Sponsored Content: Crosswords

May 8, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (2)

Ever since I last blogged about Reese Witherspoon being a big Merv Griffin’s Crosswords fan she and other celebrities have come out of the Crosswords closet. Reese, who just graced the cover of Marie Claire, spoke to People magazine about her home life. “The 31-year-old Academy Award winning actress says that her family just likes to spend time watching game shows "like the new 'Crosswords' and 'Deal or No Deal.” I’ve also seen Christina Applegate quoted as saying “It's nerdy, but seriously, crossword puzzles are really an obsession. I've got the entire cast and crew of Samantha Who? involved…” Now if we could just get Bill Clinton, whos...Read More

May 6, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (1)

One of the things I noticed when looking at February numbers was the dramatic growth enjoyed by “Crosswords” when aired in tandem with another game show.  And that’s important as we look forward to fall 2008 where we see quite a few game show blocks developing on the horizon that will include “Crosswords”, “Family Feud” and newcomer “America Plays Trivial Pursuits”

Historically, game shows have always done well when aired in blocks. Remember network daytime game rotations? A staple of daytime for many years. And it goes without saying that the pairing of “Wheel” and “Jeopardy” has had profound impact on the fortunes of television stations for many years.

Game blocks are ideal for...Read More

April 10, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (2)

It still amazes me how quickly the world has changed in such a short period of time. When I was a kid, being mobile just meant that you had upgraded to an extra long phone cord. Now here I am writing this blog as I watch my children play in the park at the beach. I just did some writing on a script I’ve been working on, answered my fan mail and caught up on some of my favorite television shows. All of this while never leaving the monkey bars. It’s an incredible world we live in where we are able to communicate and do business from wherever we are. With Verizon and AT&T’s recent announcement of plans to develop a high-speed wireless network that will blanket the nation, the marriage of old media and new media seems inevitable. The initial effects of that marriage are jus...Read More

March 13, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (5)

Happy Spring Forward everyone. St. Patrick’s Day is here and Easter and Passover are just around the corner. Hope everyone is staying healthy with this flu that’s going around. I’m just getting over it myself and just in time because things are really cooking over at Crosswords. Roy Bank has just joined the team. Roy had previously been at Mark Burnett’s company where he launched the very successful “Are You Smarter Than a 5^th Grader?” Roy’s talents, enthusiasm and slight Philadelphia accent are a huge addition to Crosswords and to Merv Griffin Entertainment. Ok, so maybe the accent’s not that big of a deal, but Roy is a big deal. I’m confident that he will infuse Crosswords with the same skil...Read More

March 10, 2008 | Link This | Email this | Comments (2)

Now renewing for a second season, Merv Griffin's Crosswords is the fast-paced, new generation “Q&A” game show in the great tradition of the genre from the legendary master of the game, Merv Griffin. 

Merv, the creator of the two most successful prime-access series in the history of television, introduced simple but dramatic features to a game of universal appeal in the series’ first outing. The game plays out in classic style – Beginning Game, Mid-Game, End-Game and Bonus Round. Players answer questions to solve a crossword and win. A bonus round heightens audience anticipation.

Going forward with the second season provides the exciting opportunity to continue to refine the series with a view toward delivering continued growth. Enter Roy Bank, former executive producer of Mark Burnett Productions’ Are You S...Read More