It has been a rocky six months, but things are only getting better for Bermuda's newest cable channel Fresh Creations, according to programming boss Elmore Warren.

“We have accomplished a lot in a short period of time - like staying on the air,” he said.

And Mr. Warren is optimistic for the future, with Fresh Creations bringing new characters to Bermudian television such as Hugo the Troll, an interactive character who is already famous world-wide.

Fresh Creations has conducted its own street polls and found it has a cross-section of the community watching. According to a poll by a marketing company, Fresh already commands a viewing audience of 7,000 to 10,000 people per episode of the ‘Al & Chrif' show and ‘Cooking with Friends'.

“People are starved for local content,” said Mr. Warren. “People may have been prejudiced against the channel when it began but now they see it blooming into more diversity and it's only going to get better as we're moving forward. We've cut our niche in the marketplace.”

“Hugo the Troll was made in Denmark and built as an interactive cartoon,” Mr. Warren explained.

Kids can call in to the show on the telephone and speak directly with Hugo, he said.

“It's a serious thing and Hugo is so well-proven, he's in more than 30 countries around the world. He's a tool for education, for the anti-drug movement, a good positive thing. A lot of times young people don't listen to the voice of authority.”

CableVision and Toys ‘n' Stuff are two of the major sponsors of Hugo, and Mr. Warren has actually met the creator of the character, who helped in the effort to bring Hugo to Bermuda.

Fresh TV is also planning to use the Internet more in its programming, making the entire platform more interactive. The channel will also be starting the Friends of Fresh - a $50 club membership to Fresh Creations which will allow members discounts in stores and to cultural events, and invitations to open houses and cocktail events. “We are aiming for commercial free stuff,” said Mr. Warren. “If it's funded by Friends of Fresh, why not?”

Fresh TV has several more surprises up its sleeve, he added, though he did not want to specify what they were. “We'll just let them pop up,” he said. “Within a week or two weeks' time you may see promotions starting.”

The channel also provides a training ground for young Bermudians interested in breaking in to the media industry, with internship positions available.

While Mr. Warren said the CableVision strike had “no impact” on his channel, there were rumours circulating that Hurricane Fabian and the damage to CableVision had seriously affected the channel.

He would not comment on whether any sponsors had considered leaving Fresh Creations in the wake of the hurricane, when the channel was off the air for some time. However he said since the hurricane Fresh has gained more sponsors, including the Phoenix stores.

Mr. Warren was optimistic, saying he had been at the Rugby Classic recently and someone had said in his hearing: “Nobody watches Fresh TV”.

“Maybe not, but you know my name, and you know the channel, so that's cool,” Mr. Warren said he replied.

And while he confirmed that TV host Katy Brash is no longer with Fresh TV, he would not elaborate on the issue. Instead he said his crew was determined to make the channel a success.

“They are a determined bunch of people for whom I have the utmost respect,” he said. “They work hard, they give up a lot of time to make this thing fly.

“This challenges everybody to come together to really create a cohesive national programme of arts,” he said. “Ask again (how we're doing) a year from now. It's still young. We're only six months old. We're still learning.”