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Indie Seller Makes Dent in Syndie

Mar 16, 2008  •  Post A Comment

Independent syndicators continue to struggle to re-establish themselves as leading purveyors of first-run weekend programming, despite the fact that stations are stockpiling both off-net hours and paid programming to run in those slots.
One distributor, however, is meeting with success.
“Its difficult for stations, especially [the situation with] paid programming, as it’s like heroin for them in that it’s good for the short-term bottom line but fails to connect the stations with local audiences,” said Ernest Cartwright, founder of ES Cartwright, a consulting and distribution company for syndication.
Cleared on Fox Stations
In spite of the difficulties facing the market, Mr. Cartwright has cleared two weekly series for the fall on the Fox-owned station group. One is a reality series entitled “NurseTV” and the other is “Whittaker Bay,” a weekly scripted series in the mold of “Dawson’s Creek” that currently airs on Superstation WGN.
“NurseTV” began as a broadband channel that featured video programming that went behind the scenes of the nursing profession. Created in 2005 by Alan Braynin, CEO of nurse staffing company Access Nurses, the online series was designed to draw attention to the profession, which is undergoing severe manpower shortages.
Building on the success of the site, Mr. Braynin is taking the content to broadcasters, tapping the services of Mr. Cartwright and hiring Trifecta boss Hank Cohen as executive producer of the show.
“We have an ability to make a change in the future of the profession by addressing the nursing shortage,” Mr. Braynin said. “In addition, the stories told here have never really been told for the camera before, because hospitals have rarely given access to production crews.”
“‘NurseTV’ transcends the differences among all audiences in that no matter what ethnicity [you are] or region of the country you’re from, we all have to face mortality,” Mr. Cartwright said.
Meanwhile, “Whittaker Bay” also hits stations this fall, with each of the top 10 markets now sold including all of the Fox owned-and-operated stations. The half-hour young-adult drama debuted on Superstation WGN in January with a cast that includes Kelly and Sabrina Aldridge from MTV series “8th and Ocean” and feature film “Deck the Halls.” Reveille International has signed on to market the series internationally. Trifecta will handle ad sales.
“There is a lot of clutter out there on the weekends, and it’s a tough market to sell to, but I’ve been fortunate to come across these two series, which I hope will revitalize weekend schedules for stations,” Mr. Cartwright said.

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