Statement: Byron Allen Back At It Again With More Additions To His Enterprise
Allen Media Group
Broadcast: Niecy Nash from Reno 911! and Claws has been signed up to be the host of a new syndicated talk show. The TV series idea has been proposed by CBS Television Distribution, the studio behind The Drew Barrymore Show. Niecy Nash has a lot of experience hosting talk shows, as she hosted Style Network’s Clean House and has guest hosted on Today and Access Hollywood Live. Niecy Nash is represented by William Morris Endeavor (WME), Artists First, and Jackoway Austen.
Byron Allen has made another business deal this time, buying This TV which launched in 2008 and has films and classics, and family-friendly movie channel Light TV from MGM. Allen will now own 10 networks and 16 TV stations in 12 markets, according to Nexttv.com. As they have already been doing, Allen Media Group will continue to invest substantial amounts of capital into the programming, marketing, and distribution of its networks.
Galen Gordon has just been picked up by ABC News as an SVP for talent strategy and development. Gordon is a former coordinating producer for ESPN and WABC-TV. Gordon considers himself a journalist and worked to help people of color when he was VP for the National Football League (NFL) Media Group. He will start on November 30. PBS Promoted Sylvia Bugg to serve as Chief of Programming earlier this month. She will report to PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger. Bugg previously worked as VP of General Audience Programming. There she oversaw the PBS editorial team. When she worked as director of general audience programming, she pushed for drama, performance, and cultural programs. Bugg has an MBA, an MA in Journalism, and a BA in communications.
Cable: Digital TV Network Fox Soul will be home to a new syndicated talk show called Hollywood Unlocked with Jason Lee [Uncensored]. The first episode aired Friday, October, and will continue to air new episodes each Friday at 7 pm PT. The show will be executively produced by Jason Lee and will be hosted by DJ Damage and Blue Telusma. The show originally started off as a podcast, then later became a radio show on iHeartRadio, and is now a show on Fox Soul.
Peacock TV
Streaming: Comedian and writer Amber Ruffin’s new talk show The Amber Ruffin Show aired on NBC Universal’s streaming service Peacock, as did Larry Wilmore’s Late Night Talk Show, Wilmore. Wilmore premiered on September 18 and The Amber Ruffin Show premiered a week later. Both shows are on at the same time slot, at 9 PM ET. Ruffin also writes and performs on Late Night with Seth Meyers. Amber Ruffin was greenlit for 9 episodes so far. In addition to Amber Ruffin, The Amber Ruffin Show will be executively produced by Jenny Hagel, Seth Meyers, and Mike Shoemaker. It is produced by Universal Television.