Hearst moves to 'Edge'

Station group develops series for Watson

By MICHAEL LEARMONTH

Watson

Hearst-Argyle Television is developing a series with former CNN host Carlos Watson featuring on-location interviews with figures in entertainment, sports and politics.

"The Edge With Carlos Watson" will begin airing on all of Hearst-Argyle's stations as a quarterly primetime special, but the station group has high hopes the show could ultimately take a daytime spot on the stations and be offered for syndication nationally.

Guests for the premiere episode, airing in April, include Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Sean "Diddy" Combs and NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon.

Watson, an entrepreneur and former Democratic operative, worked for three years at CNN alongside Wolf Blitzer and Larry King.

He left the news net last fall to form an independent production company and partnered with Hearst-Argyle to develop an interview show "for people who love Dave Chappelle but also read a newspaper."

"For the longest time I've felt there was an opportunity for a younger, hipper, fresher interview and conversation show," he said. "It's the kind of show that would draw people in who have a broad range of interests."

"Our stations are giving this show significant promotion and highly visible evening time periods in 2007," said Hearst-Argyle veep of programming Emerson Coleman. "Our intent is to grow and develop this franchise with an eye toward bigger opportunities in 2008 and beyond."

Hearst-Argyle Television owns 26 stations and manages three others that together reach 18% of the U.S. They include 13 ABC, 10 NBC and two CBS affiliates.