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LET’S PLAY CROSSWORDS CLEARS 30 OF 40 TOP MARKETS
New Merv Griffin Game Show Gains Over 65% Clearance for Fall ‘07
Los Angeles, CA — March 19, 2007 — Program Partners, Merv Griffin Entertainment (MGE) and the William Morris Agency (WMA) have announced major market and group clearances for Merv Griffin’s Let’s Play Crosswords in 30 of the Top 40 markets. The deals take the half-hour syndicated strip past the 65% mark and insure a “firm go” for the 2007-08 season. The news comes on the heels of Program Partners’ announcement of its deal with NBC owned and operated stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Dallas as part of a comprehensive NBC commitment to the project.
“What you’re seeing here is a flight to quality,” said Ritch Colbert of Program Partners. “The response of top shelf stations to Let’s Play Crosswords has been overwhelming and a statement of the high regard they have for Merv Griffin, his incredible track record and this exciting new show.”
Griffin, who has earned 17 Emmys and numerous industry accolades as creator and producer of Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy! and his eponymous talk show, is one of millions of Americans who do crossword puzzles every day. “My challenge was to translate this satisfying pursuit into an entertaining television game,” he says. “I couldn’t ask for a better endorsement than these early commitments from so many major stations.”
Stations carrying Let’s Play Crosswords this fall now include New York (WNBC), Los Angeles (KNBC), Chicago (WMAQ), San Francisco (KNTV), Dallas (KXAS), Boston (WHDH/WLVI), Atlanta (WXIA/WATL), Phoenix (KTVK/KASW), Seattle (KING/KONG), Minneapolis (KSTP/KSTC), Cleveland (WOIO/WUAB), Denver (KUSA/KTVD), Orlando (WFTVWRDQ), Sacramento (KTXL), St. Louis (KPLR), Pittsburgh (WPXI), Indianapolis (WTTV/WXIN), Charlotte (WCNC), San Diego (KGTV), Hartford-New Haven (WTIC/WTXX), Raleigh-Durham (WLFL/WRDC), Nashville (WZTV/WUXP), Cincinnati (WKRC/EKRC), Milwaukee (WDJT/WMLW), Salt Lake City (KTVX/KUCW), Greenville-Spartanburg (WLOS/WMYA), West Palm Beach (WFLX), Grand Rapids (WWMT/WWMT-DT), Harrisburg (WPMT), Las Vegas (KVCW/KVMY), Memphis (WPXX), Oklahoma City (KOKH/KOCB), Buffalo (WGRZ), Jacksonville (WTVL/WJXX), Wilkes-Barre (WOLF/WSWB), New Orleans (WGNO/WNOL), Albany (WTEN/WCDC), Little Rock (KTHV), Dayton (WHIO), Mobile (WPMI/WJTC), Tulsa (KJRH), Charleston-Huntington (WSAZ/WSAZ-DT), Wichita (KSAS/KMTW), Tucson (KMSB/KTTU), Portland (WPXT/WPME), Spokane (KREM/KSKN), Syracuse (WSYR/ESYR) and Chattanooga (WRCB). Affiliates include stations from the NBC O&Os, Belo , Clear Channel, Cox, Gannett, Gray, Hubbard, McGraw-Hill, Pegasus, Raycom, Scripps-Howard, Sinclair, Sunbeam, Tribune and Young groups.
The series is a fast-paced, new generation “Q & A” game show in the great tradition of the genre. Let’s Play Crosswords is presented by Merv Griffin Entertainment, Program Partners & the William Morris Agency (WMA). The series will be produced for syndication in high-definition (HD).
About Program Partners, Inc.
Program Partners, Inc. is an innovative television company that collaborates with networks, sponsors and audiences on original programming. Led by a core group of entertainment executives, including founders Ritch Colbert and Josh Raphaelson, Program Partners provides distinctive programs with high production values, while fostering new creative alliances with advertisers, broadcasters and global co-production entities. For more info about Program Partners, Inc., visit www.programpartners.com.
About Merv Griffin Entertainment, Inc.
Merv Griffin Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production arm of Merv Griffin’s umbrella organization, The Griffin Group. Over the years it has provided original programming and long-format films for television, as well as theatrical features. Its latest original project, “Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead”, can be seen on Lifetime, and MGE is in pre-production on numerous other projects. Along with Merv Griffin, Andrew Yani and Raymond J. Brune serve as producers of MGE programming. See www.merv.com for more information on MGE and The Griffin Group of Companies.
About William Morris Agency
Founded in 1898, the William Morris Agency is the largest and most diversified talent and literary agency in the world, with principal offices in New York, Beverly Hills, Nashville, London, Miami Beach and Shanghai. The Agency represents clients in all segments of the entertainment industry, including Motion Pictures, Television, Music and Personal Appearances, Broadway Theatre and Theatrical Touring, Book Publishing, Commercial Endorsements, Sports Marketing, Licensing & Merchandising and Corporate Consulting. The William Morris Agency can be found on the internet at http://www.wma.com.
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Media Contact:
Program Partners:
Melissa Ford/Priority Public Relations
(818) 400-5133; melissa@prioritypr.net
Merv Griffin Entertainment:
Marcia Newberger
(310) 385-2745; Marcia_Newberger@griffgroup.com
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