Executive Action at Twentieth
Lori Bernstein has been named senior vice president of business and legal affairs at Twentieth Television, while Patrice Callahan was promoted to the same title. Rommy Czaplicki has been promoted to director of business and legal affairs at the company, according to David Shall, executive vice president of business and legal affairs and new business development at Twentieth.
Bernstein was previously at Buena Vista Television, where she spent eight years as senior vice president and head of business affairs. Callahan was named vice president of business and legal affairs at Twentieth in 2000. Prior to that, she headed business and legal affairs for four News Corp.-owned cable networks: FX, Fox Movie Channel, The Health Network and National Geographic. Czaplicki was most recently associate director of business and legal affairs at Twentieth but has been at Fox since 1992.
Rob, We Hardly Knew Ye
Twentieth Television officially has canceled talker The Rob Nelson Show, the studio said. Stations carrying the show will have episodes through Jan. 3.
"The economics didn't work, and it was an expensive show," said Twentieth Television President and COO Bob Cook. "The television stations gave it a chance, and they didn't see the kind of growth they had hoped for. It was a close decision for us." The show had been averaging a 1.1 in the national Nielsen ratings since launching in September.
Believe It and Strip It
Sony Pictures Television has cleared the half-hour strip Ripley's Believe It or Not in 65% of the country for fall 2003, after the show's successful run on cable network TBS. Sony is selling the show with a 4/3 barter split in favor of the stations and is being cleared in early fringe, late fringe and access.
Don't Get Your Hopes Up, Pittsburgh
America's Moving To…, a weekly half-hour program showcasing popular American cities, has been cleared in 33 U.S. markets covering 30% of the country, according to John Mansfield, president of Mansfield Television Distribution, and Toni Erickson Knight, founder and CEO of media-sales firm WorldLink.
Ryland Homes is the presenting sponsor of the show, which gives advertisers an opportunity to showcase their wares in an entertainment program.
