New shopping channel cancels self in first year

A Clearwater-based home shopping channel that was supposed to make a run at larger competitors such as St. Petersburg's HSN didn't make it through its first year in business.

EmVee TV, a high-end boutique service broadcasting on weekends to DirecTV and Dish Network satellite subscribers, abruptly closed last week. Consumers complained online that the channel's website was no longer in service, nor was its toll-free phone number, and were left to wonder about the status of orders they expected to receive by Christmas weekend.

The channel was established in January by Mark Brown and Rebecca Moore, both veterans of the home shopping network industry that includes QVC and ShopNBC. Offerings to viewers included designer jewelry, fashion accessories, sports memorabilia, rare coins, art pieces and nutritional supplements.

EmVee TV boasted sales of $4 million earlier this year and anticipated doubling that amount by the end of 2010. It also claimed a potential audience of 35 million, plus others on the Internet.

Neither of the channel's principals could be reached for comment as to what happened with the burgeoning enterprise. Even though EmVee TV is off the air, Coffee Talk thinks it may be the topic of conversation for much longer.