Allen Media Group
American media company founded by Byron Allen in 1993.
Allen Media Group, also known as AMG and formerly called Entertainment Studios, Inc., is an American media and entertainment company headquartered in Los Angeles. Founded in 1993 by Byron Allen, it began as a producer and distributor of first-run syndicated television series. The company later expanded into film distribution, acquired The Weather Channel, and entered television station ownership.
Quick Facts
- Former name
- CF Entertainment (1993–2003), Entertainment Studios (2003–2022)
- Industry
- Media, Entertainment
- Predecessor
- BYCA Productions
- Founded
- 1993
- Founder
- Byron Allen
- Headquarters
- Century City, Los Angeles, California
- Country
- United States
- Services
- Television production
- Television syndication
- Broadcasting
- Film distribution
Facts from the source article.
History
Byron Allen, a former co-host of the NBC series Real People, launched his own weekly syndicated late-night talk show, The Byron Allen Show, in 1989 through his BYCA Productions and Allbritton Communications, with distribution by Genesis Entertainment. In 1991, he created BYCA Television Distribution to handle distribution of his talk show and other programs. By early 1993, his talk show had been cancelled, and BYCA Television Distribution faced a lawsuit from former employees claiming unpaid wages. Creditors forced BYCA into Chapter 7 bankruptcy. That same year, Allen founded CF Entertainment, focusing on low-cost syndicated non-fiction programming such as interview series and court shows dramatized from actual testimony. In December 2003, CF became Entertainment Studios. The company acquired rights in December 2011 to develop a biographical film and play about Sammy Davis Jr. from his daughter. It ventured into scripted programming in 2012 with the sitcoms Mr. Box Office and The First Family, produced under an accelerated model similar to Debmar-Mercury's 10-90 Model. The company launched its eighth cable channel, Justice Central.TV, on December 10, 2012.
Television series distributed by Entertainment Studios
Entertainment Studios distributes its syndicated programs using a bartered model that does not require stations to pay a rights fee; the company sells national advertising inventory and shares revenue with stations. Allen stated in 2013 that this model appeals to stations unable to afford traditional syndication, and that the company's shows collectively reach an estimated 20 million to 25 million viewers weekly. Cost-cutting measures include using non-union staff and streamlined production. The first production, Entertainers with Byron Allen, filmed interviews at press junkets using equipment provided by film studios. The company's court shows are dramatized with actors rather than arbitration-based; Allen noted that this avoids costs for airfare, hotels, security, claims, and settlements. America's Court with Judge Ross reused a set purchased from another court show's producers for $1. These practices have allowed some programs to generate significant advertising revenue even in lesser-viewed time slots or without new episodes for extended periods. Syndicated series include America's Court with Judge Ross, Equal Justice with Judge Eboni K. Williams, Justice for All with Judge Cristina Perez, Justice for the People with Judge Milian, Justice with Judge Mablean, Mathis Court with Judge Mathis, Supreme Justice with Judge Karen, The Verdict with Judge Hatchett, We the People with Judge Lauren Lake, The First Family, Mr. Box Office, Funny You Should Ask, Who Wants to Date a Comedian?, Comedy Jam, Feel the Beat, Happy Holidays America, We Have a Dream, Beautiful Homes & Great Estates, Career Day, Comics Unleashed, Designers, Fashions & Runways, Entertainers with Byron Allen, Global Business People, The Gossip Queens, Latin Lifestyles, Kickin' It with Byron Allen, Urban Style, and The Writer's Hot List.
Assets
The company's cable channels include Automotive.TV, Cars.TV, Comedy.TV, ES.TV, MyDestination.TV, Pets.TV, Recipe.TV, and Justice Central.TV, which launched December 10, 2012 on AT&T U-verse's family tier. Through its Weather Group division, it owns The Weather Channel, Weatherscan (closed), and Local Now. Allen Media Broadcasting, LLC, a unit of Allen Media Group, was formed after the company acquired the stations of Bayou City Broadcasting for $165 million in May 2019, including WEVV-TV and WEEV-LD in Evansville, Indiana, and KADN-TV and KLAF-LD in Lafayette, Louisiana; the sale closed July 31, 2019. In October 2019, Allen Media agreed to purchase 11 stations from USA Television (a Heartland Media subsidiary) for $290 million, with FCC approval on November 22, 2019 and completion on February 11, 2020. In March 2020, Allen Media made an offer for the Tegna station group. On August 17, 2020, it purchased Hawaii ABC affiliate KITV from SJL Broadcasting for $30 million. In April 2021, it announced the purchase of 10 stations from Gray Television for $380 million as part of Gray's acquisition of Quincy Media. A separate July 2021 deal with Gray added WJRT-TV in Flint, Michigan. In December 2021, Allen Media agreed to buy WCOV-TV, WIYC, and WALE-LD in Montgomery, Alabama from Woods Communications for $28.5 million. In January 2025, the company announced plans to outsource local weather coverage on its stations to The Weather Channel, but shelved the plan after viewer feedback.
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