Tribune Broadcasting's The WB Television Network affiliate, WPIX New York, has decided to clear out its movies and repurposed WB shows Saturday night -- the netlet doesn't program Saturday -- to make room for a block of New York-themed 1970s sitcoms.
The "PIX at Night" block (not to be confused with PAX or Nick at Nite) launches Oct. 2 with a slate of Welcome Back, Kotter, The Jeffersons, Odd Couple, and Taxi.
Odd Couple already airs on the station at 2:30 a.m. and will continue to run there as well.
The move is a combination of several factors, according to a station spokesman. For one, A-list broadcast movie packages are harder to come by, with films often going first to the cable channel siblings of studios. For another, the flood of first-run, syndicated action dramas that had been a staple of the station has become a trickle. The third?--a creative program director.
