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‘Martha’ Cleared in 85 Percent of Country

Mar 3, 2005  •  Post A Comment

NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution has sold its upcoming daytime strip with Martha Stewart in more than 85 percent of the country for its fall 2005 debut. The announcement was made Thursday by Barry Wallach, president of NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution, and Heidi Diamond, president of television for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

The strip has been cleared in all top 20 TV markets and in 47 of the nation’s top 50 markets. New clearances include NBC affiliates KPRC-TV in Houston, WOAI-TV in San Antonio and WMC-TV in Memphis, Tenn.

The Martha Stewart project will appear on stations in groups that include Hearst-Argyle, Gannett, Scripps-Howard, Albritton, Post-Newsweek, Belo, Freedom, CBS, Young, Clear Channel, Meredith and Milwaukee Journal.

The hour-long strip will include a studio audience. Ms. Stewart is scheduled to be released from prison by the end of this weekend and will be placed under house arrest for five months. She is also expected to be able to work part-time during her house arrest.

Mark Burnett, producer of NBC’s “The Apprentice” and CBS’s “Survivor,” will executive produce the new show along with Ms. Stewart.

Ms. Stewart is also slated to star in a new prime-time version of “The Apprentice,” taking over for Donald Trump.