VisionTV will concentrate on proven comedy and drama properties as well as original new factual offerings in 2009-2010, Canada’s multi-faith and multicultural network announced today.

Mark Prasuhn, Chief Operating Officer for VisionTV’s parent company S-VOX, said the network will extend last season’s successful programming strategy, delivering a prime time lineup with appeal to its core audience of viewers over 45. At the same time, he said, VisionTV will continue its long tradition of support for Canadian regional and independent production.

Said Mr. Prasuhn: “VisionTV offers a unique and well balanced schedule. Our comedies, dramas and feature films explore questions of moral choice and human nature in an entertaining, engaging way, while our original factual productions examine Canada’s diversity of spiritual beliefs. We are confident that VisionTV will succeed in building on last season’s ratings growth.”

VisionTV enjoyed an audience share increase in 2008-2009 of more than 60 percent over the previous season.

In 2009-2010, VisionTV will refresh its weeknight British comedy block with new titles, while continuing to offer classic hour-long dramas such as Murder, She Wrote and Quantum Leap. Contemporary dramas Doc Martin and McLeod’s Daughters will also return with new episodes.

On the factual front, VisionTV introduces its new talk series Unscripted on Sept. 14. The informative and irreverent documentary series The Naked Archaeologist returns in 2010, alongside the new factual titles Crazy for Love and Sex + Religion and new episodes of the acclaimed ideaCity series.

The new season will also feature special programming events to mark important faith celebrations and notable occasions such as the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species. VisionTV’s extensive Christmas programming lineup will include the Canadian television premiere of The Nativity Story, a 2006 theatrical feature film by Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke.

Said S-VOX President and CEO Bill Roberts: “VisionTV continues to provide a welcome alternative for viewers who otherwise are under-served by the television system – particularly Canadians aged 45 and older. Our ratings growth is clear evidence that the viewing audience values what VisionTV has to offer.”

VisionTV: 2009-2010 Programming Highlights

** RETURNING PROGRAMS **

Doc Martin: NEW SEASON – Premieres in 2010
He’s rude. Foul-tempered. Arrogant. And did we mention rude? As portrayed by British Comedy Award winner Martin Clunes (William and Mary), Dr. Martin Ellingham, GP for the seaside village of Portwenn, has a keen instinct for diagnosis, a gift for healing, and the bedside manner of a rabid wolverine. Fans of Martin’s misanthropic misadventures will be pleased to hear that the show’s long-awaited fourth season is making its way to VisionTV in the New Year. Special encore presentation of Doc Martin seasons one through three currently airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

The Naked Archaeologist: NEW SEASON – Premieres in 2010
In a brand new season of his acclaimed documentary series, Emmy Award-winning Canadian filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici (The Lost Tomb of Jesus) continues his quest to uncover the buried secrets of Biblical archaeology.

McLeod’s Daughters: FINAL SEASON (Part Two) – Mondays, starting Sept. 7, at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
One of the most popular Australian dramas of all time, this award-winning prime time soap has been a VisionTV viewer favourite since its premiere on the network in 2002. But all good things must come to an end. This fall, VisionTV presents the final run of episodes, giving fans the chance to say farewell to Stevie (Simmone Jade Mackinnon), Grace (Abi Tucker) and the other strong-willed women who manage the sprawling Aussie cattle ranch known as Drovers Run.

The Waltons – Monday to Friday, starting Sept. 14, at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT
The winner of more than a dozen Emmy Awards, The Waltons stands today as one of television’s finest family dramas: the heartfelt and gentle story of a poor but upright rural American family struggling to stay together through the hardships of the Great Depression and the dark days of World War Two. Starring Richard Thomas, Ralph Waite and Michael Learned.

Murder, She Wrote – Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
In a stage and screen career that spans six decades, Angela Lansbury has created a whole gallery of memorable characters, from a scheming senator's wife in The Manchurian Candidate to a dotty psychic in the 2009 Broadway production of Blithe Spirit, a performance for which she recently won her fifth Tony Award. But it's in the role of mystery author and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher on the top-rated TV whodunit Murder, She Wrote – airing weeknights on VisionTV – that Lansbury, now 83, became an American icon.

The Best of British Comedy – Monday to Friday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
There will always be an England … at least on VisionTV. Canada’s best destination for British comedy will continue to offer a full hour of classics each weeknight, adding new titles to a Britcom lineup that already includes favourites such as One Foot in the Grave, Waiting for God, and the indefatigable Last of the Summer Wine. New titles and premiere dates TBA

Quantum Leap – Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
One the best-loved sci-fi TV series of the 1990s, Quantum Leap still feels fresh, funny and original today. Scott Bakula stars as accidental time traveler Sam Beckett, trapped in the past by an experiment gone wrong and “leaping” from one person’s life to the next as he struggles to find a way back to his own time. Dean Stockwell (Battlestar Galactica) also stars.

Feature Films – Monday to Friday at Midnight ET / 9 p.m. PT; Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT
VisionTV remains one of Canadian television’s best destinations for movie lovers, delivering an eclectic selection of feature film classics from the past and present. The network devotes even more time to movies this season, with new titles to include The Manchurian Candidate, Gentleman’s Agreement, The Searchers, The Verdict, The Nativity Story and Martin Scorsese’s New York, New York.

** NEW TO VISIONTV **

Unscripted – Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, starting Sept. 14, at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT; Also airs Monday to Friday at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT
In this daily 30-minute talk program from the producers of The Daily: Weekend Edition, some of the entertainment world’s most iconic figures – from Bob Newhart to Florence Henderson – reflect candidly on their lives and careers, from their earliest dreams of fame to their darkest moments and greatest triumphs.

Crazy for Love – Premieres in 2010
In a country as diverse as Canada, mixed marriages are more and more common. This engaging 13-part documentary series looks at what happens when two people from different faiths and cultures fall in love. Crazy for Love follows couples dealing with the many challenges that arise when they try to unite different cultural traditions and belief systems – from conflict between families to the reconciling of marriage rites and traditions. Can love really conquer all?

Sex + Religion – Premieres in 2010
Is sex just an animal drive that distracts us from the quest for spiritual enlightenment – or is it integral to our pursuit of the divine? This provocative 13-part documentary series reveals how the major religions try to reconcile sexuality with the love of God. Sex + Religion takes a look at what sacred texts have to say about sex and sexuality, and finds out how various faiths deal with issues ranging from prostitution and polygamy to the depiction of sexuality in religious art.

Beasts of the Bible – Premieres Easter 2010
In addition to goats, sheep, oxen and well-behaved domestic animals, the Bible is packed with tales of strange, otherworldly creatures. In this documentary, filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici tours the Biblical menagerie to discover the truth about these mythical beasts, from the sea monster that swallowed Jonah to the terrifying four-headed cherubim that appeared to the prophet Ezekiel.

The Standard – Mondays, starting Sept. 21, at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
Produced in Vancouver, The Standard is a weekly hour-long current affairs interview program offering unique insight into our complex world. Hosted by Emmy Award-winning journalist Peter Klein (60 Minutes), it features hard-hitting interviews with newsmakers and personalities from all walks of life, and delivers a no-holds-barred perspective on a wide range of subjects, including politics, religion and entertainment.

ideaCity – Premieres in 2010
ideaCity is Canada’s premier meeting of minds: an annual conference that brings together some of the most fascinating and influential personalities of our time for thought-provoking conversations and performances. ideaCity presenters have included artists, adventurers, designers, entertainers and scientists – among them the likes of Michael Ignatieff, Margaret Atwood, Richard Dawkins and Karen Kain. World premiere episodes of this acclaimed series, which features the best of the ideaCity presentations, will come to VisionTV in the New Year. For more information on ideaCity, please visit www.ideacityonline.com.

The Beachcombers – Monday to Friday, starting Sept. 14, at 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT
Here’s a nostalgic treat for retro TV lovers. Set in the picturesque small town of Gibsons, BC, The Beachcombers is Canada’s longest-running and most iconic family drama. The late, great Bruno Gerussi stars as Nick Adonidas, a wily maverick who plies his salvage trade along the Sunshine Coast with the help of friend Jesse Jim (Pat John) and the hindrance of unscrupulous rival Relic (Robert Clothier).