Business Notes TELEVISION

When singer Willie Nelson goes on the road, he often likes to tune in to a good western movie. Trouble is, he often searches the dial in vain. Nelson decided that if he wanted down-home TV, he should program it himself. Result: the Cowboy Channel. Scheduled to start in November, the 24-hour cable channel will feature rodeos, horse operas, country music and vintage TV series like Gunsmoke. Nelson will serve as the company's chairman and as host to a projected weekly music-and-talk show called Songwriter. He has already signed up cable systems with 4.2 million viewers and hopes to have 10 million by November. Says Cowboy Channel CEO Mack Long: "People are looking for family- oriented, clean-cut programming with good values."