In the past few years summer has become a separate programming season for conventional TV broadcasters looking to head off mass migration of regular season viewers to cable and specialty nets. Announcements of programming highlights have just begun but all networks and many specialties are expected to offer some short-run summer fare or tempt viewers with the early launch of regular season shows.

Ellen Baine, VP of programming for CHUM Television says that summer has changed for conventional TV. ‘It used to be that specialty, cable, and pay TV would do better in the summer because regular TV was in repeats. Fox really started it a few years ago because they realized there was an audience there, although maybe not as big as during the rest of the year.’

So far CHUM Television’s two new reality shows are on the roster, but Baine says others are likely as it hears about new opportunities coming out of the U.S. nets. The first new show is its own Canadian-produced version of America’s Next Top Model, appropriately named Canada’s Next Top Model. It’s currently in post-production and goes to air May 31 with the first of eight one-hour episodes. It will run in the same time slot as the American version, Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on Citytv across the country.

CHUM will also run Hell’s Kitchen, beginning in June. It is the second season for this show. It ran on Fox last summer but did not run on any Canadian stations. The show has a similar premise to The Apprentice, except with chefs and well-known English chef Gordon Ramsay stands in for Donald Trump. It will run in simulcast with Fox beginning June 12 at 9 p.m. There are 10 hour-long episodes scheduled.

Over at Global Television, two new additions have been confirmed for its summer schedule. The first is Windfall, which premieres at 10 p.m. beginning Thursday, June 8. It stars Jason Gedrick and Luke Perry (alum of Beverly Hills 90210) and focuses on the stories of four of the 20 winners of a $386 million jackpot, and the drama their newfound wealth creates.

Also on the Global schedule this summer is the return of the Mark Burnett-produced show, Rock Star: The Series. The summer edition features three of music’s great rockers – drummer Tommy Lee (of Motley Crue), guitarists Jason Newsted (of Metallica), and Gilby Clarke (of Guns N’ Roses) – who are searching for a new lead singer for their newly-formed rock band Supernova.

CanWest expects to announce more programming additions over the next month for both the Global and CH nets.