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Salary Dispute Takes Down Syndicated Show After 15 Seasons

Mar 27, 2013  •  Post A Comment

A salary dispute has brought an end to a popular syndicated program that has been on the air for 15 years. After negotiations for a new deal broke down, "Judge Joe Brown," the second-highest-rated court show in syndication, has been canceled by CBS Television Distribution, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The show had seen ratings dip, and the negotiations broke down over Brown’s salary, the story notes. He had reportedly been making $20 million a year, and CBS Television Distribution wanted to pare that down because of the ratings slump.

"Judge Brown" scored a 2.5 household rating in the February sweeps, representing a 17% decline from a year earlier. All of the court shows have experienced declines this season except for "Judge Judy," the top court program.

Brown is reportedly looking for other outlets to keep the show alive, and has met with Byron Allen of Entertainment Studios about continuing with the program. Allen’s company has court shows including "America’s Court with Judge Ross."

It’s unlikely that Allen could pay as much as CBS TV Distribution, the story notes.

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2 Comments

  1. $20 million a year?!?! Sure as hell isn’t finding a cure for cancer with that salary…

  2. It seems as though the future of syndication talent deals will offer less money up front and more based on performance on the back end. Is this guy nuts? How exactly does one walk away from this kind of gig even at a reduced salary? Unless of course he is tired of the grind…

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