there’s a little bit of everything for anybody. Anything anybody wants they should be able to find for free on Canyon Star TV.

JWK: So, the programming is all free?

KK: It’s free. All you have to do is go in and put your email and a password. That helps us to be able to figure out where people are watching from around the country. We don’t share that information. With that sign-in information they can sign in (via) Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Google, Google Play, Android, your Apple phone, Samsung TVs and phones. They can sign in on any of those outlets with the password and our app.

JWK: So, there must be commercials.

KK: There are commercials at the top and the bottom of the hour. We have allowed some of the (content providers) to put advertising within their show but it’s not a heavy amount. You’re not gonna change the channel. They’re all pretty short.

JWK: What kind of shows are you looking for?

KK: I’m looking for anything that’s family friendly. Anybody out there, if you have TV programming, as long as it’s family friendly – even radio shows, podcasts or music videos. Anything like that. I’m up for taking a look at it to see if it’s something that we would want to add. We wouldn’t charge them to add their programming either.

JWK: How have consumers responded to your offerings?

KK: Very well. I think people (appreciate) the variety that we have. We have both new and classic programming. We have some westerns. We have McLintock! on there. I love that movie. We have some of the old classic TV shows. We have The Lucy Show, Rin Tin Tin, Jack Benny, Petticoat Junction, The Beverly Hillbillies, plus a lot of new programming. So, there’s kind of a little bit of something for everybody.

JWK: In terms of funding, do you fund productions or do they come to you already paid for? How does that work?

KK: We put them together. Joey Canyon and I have been friends for a very long time. I actually added his show, The Joey Canyon Show, to a network that I helped build years ago. We’ve always been friends. He always wanted to do a network. I said “Well, when you’re ready to do it let me know and we’ll do it.” He called one day and said “I think I’m ready.” And I said “Well, let’s do it!”

So, we have done a lot in less than a year to get this thing up and rolling. It’s been really great. A lot of the (content providers) I’ve known for many years. I reached out to people I knew and said “Hey, I’m gonna start a network. Do you want to put your show on?” Almost every single one of them did. That’s been really nice. Even (producers) that usually get paid for their shows and get licensing for them are taking a chance on us. I’m really happy about that.

We’re actually looking for more funding now. So, if anybody out there has money and they want to fund some of (our programming) let us know. We really want to be able to market this nationally. Some of our budget will go to do that. For what we have put together, I don’t think there are any – any at all! – OTT platforms that are having as much programming as we have in such a short period of time.

JWK: Yeah, it’s pretty amazing. You also have audio programming on the platform, right? It’s not all video. Is that correct?

KK: It’s mostly video. We do have some audio/radio shows and we have some audio podcasts. Everything else is video.

JWK: I used to work for the now-defunct PAX TV. They had some pretty good scripted shows, such as Mysterious Ways, that ran maybe a season or two. There are lot of shows like – not just from PAX – that are pretty good but are largely forgotten. Have you thought about acquiring some of that kind of stuff?

KK: We’re up for anything as long as it fits our family (profile). We have cartoons on here (like) Looney Tunes. We have lots of kids programming. For us, one of the things that we want to make sure of is that it’s family friendly and kid friendly.

JWK: What do you have planned for 2024?

KK: We’re gonna keep on growing and adding and hoping that more investors come in and that we’re able to add more viewers. The more viewers we have the better it is for the network, the (content providers), for everyone.

JWK: Aside from the classic stuff on the platform, what new stuff would you say are really emblematic of what you’re trying to do?

KK: We just added a new show called Undrafted…It’s about a group of players that never got a signed deal to play on a national soccer team. It is a contest. Whoever wins at the end gets a deal.

There’s another show that I really love called Hidden Heritage. Hidden Heritage is about someone I know. His name is Paul LaRoche. He was adopted and grew up in Minnesota. When his parents died they were cleaning the house out and they found his adoption papers. He had been adopted out of the Lakota tribe in South Dakota. His wife went on a search to see if he had a family and they found his whole family. They invited him to the reservation. He shows up at the reservation with his family and they lined the streets with they arms opened wide welcoming him home. It is a series about growing up as a middle-of-the-country (middle class) kid and finding out that you are a Native American. How do you blend those two worlds? I think it’s just outstanding. It’s an outstanding show.

We have The Dream State too, that I love. It’s couple of directors in LA that put together some interviews. They interviewed from really interesting people. There’s a lot of great programming. You can’t miss Joey Canyon’s show because the quality of that show is amazing. It’s very good.

I’m really proud of the programming that we have on here. We’ve done a really good job of putting at putting on a little bit of everything for everybody. Today’s Nashville is a really great Christian-based show with interviews with stars (talking about) their faith which I really like. The Jennifer Sheehan Show is fantastic. We have Dr. Trudy, Faith on Film, Never Lose Heart with Connie Smith. That’s doing really great. There’s just a lot of really great programming. I think there’s something for everybody here.

JWK: Where do you see Canyon Star TV when you’re celebrating its tenth anniversary?

KK: I’d like to see us as the next Netflix – but for families.

JWK: And, unlike Netflix, you don’t have a monthly fee.

KK: That’s right. There is no monthly fee.

JWK: So, you see Canyon Star TV as something that meets both the values and the pocketbook of the general American public.

KK: That’s correct. People are tired of paying so much money for everything.

JWK: Yeah. The whole streaming business is undergoing a lot of stress right now. Maybe you guys have found a niche to fill that maybe will grow into more than a niche – combining affordability with family-friendly entertainment.

KK: I hope we have. I’m pretty happy with everything that we’ve got going here. I’d like some gardening shows. I don’t really have gardening shows.

JWK: If somebody has programming for you to consider, how can they contact you?

KK: They can just reach out to me directly. It’s kellykantz@canyonstar.tv.

JWK: Wow! That’s pretty direct. If it’s okay with you, I’ll put it out there. Anything you’d like to say as we wrap up?

KK: No, I think that’s all. I’d just love for everybody to just take a chance on us. Download our app on your phone, sign up. You can do it online…We’d love to have you and (hear) any feedback that you have. Again, kellykantz@canyonstar.tv.

John W. Kennedy is a writer, producer and media development consultant specializing in television and movie projects that uphold positive timeless values, including trust in God.