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Dallas duopoly shares games and produces talk show
While some stations in the country claim locally produced shows are too costly and sports programming is not as lucrative as it once was, the Viacomowned duopoly stations in Dallas are finding quite the opposite is true.
CBS-owned KTVT-TV and UPN affiliate KTXA-TV both began carrying Dallas Mavericks basketball games last fall as part of a five-year deal that will see 25 games on KI and five on KTVT. The result: a 61 percent rise in ratings from last year, when the games were carried by KSTR-TV.
At the same time, KTXA launched "The Mark Cuban Show" featuring Mr. Cuban, the controversial Mavericks owner, in a half-hour that has the look and feel of MTV. "The Mark Cuban Show" is the first show produced since the duopoly was formed in October 2000. The stations merged into one facility in August 2001.
"The Mark Cuban Show" debuted Nov. 3 on KTXA in a 10 p.m. Saturday slot. After the football season ended, a second run of the show began airing at 11 p.m. Sundays on KTVT, following that station's own half-hour sports show "The Score."
Mr. Cuban, who has been fined by the NBA for criticizing the organization, is also seen on other CBS stations around the country because the show is carried by the CBS Newspath affiliate distribution system.
Whether it's because of the Mavericks' success or its controversial owner, "The Mark Cuban...