John Tesh Selling Half-Hour Syndie Strip

John Tesh is returning to broadcast syndication for the first time since leaving CBS Television Distribution’s Entertainment Tonight in 1994 with a half-hour Monday-Friday strip for fall 2014. Intelligence for Your Life is based on the radio show he has hosted for 12 years and which was recently renewed by WestwoodOne. Tesh’s wife, actress Connie Sellecca, and their adult son Gib Gerard will co-host Intelligence with Tesh.

The show, which focuses on healthy living and improving your life, is being distributed by TeshMedia Group.

Next month, Tesh will start selling the show to stations, positioning it as a companion to local news, either as a standalone half-hour or as two back-to-back episodes. Clips from the show will be available for stations to insert into their local news.

“We also have a strategy where we can put our Intelligence video player on local TV websites where we can serve local advertisers,” Tesh says. “We are thinking with the local TV station in mind first, which is how we’ve made the radio show successful.”

Tesh says he’ll promote the TV show to his radio audience of 8.2 million weekly listeners.

He has advisers on the TV show, including former Tribune executive Bob Cook and onetime Paramount executive Mark Dvornik.

Intelligence for Your Life is positioned as a personal improvement show with tips to improve your health, relationships, finances, careers and other aspects of your life. Tesh says in the opening credits: “Making you healthier, happier, better at everything you do.”

On the show, Tesh and Sellecca report stories and often break away to experts such as Dr. Tasneem Bhatia who provide more information on topics, like a segment in the pilot about foods that keep people awake.

Gerard’s segments are geared to younger adults, like posting photos online.

There will also be branded content on the show, meaning segments where advertisers’ products are shown and discussed.

“A lot of advertisers want to be integrated,” Tesh says. “The best way to do that is to be transparent. As long as the content is strong, people will stay with it.”