In the latest of a slew of off-cable programs hitting the broadcast syndication marketplace, Twentieth Television has cleared FX sitcom It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia for Fall 2011 in 45 percent of the country.
Clearing the show are a wide variety of stations, meaning no over-the-board group deals (which is good.) The clearences include WPSG-TV in Philadelphia, the CBS-owned CW affiliate where the sitcom is based in. Other CBS stations (all CWaffils) clearances include Dallas, Atlanta, Seattle, Tampa-St. Petersburg, and Sacramento-Stockon.
Locally, the program cleared Fox’s duopoly in Chicago (WFLD/WPWR), in addition to other Fox-owned duopolies in Phoenix, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Orlando.
Chicago-based Tribune Broadcasting has cleared the show on WPIX in New York and KTLA in Los Angeles, in addition to other company-owned stations in Washington D.C., Houston, and Miami.
Meanwhile, two other stations picked up the show – Sunbeam’s WLVI in Boston and Adell Broadcasting’s WADL in Detroit. The purchase of Sunny is a major step forward for the Motor City independent station, which historically has relied on paid programming and religious fare to fill much of its programming lineup. In recent years, WADL has transformed into more of a general-market independent station.
Recently, Sunny repeats were sold to Comedy Central for Winter 2011. The show stars Danny DeVito in his first role in a TV series since he played Louie DePalma on the Emmy-winning sitcom Taxi, which ran from 1978-83 on ABC and later NBC.
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Stations in nine out of the top ten markets and in 17 out of the top 20 have picked up the FX comedy, including stations in the Fox, Tribune, CBS, Sunbeam and Adell station groups.