The Walt Disney Company Annual Report 2000


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Media Networks - Broadcast Networks

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ABC-Owned Television Stations

ABC's 10 stations reach 24 percent of the nation's TV households, and all are ranked number one in primetime. The station group experienced an outstanding year, achieving record financial performance and posting excellent ratings results, with eight of the stations ranked number one in household delivery during the total broadcast day.

Media Networks

Robert F. Callahan
President, ABC Broadcast Group

The ABC station group also provided viewers with top-ranked syndicated programs such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, The Rosie O'Donnell Show and Live! With Regis. WABC-TV in New York celebrated its 13th year of producing Regis, syndicated by Buena Vista Television. KRTK-TV in Houston is in its third year of producing a daytime talk show, The Debra Duncan Show, slated for future syndication.

KABC-TV in Los Angeles recently moved into the ABC7 Media Center, a state-of-the-art broadcasting facility. In addition, ABC will continue to build high definition television (HDTV) facilities in all of its markets. The seven largest stations are already broadcasting in high definition, with the remaining three stations' conversion scheduled to take place by May 2002.

ABC Radio

The ABC Radio Group experienced an outstanding year, also achieving record financial performance. The ABC Radio Division owns 50 stations, which reach a weekly audience of 15 million. The ABC Radio Networks reach an estimated 130 million people weekly through more than 4,500 radio outlets nationwide, featuring five full-service news networks, as well as ESPN Radio. Network programming includes ABC News, Paul Harvey News & Comment, Tom Joyner and American Country Countdown with Bob Kingsley.

Radio Disney, now heard in 16 of the top 20 markets in the U.S., continued its rollout in 2000, purchasing previously affiliated stations in Boston, Hartford, Providence, Richmond, West Palm and Charlotte. Radio Disney is carried on 47 stations that cover more than 50 percent of the U.S. market, reaching 1.9 million kids aged 6-11 and 600,000 moms each week. Radio Disney is targeted to reach 70 percent of the U.S. market in 2001.

Buena Vista Television

Buena Vista Television continues as one of the top providers of syndicated television programs. Its hits include Live! With Regis, which is entering its new era with outstanding ratings. Returning for a second season was Buena Vista Television's Your Big Break, the Dick Clark-produced first-run music variety show. And another stalwart Buena Vista show, Ebert & Roeper and the Movies, entered this season with new co-host Richard Roeper in the balcony next to Roger Ebert, who has been co-hosting the show for 25 years.

Buena Vista Television launched HouseCalls in September 2000, the newest television series in the recent reality genre boom. Hosted by Dr. Irvin Wolkoff, HouseCalls invites viewers into the homes of real people, counseling families and couples in crisis. The show is produced by a subsidiary of Chris-Craft/United Television.

Win Ben Stein's Money continued on Comedy Central, the network that also added Buena Vista Television's outrageous new game show, Don't Forget Your Toothbrush, to its lineup.

Disney's One Too, the two-hour animation block for UPN and syndication, continued with Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins joining the line up.

Buena Vista Television operates successfully in the arena of pay TV, pay-per-view, cable and network television with the sales of all Disney-labeled movies. In 2000, BVTV closed a record-breaking deal with FX Networks, with the network licensing 54 movie titles as part of the movie package, Buena Vista 6. Included were box office hits such as The Sixth Sense, Armageddon, Enemy of the State, The Waterboy, Shakespeare in Love and Six Days, Seven Nights. Buena Vista Television also distributes Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

Buena Vista Productions

Buena Vista Productions was reorganized this year, and is now responsible for all development and programming for syndication and cable, as well as development for ABC Daytime.

Media Networks

Buena Vista Productions also provides creative input for Buena Vista Television's syndicated and cable shows such as Live! With Regis, Your Big Break, Ebert & Roeper and the Movies, Win Ben Stein's Money and Don't Forget Your Toothbrush. The division currently is developing a number of new programs targeted for the fall 2001 season.

Walt Disney Television International

WDTV-I reinforced its position as a worldwide leader in television broadcasting, distribution and production in 2000. Fueling WDTV-I's record growth this year and securing future growth were its strong distribution performance, the development of Enhanced TV content, transactional TV investments, and the launch of Disney Channel Latin America and the Disney Channel Asia Network, which increased the number of Disney Channels around the world to 13.

WDTV-I signed major new distribution agreements in key territories including Italy, the U.K. and Israel. It also completed a first-time agreement with Chinese broadcaster CCTV, a key step in building a stronger presence on Chinese television. WDTV-I now distributes more than 4,200 hours of programming to 120 countries.

Operating in some of the most competitive television markets in the world, WDTV-I increased overall Disney Channel subscriptions by 60 percent, confirming its position as the leading kids and families channel in homes around the world. Additional Disney Channels are planned in Scandinavia, Portugal and Central Europe.

Building on the continued success of the award-winning U.K. Disney Channel, WDTV-I has launched a family of four new services, including Toon Disney and Playhouse Disney, which is targeted to preschoolers and their caregivers. This further extends access to the Disney brand on TV for kids and families and will increase subscriptions to Disney Channel.

WDTV-I continues to provide Disney-branded and non-branded programming to a large free-TV audience, including 95 regularly scheduled, Disney-branded shows that now air in 42 countries, a majority of which consistently win their time slot.

The original production slate includes the highly successful Art Attack, produced in eight languages, which is being supported by other Disney businesses, including Consumer Products and Publishing.

WDTV-I also extended its equity investment portfolio, which includes Super RTL in Germany, GMTV in the U.K. and the HBO services in Central Europe and Latin America, by taking a 45 percent stake in CineNova, Holland's first 24-hour premium movie channel.


  1. Your Big Break returned for its second season with host Alfonso Ribiero.

  2. Buzz Lightyear of Star Command is Buena Vista Television's latest addition to Disney's animation block of programming, Disney's One Too.

  3. Paul Harvey News & Comment is heard three times each weekday and once on Saturday on ABC Radio, reaching 19 million listeners weekly.

  4. Regis Philbin hosts the hit shows Live! With Regis and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.

  5. Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper co-host the Buena Vista Television show Ebert & Roeper and the Movies.

  6. The View has been a star of ABC Daytime since its launch in 1997.

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