Sinclair Broadcast Group will test a new daytime crime talker, The Security Brief with Paul Viollis, starting Dec. 21, the station group said Monday.
The show, created and executive produced by Terry Murphy and her East 86th Productions, will launch with a four-week run in thirteen Sinclair markets: Baltimore, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Columbus, Birmingham, Asheville, Raleigh, Nashville, Norfolk, West Palm Beach, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. Murphy previously executive produced Sony Pictures Television’s Nate Berkus, and also produced such daytime standards as Sally Jessy Raphael and Jerry Springer.
“We are excited about the prospects for The Security Brief. Terry has the depth of experience and talent to both devise and execute an innovative production model with seamless, organic integrations,” commented Arthur Hasson, COO of Sinclair Programming in a statement.
The Security Brief is being billed as daytime’s first-ever crime-focused talk show. This fall, Warner Bros.' launched a new magazine, Crime Watch Daily, which is the first syndicated show to take on the true crime genre. Viollis is a law enforcement veteran and security expert who currently hosts a podcast for CBS’ Play.It podcast network by the same name.
The daytime talker will feature stories of true crime, including interviews with the people involved, field pieces and news clips. The end of each episode will offer tips to keep viewers from falling prey to some of the crimes and frauds presented. These solution-oriented segments will also offer opportunities for branded integrations.
"True crime has done exceptionally well in other formats, but there's a void in the daytime talk market,” said Murphy in a statement. “We’ve reformatted true crime for the daytime audience and created a show that has all the edge and anticipation of traditional crime shows, while remaining fundamentally positive, empowering, and advertiser-friendly, with countless opportunities for organic product integration.”
Murphy and her team already have produced 75 episodes of the show, and plans to return in January to produce 75 more at its studio space at 106th and Park in upper Manhattan. Murphy financed the show using seed capital and intends to monetize it by deals such as this one with Sinclair as well as cable, digital and international distribution.
“We’re a small, privately funded company delivering a syndication — quality strip for a fraction of the cost of big syndication companies by leveraging efficiency and experience to streamline decision-making and eliminate fat.
“Our goal,” said Murphy, “is to deliver great content at a sustainable price point to enable our broadcast partners to play the long game, and help grow The Security Brief into a multi-year franchise.”
