Fox Stations, WB Slot ‘Bethenny’ Test Run

Fox Television Stations and Warner Bros. will debut a six-week preview of Bethenny. Expected to begin this summer, the program will be available on select Fox-owned stations in markets, including New York and Los Angeles.

Bethenny will be a daily, one-hour entertainment talk show starring author, entrepreneur and reality star, Bethenny Frankel. Broadcast from Burbank, Calif., produced by Telepictures Productions and executive produced by Frankel and Ellen De Generes, the program will feature Frankel’s “no-nonsense perspective on everything from pop culture and current events to relationships, beauty, fitness and lifestyle segments.”

Frank Cicha, SVP of programming, Fox Television Stations, said in a statement: “Bethenny is a lightning rod, and from a marketing standpoint, we love the idea of her hit reality series dovetailing into this test.”

“A year ago we determined there was a need in the marketplace for a show that provided daytime women the opportunity to hang out with someone who understood their needs, desires and aspirations … a girlfriend,” said Ken Werner, president, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. “The research is clear that Bethenny is that person. Fox shared our vision and we have partnered with them to demonstrate to the rest of the country how compelling such a show can be.”

Frankel first garnered national attention after she was named first runner-up on NBC’s The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. Following that, she starred in Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York for three seasons. Later, she starred in Bravo’s spin-off series, Bethenny Getting Married? and continued with a second successful season called Bethenny Ever After. A third season of the program will premiere on Bravo in February 2012. Frankel will also continue to regularly appear on Ellen.

She is also a three-time New York Times best-selling author with Naturally Thin, The Skinnygirl Dish and A Place of Yes. Her first novel, Skinnydipping, is set for release on May 1. Frankel is a formally trained natural food chef and creator of all-natural nutritional product line and a line of “problem-solving undergarments.”