Litton Pens Deal with ABC Station Groups

MT. PLEASANT: Litton Studios is to produce six new original half-hour E/I series exclusively for ABC stations for September 2011.

ABC-owned stations, Cox, McGraw-Hill, Newport and Post Newsweek are included in the deal. Litton will continue to distribute its previous lineup of E/I programming, including Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures, Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild and Animal Exploration with Jarod Miller, separately. Litton’s original three-hour programming block focuses on subjects like ocean and land animals, health and wellness and the digital connections between global cultures.

"Producing programming that protects a broadcaster’s license, educates children and entertains entire families is a privilege and a Litton tradition," said Dave Morgan, the president and CEO of Litton Entertainment. "Our company’s twenty year history of E/I quality programming began with Litton’s iconic leader in this category, Jack Hanna, whose series we launched in 1990, the same year the FCC first enforced the children’s television bill."

"Litton has garnered a reputation for developing E/I content that not only educates but entertains," commented Emily Barr, the president and general manager of ABC-owned WLS-TV in Chicago. "We know Litton will produce quality programs which will appeal to a family audience."

"The ABC Affiliate Association’s Board has recommended Litton’s lineup of E/I programs as the best programming and financial option for ABC affiliates," added Darrell K. Brown, the president of McGraw-Hill Broadcasting and chairman of the ABC Affiliate Board. "The combined footprint of the ABC Affiliates and the ABC owned stations delivering a consistent, high-quality E/I programming block provides viewers, advertisers, and stations the best possible solution."

"We are enthusiastic about this lineup of programming, which we know will resonate in the heart of the country," said Ray Cole, the president and COO of Citadel Communications.