Tribune to Test Cunningham Pilot

Aims to pick up show in January 2011

By Paige Albiniak -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/5/2010 12:27:29 PM

Tribune Broadcasting is developing a talk show with syndicated radio host Bill Cunningham that it will test on select Tribune stations - including WGN Chicago - this summer. If the tests go well, the station group will pick up the show, tentatively titled Willie, in January 2011 and shop it for national syndication for fall 2011.

Five test episodes of the one-hour daytime show will be shot June 12 and 13 at Tribune's Bradley Place studio in Chicago, where the company used to shoot Bozo the Clown's daily kids' program. Richard Dominick, former executive producer of Jerry Springer, will produce. A staff of 20 is currently being hired to produce the test shows. Sean Compton, Tribune's new president of programming, is the show's creator.

Cunningham currently hosts a weekly syndicated radio show distributed by Clear Channel's Premiere Radio Networks that reaches 300 stations. He also hosts The Big Show with Bill Cunningham, a local show on 700 WLW Cincinnati, and appears frequently on Fox News Channel's Hannity.

While Cunningham's radio shows are political and lean conservative, his talk show will feature opinionated guests talking about a range of subjects but will not be political, say Tribune sources. It will be in the "conflict talk" mode of NBC Universal's Jerry Springer, Maury and Steve Wilkos, all of which Tribune air in daytime.

Tribune already tested out a weekend political hour featuring Cunningham and Springer, who is an old friend of Cunningham's, but that project fell through when it became clear that Springer didn't have time to dedicate to it.

Tribune is developing the show with an eye toward getting back into creating and distributing original programming, although the group plans to spend carefully and take its time developing new shows.