Sony Renews 'Oz' in Top Four Markets

Fox keeps show in New York, Chicago while adding Philadelphia and losing L.A.

By Paige Albiniak -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/14/2010 5:06:27 PM

EXCLUSIVE: Sony has renewed Dr. Oz, this year's rookie talk hit, through the 2013-14 TV season in the country's top four markets, confirm sources.

Fox renewed the show on WNYW New York and WFLD Chicago, and grabbed the show from CBS-owned KYW for its WTXF Philadelphia for a 2011 start. In a surprise bid, KABC stole the show from Fox's KTTV in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is one market where ABC is unlikely to add more local newscasts when Oprah departs in 2011, giving the station a hole to fill.

Fox also owns the show in Boston and Austin, Texas, but Sony has yet to open those markets for bidding. Renewing the show on a market-by-market basis (as opposed to doing station group deals) seems to be working in Dr. Oz' favor, much like it has worked well for Warner Bros.' The Big Bang Theory, with stations bidding against each other to acquire the program.

Dr. Oz, a spin-off of CBS Television Distribution's Oprah, is the highest-rated new talk show to premiere since CTD's Dr. Phil, another Oprah spin-off, in 2002. In the May sweep, Dr. Oz tied Warner Bros.' Ellen DeGeneres as the fourth-highest ranked talk show behind Oprah, Dr. Phil and Disney-ABC's Live with Regis and Kelly.

On WNYW New York, Dr. Oz is the third-highest-ranked show at 3 p.m. behind ABC's General Hospital and Dr. Phil , averaging a 2.1 rating/7 share in the May sweep and a 0.9/6 among women aged 25 to 54, daytime's key demographic. WNYW also airs Dr. Oz in a secondary run at 11 a.m. each morning.

In Los Angeles, the show is the second-ranked program on KTTV at 5 p.m. behind only KABC's 5 p.m. news. In May, Dr. Oz averaged a 1.6/4 among households and a 1.0/5 among women 25-54.  KTTV also airs the show at 11 a.m.

In Chicago, WFLD airs Dr. Oz at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., where it comes in sixth in the market with a 1.0/3 among households and a 0.6/3 among women 25-54.

In Philadelphia, CBS' KYW airs the show at 9 a.m., where it comes in third in the hour behind Regis and Kelly and NBC's The Today Show with a 1.8/6 among households and a 0.5/4 among women 25-54.