Reach Media taps sales teams for Joyner's TV show
Reach Media announced it will partner with both Litton Entertainment and Star Media Inc. to sell advertising for the 'Tom Joyner Show'. The TV show, hosted by Joyner, whose 'Tom Joyner Morning Show' is the nation's most popular urban radio program and the #1 entertainment morning show in America, will premiere this fall for the 2005-06 season. Litton and Star Media will work together to target advertisers interested in reaching the audience of this new show that has already cleared 8 of the nation's top 10 markets, including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas / Ft. Worth, Washington, DC, Atlanta and Detroit. This new venture means that "The Tom Joyner Show" will reach well over 80% of the available African-American television households in syndication - and has clearance in 38 of the top 40 U.S. markets.
Litton Entertainment, a leader in television distribution and syndication for more than 15 years, is aggressively building its media sales division with the recent hiring of syndication executive Michael Weiden as EVP. Litton currently represents series as "Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures," "BusinessWeek TV," "Simple Solutions," "The Good Housekeeping Reports" and "The Daily Health Feed." Along with "The Tom Joyner Show," Litton is also launching "HomeTeam" and "The World Explorer" this fall. Star Media Properties, founded by veteran TV network sales executive Dennis Ray, focuses on urban, African American and Hispanic populations. Projects include working with Twentieth's "The Hughleys." Currently, the company is working with Russell Simmons' company, Simmons-Lathan Entertainment, on a VOD / DVD urban music concert series, "Def On Demand: Live."
MSNBC to become "The NBC News Channel"?
According to a report, Microsoft and NBC's MSNBC all-news cable net will be changing its name to "The NBC News Channel" soon. The new name is "cleaner, less confusing and represents the programming." Stay tuned.
TVBR observation:
With a cleaner clearer branding we trust NBC will take our suggestion the first night Brian Williams took over for Tom Brokaw, put him in the format that Williams demonstrated the most comfort zone - MSNBC. Then simulcast the evening news on the new NBC News Channel and lengthen it to an hour and let affiliates either keep it or drop the second half hour. But, and the kicker, state up front that one year from the first broadcast the NBC Evening News with Brian Williams will only be seen on The NBC News Channel. Evening news as we all know it today is DOA. If you are going to Re-Brand a long running product then do it with your key on-air talent - Brian Williams and give this guy a shot at reinventing the old fashioned evening news formats. Or, the audience will be sticking with Fox News Channel's Britt Hume from 6pm to 7pm EDT.
"According to Jim," "America's Funniest Home Videos" get renewals at ABC
ABC has extended its string of early pickups with next-season orders for the sitcom "According to Jim" (Jim Belushi) and "America's Funniest Home Videos."
The two join "Alias," "Boston Legal," "Desperate Housewives," "Lost" and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."
William Bell, Y&R creator, dies
William Joseph Bell, an Emmy award-winning daytime TV soap writer, producer and co-creator of "The Young and the Restless" and "The Bold and the Beautiful," has died. He was 78. Bell died Friday from complications of Alzheimer's at the UCLA Medical Center. Bell's career as a TV soap writer spanned more than four decades and earned him nine Emmys. His three children also followed him into the biz. Bill, is president of Bell's TV production company. Bradley, is head writer and executive producer on "The Bold and The Beautiful." Daughter Lauralee is an actress on "Restless."
Are you reading this from a forwarded email?
