Brian Damage
01-05-2007, 11:25 AM
Geraldo Rivera is no longer at large, at least in the broadcast world. His syndicated newsmagazine, "Geraldo at Large," was canceled on Thursday and Rivera will return to weekend work at Fox News Channel.
The news-oriented newsmagazine was foiled, in part, because it didn't have a distinctive home within the 93 markets that were airing it, said Bill Carroll, an expert in syndication for Katz Television. It was broadcast live in the late afternoon, but nearly half the stations are showing it after 11:30 p.m., he said.
The show's audience also proved too small and too old, he said.
"Geraldo is a great talent and did a tremendous job for us in syndication," said Roger Ailes, who heads both Fox News Channel and the Fox-owned stations. "His ratings were climbing in several markets, including New York. However, with the soft ad marketplace, the lack of an early news lead-in for his show in several cities and the timeline for financial success, I've asked him to come back to Fox News Channel."
Rivera's weekend show at Fox News Channel, "At Large with Geraldo Rivera," will resume after having been canceled because he took on the syndicated show. It runs both Saturday and Sunday. He'll also be a regular contributor to "The O'Reilly Factor."
In a prepared statement, Rivera said he was happy his new deal allows him to cover breaking news.
"I'm proud to work for Roger and I'm a team player," he said.
The news-oriented newsmagazine was foiled, in part, because it didn't have a distinctive home within the 93 markets that were airing it, said Bill Carroll, an expert in syndication for Katz Television. It was broadcast live in the late afternoon, but nearly half the stations are showing it after 11:30 p.m., he said.
The show's audience also proved too small and too old, he said.
"Geraldo is a great talent and did a tremendous job for us in syndication," said Roger Ailes, who heads both Fox News Channel and the Fox-owned stations. "His ratings were climbing in several markets, including New York. However, with the soft ad marketplace, the lack of an early news lead-in for his show in several cities and the timeline for financial success, I've asked him to come back to Fox News Channel."
Rivera's weekend show at Fox News Channel, "At Large with Geraldo Rivera," will resume after having been canceled because he took on the syndicated show. It runs both Saturday and Sunday. He'll also be a regular contributor to "The O'Reilly Factor."
In a prepared statement, Rivera said he was happy his new deal allows him to cover breaking news.
"I'm proud to work for Roger and I'm a team player," he said.