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Monthly Archives : January 2008

‘Wizard’s’ Revives Once-Popular Genre

With the help of famed producer Sam Raimi, Disney-ABC is returning to the days of yore—the 1990s, that is—with the launch of scripted first-run series “Wizard’s First Rule” for fall 2008. The move marks a return to the successful scripted…

Rebranded truTV Rakes in Viewers

In its first month as truTV, the former Court TV had the highest ratings in its history. Compared to January a year ago, the Turner Broadcasting-run network was up 15% among adults 25 to 54, up 17% among total viewers…

NATPE Founder Receives Founders Award

Lew Klein was presented with the inaugural NATPE Founders Award today, at the opening session of this year’s conference. Mr. Klein, one of the founders of NATPE, was recognized for his contributions to the association, notably his instrumental role in…

Obama Campaign Launches TV Ads in New York

Barack Obama’s campaign is launching campaign ads in New York starting tomorrow, in a surprise turn in the race for the Feb. 5 Super Tuesday vote. Campaign manager David Plouffe announced the ads today, saying details of the creative will…

MGM Syndicating Hazelton Series

MGM Domestic Television Distribution has obtained rights to syndicate “Ron Hazelton’s HouseCalls,” the popular home-improvement show. Previously distributed by Tribune, the half-hour show was cleared in more than 70% of U.S. markets last year. MGM will present renewal contracts for…

Tribune Stations Pick Up ‘Wizard’s’

Tribune Broadcasting’s owned stations, representing 35% of the country and seven of the top 10 markets, have cleared the Disney-ABC Domestic Television weekly series “Wizard’s First Rule” for a fall launch. The one-hour live-action series, announced today at NATPE, is…

Zucker Calls for Broadcast Changes

NBC Universal President-CEO Jeff Zucker gave a candid state-of-the-broadcast-union address Tuesday at the National Association of Television Program Executives convention in Las Vegas. In the speech, he sought to unify and clarify several of his recent headline-making statements about the…

Disney-ABC, Raimi Link on ‘Wizard’ for Fall Syndication

Sam Raimi will executive produce “Wizard’s First Rule,” a new first-run, live-action series that Disney-ABC Domestic Television is launching in the syndication marketplace for a fall 2008 launch. Janice Marinelli, president of Disney-ABC Domestic Television, announced the series today at…

Marie Osmond Gets Fall ’09 Talk Show

Marie Osmond, recently seen tapping her toes in “Dancing With the Stars,” will return to center stage, agreeing to a deal with syndicator Program Partners for upcoming daytime talk show “Marie,” set to launch in fall 2009. “I like the…

Litton Clears ‘Storm’ in 70% of U.S.

Independent distributor Litton Entertainment announced today that “Storm Stories,” an unscripted series based on raw footage of extreme weather, has cleared 70% of U.S. stations. Set to launch this fall, the off-cable series from the Weather Channel features customizable format…