Channel takes viewers on fantastic voyage

by Ritu Kelotra
THE POST

Some Ohio University students are addicted to a new drug: the Travel Channel.

Senior Katie Bliss has the network on all day, with or without the volume.

"It sounds nuts, but the Travel Channel is the best of TV, and I love it," she said. "And I don't think I'm the only one."

The purpose of Travel Channel is to make actual traveling exciting to people, explained Alice Rao, program publicity manager at the channel. And with a steady increase in national and overseas travel in America, Travel Channel does its job.

Going into to its last season, "Lonely Planet" is one of Travel Channel's most popular shows. In it, a real person goes on deep adventures in obscure and popular places, appealing to the new generation of American travelers. "Intersection," a show that turns four diverse people loose in a random city, also shows real-life adventures.

"The essence is storytelling," Rao explained. "So travel acts as a medium to tell stories."

Other shows include "Journeys to Remember," which tells real stories about people's lives affected by travel. "Destination Style" incorporates glamour and fashion with travel by showing people's lifestyles during fashion shoots. "World's Best" covers the best places to spot an alien, see a celebrity etc. "Travel Channel Secrets" takes cameras to obscure behind-the-scenes places, such as Universal Studios or Al Capone's Chicago.

Although the Travel Channel is currently the fastest-growing cable network, viewers might not realize that it has been around since 1987. The network began as the brainchild of an airline; the Discovery Channel has been running the network since December '97.

Despite this history, the changes to Travel Channel since its inception are significant. Before, a lot of programs were a travelogue; the destinations were not accessible to most people.

"The shows were basically 'Here are the beautiful beaches of Maui. They sure make a nice getaway,' in an annoying voiceover," Rao said. "Discovery Channel wanted to reach out to people who really love to travel; not armchair travelers."

And so they did reach out - and beyond.

Currently, Travel Channel is only in about 40 million homes, but Rao believes the public becomes more responsive every day. Producers want to recruit a younger college-age demographic to the network, but most viewers are between 25- and 54-years-old.

Junior Kevin Morris says he is addicted to the Travel Channel. He discovered it a year ago and is drawn in no matter what's on.

"To people who don't watch the shows, I sound crazy," he said. "But there is so much real adventure in what they show, I want to go with them, too. Will they give me a job?"

Morris ••does•• have a shot. Try-outs for Travel Channel shows are different from other television programs, Rao said. The newest addition to "Lonely Planet," Megan McCormick, tried out because she loved to travel. In fact, Megan wasn't an aspiring actress and didn't have headshots. Her winning edge was a picture collage of her travels. Rao said the network looks for travelers, not actors.

Programs coming soon on the Travel Channel are "One Hundred Things to Do Before You Die" and "Best Places to Pop the Question."

Travel on.