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Posted: Fri., Jul. 9, 1999

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HOLLYWOOD -- King World Prods. on Thursday reported strong third quarter earnings of $39.4 million, while revenues rose 15% to $192.7 million, helped by new syndie strips "Hollywood Squares" and "The Roseanne Show."

The Los Angeles-based television programming distrib's performance for the period ended May 31 was in line with most analyst's estimates.

King World's profits rose 15% over the $34.2 million the company earned during the third quarter in 1998.

Despite "The Roseanne Show's" disappointing ratings, the talker still helped offset decreased revenues from the cancellation of "Inside Edition." "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune" continued to perform well for the company in the Nielsens.

CBS agreed in March to acquire King World for $2.5 billion in stock. Shares of King World dipped 63� to close at $35.38, a loss of 2%.