Merv Griffin gameshow "Let's Play Crosswords," skedded to premiere in September, has been cleared in 30 of the top 40 markets, according to the show's owners, Program Partners, Merv Griffin Entertainment and the William Morris Agency.
With the deals, the half-hour syndicated strip will be in 65% of the country for the 2007-08 season.
Program Partners recently announced a deal with NBC owned-and-operated stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and Dallas as part of a comprehensive Peacock commitment to the project.
Stations carrying the gamer, whose host is still to be selected, include WNBC New York, KNBC Los Angeles, WMAQ Chicago and KNTV San Francisco.
Griffin is creator and producer of "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune."
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