Broadcasting & Cable
Managers at Fox affiliates largely treated the news that Conan O’Brien is moving to TBS, and not their own late-night air, with a sigh of relief.
As rumors of Fox installing an O’Brien-hosted late night show picked up, the affiliates were mostly pessimistic on the concept, as they’re locked into syndication contracts in that time slot, or air local news, or both. Both news and syndicated shows offer a more lucrative revenue model than a network show.
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“We’re a local TV station,” said KPTV-KPDX Portland VP/General Manager Patrick McCreery. “We would’ve hated to give [late local news] up, and leave the people who want that out in the wind.” More…