In Focus

Twentieth Television has nixed plans to launch a daily talk show with Suze Orman this fall. The company has had trouble lining up enough stations to carry the program. “Fewer available, attractive time periods in fall 2005 and the current economics of launching a daytime strip constrain the manner in which we wish to bring this very important program to viewers,” Twentieth said in a written statement.

The few desirable slots that were available for next season have already been claimed by The Martha Stewart Show from NBC Universal and The Tyra Banks Show from Warner Bros.

Twentieth had cleared The Suze Orman Show in the top five U.S. markets, split between NBC and Viacom stations. But it ran into trouble finding attractive time slots in the second-tier markets, which support fewer stations and have less space. Sony Domestic Television has also had difficulty finding clearances for a talk show starring Robin Quivers.

Although Orman’s project is being put on the shelf, she’ll continue to appear on a CNBC weekend personal-finance show. She also produces programs for PBS, writes articles and appears on QVC.

“There is much greater potential for Suze Orman in fall 2006, or possibly earlier, when a number of highly desirable time periods are slated to become available,” Twentieth said in its statement.

King World Productions CEO Roger King has said he hopes to launch a show created by Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Productions in fall 2006. Paramount Domestic Television is working on several projects that could be ready for next year, including a show hosted by entertainment reporter Steven Cojocaru.