Talk-Show Host Phil McGraw To Launch Cable TV Network

By Jon Lafayette
published

Joel Cheatwood named COO for network, set to start Feb. 26

Dr. Phil
Oprah helped launch Dr. Phil's TV career (Image credit: Dr. Phil)

Dr. Phil McGraw, host of a long-running talk show, said he is launching a new cable TV network called Merit Street Media that will be anchored by a primetime show featuring Dr. Phill.

The network is expected to debut February 26. 

The company did not disclose any distribution agreements. Cable operators have been losing video subscribers and cable network launches have become rare.

McGraw's syndicated show ended last season after 21 years. The show was distributed by CBS Media Ventures.

Staffers of the Dr. Phil show are being asked to relocate to the Dallas-Fort Worth area where a new five-acre broadcast center is being built.

Joel Cheatwood, who has worked for CNN, Fox News Channel and Sunbeam Television, will serve as chief operating officer of Merit Street. 

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.