Dr. Phil" lands station deals
Reuters
Jul 24 2001 2:51AM
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - "Dr. Phil," the upcoming syndicated talk show featuring "Oprah" regular Dr. Phil McGraw, has earned its first TV station pacts for a fall 2002 start.
The show has been picked up by CBS-owned WCBS in New York, which sources say is reserving an afternoon time slot. In addition, several other CBS-owned outlets have picked up "Dr. Phil," and more are said to be eyeing it.
CBS-owned stations in Dallas, Denver and Minneapolis are on board, as are NBC affiliate WDIV in Detroit and CBS affiliate KFMB in San Diego.
A syndicated show generally needs to line up deals in the top three markets -- New York, Los Angeles and Chicago -- before it can be considered a certainty.
Of the stations that have signed on for "Dr. Phil," only WCCO Minneapolis offers "The Oprah Winfrey Show." King World, which distributes both shows, was expected to offer "Dr. Phil" first to stations that carry "Oprah." The expectation was fueled by the fact that Winfrey's Harpo Prods., which created "Dr. Phil" and is developing it, sent a memo several weeks ago to "Oprah" stations indicating that "Dr. Phil" was on offer.
Although it's difficult to know for sure, the CBS stations and the others that picked up the show may simply have offered the best deals in those markets. While spokesmen for CBS stations and King World both declined comment, King World chief Roger King has been vocal about his intention to seek the best bids from the station community across the board, not just outlets linked to his company.
WABC, which carries "Oprah" in Gotham, may not have been a real target for "Dr. Phil," anyway. The station has so few free time slots that it has skedded its most recent syndie acquisition, "Iyanla," for latenight starting this fall.
Reuters
Jul 24 2001 2:51AM
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - "Dr. Phil," the upcoming syndicated talk show featuring "Oprah" regular Dr. Phil McGraw, has earned its first TV station pacts for a fall 2002 start.
The show has been picked up by CBS-owned WCBS in New York, which sources say is reserving an afternoon time slot. In addition, several other CBS-owned outlets have picked up "Dr. Phil," and more are said to be eyeing it.
CBS-owned stations in Dallas, Denver and Minneapolis are on board, as are NBC affiliate WDIV in Detroit and CBS affiliate KFMB in San Diego.
A syndicated show generally needs to line up deals in the top three markets -- New York, Los Angeles and Chicago -- before it can be considered a certainty.
Of the stations that have signed on for "Dr. Phil," only WCCO Minneapolis offers "The Oprah Winfrey Show." King World, which distributes both shows, was expected to offer "Dr. Phil" first to stations that carry "Oprah." The expectation was fueled by the fact that Winfrey's Harpo Prods., which created "Dr. Phil" and is developing it, sent a memo several weeks ago to "Oprah" stations indicating that "Dr. Phil" was on offer.
Although it's difficult to know for sure, the CBS stations and the others that picked up the show may simply have offered the best deals in those markets. While spokesmen for CBS stations and King World both declined comment, King World chief Roger King has been vocal about his intention to seek the best bids from the station community across the board, not just outlets linked to his company.
WABC, which carries "Oprah" in Gotham, may not have been a real target for "Dr. Phil," anyway. The station has so few free time slots that it has skedded its most recent syndie acquisition, "Iyanla," for latenight starting this fall.
