Lifetime Television Television Network

NBC has its Must-See TV. Starting tonight, Lifetime Television will have Must-She TV. Lifetime, the 14-year-old basic cable network meant to appeal to women, will launch a block of original weekly series comparable in look and quality to shows on broadcast networks, but with a decidedly female point of view. Douglas W.

"Project Runway's" bolt to Lifetime Networks has hit a snag. In a blow to the cable network and Weinstein Co., which produces the program, a New York state judge granted a preliminary injunction Friday to block the show's move to Lifetime -- at least for now. NBC Universal, which has run "Project Runway" on its Bravo channel for four years, sought the injunction by claiming that Weinstein Co.

Lifetime Television, the cable channel for women, is jumping on the trend toward unscripted television with plans to launch a new network, Lifetime Real Women, as well as a night of original programming devoted to the genre. The channel, which will feature true stories and movies based on real-life events, will launch in the late summer, most likely on cable systems' digital tiers, though no distribution details were made public.

The story of Lifetime Networks took a surprise twist of its own Wednesday when Entertainment President Susanne Daniels announced that she was leaving her post. Daniels, who has overseen programming for Lifetime Television and Lifetime Movie Network for the last three years, developed the hit show "Army Wives" for the resurgent network. The veteran entertainment executive said that, after working in the industry for the last two decades, she wanted to spend more time with her family.

A veteran cable TV programmer has been hired to breathe new life into the Lifetime cable channel. Betty Cohen, who helped launch the Cartoon Network, on Thursday was named president and chief executive of Lifetime Entertainment Services, which operates women-oriented channels owned jointly by Burbank-based Walt Disney Co. and Hearst Corp. of New York. The flagship Lifetime Television is one of cable's most popular channels and is best known for its original movies.

The governors of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences have voted to give a special award to Lifetime Television at the Emmys this month in recognition of its Stop Violence Against Women campaign. "Lifetime has consistently exerted leadership in the television industry through its ongoing commitment to making the lives of women better," said Bryce Zabel, chairman of the academy. The award will be presented at the creative arts Emmy ceremony on Sept. 13. From a Times staff writer

Dish Network said it hoped to reach a contract agreement to restore two Lifetime Television channels to its service. Dish's customers stopped receiving the Lifetime channels Sunday because Lifetime's contract with Dish parent EchoStar Communications Corp. expired. An EchoStar spokesman would say only that "we hope to negotiate a fair contract as soon as possible." Englewood, Colo.-based EchoStar said Lifetime was seeking a rate hike of 76%. Lifetime, jointly owned by Walt Disney Co.

The task at hand, here at Lucky Duck Productions, is choosing a properly stirring musical conclusion for a Lifetime "Intimate Portrait," this one recounting the many trials and triumphs of newswoman Connie Chung. Perhaps flute arpeggios? "Schlocky," decrees editor Lisa Shreve. Swelling strings? Producer Lori Savitch feigns snoring.

A lawsuit by DirecTV Group Inc., the El Segundo-based satellite television provider, against cable network Lifetime Entertainment Services has been settled. Terms are confidential. DirecTV claimed in its suit that Lifetime reneged on a deal to lure customers from rival satellite TV provider EchoStar Communications Corp.

Decked out in black leather, former "Facts of Life" punk Nancy McKeon is toting a handgun in an alley behind a downtown Los Angeles tenement. But unlike your typical child-star-gone-wrong, this gainfully employed actress is not here to score some crack. Rather, McKeon is shooting a chase scene for her sexy new cop drama, "The Division," a series something like HBO's racy "Sex in the City," only with bullets and billy clubs substituted for cosmopolitans and Manolos.

Call it a catfight over a catwalk. Lifetime Networks said Monday that it had staged a coup by stitching up the rights to the popular reality show "Project Runway." But before the cable channel could take the wraps off, rival NBC Universal sued the show's producer, Weinstein Co., alleging breach of contract. NBC Universal owns Bravo, the cable channel that has been the home of the signature show hosted by supermodel Heidi Klum.

Thursday morning marked the media tour debut of recently appointed Lifetime Chief Executive Andrea Wong. She introduced a panel for the channel's new series "Side Order of Life," which led into one for "State of Mind," both of which premiere Sunday. And both are looking to repeat the success of Lifetime's "Army Wives" -- all three were picked by the channel's entertainment president, Susanne Daniels.

A lawsuit by DirecTV Group Inc., the El Segundo-based satellite television provider, against cable network Lifetime Entertainment Services has been settled. Terms are confidential. DirecTV claimed in its suit that Lifetime reneged on a deal to lure customers from rival satellite TV provider EchoStar Communications Corp.

Susanne Daniels had a singular goal in mind as she was developing a slate of original programs to debut on Lifetime Television this summer. "I was looking for hit shows," Daniels, president of entertainment for Lifetime Entertainment Services, said wryly. It may be an obvious aim, but it's an achievement that has recently eluded the women-oriented channel.

"OH, my gosh," said Geralyn Lucas. "I've become a Lifetime movie!" Dressed in a black flapper-gone-goth dress with a pink flower tucked behind her dark hair, she addressed the nearly 200 people in the glam screening room of the new Hearst tower, just off Columbus Circle in Manhattan, on the evening of Oct. 11. "What I'm going to say about Lifetime is going to sound like they paid me -- and they did!" Lucas told the crowd.

They weren't "American Idol" numbers, but Lifetime executives were beaming nonetheless Tuesday with the ratings for their movie "The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life Is Not a Fairy Tale," which starred the talent show winner in her own life story. The first telecast of the film on Saturday attracted about 6.6 million viewers, the second largest audience for a Lifetime movie in its 22-year history, the cable outlet said.

The Lifetime cable channel on Tuesday unveiled a slate of original programming for the fall, including a TV movie starring Academy Award-winning actress Kim Basinger. "The Mermaid Chair," based on a novel by Sue Monk Kidd, will feature Basinger as what the network described as "a restless wife and mother consumed with forbidden love for a Benedictine monk." It is scheduled to premiere Sept. 9.

Susanne Daniels had a singular goal in mind as she was developing a slate of original programs to debut on Lifetime Television this summer. "I was looking for hit shows," Daniels, president of entertainment for Lifetime Entertainment Services, said wryly. It may be an obvious aim, but it's an achievement that has recently eluded the women-oriented channel.

The Lifetime cable channel on Tuesday unveiled a slate of original programming for the fall, including a TV movie starring Academy Award-winning actress Kim Basinger. "The Mermaid Chair," based on a novel by Sue Monk Kidd, will feature Basinger as what the network described as "a restless wife and mother consumed with forbidden love for a Benedictine monk." It is scheduled to premiere Sept. 9.

Satellite television provider DirecTV Group Inc. has sued Lifetime Entertainment Services, saying the women's cable network reneged on a deal to lure customers from rival EchoStar Communications Corp. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles federal court, DirecTV accused Lifetime of retracting a Jan. 30 offer it had sent to about 30,000 customers of EchoStar Communications Corp.'s Dish Network promising $200 if they would switch. DirecTV accuses Lifetime of breach of contract.