"The Tyra Banks Show" moves to CW

In a move that comes as a bit of a surprise, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution announced Thursday the move of The Tyra Banks Show to CW from first-run syndication - giving the network two hours to fill in its daytime lineup starting next September.

CW, home already to Ms. Banks' America's Next Top Model, acquired the program to run in early fringe from 3 to 5 p.m. in all time zones. The move replaces Judge Jeanne Pirro (which is shifting to first-run syndication) and repeats of Jamie Foxx and The Wayans Bros.

The Tyra Banks Show will air a repeat from a previous season at 3 p.m., followed by a new episode at 4 p.m. There are only 130 shows scheduled to be produced next season.

Warner Bros. Media Sales is selling the adtime (commercial spots) during the program.

This is not the first time of course, that a issues-oriented show has appeared on a network's daytime schedule. In 1991, CBS aired The Barbara DeAngelis Show, a short-lived talk show about relationships, while NBC has aired Leeza, Dr. Dean Edell, and The Other Side in its' daytime lineup.

Under terms of the agreement, Tyra remains in first-run syndication throughout the remainder of this current season. Her program is currently under contract with numerous Fox-owned stations, including WPWR-TV here. Recently, all eighteen Fox-owned stations purchased Debmar-Mercury's The Wendy Williams Show for next fall after a successful test run on a few of those stations- though at the time the Fox O&Os bought the show, it wasn't targeted as a replacement for Tyra Banks' talk show.

As for CW stations - many of them Tribune-owned outlets who already air Maury Povich and Jerry Springer, Tyra Banks is a good fit, perhaps better than the new T.D. Jakes show Trib stations picked up for next fall a few weeks ago.

As for Chicago-based Pirro, look for her show to likely wind up on WCIU-TV here - as the station is already home to two such programs from Warner - The People's Court and another Chicago-based courtroom show, Judge Mathis (better off, given CW has barely promoted Pirro's show.)