Ex-treme Dating expands stations

By Paige Albiniak
( Broadcasting & Cable )
published

Twentieth Television's Ex-treme Dating, hosted by Jillian Barberie, is
expanding its station universe to 19 Fox owned-and-operated stations, launching
those in Dallas; Tampa, Fla.; Cleveland; Salt Lake City; and Greensboro, N.C.,
said Bob Cook, president and chief operating officer of Twentieth, Thursday.

Twentieth is selling the show for a June 2003 national launch.

Ex-treme Dating premiered July 29 in eight markets, including
Fox-owned UPN affiliates in New York; Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; Houston;
Minneapolis; Phoenix; Orlando, Fla.; and Baltimore.

On Sept. 23, Twentieth added four more markets with Fox-owned stations in
Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit and St. Louis.

Ex-treme Dating adds a twist to the relationship genre, setting up a
couple and then sending two exs along on the date who try to break things up
and win a prize.

The show is produced by Small Cages Productions and Wheeler/Sussman
Productions.

Paige Albiniak
Paige Albiniak

Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.