TBS, Publishers Plan Women’s Channel

Turner Broadcasting System is teaming up with two major magazine publishers to launch a cable television channel aimed at women, going up against Lifetime Television.

The new channel, which has yet to be named, will be launched together with an accompanying Web site early next year, the companies announced Thursday.

TBS’ partners in the venture are Time Inc., which like TBS is part of the Time Warner Inc. media conglomerate, and Conde Nast, which is owned by privately held Advance Publications.

The new service will be headed by Pat Mitchell, who heads the production division at CNN that won a Peabody award for its series on the Cold War.

“Women represent the fastest-growing Internet population and a television audience that remains underserved,” Mitchell said.

The companies did not release information about specific programs, but they said the new channel would draw material from style, entertaining, travel, food and parenting articles in the various magazines published by Conde Nast and Time.

Conde Nast publishes Mademoiselle, Vogue, Bride’s, Glamour and other magazines. Time Inc.’s titles include People, Time, InStyle and Entertainment Weekly.