Syndicated version of “Good Morning Football” clears Fox-owned stations
Deal includes Fox 32 and My50
Sony Pictures Television made their first deals for the two-hour syndicated version of NFL Network’s Good Morning Football by signing the Fox Television Stations group.
Known in syndication as GMFB, Fox did sign their duopoly markets including Chicago, but several non-duopoly ones as well, including WITI Milwaukee, WAGA Atlanta, WTVT Tampa-St. Petersburg, and WTXF Philadelphia. As a result, expect several syndicated shows to be shuffled around in those cities to make room for the show. Fox owns 28 stations in 18 markets, but not all will carry it. Sony is selling GMFB to local stations, but in an odd twist, CBS Media Ventures was named the show’s national advertising representative – paying back the favor as Sony produces and sells ad time for CMV’s long-running game shows Wheel Of Fortune and Jeopardy!
“Adding additional NFL-based content to our lineups, this time on a Monday-Friday basis, makes too much sense for us not to do; the fact that GMFB is already a successful franchise enhances it even more,” said Frank Cicha, the Executive Vice President in charge of programming at Fox Television Stations.
Deals with other station groups should be forthcoming now Fox is on board. The station group was one of those rumored to be interested when the new show was announced in March.
Outside of movies, GMFB is the first-ever two-hour strip to be offered in syndication. Generally, shows are sold in either half-hour or hour form; though in the 1970s, several daytime talk shows were 90-minute strips, such as those hosted by Mike Douglas and Dinah Shore. Stations have the flexibility to air the two hours whenever they see fit, either live in the mornings as fed by the NFL Network or delayed for use in other dayparts and can air either one or both hours. GMFB will expand to five hours when it returns in August, with the first three exclusive to NFL Network when it returns in late August with the syndication premiere set for September 2.
GMFB is currently on hiatus as the show is moving from New York to Los Angeles, although it isn’t known who would be the hosts outside of Jamie Erdahl. The NFL Network has downsized in recent weeks, canceling longtime early evening news show NFL Total Access and laying off notable on-air talent including veterans Melissa Stark and Michael Irvin, who was also one of the co-hosts of NFL GameDay.
The NFL is currently in discussions with ESPN to acquire a piece of the network and take over some aspects of the programming.