'Ellen' Cleared in 99% of U.S. for 2011

By Michael Malone
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

Warner Bros. Domestic
Television Distribution (WBDTD) has cleared syndication standout The Ellen DeGeneres Show on stations
covering 99% of the country for 2011-2012, and has renewed it in over 85% of
the country for 2012-2013.

ABC, CBS and NBC
affiliates make up 95% of the 2011 clearances.

In addition to
renewing Ellen with NBC Local Media's
10 owned stations, WBDTD has sold the show to Hearst Television (13 stations),
Gannett (12) and select local outlets belonging to Scripps, Belo, Local TV,
Media General, Raycom and Cox, among other groups.

WBDTD President Ken Werner said he was "extremely gratified" by
stations' enthusiasm for Ellen.
"Stations and viewers alike have identified ‘Ellen' as a unique and compelling
program that is poised to become the dominant early fringe talk franchise for
women for years to come," he said.

Ellen has been cleared in early fringe time periods for
2011-2012 in 18 of the top 20 markets and 88 of the top 100.

Michael Malone
Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.