Lottery-type competition tie-ins e.g. what square will this piece be on 20 moves from now?

Accumulator bets: which squares will these 6 pieces be on at the end of the game? (Think 6 lottery numbers but in the range 0 .. 64). A sponsor could afford to offer a big prize for this one. For a bonus, predict whether the game will end in a win for black, a loss for black or a draw (and if a draw, on what basis?).

Include extra-curricular chess activities / chess variants each time e.g. use handicap schemes (http://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/handicapping-systems---levelling-the-playing-field) so that a celebrity can play against a ranked player; Fischer chess, etc.

OK, so maybe the audience is not there to make money on actual broadcast TV, HOWEVER, there are increasingly a large number of stations broadcasting on internet TV, or quote "Free TV" website stations that can be watched on both PC or your television as long as you have internet connection.

To be pragmatic, I see the future chess station being broadcast through the following venues:

http://mashable.com/2007/06/18/33-ways-to-watch-free-tv-online/

Don't get me wrong, I would love to see it broadcast on prime time ESPN, so for that to happen what we REALLY NEED is for one of you dedicated chess fans from the UNITED STATES to step up to the plate and improve your rating to the 29000 range and dominate the world championship with a series of crushing wins. Any Volunteers?

Bloopers? Slow action-replay on blunders. Light-hearted skits to defuse some of the tension.

Gimmicky, I know, but ... combine chess with a different sport each week. This way, you'll bring in the wrestling fans one week, the ice-hockey fans the next, and so on.

You could keep promising soft porn after the break, but never define which break you're talking about. That should work for a few episodes, which might be enough to get some more people interested in the game itself. It works for the internet!

I remember watching Kasparov/Karpov on tv in the mid 80's on our local PBS station. I'm not sure where they were getting the show from. There was a moderator (I think his name was Shelby Lyman, but I'm not sure) and a panel of high level players. There was a big chess board up on the wall or on a stand and whenever a move would come in the moderator would go over to the board and move the piece. Then the panel members would all discuss the move. I wish I could remember more about the show because it was partly responsible for my developing an interest in chess.

I disagree donydal, look at Josh Waitzkin. We need more players like him. Also, there is the hip hop chess federation with celebs in California that may appleal to yournger players that may be televised

The show should be a little bit like wrestling where their is one "bad" chess player, and one "good" one.  The Bad player would talk smack before the match to make the fans want to hate him, and the good player should be a fan favorite.  

Okay, and then after the Chess Hop show, we can have the following shows:

The McNeil/Silman Hour: A news reporter and famous chess teacher make sarcastic comments about world affairs while drinking Tequila and playing a game of chess.

The Jerry Chessfeld Show: four self involved friends: Jerry, George, Kramer, and Alexandra Kosteniuk, sit around Jerry's apartment playing chess against Alexandra and making insightful comments on trivial topics. Jerry loses the exchange, Kramer as usual makes a questionable move, and Alexandra catches George staring at her Kraputchnik. Tune in to see what happens.

The Girls of Chess: Fun and friendship with four top rated female chess players. This week they travel to Los Angeles to skate along Venice Beach.

Chess on the Beach Reality Show: Two teams of contestants live on an island beach eating only sardines and crackers while mercilessly  backstabbing each other in a competition where they must perform insanely denigrating tasks. The winner of the two women's teams get a date with a chess grandmaster, and the winner of the two men's teams get an autographed photo of the stars from top rated TV show, The Girl's of Chess.

That's a good one.  Any other ideas for a catchy title?  So far weve got:

Treasure Chess

Rook and Roll Knights

Chess Hop

I watched Fischer Spassky on TV-that's how I got interested in chess. Live chess-with commentary in between moves- is very exciting. I'll join a write in campaign. Maybe PBS will do it. Thanks for the post.

Why doesn't FIDE decide to televise the WCC? I'm sure they could make a ton of money and have a ton more sponsors if they chose to do it. Maybe the world is not ready to watch random chess tournaments like they do with poker, but I'm sure many people would watch a 1-hour episode of a WCC match with commentary by some of the world's top players.

I mean, watching world championship chess on TV has got to be more exciting than watch bowling, which absolutely no one cares about, but it's still televised =/

I think those exceptions just might prove the rule, wefedog.  You may be able to name a few players trying to make the game more appealing to others--but (like I say) most chess players have not given a damn about such things.  Which is one reason our game does not have the kind of appeal in America that it might have (and that it does have, in eastern Europe and Russia).  Yeah, we do need more players like Waitzkin.

It's all in the presentation - it could be done with the right approach.

Perhaps it needs an ACTOR in the role of chess player on the TV - rather than simply a talented player. Is Reagan still available?

I'd have liked to watch Anand-Kramnik on TV...

In the netherlands there was one IM called Hans Böhm that was a well-known from television and radio. He presented a chess program on the radio for a while but those kind of programs don't get aired anymore. I guess the media don't care too much.

yep chess on TV....I LIKE IT!!!!!!!!!

Puzzles? So we have something to do during the advert breaks? Great idea!