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Dec - 21 | By: Shei |


CNN’s Anderson Cooper is starting a new talk show and has been signed up by over 80 local TV stations at last count. He looks to be the most viable one to take the place of Oprah who is leaving the syndicated market and moving to her new OWN cable channel.

“The momentum for this show is robust,” said Ken Meril, executive vp/general sales manager, of Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, given how “quickly and aggressively” outlets have signed on.

“Stations are recognizing ‘Anderson’ for both its instant wide-ranging appeal as well as its long-term franchise potential.”

Cooper previously told The Hollywood Reporter that the show would not track hard news as he does on CNN but rather would focus on water-cooler topics — the big celebrity interview one day, the personal story behind the headlines the next. There also will be undercover investigations and hidden-camera experiments. Cooper also said interactivity would be emphasized in order to involve viewers at home as well as those in the studio audience.

The five-day-a-week series will be based in New York and produced by Telepictures in association with StrongChild Prods.; Cooper will serve as an executive producer.

This will also make Cooper the first (allegedly) openly gay man to host such a prominent syndicated daytime talk show. Whether this will appeal to the housewives who were glued to Oprah (and formerly made Phil Donahue a talk show Icon) remains to be seen.