WGN America Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the Cosby Show

WGN America Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the Cosby Show

WGN America to Air Viewer's Choice Marathon, Recreation of 1984 Program Lineup, Online Contest and Online Game

NEW YORK, Aug. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Twenty-five years ago, America welcomed The Cosby Show and the Huxtable family into their homes. Sunday, September 20, 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of The Cosby Show and to celebrate the milestone (to the day), WGN America will be airing a series of tributes to The Cosby Show including the replication of the original NBC Thursday night lineup as it aired on September 20th 1984 (the day The Cosby Show debuted) with interviews by Lilly Tartikoff, a Cosby Show Viewer's Choice Marathon and an online contest and game.

"As we have seen with the success of WGN America's current Sunday lineup, "Outta Site Retro Night," our viewers love nostalgia and to recreate the programming of 1984 allows us to offer viewers a chance to re-live a history-making lineup," said Sean Compton, SVP of Programming and Entertainment, Tribune Broadcasting. "The strength of this 1984 night brought comedy back to primetime and forever changed the way families watched television."

On September 20th WGN America will be committing the prime and overnight schedule to The Cosby Show and the NBC Thursday night line-up that dominated the 80's. From 7-10pm ET WGN America will re-air the original Brandon Tartikoff NBC Thursday night line-up EXACTLY AS IT AIRED IN 1984: The Cosby Show: Pilot presentation, Family Ties: The Gambler, Cheers: I'll be Seeing You, Part 1 and Part 2 and Hill Street Blues: Eva's Braun.

Additionally, WGN America has interviewed philanthropist Lilly Tartikoff who shares her thoughts on the iconic programs of 1984 and memories of her husband, programming visionary Brandon Tartikoff. Lilly's interviews will air as interstitials in primetime from 7-10pm ET during the WGN America recreation of the 1984 lineup.

From 7-10pm ET WGN America will adopt the 1984 NBC theme "Let's all be there" using original promotional elements. (A special thank you to NBC for sharing their archive materials)

"Brandon Tartikoff was a visionary without professional peer, and his greatest achievements occurred during his fight with a disease which ultimately defeated him. This event is as much a tribute to the Cosby Show as it is to the man behind it," said Compton.

In the overnight (11pm-4am ET), WGN America will air a viewers choice marathon of the top ten Cosby episodes voted by our viewers at WGNAmerica.com. Voting for the marathon begins today and runs through Monday, September 14th.

The Cosby Show Viewer's Choice Marathon will also have a contest component, all viewers who submit their favorite episode to WGNAmerica.com will be entered to win a complete DVD set of all eight seasons of The Cosby Show autographed by Bill Cosby.

WGN America's marathon is sponsored on-air in part by Kraft Foods.

Set to debut later this month, WGNAmerica.com will offer an online game, The Cosby Show Time Machine, which was conceived and built by Tribune Interactive's Adver-gaming Team.

ABOUT WGN AMERICA:

WGN America is everywhere America calls home. A broad entertainment network and destination for audiences across America, WGN America (also available in HD) is part of Tribune Broadcasting Company, and is nationally distributed via cable, satellite and telco with entertainment programming consisting of cable exclusives, first-run programs, blockbuster movies and live sports. For program schedules or additional information please visit www.wgnamerica.com.

   Contact:   Jessica Bellucci   +1-212-210-2626   jbellucci@tribune.com  

First Call Analyst:
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Source: WGN America

CONTACT: Jessica Bellucci, +1-212-210-2626, jbellucci@tribune.com

Web Site: http://www.wgnamerica.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment