Fox renews four syndicated shows

Re-ups take time periods off the board for potential newbies The CW is known for renewing everything (except Katy Keene obviously) so Fox First-Run decided to do likewise and renew its entire its entire catalog of first-run syndicated shows for next season. The shows are Dish Nation, Divorce Court, You Bet Your Life, and 25 Words or Less. Three months ago, […]

Report: AT&T sells “TMZ” to Fox

Move adds more programs to Fox’s syndication portfolio In a surprising move reported last month, WarnerMedia parent AT&T is in talks to sell its TMZ franchise to Fox Corp. Today, the deal became official according to Deadline.  TMZ consists of the gossip website and the two syndicated television shows they spun off of, TMZ (alternatively titled TMZ on TV) and […]

The Media Notepad: WBEZ hires Sasha Anne-Simons as new midday host

Also: Charlie Brown returns; Fox renews syndicated shows; Sinclair to rebrand RSNs after Bally’s Chicago Public Media’s WBEZ-FM has filled its open midday position.  Her name is Sasha Anne-Simons and she’ll take over from the since-departed Jenn White on December 14 as host of Reset, which aired weekdays  from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. For the last few months, the […]

The Media Notepad: Marquee’s future getting on Dish looks very bleak

Also: Big 3 add overnight news repeats; Fox renews three daytime shows; Disney + signs ten million users; two prime-shows pink-slipped We have an update on the latest with the Cubs’ new Marquee Network and Dish…and I’m guessing those negotiations aren’t going well. In an interview with the Tribune’s Eric Zorn (a rather pointed opinion piece urging Dish not to […]

Fox-owned stations renew Warner Bros.’ syndicated shows in multi-year deal

Group renews quartet of shows and forces format change (Editor’s Note: This story has been edited as an accompanying YouTube video was deleted.)  In a massive deal, the Fox-owned station group renewed four Warner Bros.’ first-run shows currently on its stations. But the deal come with some changes that you, the viewer will notice. Four shows from the AT&T-owned syndicator: […]

“Page Six TV” to end run

Syndicated gossip show dropped after two seasons As first reported by Broadcasting & Cable, syndicated gossip Page Six TV was canceled Friday after two seasons. Based on the New York Post’s Page Six gossip column, featured Post reporter Carlos Greer, comedian Bevvy Smith, and Variety reporter Elizabeth Wagmeister. The show was originally hosted by John Fugelsang, but departed early in […]

Media Notepad: 103.9 The Fox ends run as bible thumpers take over

Also: Sun-Times sees ownership shift; AAF ends its run quickly; Pickler & Ben to exit The bible thumpers strike again: Beginning Monday, Fox Valley-based WFXF-FM – better known as The Fox 103.9 – will turn the keys over to the Educational Media Foundation (EMF) as the station flips from Classic Rock to Christian Music. As a result, the station’s on-air […]

The Media notepad: Chicago’s African-American radio stations hold their own despite population drop

As yet another report showing the Chicago area’s African-American population on the decline, the market’s black-targeted radio stations seem to be holding their own. Even the entrance of classic Hip-Hop/R&B station 104.3 Jams (WBMX) didn’t have much of an impact on the overall share of African-Americans listening to radio in the Chicago market, though WBMX reportedly had taken audience away […]

Grab Bag: “The Game” loses in its first PPM matchup

        Plus: Divorce Court to stick around; and a new first-run syndicated drama on tap – Nielsen Radio’s March PPM ratings period just concluded and it shows the new sports radio talker WGWG-FM, or The Game stalled at the starting gate. The station tied for 37th place overall with a measly 0.3 rating, far behind competitors WSCR […]

Syndication wrap-up: “Judge Alex” benched for good

With the annual NATPE gathering taking place this week in Miami Beach, its time to see where several shows and proposed projects for syndication stand in 2014: – As first reported by Broadcasting & Cable a few weeks ago, Twentieth Television canceled Judge Alex after nine seasons. The writing appeared to be on the wall when Twentieth renewed Divorce Court […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: A Boatload of Renewals

– Good Friday was a month ago, but it was really a Good Friday for several bubble shows on network schedules as eight shows were officially picked up for next season: NBC’s Parenthood, Chicago Fire, Revolution, Grimm, and Law & Order: SVU; CW’s Hart Of Dixie and Beauty And The Beast; and CBS’ Two And A Half Men, though without […]

CBS Television Distribution cancels “Judge Joe Brown”

After fifteen seasons, court is adjourned for Judge Joe Brown. CBS Television Distribution announced the cancellation of the long-running courtroom strip Tuesday afternoon. It was reported last month that salary negotiations between CTD and Brown were ongoing as the syndicator wanted him to take a salary cut to return this fall, but reportedly rejected the offer. A statement released by […]

Could CBS remove “Judge Joe Brown” from the bench?

Another long-time face in first-run syndication could disappear – or not. Former Memphis judge Joe Brown, whose syndicated courtroom show is currently in its fifteenth season, could be removed from the bench if CBS Television Distribution doesn’t come to terms on a new contract, Broadcasting & Cable’s Paige Albinak reported exclusively on Wednesday. While the show itself is renewed on […]

Grab Bag: NATPE edition

The National Association of Television Programming Executive – or NATPE convention begins Monday in Miami and as always, there’s syndication news to report on. Here’s the latest: – CBS-owned WBBM-TV in Chicago and twelve other CBS markets have cleared TNT’s Leverage for weekend off-network syndication beginning next fall from Trifecta Entertainment, which acquires the syndication rights from executive producer Dean […]