| forever knight in the media |

ELECTRONIC MEDIA Forever Knight goes to USA in split cable, syndication deal By Thomas Tyrer April 24, 1995

LOS ANGELES-The cult vampire hour ''Forever Knight'' will remain in production thanks to a unique cable and broadcast split window. Columbia TriStar Television Distribution last week licensed ''Forever Knight'' to cable's USA Network, which expects to program the series on an undetermined weeknight in prime time, starting next fall. USA's prime-time episode will be a repeat of the episode that aired the prior weekend on ''Forever Knight'' first-run syndication broadcast carriers. While split windows have become more prevalent, particularly with regard to movie packages, the abbreviated broadcast-to-cable delay of less than a week is a distribution industry first. Without this arrangement, ''Forever Knight'' producer Columbia would have been forced to take the series out of the broadcast market and, possibly, cancel the weekly series. Columbia has renewed ''Forever Knight'' for a second season in first-run on 70 stations representing 50 percent national coverage. It's offered on a barter basis with an even 7 barter split. USA Networks Entertainment President Rod Perth is more than pleased to have secured the series. Mr. Perth originally commissioned ''Forever Knight'' as a CBS late-night program when he was senior vice president of late-night and non-network programing there, prior to jumping to USA in October 1994. "It has both Gothic and contemporary themes, since the premise is based on the classic vampire story, yet set in a contemporary police setting,'' the USA chief says. "I fundamentally believed it would reach late-night viewers, and now I believe it will reach our viewers in prime time.'' Copyright 1995 Crain Communications, Inc