Saturday Night at the Movies, TVOntario’s longtime film-and-interviews block, will have a new host as of October 2, 2010.  Thom Ernst will step in front of the camera as SNAM‘s new host, though he has been an off-camera interviewer for companion show The Interviews.  Ernst has been with SNAM in various roles since 1998.

SNAM has had a few hosts in its 37-season history: Elwy Yost, Shelagh Rogers and Johanna Schneller.  The show has embraced a hostless format for much of the 2000s.

SNAM will preface its 37th season with 36 Years of Conversation, which airs September 25, 2010 at 8:00 PM ET, SNAM‘s usual start time.  This special is basically the best of The Interviews.

I’m glad to see Saturday Night at the Movies embrace a host format again.  I’m not familiar with Thom Ernst’s work, but TVO has promoted an in-house producer to the host role.  He should be well familiar with how the show works.

SNAM‘s overall format has gone wayward its last few years.  It’s morphed from a showcase for older films into a general-interest film block.  SNAM also has the tendency to repeat films it’s already aired, like Brazil and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

I’m not sure how many films on Saturday Night at the Movies this year are new to TVO.  I know both Videodrome and The Host are rehashes.

Current SNAM is at its best when it airs curios like West is West and Phantom of the Paradise.  I wish SNAM would air more obscure and/or underappreciated films.

Even given TVO’s perpetual budget problems, it could try for Coonskin and Rock & Rule.  I’m not kidding about those suggestions.

I really want to see more animated films on TVO.  It’s an avenue well worth exploring – The Plague Dogs, the original Heavy Metal, Allegro Non Troppo, even A Town Called Panic.  If none of the mentioned films fit SNAM‘s m.o., I want to know why.

As mentioned by Etan Vlessing of Kidscreen, TVOntario has applied to the CRTC proposing a TVOKids+ channel.  TVOKids+ will more than duplicate its children’s programming block, expanding it to fit a 24-hour schedule.

The channel will not carry advertising, save for “sponsor messages” similar in nature to TVOntario.  TVOKids+ will fulfill the same educational mandate as TVOKids, which is aimed at children ten years (i.e., Grade 5) and younger.  The CRTC will hear TVO’s application on May 12, 2010.

I have to wonder where TVOntario is going with this.  TVO’s “Go Public” campaign essentially asks viewers to give the network more financial support.  TVO’s even using the “Viewers Like You” tag before its shows, which is the last thing it should be cribbing from PBS.

On the other hand, TVOKids is a major part of TVO’s broadcast schedule.  A spinoff actually makes sense, given TVO’s reputation for educational programming.  At least the channel has a stated purpose and goal.

Whether TVOKids+ can help TVO make money is another matter, but it’s not like TVO has that many assets to spin off.  What else can it launch?  A documentary channel?  24 hours of The Agenda with Steve Paikin reruns?  It’s probably better to focus on the Internet, since that’s where the real action will be in the future.