TMZ Hip Hop is coming to Fox-owned stations in 10 major markets: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Houston, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Phoenix and Minneapolis. The show — which will be hosted by a panel composed of Amber Diamond, DJ Hed, Cynthia Luciette, Rodney Rika and Tonio Skits — debuts Monday, April 11, and will run for four weeks.
The agreement covering the group’s 28 stations in 18 markets makes Fox the first network O&O station group to adopt Rentrak’s local TV ratings across all stations.
The MGM syndicated video clip strip’s Monday-Friday clearance is now 65%, which will increase to 85% this fall with the Fox deal.
News Sharing: Fox Holds Firm, NBC Rethinks
Begun as a bottom line necessity for many stations back in 2009, the pooling of news coverage and helicopters is still growing, even though one of the original participants, the NBC stations, is getting out or reducing its involvement in several markets, including New York and Los Angeles. Other broadcasters remain bullish: “This is about enhancing our coverage; this is not about skimping,” says Scripps Television’s Lana Durban Scott.
