Trying to reach an older demographic through SMS? CHUM TV is on the brink of signing the first two ad partners for its Speakers Corner Text2Screen program, which is popular with 18-49s. CHUM’s Roma Khanna, VP interactive, reports that the show is currently finalizing discussions with automotive and dating service partners.

Text2Screen, which debuted Feb. 26, allows viewers to text in comments about Speakers Corner that can appear on the show within minutes, enabling correspondence with other viewers. Advertisers will be able to tag messages from the station with slogans and calls to action like ‘hit reply and get an access code for our secret Web site.’

Khanna says Text2Screen has surpassed expectations. ‘It’s going really well,’ she says. ‘We’re getting hundreds and hundreds of messages per show.’

This is CHUM’s first attempt to engage an adult audience with an SMS campaign.