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Lexington Broadcast Services Company

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LBS Communications, Inc.
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryTelevision syndication
FoundedNovember 15, 1976; 48 years ago (1976-11-15)
Defunct1992; 32 years ago (1992)
FateAcquired by All American Communications
Successor
HeadquartersNew York City, New York, United States
ParentAll American Communications (1991–1992)

The Lexington Broadcast Services Company (first known as Lexington Broadcast Services and later known as LBS Communications) was a television production and syndication company founded on November 15, 1976, by advertising pioneer Henry Siegel, who, according to Advertising Age, was "the man who built Lexington Broadcast Services into the nation's largest barter syndicator, and thus defined that segment of the TV ad business."[1][2]

History

LBS was originally a unit of Grey Advertising, in order to develop products that were marketed for syndication. Some of the first products that were made were Not for Women Only, which was produced by WNBC-TV in New York City, and Hot Fudge, which was produced by then-ABC O&O WXYZ-TV in Detroit.[3] Siegel was moved from Grey Advertising's president in order to become head of Lexington Broadcast Services Company.[4] In 1977, it launched its first breakout hit for the company, Sha Na Na, for syndication, with advertising on a barter basis.[5]

In December 1982, it entered into a partnership with Columbia Pictures Television to bring the ABC drama Family to off-net syndication starting in September 1983, with LBS handling distribution under license from Columbia Pictures Television, which was sold onto a barter basis.[6][7] The success of Family led to the formation of the Colex Enterprises joint venture (as mentioned below).[8] In 1986, it launched a syndicated block with DIC Entertainment and Mattel, Kideo TV.[9][10] That year, DIC and LBS formed the Family Theater package of eight animated specials, and decided that DIC and LBS would team up with Columbia Pictures Television to produce a live-action Dennis the Menace feature film.[11]

In 1985, LBS, DIC Enterprises and Karl/Lorimar Home Video set up a home video distribution venture, Kideo Video, which released titles from LBS' Kideo catalog, through which, by 1986, LBS planned to release titles for the videocassette market, and it gained programming rights for 200 Kideo titles. By 1987, LBS had to market beauty videocassettes due to the underperforming expectations of the initial Kideo videocassettes, and sponsored made-for-TV specials would not be included in its initial deal.[12]

In June 1987, DIC and LBS settled their lawsuits regarding Kideo Video "amicably" out of court, due to the cross complaints that stemmed from the home video label beginning in 1985. The settlement allowed Lorimar Home Video to continue distributing for the home video market certain kids' animated programs, and called for LBS and DIC to have the right to enter into separate home video agreements independently of each other. In addition, the rights of one of the companies could be independent of each other, and also independent of Lorimar Home Video, and the issue of a joint account that LBS was managing and allegedly was being trafficked in and out of the Cayman Islands was raised. It was revealed that there was wrongdoing in the $250 million account co-owned by LBS.[13]

In late July 1987, LBS Communications, on behalf of Westgate Entertainment, began marketing a $3 million, two-hour barter syndicated special on the Titanic, and LBS and Westgate had exclusive rights to the taped footage of the attacks at that time. The company had to feed the special to an ad-hoc network of TV stations on October 28, and at least 30 minutes of the two-hour special would be from Monte Carlo. It was decided that LBS would sell the telecast as part of a four-special barter package.[14]

The company was known for distributing programs from DIC Entertainment and Columbia Pictures Television (including select material from Columbia subsidiary/label Screen Gems), by way of its Colex Enterprises joint venture with Columbia,[8] in addition to the 1991 syndicated re-launch of Baywatch. The company was also known for handling Elia Kazan's films that he directed from 1945 to 1976, and syndicating selected Bob Hope-produced movies that reverted to him after their initial release. That year, LBS Communications built up its distribution arm to allow stations to broadcast syndicated TV productions from outside production companies, and Paul Siegel would take over as president of the LBS Entertainment division. He had plans for advertising with Paramount Domestic Television and Coca-Cola Telecommunications, but the company then found itself in the cold, and the alternatives failed to materialize due to a management buyout of the company from Grey Advertising by Marvin Davis, who was a former employee of the 20th Century-Fox film studio.[15]

Around the time that LBS' partnership with Columbia Pictures Television ended in late 1989, LBS began to lose money, and in December 1991, LBS filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. As a result, the company ended up having to sell between 80 and 85 percent of its assets to its Baywatch distributor partner, the Scotti Brothers' All American Television. In 1997, All American was sold to Pearson plc, and was re-branded as Pearson Television. Pearson Television later merged with CLT-UFA to form RTL Group and Pearson Television was renamed Fremantle. As of today, some of LBS' library is owned by Fremantle, while many of their programs are owned by other companies.

Programming distributed by LBS

TV programs

Title Run Co-producer Current distributor
Not for Women Only 1976–79
Hot Fudge 1976–80
The Andy Williams Show 1976–77 Pierre Cossette Enterprises
Sha Na Na 1977–81 Pierre Cossette Enterprises
Sorority '62 1978 Dick Clark Productions
Hee Haw Honeys 1978–79 Yongestreet Productions Ryman Hospitality Properties
The Health Field 1979–84
Doctor Snuggles 1981 Polyscope
The Glen Campbell Music Show 1982–83 Pierre Cossette Productions
Gaylord Program Services
In Search of... 1982–83 Alan Landsburg Productions NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
Super Friends 1982–85 Hanna-Barbera
DC Comics		 Warner Bros. Television
Inspector Gadget 1983–86 DIC Enterprises WildBrain
Family 1983–84 Columbia Pictures Television
Spelling/Goldberg Productions		 Sony Pictures Television
How the West Was Won 1983–84 MGM Television Warner Bros. Television
LBS Children's Theater 1983–85 Various Various
The Greatest American Hero 1984–85 Stephen J. Cannell Productions Shout! Factory
Heathcliff 1984–85 DIC Enterprises WildBrain
Tales from the Darkside 1984–88 Laurel Entertainment
Jaygee Productions		 CBS Media Ventures
INDAY
  • It's A Great Life
  • All About Us
  • INDAY News
  • What's Hot? What's Not?
 1985–86 Tribune Broadcasting
M.A.S.K. 1985–86 DIC Enterprises WildBrain
Care Bears 1985 DIC Enterprises WildBrain
What's Happening Now!! 1985–88 Columbia Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television
Kideo TV 1986–87 DIC Enterprises
Mattel		 WildBrain
Canned Film Festival 1986 Young & Rubicam
Chelsea Communications		 Keurig Dr Pepper/Fremantle
The New Gidget 1986–88 Ackerman/Riskin Productions
Columbia Pictures Television		 Sony Pictures Television
The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin 1986–87 DIC Enterprises
Atkinson Film-Arts		 The Jim Henson Company
The Real Ghostbusters 1987–91 DIC Enterprises
Columbia Pictures Television		 Sony Pictures Television
The New American Bandstand 1987–88 Dick Clark Productions
Hardcastle and McCormick 1987–88 Stephen J. Cannell Productions Sony Pictures Television
New Monkees 1987–88 Coca-Cola Telecommunications
Straybert Productions		 Sony Pictures Television
Family Feud 1988–92 Mark Goodson Productions Fremantle
Police Academy 1988–89 Ruby-Spears Productions
Warner Bros. Television		 Warner Bros. Television
Crazy Like a Fox 1989 Columbia Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television
The New Adventures of He-Man 1990 Jetlag Productions
Parafrance Communications		 NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
Dragon Warrior 1990 Saban International
Memories...Then and Now 1990–92 NBC News Productions NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
Baywatch 1991–92 The Baywatch Company
Tower 12 Productions		 Fremantle

Ad sales

Colex Enterprises

Films

TV specials

Title Run Co-producer Current distributor
The Clairol Crown 1979–81
Strawberry Shortcake 1980–85 Kenner Products
Mueller/Rosen Productions (#1-#3)
Murakami-Wolf-Swenson (#1/#3)
Perpetual Motion Pictures (#2)
Nelvana (#4-#6)		 CBS Media Ventures (#1-#2)
WildBrain (#3-#6)
Peter and the Magic Egg 1983 Mueller/Rosen Productions
Murakami-Wolf-Swenson		 CBS Media Ventures
The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings 1983 Kenner Products
Atkinson Film-Arts		 Cloudco Entertainment
The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine 1984 Kenner Products
Atkinson Film-Arts		 Cloudco Entertainment
Poochie 1984 DIC Enterprises WildBrain
The Adventures of the Get Along Gang May 6, 1984 Nelvana Cloudco Entertainment
GoBots: Battle for GoBotron 1984 Hanna-Barbera
Tonka		 Warner Bros. Television
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear December 8, 1984 Columbia Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television
Peter and Paul 1985 Universal Television NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
Hope Diamonds 1986 Hope Enterprises Sony Pictures Television
The Story of Rock 'n Roll 1987 Chelsea Communications Fremantle
Return to the Titanic...Live October 28, 1987 Westgate Communications Fremantle
Bonanza: The Next Generation 1988 Bonanza Ventures
Gaylord Productions		 Entertainment One
Exploring Pyschic Powers...Live 1989 Fremantle
The Billy Martin Celebrity Roast September 30, 1989 Multiview Productions Fremantle
It Nearly Wasn't Christmas 1989 Ventura Entertainment Group Fremantle

References

  1. ^ "50 Who Made A Difference", page 45. Advertising Age, Spring 1995.
  2. ^ "Media Dealmakers Summit focuses on industry's new realities". 5 February 2010.
  3. ^ "Lexington Broadcast goes full stream into syndication" (PDF). Broadcasting. 1976-11-29. Retrieved 2021-11-15.
  4. ^ "Grey gets deeper in barter with Lexington subsidiary" (PDF). Broadcasting. 1976-11-22. Retrieved 2011-11-16.
  5. ^ "Programming Briefs" (PDF). Broadcasting. 1977-07-04. Retrieved 2021-11-16.
  6. ^ "Family" (PDF). Broadcasting. 1982-12-20. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  7. ^ "Monitor" (PDF). Broadcasting. 1983-02-14. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
  8. ^ a b "Sale in the works for 'Eden' mini-series". Broadcasting. 1984-01-30. p. 45.
  9. ^ Perlmutter, David (2014). America Toons In: A History of Television Animation. pp. 207–212. ISBN 9780786476503. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
  10. ^ "The Hot Team. The Hot Programs. The New Hot Weekend Network for Kids" (PDF). Broadcasting (LBS ad). January 6, 1986. pp. 8–9. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  11. ^ "DIC Fields 8-Pack Through LBS; Dennis Will Menace Again". Variety. 1986-08-20. pp. 51, 74.
  12. ^ Melanson, James (1986-09-10). "LBS Enterprises Division Plans To Market Videocassettes". Variety. pp. 56, 58.
  13. ^ "LBS And DIC Settle Lawsuit On Kideo Vid". Variety. 1987-06-03. pp. 61, 76.
  14. ^ "LBS Stringing Ad Hoc Network To Launch Syndie 'Titanic' Spec". Variety. 1987-08-05. p. 39.
  15. ^ Dempsey, John (1987-05-06). "LBS Seeking To Shore Up Syndie Division In Wake Of Barter Bust". Variety. pp. 586, 592.
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