12 Additional MyNetworkTV Affiliates Signed, Including Deal With Granite Broadcasting for Detroit, Ft. Wayne and Duluth
Other New Markets Include San Diego, Green Bay-Appleton, Rochester, Reno, Corpus Christi, Odessa-Midland, Columbus-Tupelo-West Point, Elmira and Rapid City
MyNetworkTV Cleared in 55% of Country
NEW YORK, March 22 -- 12 stations have been officially signed as MyNetworkTV affiliates, bringing the network's total U.S. clearance to 55% of the country. New MyNetworkTV affiliates include:
* WDWB/Detroit (Market #11) -- Granite Broadcasting
* XUPN/San Diego (#26) -- Bay City Television
* WACY/Green Bay-Appleton (#69) -- Journal Broadcasting
* WBGT/Rochester (#79) -- WBGT, LLC
* WISE-DT/Ft. Wayne (#106) -- Granite Broadcasting
* KAME/Reno (#112) -- Cox Television/Broadcast Development
* KTOV/Corpus Christi (#129) -- GH Broadcasting
* WCBI-DT/Columbus-Tupelo-West Point, MS (#132) -- Columbus Television,
Inc.
* KBJR-DT/Duluth-Superior (#137) -- Granite Broadcasting
* NOSA-DT/Odessa-Midland, TX (#159) -- ICA Broadcasting
* WJKP/Elmira (#173) -- Vision Communications
* KKRA/Rapid City (#177) -- Rapid Broadcasting
Regarding the announcement, Jack Abernethy, CEO of Fox Television Stations, noted, "We are pleased to enter into this affiliation agreement with Granite in Detroit, Ft. Wayne and Duluth, three very important markets for MyNetworkTV."
He continued, "While securing affiliates in the major markets is important, it is equally imperative to us to sign strong affiliates in the mid-sized and smaller markets. Every one of these broadcasters brings significant value to MyNetworkTV and they will play a central role in launching this exciting new network."
John Deushane, Chief Operating Officer for Granite Broadcasting Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: GBTVK - News), said, "We are thrilled to add the MyNetworkTV affiliation to TV 20, Detroit's fastest growing television station. Adding this exciting new network to our current schedule, which already includes the red-hot Detroit Pistons, will certainly have audiences referring to TV 20 as 'My Favorite TV Station.' We are also very happy about providing MyNetworkTV programming to the communities we serve in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Duluth, Minnesota/Superior, Wisconsin."
Granite Chairman and CEO Don Cornwell added, "A number of years ago, we missed the chance to be associated with the then fledgling Fox Network. Now we have taken the opportunity to be associated with Rupert Murdoch as he launches his second broadcast network. Given his track record in broadcast, cable and satellite, we're confident that this new venture will be as successful."
Richard Doutre Jones, Vice President & General Manager of XETV FOX 6 & XDTV MY TV13, noted, "Since XETV/FOX6 was the first non-owned & operated FOX affiliate in the country, we are thrilled to now join XUPN with Twentieth Television in this exciting new venture as the San Diego affiliate of MyNetworkTV. As part of our affiliation change, XUPN will be changing our call letters to XDTV and our primary website to mytv13.com, all of which will add to the vibrant new brand of MyNetworkTV13. We have enjoyed a long and prosperous relationship with FOX and 20th Television, and we anticipate that our new partnership will bring fresh new programming content which will continue to benefit the viewers of San Diego."
Bill Christian, President/CEO, of Vision Communications, said, "For the first time in decades, a network is being formed intelligently by taking into account the strengths that each party brings to the table. The MyNetworkTV model capitalizes on the value of the local primetime inventory that big and small stations have, maximizing the resources of both the stations and News Corp. to create an instantly viable, strong brand."
To date, MyNetworkTV has been cleared on 64 stations throughout the country. These include: WWOR/New York (DMA #1), KCOP/Los Angeles (#2), WPWR/Chicago (#3), KRON/San Francisco (#6), KDFI/Dallas (#7), WDCA/Washington, D.C. (#8), KTXH/Houston (#10), WDWB/Detroit (#11), WTTA/Tampa (#12), KUTP/Phoenix (#14), WFTC/Minneapolis (#15), WUAB/Cleveland (#16), WRBW/Orlando (#20), WRBU/St. Louis (#21), WCWB/Pittsburgh (#22), KPDX/Portland, OR (#23), WUTB/Baltimore (#24), XUPN/San Diego (#26), WWWB/Charlotte (#27), WRDC/Raleigh (#29), WUXP/Nashville (#30), KSMO/Kansas City (#31), WCGV/Milwaukee (#33), WSTR/Cincinnati (#34), WBSC/Greenville (#35), KRRT/San Antonio (#37), WABM/Birmingham (#40), WTVZ/Norfolk (#42), KASY/Albuquerque (#46), WUPN/Greensboro (#47), KVWB/Las Vegas (#48), WNYO/Buffalo (#49), WFTE/Louisville (#50), WNYA/Albany (#55), WFGX/Mobile (#62), WACY/Green Bay-Appleton (#69), KFVE/Honolulu (#72), WNYS/Syracuse (#76), WBGT/Rochester (#79), WDKA/Paducah (#80), KSHV/Shreveport (#81), WISC-DT/Madison (#85), WMYT/South Bend (#87), WUFX/Jackson (#89), KWKT/Waco-Temple-Bryan (#94), WBQD/Davenport (#95), WBXH/Baton Rouge (#96), WTSN-WEVV-DT/Evansville (#100), WMMP/Charleston, SC (#101), WISE/Ft. Wayne (#106), WHTV/ Lansing, MI (#110), KLPN-KFXK-DT/Tyler-Longview, TX (#111), KAME/Reno (#112), WAOE/Peoria (#117), WKBT-DT/LaCrosse-Eau Claire (#123), KLAF-KADN-DT/ Lafayette, LA (#124), KTOV/Corpus Christi (#129), WCBI/Columbus-Tupelo-West Point, MS (#132), KBJR/Duluth-Superior (#137), KPSE/Palm Springs (#153), NOSA-DT/Odessa-Midland, TX (#159), WJKP/Elmira (#173), WNTZ/Alexandria (#176) and KKRA/Rapid City (#177). MyNetworkTV will debut Tuesday, September 5, 2006.
Targeted to Adults 18-49, the broadcast network will provide broadcasters with operational flexibility through a seamless flow of original primetime programming and branded national marketing initiatives that allow stations to maintain and strengthen their localism. 12 hours of programming will air on MyNetworkTV Monday through Saturday.
MyNetworkTV will launch with Twentieth Television's new scripted primetime drama strips "Desire" and "Secrets." The hour-long programs will feature a 65-episode story arc stripped Monday through Friday over the span of 13 weeks. Each Saturday, a re-cap episode highlighting the two programs' previous week's storylines will air. "Desire," scheduled to air at 8:00pm (Eastern/Pacific)/7:00pm (Central), follows two close brothers on the run from the mafia who both fall in love with, and then passionately battle for, the same woman. Immediately following "Desire" will be "Secrets," airing at 9:00pm (Eastern/Pacific)/8:00pm (Central). The drama takes an in-depth look at the dreams, successes and tragedies found everyday in the fashion industry.
The Fox Television Stations group, one of the nation's largest owned-and-operated network broadcast groups, comprises 35 stations in 26 markets, covering nearly 45% of U.S. television homes. This includes five duopolies in the top 10 markets, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Washington D.C., as well as duopolies in Houston, Minneapolis, Phoenix and Orlando.
A leader in the U.S. program production and distribution arena, Twentieth Television is a unit of Fox Television and headed by Fox Television Stations' chairman Roger Ailes while CEO Jack Abernethy oversees day-to-day operations. Twentieth Television provides a wide array of first-run and off-network programming, as well as feature film packages, to the syndication and cable marketplaces. First-run programs distributed by Twentieth Television include "Geraldo at Large," the news strip hosted by Geraldo Rivera, and the popular court shows "Divorce Court" and "Judge Alex," the number one new first-run program of the 2005-06 season. In addition to "Desire" and "Secrets," the company is set to launch the new court show "Cristina's Court," hosted by Cristina Perez, in Fall 2006. Twentieth Television also oversees the domestic sales of one of the most extensive libraries of off-net programming in the entertainment industry. Last fall, the company launched the groundbreaking drama "24," starring Kiefer Sutherland, and The Peabody Award-winning sitcom "The Bernie Mac Show" in off-net syndication.
Fox Entertainment Group, a division of News Corporation, is principally engaged in the development, production and worldwide distribution of feature films and television programs, television broadcasting and cable network programming. The unit's studios, production facilities and film and television library provide high-quality creative content, and broadcasting and cable networks provide extensive distribution platforms for the Company's programs.
Source: MyNetworkTV; Granite Broadcasting Corporation
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