Maureen FitzPatrick To Lead ‘Daily Blast Live’

Tegna today named veteran executive Maureen FitzPatrick senior executive producer of Daily Blast Live, the new daytime syndicated show that will air live in every Tegna market this fall (the show has been renamed from the previously announced BOLD [Broadcast Online Live Daily].)

DBL is a 30-minute multi-platform news and entertainment show that Tegna describes as “designed to complement people’s busy lifestyles with unpredictable, entertaining and trending news.” The show will be produced out of KUSA Denver and air on 36 Tegna stations across the country.

FitzPatrick brings nearly 25 years of television production experience to DBL. Before joining Tegna, Maureen worked at CBS Television Distribution as an SVP and then EVP in charge of developing and launching new series for syndication and network sales, as well as guiding the re-tooling of several existing CTD brands.

While in that role, FitzPatrick was tapped by Judge Judy Sheindlin to launch her new series, Hot Bench, as executive producer. The show became the No. 1 new strip in syndication in the last 10 years, doubling its ratings in the first two seasons. Now in its third season, Hot Bench has consistently scored as the third highest-rated show in daytime, according to Tegna.

Prior to her role at CBS, FitzPatrick was both SVP of comedy development and SVP of digital content and development for FremantleMedia, where she developed a number of scripted live-action and animated half-hour comedies for USA Network, TV Land, Cartoon Network and the Hub, and where she created and launched the company’s first digital channel.

She also sold and produced the first scripted series that went from digital to broadcast, Secret Girlfriend, on Comedy Central.

Before Fremantle, FitzPatrick worked as an executive producer, programming consultant and producer for over 15 years, with overall deals at multiple studios, including Sony, Buena Vista, and Fox. Among her many program credits are The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Donny & Marie, Jenny Jones Show, The Pyramid, The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game.

DBL will run live in every market and time zone that it airs, providing audiences across the country with the unique opportunity to participate with the show and its hosts. Viewers can become a part of the show’s conversation by sharing their reactions and opinions on stories, voting on content and submitting videos and other content that may appear on the show.