By Michele Harris
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Retirement Living TV (RLTV) is aimed squarely at people 55+ yet one of the driving forces behind the success of the new cable channel has roots in programming for a much younger demographic.

As founder and CEO of G4 (a cable channel about video gaming technology) and before that, as President of Production for Disney, Charles Hirschhorn brings years of television experience to RLTV.

Television with a mission
“The mission of RLTV, to inform, inspire and involve older adults is the same challenge everyone faces in creating compelling TV,” says Hirschhorn, “RLTV, presents solid, useful information in wellproduced and entertaining programs. The best television appeals to everyone – regardless of the viewers’ age.”

Hirschhorn started G4 and in just five years, the channel had over 53 million cable and satellite subscribers. As vice president of development for Fox Broadcasting, he helped launch the Fox Network, and it’s break-out program, In Living Color. Hirschhorn’s expertise “growing” channels will serve the new cable operation well in the months to come. “We’re doing a great job of creating compelling programs,” says Hirschhorn. “Every day we are producing original content, learning what our viewers want to see and refining what we do based on their response. The challenge now is to get it out there in a big way so more people can see it.”