TV channel for tourists set to launch
Palm Beach station will promote area
Tourists staying at some Palm Beach County hotels will soon be able to access a menu of things to do and places to go with the click of a TV remote control.
Set to launch this month, a new station dubbed The Palm Beaches TV will stream shows highlighting the county’s tourism attractions — beaches, sports and recreational activities and cultural centers — to vacationers and business travelers at four prominent hotels. The purpose is to help the county attract more tourists to the destination.
The Palm Beach County Film and Television Commission brokered a fiveyear deal worth about $100,000 annually with media and entertainment company Olympusat to create and operate the channel.
“It’s going to have really good, exciting content. It’s all family-oriented programming that everyone can watch,” said Chuck Elderd, film commissioner.
Initially the TV station will be available to guests of the Best Western Palm Beach Lakes in West Palm Beach, Brazilian Court in Palm Beach, PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens and Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa, according to the film commission.
“We’ll start modestly to see how the show looks and signals work and get feedback and then add more hotels,” Elderd said.
It will also be available online and via streaming apps such as Roku so it can be viewed by a worldwide audience, Elderd said. Participating hotels receive the channel for free but have to pay for any equipment that may be required to add it to their in-house viewing lineups, he said.
As of Thursday, The Palm Beaches TV channel was in test mode at the Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Resort & Spa. An activation date for the three other hotels will be scheduled soon, said Phyllis Man, the commission’s development and marketing producer.
“Broadcasting this channel at our resort will allow our guests, both local and visiting from around the world, the chance to see all that Palm Beach County has to offer,” said Stacy Lee, Palm Beach Marriott’s director of sales & marketing. “We are excited to show off our beautiful county, and educate guests on everything from eco-tourism to dining, while showcasing hidden gems like Singer Island.”
The inspiration for the tourism TV channel was born out of the successful reception the short film “Discover The Palm Beaches — The Perfect Place” received when it premiered at the South Florida Fair in West Palm Beach last year, Elderd said. The fiveminute film, also created by Olympusat and voiced by actor Ray Liotta, featured several county attractions and hot spots, including The Flagler Museum, Lion Country Safari and the International Polo Club.
“It demonstrated that we could take content like that and put it into a dedicated, brand-oriented TV show to display positive destination content so visitors thinking about Palm Beach County can get a real flavor of what it’s like,” Elderd said.
The channel’s programming will include shows and videos sponsored by the film commission as well as others created by Olympusat, Elderd said. Among them will be the PBS series called “On the Town in the Palm Beaches,” and episodes of “ScubaNation” and “Birding Adventures.”
Olympusat, based in West Palm Beach, operates a portfolio of more than 100 Spanish and English language networks globally including the movie channel Cine Mexicano.