• Variety, Wednesday, October 7, 2009 10:06 PM

During the past year, Tribune Co. has quietly been committing significant dollars to off-network acquisitions for its sleepy cable superstation WGN America. The channel enjoys wide distribution in cable and satellite TV, now reaching 72 million homes.

Next fall WGN America intends to rebrand itself as a haven for contemporary comedy with a primetime block of reruns that will include "How I Met Your Mother," "Entourage," "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine." In fall 2011, "30 Rock" will join the lineup. For years, WGN has mostly been known for carrying Chicago Cubs games and local newscasts.

The plan is to capitalize on its distribution by turning WGN America into a targeted and carefully branded cable channel. The hope is that the investment in programming will pay off in increased advertising coin.

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