Fresh Creations, Bermuda's latest television service, will go on the air on May 23, the company announced yesterday.

The company, which will broadcast on Government's channel 3, originally intended to go live last Autumn, then on New Year's Eve, but the launch was postponed because Fresh Creations wanted to ensure it was getting a clear signal first, owner Elmore Warren said yesterday.

He said the channel will broadcast 24 hours a day on a rotation basis, with a minimum of 30 percent locally-produced content. Music will feature heavily and programmes include those dedicated to business, cars, and an interactive technology show call Hugo which will allow children to call in and play a game live with others on television.

Mr. Warren said the company would also be producing community-based news programmes and he urged talented Bermudians to come forward as presenters and producers. He said the company will offer a very eclectic mix of programming designed to suit all tastes. The company was given a one year exemption last year from paying a licence fee by Telecommunications Minister Renee Webb.

Mr. Warren, his production manager Nicole Conrad, and creative director Christopher Wagstaff, announced the launch date yesterday at Fresh TV's Court Street offices in Hamilton.

"This is a very special day for Fresh Creations Limited and having Bermuda as out home, it is not every day you get to see a new infrastructure set up for the benefit of Bermuda," said Mr. Warren. "We have always been a positive company, and we look forward to sharing this positivity in the community and embracing new people in the industry to produce the content that locals will like to see, not just from a local perspective, but from a global perspective."

With competition from cable television, his programmes would have to be excellent to compete, he added.

The station would also encourage film-making on the Island. He said Errol Williams' film "When Voices Rise" about the theatre boycott showed there were many previously untold stories that could be brought to the public eye.

And he appealed for Bermudians interested in helped produce work for the channel to contact him. "We are looking for new, fresh and enthusiastic people who are really interested in sharing and giving to the community," he said.

Bermuda Motors will be sponsoring a show called "Gas" looking at mechanical issues, another programme will examine business, and "Hugo" will feature interactive games.