Update: Bethenny Frankel's Talk Show to be Tested on Fox Stations This Summer

[JamesG]

Bethenny Frankel Taping Talk Show Pilot With Ellen DeGeneres' Involvement
Jun 15, 20111
by Kate Stanhope


Bethenny Frankel is moving forward with her own talk show, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Taping on the advice-based talk show pilot started earlier this month. Telepictures, the production company behind Ellen DeGeneres' show and Anderson Cooper's upcoming daytime series, is behind the pilot.

DeGeneres is also involved with the project.





The former "Real Housewives of New York City" star and Skinnygirl mogul recently told THR she hoped to make the leap from reality TV star to daytime host in the next few years.

After three seasons on the "Real Housewives", Frankel recently signed on for a third season of her Bravo spin-off, "Bethenny Ever After", which follows her family life and career.

If her talk show pilot is picked up to series, it would likely film in New York, according to THR.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Bethenny...w-1034278.aspx

[JamesG]

It's Plan B for Bethenny TV
November 25, 2011


Maybe Bethenny Frankel should have booked more sessions with her “nice coach.”

A talk show starring the “Skinny Girl” mogul and former “Real Housewives of New York” star failed to sell in syndication and has been dropped by Telepictures, Page Six has learned from sources close to the project.



But, they say, there’s a silver lining for the stick-thin booze baron, as some TV types have subsequently swooped in to offer her opportunities now that the syndication deal’s dead.

One insider says she’s received offers from both cable stations and networks. And she still has close ties with Bravo honcho Andy Cohen.







The margarita mogul shot a pilot for her “advice-based” program after numerous appearances “incubating” the concept on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” by appearing in segments that offered audiences advice on bargain shopping, relationships and healthy snacking.

But the pilot didn’t generate enough interest from local stations, and it was overshadowed when a slew of syndication projects from Katie Couric, Ricki Lake, Steve Harvey, Jeff Probst and Anderson Cooper were all snapped up.





Page Six reported last month that Frankel’s proposed show was flopping with station owners who found her to be “too aggressive” and fast-talking in meetings with them. Producers subsequently brought on a “nice coach” to help make Frankel less abrasive, we were told.

The reality star denied the report, calling it on Twitter one of the “idiocies” reported about her.





While her show failed to gain traction, Frankel found herself in a series of p.r. troubles — from allegedly fudging the ingredients in her cocktail concoctions to an accusation by a ship captain that she lied about being lost at sea.

A source close to Telepictures said, “Several stations expressed interest, but there’s probably not room for Bethenny’s show this year.”



A rep for Warner Bros. Television, which owns Telepictures, declined to comment.

Frankel’s rep declined to comment.

http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/it_p...FLroybvSqqT6GL

[TV Knowledge Fan]

...someone finally had the courage to say, after seeing the "sample" episode, "SHE'S supposed to be a talk show host???".

[JamesG]

Bethenny Frankel Talk Show Heading to Fox Stations This Summer
1/24/2012
by Lacey Rose


Bethenny Frankel is getting her daytime platform after all.

The former "Real Housewife’s" much-discussed talk show has been granted a six-week test on Fox stations later this summer. The one-hour daily effort, backed by Warner Bothers and Ellen DeGeneres, is being described as an entertainment talk show featuring her “no-nonsense perspective on everything from pop culture to current events to relationships.”





A truncated test would seem a fitting way to ease in after reports late last year that the daytime project had been pulled due to lack of station interest.

The test, which has proven a successful strategy for such shows as Wendy Williams, will do done in such major markets as New York and Los Angeles. If successful, she's poised to join a landscape that's about to grow more crowded with the entry of Katie Couric, Steve Harvey and Jeff Probst.





"A year ago we determined there was a need in the marketplace for a show that provided daytime women the opportunity to hang out with someone who understood their needs, desires and aspirations... a girlfriend," said Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution President Ken Werner.

The advice-based series, which will be filmed out of Burbank, will include beauty, fitness and lifestyle segments. The hope on the part of both the stations and producers is that Frankel will add a dose of relatability to the daytime market.

Over the last several months, she’s appeared regularly on Ellen as an early test of sorts.



"Bethenny is a rare talent, whose sense of humor, relatability and rags to riches success story lend themselves to her being a natural talk show host," said Telepictures president Hilary Estey McLoughlin.


Added Fox TV Stations’ svp of programming Frank Cicha, "Bethenny is a lightning rod, and from a marketing standpoint, we love the idea of her hit reality series dovetailing into this test."







Frankel will continue to build her brand in other genres and dayparts.

In addition to her Bravo series "Bethenny Ever After", which will return for a third season next month, she will continue to appear on Ellen.

Her first novel, Skinnydipping is set for release later this spring.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...how-fox-284436