America Now Expanded to Daily Strip

SHERMAN OAKS: The weekend lifestyle series America Now from Raycom Media and ITV Studios America will be expanded to a daily format, with Debmar-Mercury distributing the program in association with 30 Steps for syndication.

Hosted by Bill Rancic, the lifestyle news magazine uses the news resources of affiliates across the U.S. to provide localized programming elements. The show first launched in October 2010 and is currently airing on 43 stations in all Raycom Media markets. Debmar-Mercury and Bill Marcus’s 30 Steps distribution company are distributing the show as a daily syndicated strip for fall 2011.

"We are delighted with America Now‘s consistent growth and performance and we are fortunate that we have Debmar-Mercury as our distribution partner to secure top flight clearances, which will make this a top new strip series for fall 2011," said Paul McTear, the president and CEO of Raycom Media.

"America Now has proven its worth on weekends and now, working closely with industry sales veteran Bill Marcus, we are able to roll it out as a weekday strip to stations hungry for a lifestyle magazine series with strong local production elements," added Debmar-Mercury co-president Ira Bernstein.