‘Ricki Lake’ Lands NYC, LA, Chicago, Dallas

Twentieth Television has moved Ricki with Ricki Lake a big step closer to a fall 2012 launch in broadcast syndication, clearing the talk show on a host of additional stations including the Fox outlets in Los Angeles (KTTV), Chicago (WFLD) and Boston (WFXT). The show has now been cleared in more than half of the nation’s TV homes.

Other station groups signing on for Ricki include Local TV, Sinclair and Post-Newsweek, which picked it up for KPRC Houston.

Last week, Tribune Broadcasting said Ricki would appear on eight of its stations, including on CW affiliates WPIX New York, where it will be a 4 p.m. news lead-in, and KDAF Dallas. Tribune also picked up the show in Seattle (KCPQ); Sacramento, Calif. (KTXL); Hartford, Conn. (WTIC); Indianapolis (WXIN-WTTV); Harrisburg, Pa. (WPMT); and Grand Rapids, Mich. (WXMI).

Ricki is being sold in one-year deals on a cash-plus-barter basis (11 local minutes, 4 national). It’s the fourth syndicated daytime talk show to lock up major market station groups for 2012, which almost guarantees it moving forward.

Disney-ABC’s Katie with Katie Couric has cleared stations reaching more than 80% of TV homes, including the ABC O&Os in major markets. NBCUniversal’s Steve Harvey is cleared in 70% of the country, including NBC’s 10 owned stations. Last week, NBC stations also picked up CBS Television Distribution’s Jeff Probst, which has now cleared more than 55% of TV homes.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros. is out talking to stations about Bethenny Frankel.

Ricki is an Oprah-style show that will cover topics ranging from serious issues to lighter fare, according to people who have seen Twentieth’s pitch. Lake is currently a finalist on the 13^th season of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars and hosted a daytime talk show for 11 seasons in the 1990s and early 2000s.