• by Wayne Friedman , April 22, 2008

Offering up a different kind of syndication launch, Fox Television Stations will test a six-week summer preview of Debmar-Mercury's "The Wendy Williams Show."

The show, hosted by the New York City DJ and radio host, will run as a preview starting Monday, July 14 on Fox-owned stations in WNYW New York, KTTV Los Angeles, KDFW Dallas, and WJBK Detroit.

"It's clear that the traditional syndication model is no longer functional, particularly for daytime product. I believe what we're doing with Debmar-Mercury is a syndication blueprint for the future," said Frank Cicha, senior vice president of programming, Fox Television Stations, in a statement.

"The Wendy Williams Show" will be a daily, one-hour entertainment talk show broadcast live from New York and focused on celebrity gossip and news events, as well as fashion and personal life advice segments.

Debmar-Mercury hopes that solid ratings from this six-week outing will give it results to sell to other U.S. markets.

"For stations anxious to buy a proven performer, rather than pie in the sky, this show will allow them to get a look at concrete ratings results rather than empty promises when making their fall 2009 programming decisions," said Ira Bernstein, co-president of Debmar-Mercury, in the statement.