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Syndication (Foreign) - In
1987, MCA and Paramount Pictures negotiated a long term package deal with
China's only national network, China Central Television (CCT). This
historical hands across the ocean agreement called for the USA distributors
to supply programs one night a week between 8:00 P.M. and 10:00 P.M..
Officials from the People's Republic of China chose COLUMBO/NBC/1971-77,
FAMILY AFFAIR/CBS/1966-71, MARCUS WELBY, M.D./ABC/1969-76 and STAR
TREK/NBC/1966-69.
In the past, CBS broke the ice by broadcasting some
limited music and sports specials, but a continuing, fixed weekly schedule
was a first. The programs aired to over 400 million Chinese viewers.
On
January 8, 1989 FRAGGLE ROCK, the children's puppet program created by Jim
Henson, became the first American television series to be broadcast in the
Soviet Union.
In 1991, talk show host Geraldo Rivera became the first talk
show personality from the West to be scheduled on a daily basis in the USSR
on Moscow's Channel 2X2. The first program aired March 1st and featured a
segment about the death of Elvis Presley. According to Geraldo, he
anticipated there would be a spin-off of the series within a year starring a
homegrown Russian Geraldo-like host.
In 1995, the Carsey-Werner Company's
GRACE UNDER FIRE starring Brett Butler became the first US sitcom to run in
a regular time slot on Russian television. The hit ABC show began airing
April 10 on the Russia's TV 6 network. Until this time half-hour comedies
from the US never aired regularly on Russian TV. The series was carried in
English with a Russian voice-over explaining the story.
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