or


[07/06/06 - 12:00 AM]
Twentieth Television and Tribune Broadcasting Close Off-Net Syndication Agreement on Hit Sitcom "Family Guy"

[via press release from Tribune]

Twentieth Television and Tribune Broadcasting Close Off-Net Syndication Agreement on Hit Sitcom "Family Guy"

Seth MacFarlane's Emmy Award Series to Premiere on Tribune Stations in Fall 2007

LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO, July 6, 2006 -- Twentieth Television has cleared Seth MacFarlane�s hit Emmy Award-winning animated sitcom "Family Guy" on the Tribune Broadcasting station group for a fall 2007 launch in off-net syndication. The announcement was jointly made today by Bob Cook, president and COO of Twentieth Television; and John Reardon, president of Tribune Broadcasting, a division of Tribune Company.

Under terms of the agreement, the series about the Griffin family (father Peter, wife Lois, their kids and a very brainy dog) that pokes fun at everyday middle-class life will premiere in 20 major markets, representing 37.8% of the United States. Tribune stations set to premiere "Family Guy" in off-net include WPIX/New York, KTLA/Los Angeles, WGN/Chicago, WPHL/Philadelphia, WLVI/Boston, KDAF/Dallas, WDCW/Washington, KHCW/Houston, KCPQ-KTWB/Seattle, WBZL/Miami, KWGN/Denver, KTXL/Sacramento, KPLR/St. Louis, KWBP/Portland, WXIN-WTTV/Indianapolis, KSWB/San Diego, WTIC-WTXX/Hartford, WXMI/Grand Rapids, WPMT/Harrisburg and WGNO-WNOL/New Orleans.

Regarding the announcement, Cook stated, "We are very pleased to have entered into this agreement on �Family Guy� with Tribune Broadcasting. From the genius of Seth MacFarlane, �Family Guy� is a pop culture phenomenon that has accomplished extraordinary popularity. We expect this success to continue during its off-net window for the Tribune station group."

"We�re always looking to acquire engaging, high-quality programs to refresh our local lineups," added Tribune�s Reardon. " �Family Guy� fits that description and we look forward to the show having a positive impact on ratings and revenues across our group."

Since its debut in 1999, the Emmy Award-winning series has attracted an impressively loyal following of devoted fans and has sold nine million combined DVD units, outperforming "The Simpsons," "South Park," "Seinfeld," "Friends" and "Everybody Loves Raymond." The show�s success on DVD, combined with the ratings records it set on the Cartoon Network�s Adult Swim block, prompted FOX to bring it back for a fifth season, making "Family Guy" the only series ever to return to television after being cancelled.

A multiplatform success, more than 500 "Family Guy" merchandise items have been licensed in over 10,000 consumer outlets, including such major retailers as Target, Wal-Mart and K-Mart. On the web, "Family Guy" was 2005�s third most searched television program of the year on Yahoo! and currently is the number one most downloaded cell phone television property, with 2.3 million ring tones, voice tones, wallpaper, ring backs and games downloaded to date. On stage, the hit "Family Guy Live!" events have sold out numerous performances in New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

"Family Guy�s" current season, its fifth, continues with more distinctively twisted and irreverently outrageous trials and tribulations of Peter Griffin (MacFarlane) and his not-quite-so-average family. Immersed in television�s most clever storylines and scripts, Lois (Alex Borstein) is Peter�s loving wife, who struggles to maintain a modicum of normalcy in their home life. Then there are their kids: angst-ridden, 16-year-old Meg (Mila Kunis), who only really wants to get noticed; 13-year-old Chris (Seth Green), a sweet-natured slacker; and 1-year-old Stewie (MacFarlane), a diabolically clever baby who�s already bent on world domination. Rounding out the Griffin household is Brian, the family dog who has a penchant for dry martinis and Shakespearean sonnets.

In addition to the regular cast, "Family Guy" has featured a diverse range of guest voice appearances, including Jennifer Love Hewitt, Lee Majors, Will Ferrell, Jimmy Kimmel, Drew Barrymore, Kiefer Sutherland, the legendary rock group KISS, James Woods, Phyllis Diller, Robert Downey, Jr., Carol Channing, and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, among others.

The program won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 2000, and in 2002 won an Emmy for Outstanding Music and Lyrics. "Family Guy" has been nominated for Outstanding Animated Program in 2000 and 2005.

"Family Guy" is a 20th Century Fox Television production. MacFarlane is creator/executive producer and David Goodman is executive producer and show runner. Chris Sheridan also serves as executive producer.

:: :: ::

TRIBUNE (NYSE:TRB) is one of the country�s top media companies, operating businesses in publishing and broadcasting. It reaches more than 80 percent of U.S. households and is the only media organization with newspapers, television stations and websites in the nation�s top three markets. In publishing, Tribune operates 11 leading daily newspapers including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and Newsday, plus a wide range of targeted publications. The company�s broadcasting group operates 26 television stations, Superstation WGN on national cable, Chicago�s WGN-AM and the Chicago Cubs baseball team. Popular news and information websites complement Tribune�s print and broadcast properties and extend the company�s nationwide audience.

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 fall 2006, the company will launch the primetime drama strips �Desire� and �Fashion House� on the new general entertainment broadcast television network MyNetworkTV. Furthermore, the company is set to launch the new first-run syndicated 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. Twentieth Television sells national advertising units retained by the company in off-network, theatrical and first-run programming, as well as oversees advertising sales for DIRECTV.





  [july 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
      


· EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND (CBS)
· FAMILY GUY (FOX)
· FRIENDS (NBC)
· SIMPSONS, THE (FOX)
· SOUTH PARK (COMEDY CENTRAL)





[11/04/24 - 04:01 PM]
Video: "Zombieverse 2: New Blood" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The groundbreaking K-zombie series returns bolder than ever, with enhanced zombies, new members and wilder quests full of non-stop thrills and laughter.

[11/04/24 - 02:01 PM]
"Outer Banks" Renewed for Fifth and Final Season Following Fan Celebrations at Poguelandia and Multi-Country Pogue Tour
The news comes two days after the second Poguelandia: An Outer Banks Experience, held November 2 at The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.

[11/04/24 - 01:31 PM]
Acorn TV's Hit Detective Crime Drama "Dalgliesh" Returns with All-New Episodes Monday, December 2
Season 3 is made up of three distinct mysteries, each two episodes long.

[11/04/24 - 12:01 PM]
NBC Unveils Lineup of New and Returning Beloved Holiday Programming
New programming for 2024 includes "Jimmy Fallon's Holiday Seasoning Spectacular" and "A Motown Christmas," hosted by Smokey Robinson and Halle Bailey.

[11/04/24 - 11:01 AM]
The Final Bell: Production Begins for the Third and Final Season of "Heartbreak High"
In Season 3, it's time for Hartley High's graduating class to say 'goodbye' to school, and 'hello' to adulthood!

[11/04/24 - 11:01 AM]
NBC's "The Voice" Taps Music Icon Sting and Multi-Hyphenate Jennifer Hudson as Season 26 Mega Mentors
Hudson joins Michael Bublé and Reba McEntire while Sting joins coaches Snoop Dogg and Gwen Stefani to mentor the remaining artists as each team prepares for the Knockouts, beginning Monday, November 11.

[11/04/24 - 10:31 AM]
Aussie Luke Hemsworth Joins the Cast of Prime Video's Global Hit Series "Deadloch" Season Two
Hemsworth will join lead cast members Kate Box, Madeleine Sami, Nina Oyama and Alicia Gardiner.

[11/04/24 - 08:32 AM]
Netflix Announces Release of the Documentary "Avicii - I'm Tim" and Avicii's Last Show from Ibiza's Ushuaia
The documentary "Avicii - I'm Tim" and "Avicii - My Last Show" will launch globally on Netflix on December 31.

[11/04/24 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson" - Narrator Announcement, Sneak Peek & Key Art Debut
Ice T will narrate the three-part follow-doc leading up to the Netflix and MVP's heavyweight boxing mega-event.

[11/04/24 - 08:02 AM]
"La Liberacion" Will Premiere Exclusively on Prime Video on January 17
The unique series created and directed by noted filmmaker Alejandra Márquez Abella premieres January 17 on Prime Video.

[11/04/24 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey" - Official Trailer - Netflix
On December 26, 1996, John and Patsy Ramsey woke up the morning after a loving family Christmas to discover their youngest child, six-year-old JonBenét, was missing, a chilling ransom note left downstairs.

[11/04/24 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland" - Official Trailer - Hulu
St Nick (voiced by Gerard Butler) receives a delayed letter on Christmas Eve from the Princess of Hearts.

[11/03/24 - 07:30 PM]
Video: AMC Networks Releases a First Look at Season Three of "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon"
Starring Norman Reedus and Melissa McBride as the beloved characters "Daryl Dixon" and "Carol Peletier," the new season is set to premiere in 2025 on AMC and AMC+.

[11/02/24 - 06:12 PM]
Video: "Outer Banks" Season 4 - Part 2 Official Trailer - Netflix
Buried secrets surface as the Pogues race to find a legendary artifact - with a dangerous gang of rival treasure hunters hot on their trail.

[11/01/24 - 03:15 PM]
ABC News Studios Announces "Price of Fame: The Liam Payne Story - A Special Edition of 20/20," Airing Nov. 3 at 10 P.M. EST on ABC
The one-hour special explores Liam Payne's meteoric rise to celebrity as a member of boy band One Direction and his personal journey, including his struggles with mental health and the pressures of stardom, as well as his efforts to reinvent himself as a solo artist.