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‘DeGeneres’ Gets New Slots, Stations

Mar 1, 2004  •  Post A Comment

While recent upgrades have helped Telepictures’ freshman hit “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” surge in the ratings, more are on the way.
The strip has now been renewed in more than 85 percent of the country for season two and will be upgraded to major network affiliates in more than two dozen markets for fall 2004. The talk show previously announced a return to its major launch group, the NBC owned-and-operated stations, where it has boosted the group’s time slots to their highest key demographic ratings in six years. The series has also been sold to The WB 100+ Station Group for a second season and will begin a second run daily at 5 p.m. March 8.
“Ellen is a comic genius and perfectly suited for this format and for daytime television,” said Jim Paratore, executive VP, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, and president, Telepictures Productions. “We’ve believed in the series from the beginning, and that belief has paid off in steadily increasing ratings, and now these major-market upgrades that give `Ellen’ the first-rate lineup a show of this quality deserves.”
Starting in September the series will be upgraded in more than two dozen markets, including Atlanta, where the series will move from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on WGCL-TV; Tampa-St. Petersburg, where the series will move to WFLA-TV at 3 p.m.; in Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, Fla., the series will move to WESH-TV at 3 p.m.; in St. Louis the series will move to KSDK-TV in daytime; “Ellen” will change homes in Baltimore, where the series will move to WBAL-TV in daytime; in Portland, Ore., the series will move to KOIN-TV at 4 p.m.; and in Cincinnati the strip will move to WCPO-TV at 10 a.m.
In addition, “Ellen,” which was not cleared this season in Richmond, Va., and Springfield, Mo., has been brought in by WWBT-TV for daytime and KSPR-TV for early fringe in those markets, respectively, for next season.
One potential trouble spot, however, for the series next season could be in its core NBC-owned stations. The group has NBC Enterprises’ “The Jane Pauley Show” on the way in, and sources said station managers are considering giving Ms. Pauley the 10 a.m. time slot following “The Early Show” in New York, effectively reconnecting Ms. Pauley with the show she once anchored. If that scenario plays out, “Ellen” will likely move to “Starting Over’s” 11 a.m. slot. “Starting Over” would then shift to the noon hour.
“The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” produced by Very Good Production in association with Telepictures Production, is distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution.