‘Wendy Williams’ Certain For Summer
More than 70% of country cleared
By Paige Albiniak -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/12/2009 11:25:00 AM
Debmar-Mercury officially proclaimed Wendy Williams a firm go on Monday, with more than 70% of the U.S. cleared. That includes stations in all 20 of the top 20 markets and in 45 of the top 50, with stations in the Fox, CBS, NBC, Local TV, Tribune, LIN, Cox, Raycom, Meredith and New Vision broadcast groups on the list.
Wendy Williams will premiere this July, and will be taped live daily in New York City at All Mobile Video, the facility where CBS Television Distribution’s Montel Williams was taped, said Lonnie Burstein, Debmar-Mercury’s executive vice president of programming.
Rob Dauber, formerly co-executive producer of NBC Universal’s Martha and supervising producer of CTD’s Oprah and Warner Bros.’ Rosie O’Donnell, will executive produce the show. Williams and her manager and husband, Kevin Hunter, also are executive producers, said Burstein.
Liz Koman will be the show’s executive vice president of branded marketing and Matt Uzzle will be the executive in charge of production.
Koman joins Wendy Williams from her previous role as senior vice president of broadcasting ad sales for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia from 2005-08. Koman also has served in senior sales roles at AMC from 2002-03, USA Network from 2000-01 and Tribune Entertainment from 1998-2000.
Uzzle most recently was production supervisor of Montel Williams.
