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MyNetworkTV and Tribune Broadcasting
Close Affiliation Deal for Philadelphia, Atlanta and Seattle
Affiliates in
Three Top 15 Markets Increase Clearances to 79% of U.S.,
Including 26 of the Top 30 Markets
NEW YORK/CHICAGO, May 15, 2006 -- MyNetworkTV
and Tribune Broadcasting, a division of Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB),
have closed an affiliation agreement in the key markets of
Philadelphia, Atlanta and Seattle for the new primetime general
entertainment television network launching on Tuesday, Sept.
5, 2006. The announcement was jointly made today by Jack
Abernethy, CEO of Fox Television Stations, and John Reardon,
President/CEO of Tribune Broadcasting.
Stations owned by Tribune Broadcasting
set to become MyNetworkTV affiliates include WPHL/Philadelphia
(market #4), WATL/Atlanta (#9) and KTWB/Seattle (#13),
increasing the network’s
U.S. clearances to 79% of the country. MyNetworkTV is now
cleared in 129 markets, including 26 of the top 30 markets.
"It goes without saying that WPHL, WATL
and KTWB are prized affiliates for MyNetworkTV. They are
well run by one of the industry’s premiere group owners,
complement our station-friendly business model and are perfectly
situated to deliver MyNetworkTV’s programming to these
markets," noted
Abernethy.
John Reardon said, "We are excited to be affiliating
with MyNetworkTV in Philadelphia, Atlanta and Seattle. Each
of these stations has a long history providing excellent
entertainment programming in their markets," he said. "This
affiliation will enable us to continue that tradition, bringing
high quality programming to our viewers while also receiving
the benefits of this unique network/station model."
MyNetworkTV is the new primetime general entertainment
broadcast television network scheduled to launch Tuesday,
September 5th, 2006. Targeted to Adults 18-49, MyNetworkTV
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. Twelve hours of programming
will air on MyNetworkTV Monday through Saturday.
Marc Schacher, VP/Programming for Tribune
Broadcasting commented, "With
this announcement our entire station group now has affiliation
agreements in place. MyNetworkTV represents an exciting new
programming model," he continued, "which along
with the unique content strengths of FOX, The CW and ABC
offer our stations important programming platforms, and our
local viewers the most popular shows available."
MyNetworkTV will launch with the new
scripted primetime drama strips "Desire" and "Secret
Obsessions." Produced
by Twentieth Television, each of the hour-long programs will
feature a 65-episode story arc stripped Monday through Friday
over the span of 13 weeks. Every Saturday, re-cap episodes
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 "Secret
Obsessions," airing at 9:00pm (Eastern/Pacific)/8:00pm
(Central). Starring internationally renowned actress and
sex symbol Bo Derek, the drama takes an in-depth look at
the dreams, successes and tragedies found everyday in the
fashion industry.
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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 such as Spanish-language
Hoy. 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.
The first all Hi-Definition broadcast
network, MyNetworkTV affiliates include WWOR/New York (DMA
#1), KCOP/Los Angeles (#2), WPWR/Chicago (#3), WPHL/Philadelphia
(#4), KRON/San Francisco (#6), KDFI/Dallas (#7), WDCA/Washington,
D.C. (#8), WATL/Atlanta (#9), KTXH/Houston (#10), WDWB/Detroit
(#11), WTTA/Tampa (#12), KTWB/Seattle (#13), 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), WNDY/Indianapolis (#25),
XUPN/San Diego (#26), WWWB/Charlotte (#27), WCTX/Hartford & New
Haven (#28), WRDC/Raleigh (#29), WUXP/Nashville (#30), KSMO/Kansas
City (#31), WCGV/Milwaukee (#33), WSTR/Cincinnati (#34),
WBSC/Greenville, SC (#35), KJZZ/Salt Lake City (#36), KRRT/San
Antonio (#37), WXSP/Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek (#39),
WABM/Birmingham (#40), WTVZ/Norfolk (#42), KASY/Albuquerque
(#46), WUPN/Greensboro (#47), KVWB/Las Vegas (#48), WNYO/Buffalo
(#49), WFTE/Louisville (#50), KNVA/Austin (#53), WILF/Wilkes-Barre-Scranton
(#54), WNYA/Albany (#55), KAIL/Fresno-Visalia (#56), KWBF/Little
Rock (#57), WVLT-DT/Knoxville (#58), WFGX/Mobile (#62), WBLU/Lexington
(#63), WSAZ-DT/Charleston-Huntington (#64), WNEM-DT/Flint-Saginaw
(#65), WDBJ-DT/Roanoke-Lynchburg (#68), WACY/Green Bay-Appleton
(#69), KTTU-TV/Tucson (#71), KFVE/Honolulu (#72), KDMI-DT/Des
Moines (#73), WPME/Portland-Auburn, ME (#74), KKAZ-KPTM-DT/Omaha
(#75), WNYS/Syracuse (#76), KWBM/Springfield, MO (#77), KXLY4-2/Spokane
(#78), WBGT/Rochester (#79), WDKA/Paducah (#80), KSHV/Shreveport
(#81), WCFN/Champaign-Springfield & Decatur (#82), WBHQ/Columbia,
SC (#83), WZDX/Huntsville-Decatur (#84), WISC-DT/Madison
(#85), WDSI-DT2/Chattanooga (#86), WMYS/South Bend (#87),
KWKB/Cedar Rapids-Waterloo-Iowa City & Dubuque (#88),
WUFX/Jackson (#89), WAPK/Tri Cities, TN (#91), KWKT/Waco-Temple-Bryan
(#94), WBQD/Davenport (#95), WBXH/Baton Rouge (#96), WSAV-DT/Savannah
(#97), KDBC-DT/El Paso (#99), WTSN-WEVV-DT/Evansville (#100),
WMMP/Charleston, SC (#101), KFDF/Ft. Smith (#104), WFXI/Greenville,
NC (#105), WISE-DT/Ft. Wayne (#106), WCTV-DT/Tallahassee
(#109), WHTV/Lansing, MI (#110), KLPN-KFXK-DT/Tyler-Longview,
TX (#111), KAME/Reno (#112), KELO-DT/Sioux Falls (#114),
WRDW-DT/Augusta (#115), WRJM/Montgomery-Selma (#116), WAOE/Peoria
(#117), KEVU/Eugene (#121), WKBT-DT/LaCrosse-Eau Claire (#123),
KLAF-KADN-DT/Lafayette, LA (#124), KTOV/Corpus Christi (#129),
KRVU/Chico-Redding (#130), KCPN/Amarillo (#131), WCBI-DT/Columbus-Tupelo-West
Point, MS (#132), WTVO-DT/Rockford (#133), WSAW-DT/Wausau
(#134), KEJB/Monroe-El Dorado (#135), WIBW-DT/Topeka (#136),
KBJR-DT/Duluth-Superior (#137), KZOU/Columbia-Jefferson City
(#138), WMYW/Wilmington, NC (#139), KFBI/Medford-Klamath
Falls (#141), KPTH-DT/Sioux City (#143), KJBO/Wichita Falls & Lawton
(#144), WSWG-WSWG-DT/Albany, GA (#147), KPSE/Palm Springs
(#153), KYES/Anchorage (#155), WBPN/Binghampton (#156), WJHG-DT/Panama
City (#157), NOSA-DT/Odessa-Midland, TX (#159), KXII-DT/Sherman-Ada
(#161), WGFL-DT2/WLCF/Gainesville (#162), KIDZ/Abilene-Sweetwater
(#164), WPNY/Utica (#166), WTVY-DT/Dothan (#172), WJKP/Elmira
(#173), WNTZ/Alexandria (#176), KKRA/Rapid City (#177), WMQF/Marquette
(#180), WHSV-DT/Harrisonburg (#181), WTOK-WTOK-DT/Meridian
(#184), KGJT/Grand Junction-Montrose (#187), WTAP-DT/Parkersburg
(#190), KUVU/Eureka (#194), KXTS/Victoria, TX (#205) and
K17HC/Juneau (#207).
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