Popcorn has the Smartfood brand name. Computers have the smart-chip.

Can TV be smart, too?

Stornoway Communications is pledging that its I Channel is going to be "intelligent television."

"We feel it's about connecting with others about the issues in daily our lives in an intelligent, smart fashion," said Carolyn Meland, I Channel's head of programming.

Paradoxically, that means no talking heads, no experts from the ivory towers of universities talking endlessly about international trading strategies.

"These are real people talking about real ideas and their real-life experiences," Ms. Meland said. "[The channel] is about the human heart, not just the human intellect."

One of the "real people" I Channel has hosting its original Open I magazine talk show is Catherine Clark, daughter of Progressive Conservative Leader Joe Clark. Along with lesser-known co-hosts Jessica Goldman, William Morassutti and Mark Holmes, Ms. Clark will examine personal, social and political issues. ("Everything from biomedical ethics to private vs. public education to speed dating," Stornoway states in its press release). In one episode, Ms. Clark investigates the root of a recurring dream she has.

"Our viewers are going to enjoy programming that is provocative, smart, personal and profound," she added. "They're going to see a mirror of their own life, or people going through similar situations."

Asked what having the federal Tory leader's daughter on the roster means to the channel, Ms. Meland said: "It's wonderful. But remember the show is as new to her as it is new to the other three hosts. We're about bringing fresh faces to screen, not just the same old pundits."

But it's no doubt that Ms. Clark will draw curious viewers, Ms. Meland added.

The hosts of Open I do everything themselves, she said, so they aren't just television personalities.

"They do everything, at the daily story meetings they'll pitch issues that personally interest them, book guests, and screen documentaries," she said.

In the channel's Unzipped series, one of the four Open I hosts will introduce and two documentaries that have been paired up for various reasons. After the documentary airs, the host will update the issue or do a follow-up interview if the need arises.

Ms. Clark isn't the channel's only high-profile host. In January, Rubin (Hurricane) Carter will host the channel's series Wrongfully Accused, chronicling the impact of a wrongful accusation upon an individual's life. Mr. Carter was convicted twice in the United States of a triple murder in 1966, but was ultimately released from prison after serving 19 years for a crime he didn't commit.

His series will air with the BBC program Trial and Error.

"We're trying to create a kind of boutique shopping versus a major department store," Ms. Meland said. "It's about knowing your customer, and going around the world collecting items for them - looking for programs that are not mainstream."

The channel's Look Better Naked examines "the personal journey" of people altering the bodies to reach a physical ideal. "The series delves into the motivation, psychology and rationale behind people's decision to tamper with what nature gave them. The series examines the extreme lengths they go to and the risks they take in their quests for ideal beauty," the channel states in a press release.

"This is not about the academics and pundits. It's about the people who have something close to the issue. This is street level," Ms. Meland said.

"It's 'Show me, don't tell me' television," she said. "Make me understand by showing me the players or by how the players are affected."

This is part of I Channel's 'issues television' - daily programming of a smart nature," Ms. Meland said. "All our programming assumed the audience has brains, that it wants to be entertained and challenged. It's an anti-dumbing down approach."