• by Wayne Friedman , May 28, 2008

Media Rights Capital will roll out an extra-long Sunday night schedule on the CW starting in September. MRC, which essentially did a time buy of the CW's prime-time periods weeks ago, will program two hour-long dramas, a half-hour comedy and an hour-long reality show, from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. The programs are scheduled to premiere this September.

From 6:30-7:30 p.m., there's "In Harm's Way," a reality show surveying people with dangerous jobs. At 7:30 p.m., "Surviving Suburbia" is a half-hour comedy about a family and their new neighbors.

"Valentine, Inc." is the network's 8 p.m. drama/comedy about an agency that, according to MRC, "finds lost loves, true loves and mends broken hearts." "Easy Money" is a one-hour drama at 9 p.m. about a family that runs a high-interest loan business.

MRC will actually look to fill another hour and a half from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. It will make those programming announcements at a later date.

Analysts had speculated that MRC paid anywhere from $10 million to $15 million for the rights for CW's Sunday night for a year. CW executives would not confirm any details.

MRC says advertisers will be integrated into these shows almost immediately. The company says all five of its show producers will participate in discussions with media agencies.

Media agency holding company WPP Group is a minor investor in Media Rights Capital. MRC is mum on the involvement of WPP with the shows, although a high-level WPP media executive noted that agency clients will be involved.

The CW made the move to sell off Sunday night because it had difficulties in scheduling prime-time programming. According to many executives, the net lost tens of millions of dollars on the night.