Tegna Adds New Morning Show In 12 Markets

Tegna’s latest original show, Sister Circle, a live, daily talk show hosted by a panel of four female hosts, will premiere on Monday, Sept. 11, on 12 Tegna stations and will also be shown on the black-targeted cable network TV One live at 9-10 a.m. ET.

This is the first time TV One, which reaches 59 million households, will carry original programming from a local station group. Sister Circle will be produced out of Tegna’s WATL Atlanta and reach 60% of U.S. television households, Tegna says.

Sister Circle, Tegna says, “will empower and inspire African-American women and include news and insights on relationships, parenting, fitness, personal finances, the latest trends and the joys and frustrations of everyday life, all from the compelling, humorous and sincere perspective of the show’s hosts.”

The show will also feature interviews with celebrity guests and expert opinions on “key and relevant issues.”

Sister Circle will also offer multiple ways for the audience to engage in the program, including the launch of a live, interactive polling app, which will help drive discussion across social media 24/7.

Sister Circle’s hosts have spent their careers in journalism, business, music and entertainment. They include: Quad Webb-Lunceford, Married to Medicine reality-TV breakout star; Syleena Johnson, a Grammy-award nominated singer and R&B Divas TV star; Rashan Ali, TV host, sports reporter and radio show host; and Kiana Dancie, a stand-up comedienne, radio personality and actress. The hosts will be joined by ‘DJ Q,’ who, when not spinning records, “adds a guy’s unique POV to the Sister Circle discussion.”

“We are excited to bring this diverse and groundbreaking live show to audiences across multiple platforms,” said Bob Sullivan, Tegna SVP of programming. “Audiences will love the chemistry and personalities of our hosts and engaging with them across platforms throughout their day. The show will discuss important issues facing the African-American community and offer insight and perspective that is not easily found on daytime TV. We are excited to bring the show’s point of view to our Tegna communities and thrilled to partner with TV One to air the show nationally. The channel represents the best in black culture and entertainment and Sister Circle is a perfect fit in their morning news and lifestyle lineup.”

D’Angela Proctor, TV One’s head of original programming, said: “The collaboration between TV One and Tegna allows us to present a talk show uniquely tailored to African-American women that will bring the energy and fun of a good get together with your best girlfriends to our daily morning line up. Watching Sister Circle will be like having brunch with your best girlfriends every day. While the audience will come for the conversation, they’ll stay for the sisterhood.”

Veteran television executive Helen Swenson has been named the show’s senior executive producer and showrunner. She has spent more than 30 years in live television, program development, sales, digital and marketing. As SVP of The Weather Channel, Swenson created and developed “Wake Up With Al” featuring Al Roker. Swenson has also served as general manager and news director at various television stations across the country.