KW 1st qtr. revs jump
Wheel of fortune still spins
Citing Nielsen/SNAP rankings for November, the program distributor also claimed four of the top five firstrun strips in syndication: "Wheel of Fortune," accounting for 18% of the company's first-quarter revenues; "Jeopardy!" 16%; "The Oprah Winfrey Show," 38%; and "Hollywood Squares," 10%. "Inside Edition," 6% of the quarter's revenues, continued to lead syndication's newsmagazine shows while ranking as the eighth-highest rated firstrun strip.
The company attributed its revenue and income gains to newcomers "Hollywood Squares" and "The Roseanne Show,' the latter accounting for 7% of revenues. King World, which co-produces both programs, began distributing them in September.
Two setbacks
Offsetting the gains were lower rev from "Inside Edition" and cancellation of "American Journal," a program that contributed 4% to quarterly revenues while still in syndication a year ago.
Chairman Roger King cited "the development and acquisition of new programming assets" as a top priority for King World's cash-and-investment war chest of $700 million, more than ample to fund "The Martin Short Show" King World said it still planned to co-produce and distribute as early as next fall.
