• by David Kaplan , September 21, 2004

Two of Charter Communications' southern cable systems have added Crown Media's Hallmark Channel to their local advertising sales insertion roster.

The two Charter systems, based in Birmingham and Montgomery Ala., serving 209,000 total subscribers, bring the Hallmark Channel's total local ad sales subscriber reach to 34.4 million, with growth of 3.1 million subscribers to date in 2004, a Hallmark representative said.

Hallmark Channel has been offering local ad sales affiliates the opportunity to participate in its "Great Stories Sweepstakes," which provides local advertisers point-of-sale displays that promote original moves and a chance to win a Hallmark Channel DVD library.

"Through our local ad sales offerings, Hallmark Channel is able to use the power of our brand, our high-quality, family-friendly programming, and our premium advertising environment to positively impact the bottom line of our affiliate partners and their advertisers," said Janice Arouh, senior vice president for network distribution and service.

Hallmark Channel is a 24-hour, basic cable channel that provides high-quality, entertainment programming to a national audience of 63.5 million subscribers.