10 stations/4.92% of U.S.
When it comes to programming, for the most part, Granite is sticking with what it's got.
"We tend to stay with programs that do well or reasonably well, rather than chase the next year's hot trend-whether that be court, teen talk or reality. We would rather have long-term success and consistency than ephemeral bumps," says John Deushane, senior vice president, Midwest, for Granite Broadcasting.
Indeed, the group's major acquisitions have been for only two of its stations: The WB affiliates KBWB(TV) San Francisco and WDWB(TV) Detroit. Granite has acquired Talk or Walk
for both stations. For weekends, the group will add Mutant-X, Andromeda
and Beastmaster. It also is considering Fifth Wheel.
The majority of its stations will make only minor changes. Five stations are adding The Other Half
for daytime. "We really think that show will work very well out of the third hour of Today
for our NBC affiliates.
"It has done well for our affiliates, but we also think it will do well for our non-NBC stations," Deushane adds. "You've got Dick Clark's fingerprints all over it, which tend to be a pretty good thing to get behind."
He says the group will use The Other Half
as a replacement for Dr. Laura
and for Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus.
In daytime, Granite stations carry Maury,Rosie, Sally Jessy Raphael
and Oprah. Divorce Court
and Arrest & Trial
run on some stations.
Deushane says the group's access is working well with Seinfeld, Wheel ofFortune
and Jeopardy. Its WB stations air Drew Carey, Living Single, Jamie Foxx
and Arrest & Trial.
"We're not going to be experiencing a lot of programming changes," says Dueshane. "The way I look at it, a blue blazer never tends to go out of style, but the madras-plaid approach to program purchasing can certainly put a station into constant spin."
