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71-487: Following his death, it was run by his son Roger until it was acquired by CBS in 1999 and merged with CBS Paramount Domestic Television to form CBS Television Distribution (now CBS Media Ventures ). Following Roger King's death, the company continues to exist on paper as an intellectual property holder and under the moniker of KWP Studios Inc. to hold the copyrights for television shows like Rachael Ray , which aired from September 18, 2006 to July 28, 2023. The division

142-568: A "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" as a bottom-line recommendation on whether to see a reviewed movie or not. This system departed from the longstanding tradition of ratings with a number of stars or other symbols. As the show became more influential, studios would proudly advertise when their movie got "two thumbs up". In response, the phrase was trademarked in 1995 to ensure against fraudulent use that would endanger its credibility. The critics frequently qualify their recommendations (e.g., "a mild thumbs up" or "two thumbs way down") in their remarks, but

213-432: A back-and-forth debate over the merits. Siskel and Ebert were especially known for sharp criticism that veered close to personally attacking each other, although they insisted this was largely a television act rather than a feud. The show also recommended films coming on the home video market, including comments on DVD special features. Reviews from the week's show were posted on the website, atthemoviestv.com, usually on

284-438: A distinctly visual medium, this put the producers on edge. They worried that Ebert's disfigurement would produce a decline in viewership and lower ratings. The show became available online toward the end of 2006, with access to movie reviews on demand. In June 2007, the online program updated its archive, making available all movie reviews since 1986. After the show's cancellation in 2010, the archive and site were shut down. Over

355-483: A few minutes for the hosts to give their opinions of a current issue related to the motion picture industry or to pay tribute to something. Another recurring feature was their "Memo To The Academy" episode, where they offered award nominee recommendations to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . At the end of every year, the two hosts would run down their choices of the top ten best films from that year, followed

426-503: A general commentary on ethical standards for film critics that other commentators interpreted as critical of Lyons and responding to comparisons of Ebert and Lyons. Ebert later acknowledged that Lyons was the subject of the commentary. During the first two months of Lyons & Mankiewicz's first and only season, ratings for the show slumped 23% to 1.7 total million viewers, compared with same period during Roeper's final season as host, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research , with

497-415: A half hour. From 1986 to 2009, the show compiled "best of the year" film lists which helped to provide an overview of the critics' critical preferences. Their top choices were: From the 1980s to the 2000s, the show complied "best of the decade" movie lists, thereby helping provide and overview of the critics' critical preferences. Only two films for this listing were named by the critics as the best film of

568-442: A new closing logo to replace the old logos of King World, CBS Paramount Domestic Television, and its predecessors. CBS Television Distribution was renamed CBS Media Ventures in 2021. King World was responsible for the highest rated shows in syndication for over two decades. They also had the television rights to a large library of theatrical films. When it was acquired by Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 2000, it distributed

639-529: A new contract. His last show aired on the weekend of August 16. The same day, Ebert announced on his website that Disney had "decided to take the program... in a new direction" and that he would therefore no longer be associated with the show. Both Ebert and Roeper hinted at returning for a new show that would continue the format Ebert and Siskel devised. The next day, Disney announced that Ben Lyons (whose father, Jeffrey Lyons succeeded Ebert and Siskel on Sneak Previews ) and Ben Mankiewicz would take over as

710-609: A new film review program called Ebert Presents: At the Movies , which would make use of the "Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down" formula he and Siskel introduced. WTTW in Chicago, where Siskel and Ebert had their start, picked up the show, and began to nationally syndicate it on public television on January 21, 2011. The show also aired worldwide on the Armed Forces Network . Its principal co-hosts were originally announced as Christy Lemire of

781-431: A number of CBS -produced series for syndication, such as Everybody Loves Raymond (ancillary rights to this series are owned by HBO ), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation , CSI: NY , and CSI: Miami . King World turned part of its attention to producing in-house newsmagazines including American Journal and Inside Edition . Roger King (producer) Roger Monroe King (August 22, 1944 – December 8, 2007)

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852-674: A panel discussion. The votes of the whole panel were then tallied to provide the show's recommendation. Guest critics on the September 6, 2008, debut of the segment included Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe , Tory Shulman of ReelzChannel , and Matt Singer of IFC . Introduced during the Phillips/Scott era in 2010, The "Over/Under" was a segment where the reviewers pick films of a certain genre that they think are overrated and underrated. Occasionally, special shows were produced that focus on particular aspects of film or home video. The show gives

923-494: A segment called "Roger's Office", in which he used a computer voice or guest narrator to review movies or to talk about the industry; he did not debate the hosts or use the "Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down" method himself for the same film in the same episode as Lemire and Vishnevetsky: "They'll be awarding the Thumbs, and you can't have three Thumbs." As it became more common for Ebert to give solo reviews for films that did not screen in time for

994-505: A successor of Siskel at the Chicago Tribune , co-hosted with Roeper. Starting on September 6, 2008, Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz took over as hosts; their partnership lasted only one season. On August 5, 2009, it was announced that Phillips would return to the show as a permanent co-host, teaming with A. O. Scott of The New York Times for what would be the program's final season. During its run with Siskel and Ebert as hosts,

1065-412: A syndication deal and agreed to distribute her Chicago -based daytime talk program nationally, resulting in the premiere of The Oprah Winfrey Show in September of that year. The acquisitions paid off, and Oprah , Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune became three of the most popular shows in the history of television syndication, drawing high ratings consistently well into the 21st century. In particular,

1136-462: A tribute to Siskel along with Diane Sawyer , Charles Gibson , Peter Jennings , and Joel Siegel , fellow critic and friend of Siskel. The last show that Siskel and Ebert hosted together aired during the weekend of January 23–24, 1999. On that show, they reviewed At First Sight , Another Day in Paradise , The Hi-Lo Country , Playing by Heart , and The Theory of Flight . Ebert continued

1207-517: The Associated Press and Elvis Mitchell of National Public Radio . Mitchell was dropped before the new series entered regular production; his replacement was Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of Mubi and the Chicago Reader . Also, Ebert announced that regular contributors and occasional co-hosts would be Kim Morgan and Omar Moore, both respected and popular film bloggers. Ebert himself hosted

1278-498: The Hollywood Squares format rights from Orion Pictures after Orion closed down its television division. In 1995, it made a partner deal with Columbia TriStar Television to launch game shows. In 1996, King World began co-distributing Geraldo (later The Geraldo Rivera Show ) with Tribune Entertainment , and would continue co-distributing the show until its cancellation in 1998. On September 28, 1998, King World acquired

1349-622: The CBS Television Distribution Group (CTD). Roger King was announced as CEO of the new entity and retained that position until suffering a stroke on December 7, 2007, and dying the next day. Paul Franklin currently serves as President of CTD. For one year, the King World on-screen identity was kept for the programs it distributed at its closure. However, most of the programs handled by King World were distributed under CTD. On September 27, 2007, CBS Television Distribution introduced

1420-501: The Ebert & Roeper era (reviews, the DVD roundup, and "Three to See"), and the "Critics Roundup" segment was fully discontinued. The recap segment moved to within the closing credits sequence; the "we'll be at the movies" sign-off remained. The theme music was changed to resemble to the Ebert & Roeper theme more (originally, this theme was used after Siskel died, during the period when Ebert

1491-513: The Louisiana Superdome for the evening and hired Elton John to entertain his guests. Remembering his early struggles in his own career, Roger King was known for reaching out his hand to newcomers in the industry and often availing himself as a mentor and advisor. King was a summer resident of Bay Head, New Jersey . King suffered a stroke at his home in Boca Raton, Florida and died

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1562-566: The 1990s, King World operated an " As Seen on TV " VHS service called King World Direct . Stuart Hersch, a lawyer by trade, was the financial expert who helped to take the company public, making it one of the hottest stocks on Wall Street at the time. The company traded as "KWP". King World had virtually no debt and generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues after going public. Television stations that broadcast King World programming had first choice on any series King World offered to distribute. On November 25, 1991, King World acquired

1633-490: The DVD recommendations, and the "3 to See" segment were retained. For some films, the show used a new "Critics Roundup" segment (see below ). In addition, instead of the traditional "The balcony is closed" sign-off, one of the hosts said, "We'll be at the movies," which echoed the "We'll see you at the movies" sign-off from the first seven seasons of Sneak Previews and the Tribune Entertainment-produced At

1704-529: The Mix , Æon Flux , Underworld: Evolution , and Date Movie . This public rebuke was discontinued when Ebert decided the studios were not taking it seriously. Roeper asserted that too many films (eleven in 2006 by April, compared to two by that date in 2005) were being withheld from critics. Introduced during the Roeper/Phillips era in 2008, "3 to See" was a segment appearing at the end of each show, in which

1775-461: The Movies , when Siskel and Ebert signed with Buena Vista Entertainment , the television division of the Walt Disney Company . The show's title was shortened to simply Siskel and Ebert in mid-1987. The program was originally recorded in the studios of WBBM-TV , Chicago's CBS owned-and-operated station . In August 2001, a few years after Disney's 1996 purchase of Capital Cities/ABC ,

1846-662: The Movies . The show also featured a new upbeat theme arrangement and brighter color scheme. An attempt to enliven film clips during reviews by filling clip letterboxes with coloring was discontinued after the first two episodes due to viewer complaints. During Lyons's tenure on At the Movies , he was criticized for his perceived lack of understanding of films and film history and use of positively phrased quotes (sound bites) that appeared tailored for use in ads (and increasing his media profile), and for conflicts of interest in posing for photographs with actors whose movies he later reviewed. Without mentioning Ben Lyons by name, Ebert wrote

1917-534: The Tuesday following the show's airing. The site's archives had reviews as far back as the latter half of the 1980s. However, only the reviews for theatrical movies got posted on the web site; the weekly DVD feature and "3 to See" segments did not. Since 1981 (as a test run, used permanently since the Tribune At The Movies incarnation in 1982), show reviewers would approve/disapprove the films they reviewed with

1988-518: The United States and on CTV in Canada; it also aired throughout the week on the cable network ReelzChannel . The show's cancellation was announced on March 24, 2010, and the last episode was aired during the weekend of August 14–15, 2010. The next month, Ebert announced a new version of At the Movies , which launched on public television on January 21, 2011. The series went on permanent hiatus at

2059-560: The board of King World Productions in 1977, following the death of his father, Charles King, who had founded the company in 1964. In what his old friends refer to as 'The Early Years' (1974–1977), Roger, as CEO with J&R Advertising, and his brothers, Michael and Bob, commandeered WKID TV; where they broadcast a Late Night TV Talk Show from Pirate's World in Hollywood , Florida . The Show interviewed celebrities that were passing through South Florida such as actor Robert Conrad after he

2130-407: The comedy shorts made from 1929 through 1938 have been made available to audiences for the past fifty years. King World later co-produced an animated TV special with Muller-Rosen Productions and Murakami-Wolf-Swenson in 1979 called The Little Rascals Christmas Special and later co-produced a 1982–1984 animated The Little Rascals TV series with Hanna-Barbera . King died in 1972 and the company

2201-577: The company to form The Television Program Source ; a television syndication company that was founded as a joint venture between King, Alan Bennett, and Columbia Pictures Television . King World also purchased television and film distributor Leo A. Gutman, Inc. whose titles included the theatricals Joan of Arc , Anna Karenina and the Sherlock Holmes and East Side Kids series; and two 1960s television westerns, Branded and The Guns of Will Sonnett . In 1986, King World signed Oprah Winfrey to

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2272-409: The end of 2011 due to lack of financial underwriting and then Ebert's death on April 4, 2013. The show's origins and format trace back to Sneak Previews (1975), a PBS series produced by WTTW that originally featured Ebert and Siskel, and At the Movies , a follow-up show that the two created with Tribune Entertainment . The series itself began in September 1986 as Siskel & Ebert &

2343-437: The end of the 1998–99 season and into 2000 before Ebert named fellow Chicago Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper as his permanent co-host. The following critics substituted for Siskel after his death: The addition of Roeper as permanent co-host led to the show's name change on September 9–10, 2000 to Ebert & Roeper and the Movies . The show's name was shortened to Ebert & Roeper in September 2001. With

2414-474: The fictional film Medellin . The iconic balcony sets, which existed for decades, were dismantled and destroyed. Ebert had been under the impression that they would be donated to the Smithsonian . The following critics acted as substitutes for Ebert after his surgery: On July 21, 2008, Roeper announced that he was leaving the show after he and Disney-ABC Domestic Television did not reach an agreement on

2485-615: The following day at Boca Raton Community Hospital at the age of 63. Oprah Winfrey stated, "I will never forget what he did for me. And this industry will never forget his legendary presence. He was truly a great guy". At the Movies (1986 TV program) At the Movies (originally Siskel & Ebert & the Movies , and later At the Movies with Ebert and Roeper ) was an American movie review television program produced by Disney–ABC Domestic Television in which two film critics share their opinions of newly released films. Its original hosts were Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel ,

2556-449: The former hosts of Sneak Previews on PBS (1975–1982) and a similarly titled syndicated series (1982–1986). After Siskel died in 1999, Ebert worked with various guest critics until choosing Chicago Sun-Times colleague Richard Roeper as his regular partner in 2000. Ebert suspended his appearances in 2006 for treatment of thyroid cancer, with various guest hosts substituting for him. From April to August 2008 Michael Phillips ,

2627-401: The guest critic's own hand giving a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" was used in the show's graphics presenting his or her review). On August 20, 2007, Disney pulled the thumbs system from the program during contractual negotiations with Ebert over his involvement with the program. Disney stated that Ebert forced the program to do so. In a statement to Poynter Online, Ebert said that Disney ordered

2698-475: The hosts a convenient soapbox to feature their opinions on such issues as film colorization , letterboxing , the MPAA film rating system , product placement , independent filmmaking , and social issues. For instance, one episode, called "Hail, Hail Black and White", was shot in black and white with the pair in tuxedos as part of their focus on the virtues of black and white film . Regular episodes sometimes devoted

2769-500: The leading distributor of popular syndicated television programming. He put on the national scene daytime television's most popular programs of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, including Harpo Productions The Oprah Winfrey Show and Dr. Phil and is also credited with launching the syndicated news magazine , Inside Edition . He also syndicated Merv Griffin 's Wheel of Fortune (for Sony Pictures Television ), starring Pat Sajak and Vanna White which, according to CBS, has been

2840-437: The main critics to discuss, he started ending his positive reviews with a thumbs-up. For a time, negative Ebert reviews still received no thumb but later began receiving a thumbs-down. The last show of that program aired on December 30, 2011. The hosts reviewed a number of recently released and soon-to-be-released movies per episode, taking turns providing a narrative critique interspersed with studio-supplied clips, moving into

2911-585: The network purchased King World, CBS was bought by Viacom always in 1999; such buyout was reversed at the end of 2005, when King World became part of the post-split CBS Corporation as well as all of Viacom's former TV production and distribution operations. In its latter days, King World was considered the syndication branch of the CBS network (a role Viacom actually first served upon its creation), having succeeded Eyemark in that role. King World, however, distributed newer CBS shows such as Everybody Loves Raymond while

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2982-399: The new hosts of At the Movies beginning on September 6–7, 2008. The intention was that Lyons and Mankiewicz would take the show in a new direction, hoping to widen the viewership and appeal to younger audiences. The show generally maintained the same format, with one of the two critics presenting a film, leading to a discussion of its merits. The "See It/Skip It/Rent It" review thumbnails,

3053-407: The offer, saying that the show had "moved on". On the show airing the weekend of May 24, 2008, the hosts began using the terms "See It" [green] and "Skip It" [red] (which appeared in on-screen graphics) when summarizing their reviews. "Rent It" [yellow] has been used to indicate a weakly positive verdict, suggesting that the viewer wait until the movie is available on home video. From 2005 to 2006,

3124-408: The official rating remains simply positive or negative. Prior to their 1982 move to Tribune, the critics approved/disapproved the films they reviewed with a yes/no verdict. Following the death of Gene Siskel, Disney considered not permitting guest critics to use the "thumb" rating in their movie review. However, this was quickly rescinded, enabling the show to continue with its signature (a picture of

3195-403: The older shows were syndicated by corporate affiliate CBS Paramount Television , the successor to the original distributor Viacom Enterprises . Additionally, from 2000 to 2006, King World distributed archive programs from Group W, such as The Mike Douglas Show . On September 26, 2006, CBS announced that King World and CBS Paramount Television's syndication operations would be combined to form

3266-515: The program off 25% among the crucial category of adults 25 to 34 (from a 0.8 rating to a 0.6). On August 5, 2009, ABC announced that Lyons and Mankiewicz had been dropped from the series due to low ratings, with A. O. Scott and Michael Phillips returning to the series as the program's new permanent critics. After rerunning the "Two Bens'" final programs for two weeks, the first program with Scott and Phillips premiered on September 5–6, 2009. The program returned to most of its former structure in

3337-476: The rebranding to Ebert & Roeper in 2001, the series gained a new set, replacing the one that had been used since its 1986 debut. In 2002, Ebert was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and underwent radiation treatments for tumors on his thyroid and a salivary gland while continuing to work. Complications led to an emergency operation in 2006, which interrupted his reviewing schedule. (A few reviews written or taped in advance were released shortly afterward.) For

3408-471: The remainder of the 2006–07 season, the show continued with guest hosts during his recuperation. By October 2006, Ebert had recovered sufficiently to resume writing published reviews on a limited basis and later he was able to make a few public appearances, but due to his difficulty speaking, he did not return to the show. As Ebert's doctors attempted to reconstruct his jawbone, his face and neck became increasingly malformed with each surgery. Television being

3479-477: The reviewers listed their top three favorites of the movies currently in theaters. Introduced during the Lyons/Mankiewicz era in 2008, "Critics Roundup" was a variation of the traditional format in which one of the hosts presented a film, reviewed it, and then spoke with three other critics who appeared via satellite. Each critic provided their own See It/Skip It/Rent It rating, as did the other host, leading to

3550-411: The rights to distribute Griffin's own long-running talk/variety program from Metromedia 's syndication division. A year later, Griffin announced plans to revive another of his game show creations, Jeopardy! , and King World agreed to distribute that program as well. In 1984 King World formed an ad-sales barter division called Camelot Entertainment Sales . Later that year president Robert King left

3621-507: The series was nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards seven times and also for Outstanding Information Series, the last nomination occurring in 1997. It was widely known for the "thumbs up/thumbs down" review summaries given during Siskel's and Ebert's tenures (this was dropped after Ebert ended his association with the program, as the phrase "Two Thumbs Up" is a trademark held by the Siskel and Ebert families). The show aired in syndication in

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3692-492: The show experimented with a "Wagging Finger of Shame" feature, denoting films that were not made available for a standard advance screening and therefore could not be given either a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down". Failure to prescreen a film for reviewers is generally considered an indicator of low confidence by the distributor, apparently believing that negative reviews would harm opening-weekend box office sales. Films so spotlighted included The Amityville Horror , The Fog , In

3763-514: The show with a series of guest critics. Originally retaining the Siskel & Ebert title, the program was renamed Roger Ebert & the Movies on the weekend of September 4–5, 1999, after Siskel's death. The guests matched wits with Ebert and tested their chemistry. Ebert and film director Martin Scorsese co-hosted one noteworthy episode about the best films of the 1990s. This format continued through

3834-411: The show's tapings were moved to ABC's Chicago station, WLS-TV , where it remained for its duration. Siskel and Ebert often had notably divergent tastes, and as a result, heated arguments and spats that added to the series's popularity. Many viewers considered such "fights" the highlight of the program. In joint appearances on the talk show circuit, especially David Letterman 's NBC and CBS shows,

3905-733: The success of Oprah eventually led to the creation of the spin-off series Dr. Phil , Rachael Ray , and The Dr. Oz Show . On February 11, 1985, King World formed the King World Enterprises division to develop joint-venture programs with advertisers and station groups and to handle international distribution for King World and Camelot. In 1987, King World's Camelot Entertainment Sales entered into an agreement with Buena Vista Television , whereas Camelot would sell all national spots for all programming produced by Buena Vista Television, which included Siskel & Ebert , DuckTales , Disney Magic I and Win, Lose or Draw , and Camelot

3976-625: The summer of 2007, the show's official name was changed again to At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper , although the show's main title graphics continued to use the shortened name. As Ebert's absence from the show continued, a handful of critics became frequent guests. Robert Wilonsky of the Dallas Observer and HDnet.com , Chicago Tribune critic Michael Phillips , and A. O. Scott of The New York Times appeared repeatedly. On April 13, 2008, Scott wrote that his "experiences [as guest critic]... ended when Michael Phillips of The Tribune

4047-475: The thumbs removed from the show. He says he had not expected this after an association of over 22 years: "I had made it clear the THUMBS could remain during good-faith negotiations." Upon being informed in mid-2009 of the most recent change in co-hosts to Scott and Phillips, Ebert indicated to Phillips that he would be prepared to return his endorsement and the "Thumbs" system to the series. However, Disney turned down

4118-412: The top-rated syndicated TV show for the past 26 years. Another of his Griffin syndications, Jeopardy! (also by Sony Pictures Television ), has remained among the top three for 25 years. Roger King joined CBS in 2000 following the merger of King World Productions with the broadcasting network, and served as chief executive officer of CBS Television Distribution from 2000 until his death. He

4189-492: The two critics indicated a mutual respect and friendship off screen. Widely circulated outtakes from promo-recording sessions show the two both bickering and joking off-air. In 1998, Siskel was hospitalized for treatment of a brain tumor . For a few weeks, the show was taped with Siskel on the telephone (from his hospital bed) and Ebert in the studio. Siskel eventually returned to the studio, but he seemed noticeably more lethargic and mellow. In February 1999, he announced he

4260-457: The week later by their rundown of their choices of the top ten worst films from that year. Another year-end tradition was Siskel & Ebert's Holiday Video Gift Guide, a special episode where the hosts spotlighted, tried out, and recommended various gifts, toys, and movies for the Christmas season. These aired as an hour-long special from 1987 to 1992, with the final installment in 1993 running for

4331-495: The worldwide leasing rights to the solo-developed game shows by Merrill Heatter Productions for a limited time. In April 1999, King World was acquired by CBS . On January 19, 2000, Eyemark Entertainment , the successor to Westinghouse Broadcasting following the CBS/ Westinghouse Electric Corporation merger, was folded into King World. The sale was first discussed on March 28, 1999, for $ 3 billion. After

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4402-746: Was acquired in 2000 by CBS Productions (a subsidiary of the CBS Corporation , formerly the Columbia Broadcasting System ). He was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in 1992 and the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2004 and is credited with launching the careers of such top television stars as Oprah Winfrey , Phil McGraw and Alex Trebek . Born in New Jersey , Roger King became chairman of

4473-461: Was an American television and media executive for King World Productions and CBS . He was a son of Charles King (1912-1972), who acquired and marketed the Hal Roach produced comedy series of shorts films Our Gang (later renamed The Little Rascals ) from the 1930s and established a company in 1964 to market and syndicate them, then known as King World Productions or Entertainment , which

4544-474: Was involved a controversial fist fight in a local night club. Several of the programs were directed by Dale Richman. The interviews were followed by King World's Little Rascals . The local commercials that were played were Produced by Bob King and narrated by musician/photographer Jessie Eastland, (aka Robert Demeo) a friend of the King Brothers during those years. Under Roger's leadership, King World became

4615-462: Was made Mr. Roeper's permanent foil". Phillips remained Roeper's cohost until Roeper and Ebert ended their relationship with the series in August 2008. The pair's final appearance together occurred in an episode of Entourage that aired on September 6, 2008 (during the weekend the new version of At the Movies debuted), in which they played themselves using their show (filmed on the old sets) to lambast

4686-595: Was responsible for the syndicated sale of repeat episodes from CBS' top prime-time shows, including the CSI series, Survivor , The Amazing Race , Everybody Loves Raymond (ancillary rights to this series are owned by Time Warner via HBO ) and UPN's America's Next Top Model . Roger King had a reputation for throwing lavish industry parties. In January 1998, during the NATPE convention in New Orleans , Roger King rented out

4757-492: Was started in 1964 by Charles King (1912–1972). It was a company that expressly handled television distribution of the Hal Roach -produced Our Gang short comedy films from the 1930s. When Roach lost the rights to the name Our Gang (it was retained by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio, who bought the series from Roach in 1938), the shorts were retitled as The Little Rascals . It was through this acquisition that

4828-433: Was taken over by King's children: Roger M. King (1944–2007), Michael (1948–2015), Robert (1940–2020), Diana (1949–2019), Richard (1941–2020), and Karen. In 1983, the company acquired the syndication rights to NBC 's daytime game show Wheel of Fortune . Merv Griffin , the show's creator and producer, had shopped the program to various other studios prior to reaching a deal with King World. King World also would acquire

4899-432: Was taking a leave of absence for further treatment of the tumor, hoping to return. Less than three weeks later, Siskel died from complications of the surgery. The weekend after Siskel's death, Ebert devoted the entire half-hour to a tribute to him. On the show were various clips from shows past as well as their history together as journalists and then on television. Ebert also appeared on ABC 's Good Morning America in

4970-449: Was using different co-hosts). On March 24, 2010, Disney announced that At the Movies was being canceled, ending 24 seasons of national syndication on August 14–15, 2010. The final episode included reviews of Eat Pray Love , Scott Pilgrim vs. the World , and The Expendables . The same day the cancellation was announced, Ebert announced he was "deeply involved" in talks to produce

5041-562: Was willing to accept the lower figure because DuckTales represented King World's first foray into the animated strip business, and Disney Magic I marked King World to the barter movie operation business for the first time. In 1988, the company made its only foray onto television stations when it bought out WIVB-TV in Buffalo for $ 100 million. King World ended up selling the station to LIN TV Corporation in 1995. Stations are arranged in alphabetical order by state and city of license . In

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