Arsenio Hall Signs Late-Night Talk Show Deal With CBS TV Distribution

CBS Television Distribution has signed actor/comedian Arsenio Hall to develop a syndicated late-night talk show for Fall 2013, it was announced today by John Nogawski, President of CTD.

With Tribune Broadcasting partnering in the production of the show, the new strip is set to launch on 17 Tribune stations, including in the three largest markets on WPIX, New York, at 11 p.m.; KTLA, Los Angeles, at 11 p.m.; and WGN, Chicago, at 10 p.m.

The late-night show is sold in all top 10 markets and 17 of the top 20 markets. It is already sold in 52% of the country.

While Tribune is the anchor of the station launch group, also signing on are major market stations from the CBS Television Stations group including Boston, San Francisco, Atlanta, Detroit, Tampa and Pittsburgh, plus Local TV LLC stations including key markets Denver, Cleveland, St. Louis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Greensboro and Norfolk.

Hall, who recently won the latest edition of NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice," is best known for hosting the Emmy Award-winning "The Arsenio Hall Show," a late-night syndicated talk show produced by Paramount Domestic Television (now CTD), which ran from 1989 to 1994. The show's place in pop culture history was cemented in June 1992 when then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton appeared on the show and played "Heartbreak Hotel" on the saxophone.

"We're excited to welcome Arsenio back to the family and partnering on his new, late-night syndicated talk show," Nogawski said. "Arsenio had a substantial following with his previous late-night show, and that same 18-34 audience is now right in the middle of the late-night core audience of 35-54. Years ago, he transcended time periods and attracted a cross-over audience while bringing a fresh perspective to late night. That same need in the market exists today as when we originally launched. We are looking forward to the same success with Arsenio's seasoned expertise and appeal in this genre."

Added Nogawski, "We're excited that Arsenio's show is the first syndicated show set for Fall 2013. Partnering with such a strong group of stations as Tribune Broadcasting, as well as the sales to CBS and Local TV stations in key markets, will be integral to the show's success.

"It's an amazing feeling to be going HOME to my old friends and colleagues and firing up our 'Night Thing,'" commented Arsenio Hall. "Let's get busy ... AGAIN!"

"Tribune's financial commitment to the production of the show reflects our belief that the growth of the broadcast business lies in investing in top-tier programming and content. Arsenio has a proven track record of success, and we are excited to partner with CBS Television Distribution on the production of Arsenio, with Tribune serving as the cornerstone of the station launch group," said Nils Larsen, President and CEO, Tribune Broadcasting.

"As Tribune evolves, we will continue to add first-run, original programming. Arsenio will be exclusive to broadcast and is a natural fit for our stations' Monday-Friday late-night time period," said Sean Compton, President of Programming and Entertainment, Tribune Broadcasting.

The new show will be produced by CBS Television Distribution, in association with Arsenio Hall Communications Ltd. and Octagon Entertainment Productions. Arsenio Hall will be executive producer. John Ferriter will also be executive producer.

Hall began his career in stand-up comedy, and soon caught the eye of television executives who tapped him for guest appearances on shows such as "Solid Gold" and "The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson," which led to his hosting Fox's "The Late Show" in 1997.

In addition to his stand-up and hosting work, Hall established a career as an actor in movies such as "Coming to America" and TV shows such as the CBS dramedy "Martial Law."

CBS Television Distribution is the preeminent company in television syndication. CTD produces or distributes 13 first-run series and holds the largest distributed television library at 70,000 hours strong. Among CTD's critically-acclaimed programs are the #1 syndicated series Judge Judy; talk leader Dr. Phil; the #1 and #2 rated game shows Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!; the Emmy Award-winning talk shows Rachael Ray and The Doctors; the #1 newsmagazine Entertainment Tonight and its sister show The Insider; the #2 newsmagazine Inside Edition; court shows Judge Joe Brown and Swift Justice With Jackie Glass; reality dating show Excused; the upcoming talk show The Jeff Probst Show; and popular off-network product, including the CSI and Star Trek franchises, Everybody Loves Raymond, Frasier, NCIS, Criminal Minds, NCIS: Los Angeles, The Good Wife, Blue Bloods, Hawaii Five-0, Hot in Cleveland and Undercover Boss. In addition, CTD handles the domestic television distribution of CBS News, CBS Films and Showtime. CTD is a unit of CBS Corp.

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