Former high-ranking House of Representatives Democrat Tony
Coelho has joined the board of Kaleidoscope Television as vice chairman.
Kaleidoscope specializes in health-related programming and
programming for people with disabilities.
Washington, D.C.-based Coelho, who will receive an equity
stake in the company, said he will focus his efforts on fund-raising and 'bringing
deals together.'
Coelho has also served on the board of Tele-Communications
Inc., and he was president and CEO of Wertheim Schroder Investment Services.
Kaleidoscope, which has cable carriage in approximately 4
million homes and part-time carriage in 11 million homes, is about to embark on a major
capital fund-raising effort, according to Bill Nichols, the network's president and
CEO.
In March, TCI bought an equity stake in the private
company, joining the management group and Southwestern Bell Telephone Co., Prime Cable,
C.W. Group and Sandler Capital as the network's owners.
TCI is carrying Kaleidoscope as part of its Health TV
channel offered on its Headend in the Sky digital cable package. Health TV, a division of
Liberty Media Group, features programming from five different health-related cable
networks: Kaleidoscope, America's Health Network, Recovery Network, FiT TV and Oasis.
According to Nichols, Kaleidoscope is seeking to broaden
its appeal in the burgeoning health-programming field by offering more medical news,
'health and wellness' programming and children's programming, as well as
shows geared toward people with disabilities, which was its original mission.
Coelho, who has epilepsy and who currently serves as
chairman of the President's Committee to Hire People with Disabilities, said he was
enthusiastic about the network's programming and prospects.
'Kaleidoscope is an opportunity for families to become
educated about disabilities,' Coelho said. 'There's an explosion taking
place in the health field, and I think that Kaleidoscope is in the right place at the
right time.'
