Longtime Oprah incumbent WBIR-TV Knoxville, Tenn., gave up rights to the show to Young Broadcasting Inc.'s WATE(TV) effective Sept. 2.
Sound familiar? WBIR-TV is the second Gannett Co. Inc. station to give up the show
this season.
WFMY-TV Greensboro, N.C., also opted out effective Sept. 2.
Jan Wade, general manager at WATE, jumped at the chance to pick up
Oprah from WBIR-TV. She thinks Oprah will double her station's
ratings at 4 p.m. leading into news. She'll find out Oct. 1 when the market becomes
metered by Nielsen Media Research.
To replace Oprah, WBIR created a home decorating/gardening show,
Style: A Show for You.
So does all of this mean Gannett and King World Productions had a falling out? Absolutely
not, said a King World spokesman, who noted that WBIR picked up Dr. Phil and
renewed Martha Stewart.
