Meredith Broadcasting Group Expands Better Reach

Meredith Broadcasting Group licensed daily lifestyle show Better to LIN TV, Northwest Broadcasting and Fisher Communications.

The deals will launch the show in 12 additional markets across the country, with Fisher starting in March, while LIN and Northwest kick it off in the fall.

Better is an hour-long program focusing on Meredith strengths like shelter and parenting, offering up to eight minutes for stations to insert local content. The female-skewing show, which launched last March, airs on 10 Meredith stations and three more owned by Journal Broadcast Group.

“What began as a local show on KPTV Portland [Ore.] has grown into a strong generator of local advertising revenue in our markets,” Meredith Broadcasting Group president Paul Karpowicz said. “Better provides recognizable branded content from more than 2,500 Meredith editorial contributors, offers a platform for local branding opportunities and gives local advertisers quality product placement.”

Meredith launched the better.tv broadband network last spring.

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.