'LAFF' diginet

[crackedscreen]

Katz Broadcasting is launching LAFF, a new comedy-driven diginet. It'll launch on ABC O&O's and Scripps' stations.

It’ll be Tax Day, but Katz Broadcasting is hoping Americans in 21 markets will find something to laugh about with the launch April 15 of LAFF, what Katz calls the nation’s first comedy-driven broadcast network,

The network will premiere on ABC-owned TV stations in eight markets – including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York – and 13 more on stations owned by E.W. Scripps, including Detroit, Phoenix and Tampa. All told, the agreements put the channel in front of 35 percent of the country. The channel will mix recent off-network sitcoms and feature-length films, and target adults 18 to 49. It will be part of the broadcast signal of the participating stations and on cable. Digital content will be available on LAFF.com and through a LAFF app.

The ABC Owned TV Station Group sent out a quick release saying that LAFF will run on its D3 subchannel and that the Live Well Network, though ending its syndication availability, will continue to run on the ABC stations’ D2 subchannel.

http://deadline.com/2015/01/laff-network-launch-katz-broadcasting-abc-e-w-scripps-1201352773/

 

[nathannah]

Katz Broadcasting is launching LAFF, a new comedy-driven diginet. It'll launch on ABC O&O's and Scripps' stations.



http://deadline.com/2015/01/laff-network-launch-katz-broadcasting-abc-e-w-scripps-1201352773/

Katz is officially the Telco of terrible digital subchannels (not counting the arson fire that is Luken). At least Bounce has some outside managers to cancel out the worst of Katz's ideas, but Grit is basically 'search archives for war movies and put anything on with a pith helmet, John Wayne, land mines, machismo or U-boats', while Escape is the same seven SAG-mill true crime shows and all the bad TV movies run to death on Lifetime, HLN and Oxygen. Judging from how the other subchannel nets have pretty much got almost all the other sitcom contracts, I'm expecting this to be worse than Comedy Central at its launch after the HA/Comedy Channel merger with plenty of 13-episode wonders and daily screenings of Stewardess School. Also...yay, Journal's merging with Scripps, so WTMJ eventually will get another dud of a network to eat their HD bandwidth.

Also, so much for the local ABC O&O's going for extended local news coverage after the end of Live Well (I assume this is why they got a two-month reprieve this week to get this solidified)...that's the most disappointing thing out of this. Another release from ABC has LWN staying on their DT2's, though it's no longer being syndicated outside of their O&O's.

 

[Mr Tony]

Also, so much for the local ABC O&O's going for extended local news coverage after the end of Live Well (I assume this is why they got a two-month reprieve this week to get this solidified)...that's the most disappointing thing out of this.

Since the -2 will be LWN after this launches I'm sure the news/local thing will go to the -2 after LWN ceases

though it's no longer being syndicated outside of their O&O's.

sure it is. There are a few affiliates outside of Scripps & ABC
http://rabbitears.info/search.php?request=network_search&network=Live+Well

 

[Unregistered]

I was wondering the same thing. If you're going to keep Live Well running, why make it O&O exclusive? I also wonder if Disney is going to sell any shows to Laff.

Would a local news diginet be the last newscast replayed throughout the day?

 

[tripinva]

ABC announced in no uncertain terms that after Laff launches, Live Well becomes an ABC O&O-only operation.

- Trip