Fox station wnyw(tv) New York has dropped 'Donny & Marie' from its schedule next season.

-- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/12/2000

FOX station WNYW(TV) New York has dropped 'Donny & Marie' from its schedule next season. The show's distributor, Columbia TriStar, is actively searching for an alternative station in New York to pick up the talk strip, which is heading into its third season. Normally, a syndicated show can't survive if it isn't cleared in the New York market. Nevertheless, Columbia TriStar "remains passionate about the project and is committed to bringing it back for year three," said a studio spokesperson. In Los Angeles, the show will switch from KTTV(TV) to KCAL(TV) (slated at 4 p.m.) starting in September. Ironically, Donny & Marie was one of only two talk shows to post growth between May 1999 and May of this year, rising 7% to a 1.6. Maury Povich was the other stand-out, up 16% to a 3.6.