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The Hearst Media Production Group (formerly Litton Syndications and Litton Entertainment) is an American media and production company based in
New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
as a division of the
Hearst Television Hearst Television, Inc. (formerly Hearst-Argyle Television) is a broadcasting company in the United States owned by Hearst Communications. From 1998 to mid-2009, the company traded its common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ...
subsidiary of Hearst Communications, with three additional offices in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, and Burbank, California. Many of HMPG's programs comply with federally mandated educational and informational requirements.


History


Early history (1988–2011)

The company was formed in 1988 as Litton Syndications by Dave Morgan in
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
. Its first syndicated productions were a series of one-off, sports-related specials. The programs were bought from other companies. In the 1990s, seeing a growing market for educational programs due to the enactment of the
Children's Television Act The broadcast of educational children's programming by terrestrial television stations in the United States is mandated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), under regulations colloquially referred to as the Children's Television Act (C ...
, requiring television stations to air a weekly quota of educational programs, Litton began to syndicate ''
Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures ''Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures'' is a nature documentary video/television series that ran in first-run syndication from 1993 to 2008, and remains in active distribution. The series was hosted by Jack Hanna, Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo ...
''. In 1993, the company was moved to Charleston, South Carolina, while maintaining a production base in Burbank, California. Litton has maintained a long-time business relationship with
Jack Hanna Jack Bushnell Hanna (born January 2, 1947) is a retired American zookeeper and a former director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. "Jungle Jack" was director of the zoo from 1978 to 1992, and is viewed as largely responsible for elevat ...
with three more later series throughout the 2000s and 2010s, only ending actively in 2021 with Hanna's retirement; HMPG will continue to distribute his shows indefinitely. In 2005, the company changed its name from Litton Syndications to Litton Entertainment. Adding to its outside syndication library that included ''
Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American action drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bo ...
'' in May 2007, Litton purchased from Peace Arch Entertainment Group syndication rights to 85 movies in the Castle Hill library. The low budget films were bundled into 4 groups and was the company's first move into syndicating movies. By 2008, LE had syndicated rights to three off- MTV shows, '' Cribs'', ''
Pimp My Ride ''Pimp My Ride'' is an American television series produced by MTV and hosted by rapper Xzibit, which ran for six seasons on MTV from 2004 to 2007. In each episode, a car in poor condition is both restored and customized. The work on the show ...
'' and ''
Date My Mom ''Date My Mom'' is a television dating show airing on the music channel MTV and produced by Kalissa Productions. The series premiered on November 15, 2004 and ended in 2006. An 18- to 24-year-old heterosexual male, gay male or lesbian female, goes ...
'', while adding that year, ''
Storm Stories ''Storm Stories'' is an American non-fiction television series that airs on The Weather Channel (TWC) and Zone Reality. It is hosted and narrated by meteorologist and storm tracker Jim Cantore. ''Storm Stories'' showcases various types of severe ...
'' from
The Weather Channel The Weather Channel (TWC) is an American pay television channel owned by Weather Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Allen Media Group. The channel's headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia. Launched on May 2, 1982, the channel broadcasts weather foreca ...
. In 2009-10, Litton offered the nontraditional court show ''
Street Court ''Street Court'' is a nontraditional court show syndicated for one season by Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina-based Litton Entertainment and hosted by Michael Mazzariello, also referred to as Judge Mazz. Unlike other courtroom shows, ''Street Court' ...
''. In January 2011, Litton distributed the hip-hop newsmagazine ''Direct Access'' (hosted by Darian "Big Tigger" Morgan) from
WDCW WDCW (channel 50), branded on-air as DCW 50, is a television station in Washington, D.C., airing programming from The CW. It is owned and operated by network majority owner Nexstar Media Group alongside Hagerstown, Maryland–licensed independen ...
/
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
to fellow
Tribune Broadcasting Tribune Broadcasting Company, LLC was an American media company which operated as a subsidiary of Tribune Media, a media conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois. The group owned and operated television and radio stations throughout the United St ...
stations and
Weigel Broadcasting Weigel Broadcasting Co. is an American television broadcasting company based in Chicago, Illinois, alongside its flagship station WCIU-TV (Channel 26), at 26 North Halsted Street in the Greektown neighborhood. It currently owns 25 television s ...
's
WCIU-TV WCIU-TV (channel 26) is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, affiliated with The CW. It is the flagship television property of locally based Weigel Broadcasting, which has owned the station since its inception, and is siste ...
/
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
.


Involvement in network E/I blocks (2011–2017)

In May 2011, following the announcement of plans to discontinue the ABC Kids Saturday morning block, Litton reached a deal with
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
's affiliate board to syndicate a block of live-action, E/I (educational and informative) compliant programming, known as
Litton's Weekend Adventure Weekend Adventure (originally known as ABC Weekend Adventure and Litton's Weekend Adventure) is an American syndicated programming block that is produced by Hearst Media Production Group, and airs weekend mornings on the owned-and-operated stat ...
. The block premiered on September 3, 2011. On September 28, 2013, Litton introduced its second Saturday morning network television block,
CBS Dream Team CBS Dream Team (suffixed with ...It's Epic! before October 3, 2020) is an American programming block that is programmed by Hearst Media Production Group (formerly Litton Entertainment), and airs weekend mornings on CBS under a time-lease agree ...
, for
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
; focusing on teenagers 13 to 16 years old. The block succeeded CBS' previous block,
Cookie Jar TV Cookie Jar TV was an American children's programming block that aired on CBS, originally premiering on September 16, 2006, as the KOL Secret Slumber Party; the block was later rebranded as KEWLopolis ( ) on September 15, 2007, and then as Coo ...
. ''
Recipe Rehab ''Recipe Rehab'' is an American cooking competition television program that originally debuted as a short-form web series on YouTube on April 2, 2012, and subsequently became a half-hour television series on October 6, 2012 as part of the ABC s ...
'' was one preexisting program Litton moved over from its ABC block. The company planned to double its productions by adding production facilities in South Carolina. Litton began renting and renovation a
North Charleston North Charleston is the third-largest city in the state of South Carolina.City Planning Department (2008-07)City of North Charleston boundary map. City of North Charleston. Retrieved January 21, 2011. On June 12, 1972, the city of North Charlest ...
studio used with its first-ever scripted production, '' The Inspectors'', also being its first series produced there. LE's first film produced in that studio was the independent film ''The Ivy League Farmer'', which began filming in September. Additionally, Litton planned to build its own studio complex with multiple stages somewhere in the state. Production of most of Litton's productions should move there also. In 2014, ''Ocean Mysteries With Jeff Corwin'' won two Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for Outstanding Travel Program and Outstanding Directing in a Lifestyle/Culinary/Travel Program. On October 4, 2014, Litton introduced its third Saturday morning block,
One Magnificent Morning One Magnificent Morning (OMM) is an American programming block that is programmed by Hearst Media Production Group (formerly Litton Entertainment) and distributed by CBS Media Ventures, and debuted on October 4, 2014, as a replacement for the an ...
, for
The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
, succeeding
Saban Brands Saban Capital Group LLC is an American investment firm based in Los Angeles, California focused on media, entertainment, and communications investments. Formed in 2010 by Haim Saban, Saban Capital Group owns Saban Films, part of Univision Commu ...
'
Vortexx Vortexx was a short-lived American Saturday morning children's television programming block that aired on The CW from August 25, 2012 to September 27, 2014. Programmed by Saban Brands, it replaced Toonzai, a block that was programmed by 4Kids ...
block. For the 2016-17 season, Litton launched two additional E/I programming blocks. On April 27, 2015, Litton announced ''Go Time'', a syndicated block of E/I programming drawn largely from reruns of programming from its other network blocks, which launched on October 1, 2016. On February 24, 2016, Litton and
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
announced
The More You Know ''The More You Know'' is a series of public service announcements (PSAs) broadcast on the NBC family of channels in the United States and other locations, featuring educational messages. These PSAs are broadcast occasionally during NBC's networ ...
, which launched on October 8, 2016, succeeding
NBC Kids NBC Kids was an American Saturday morning children's television programming block that aired on NBC from July 7, 2012 to September 25, 2016. Telemundo also aired a version of the block under the "MiTelemundo" title, which featured a separate line ...
.


Acquisition by Hearst and rebranding as HMPG (2017–present)

On January 6, 2017,
Hearst Television Hearst Television, Inc. (formerly Hearst-Argyle Television) is a broadcasting company in the United States owned by Hearst Communications. From 1998 to mid-2009, the company traded its common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ...
, a division of Hearst Communications and a former employer of company founder Dave Morgan, announced that it had acquired a majority stake in Litton for an undisclosed amount, a deal closed on February 1, 2017. On January 25, 2017, Litton and
Tribune Media Tribune Media Company, also known as Tribune Company, was an American multimedia conglomerate headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Through Tribune Broadcasting, Tribune Media was one of the largest television broadcasting companies, owning 39 ...
announced a deal for the 2017–18 season where they will provide E/I content for Tribune's
Antenna TV Antenna TV is an American digital television network owned by Nexstar Media Group. The network's programming consists of classic television series, primarily sitcoms, from the 1950s to the 1990s. Antenna TV's programming and advertising operati ...
network. In the 2017-18 season, NBC's The More You Know block also began to be carried on NBC's classic television subchannel network, Cozi TV. On January 6, 2018,
Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is owned by Comcast. It provides content nationally with pr ...
's block, ''MiTelemundo'', was relaunched to carry programs from NBC's ''The More You Know'' block, in Spanish. The block, however, kept its original name. On September 7, 2021, after fully acquiring Litton's balance that year, Hearst Television announced that the former would be moved under a new unified banner for the latter's outside productions, including ''
Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien ''Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien'' is a weekly American public-affairs television talk program hosted by journalist Soledad O'Brien. The show is produced by Hearst Media Production Group and is distributed to TV stations in national bro ...
''. On January 28, 2022, it was revealed that the name of Hearst Television's newly-rebranded unified division will be Hearst Media Production Group, and a new logo and production card were also unveiled for the new banner. On March 3, 2022, HMPG made a deal with Toonz Media Group, in which the former will co-produce animated productions with the latter, including ''Paddypaws'', ''Sunnyside Billy'', ''Kingdom of None'' and ''Aliens in My Backpack'', and distribute them in the United States.


Former divisions

Litton formerly had three operating divisions: Freely accessibl
here
/ref> *Litton Worldwide Distribution *Litton Media Sales *Litton News Source provides stations with reports and features from '' Consumer Reports'' magazine, ''Consumer Reports TV'' and ''Consumer Alert News Network'' (Hearst itself had previously partnered with ''Consumer Reports'' in the 90s and 2000s for national wire stories). Previous programming included ''Brighter Living With Jill Corde''s, ''BusinessWeek Reports From Wall Street'', ''Standard & Poor's Customized Reports'', ''Consumer Reports'' "Good Housekeeping Reports" and seasonal specials, "Solutions With Jill", "BusinessWeek Custom Wall Street Reports", "S&P Custom Market Indices"


First run syndicated


Programming blocks


Go Time

Go Time is a syndicated E/I-compliant block of six programs previously aired on the network blocks from Litton and Hearst Media, which is cleared throughout 80% of the United States.
Sony Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Inc. (abbreviated as SPT) is an American television production and distribution studio. Based at the Sony Pictures Studios complex in Culver City, it is a division of Sony Entertainment's unit Sony Pictures Entertainme ...
sells advertising for the block in lieu of Litton. On April 27, 2015, Litton announced ''Go Time'' block would launch on October 1, 2016, with CBS News and Stations's independent stations as its major body of stations, along with Gray Television and
Sinclair Broadcast Group Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (SBG) is a publicly traded American telecommunications conglomerate that is controlled by the descendants of company founder Julian Sinclair Smith. Headquartered in the Baltimore suburb of Cockeysville, Maryland, ...
to carry the block. Other groups carrying it are Cowles,
Cox Cox may refer to: * Cox (surname), including people with the name Companies * Cox Enterprises, a media and communications company ** Cox Communications, cable provider ** Cox Media Group, a company that owns television and radio stations ** ...
,
Hearst Television Hearst Television, Inc. (formerly Hearst-Argyle Television) is a broadcasting company in the United States owned by Hearst Communications. From 1998 to mid-2009, the company traded its common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ...
, NPG, Scripps, Nexstar, and
Weigel Broadcasting Weigel Broadcasting Co. is an American television broadcasting company based in Chicago, Illinois, alongside its flagship station WCIU-TV (Channel 26), at 26 North Halsted Street in the Greektown neighborhood. It currently owns 25 television s ...
.


Current Go Time programming

* ''Rock The Park'' - hosted by Jack Steward and Colton Smith (previously aired on
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
and
The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
from 2014 to 2021) * ''Did I Mention Invention?'' - hosted by Alie Ward (also aired on
The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
from 2018 to 2020) * ''Jewels of the Natural World'' (also aired on
The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
in the summer of 2020) *''Hearts of Heroes'' (also airing on
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
since 2019)


Stand alone programs

*''
Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures ''Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures'' is a nature documentary video/television series that ran in first-run syndication from 1993 to 2008, and remains in active distribution. The series was hosted by Jack Hanna, Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo ...
'' (1993–2008), half-hour nature show; continues to be distributed *'' The Wildlife Docs'' (2013–2018), half-hour exotic animal vet show *''
Animal Exploration with Jarod Miller ''Animal Exploration with Jarod Miller'' is a documentary television series about a personal tour guide to the world of animals. The series is hosted by Jarod Miller, and was broadcast from September 24, 2007, to June 7, 2010. Plot Each episode f ...
'' (2007–2010), half-hour nature show *'' NASCAR Angels'', inspirational automotive rehabilitation reality show co-produced with
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
*''
BusinessWeek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'', is an American weekly business magazine published fifty times a year. Since 2009, the magazine is owned by New York City-based Bloomberg L.P. The magazine debuted in New York City ...
TV'', half-hour financial news, discontinued with purchase of magazine by
Bloomberg L.P. Bloomberg L.P. is a privately held financial, software, data, and media company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was co-founded by Michael Bloomberg in 1981, with Thomas Secunda, Duncan MacMillan, Charles Zegar, and a 1 ...
*''Home Team'', inspirational time-compressed home improvement project reality show *''Ask Rita'', a comedy based talk show strip hosted by comedian
Rita Rudner Rita Rudner (born September 17, 1953) is an American comedian. Beginning her career as a Broadway dancer, Rudner noticed the lack of female comedians in New York City and turned to stand-up comedy, where she has flourished for over three deca ...
*''
Storm Stories ''Storm Stories'' is an American non-fiction television series that airs on The Weather Channel (TWC) and Zone Reality. It is hosted and narrated by meteorologist and storm tracker Jim Cantore. ''Storm Stories'' showcases various types of severe ...
'', syndicated distribution of
Weather Channel The Weather Channel (TWC) is an American pay television channel owned by Weather Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Allen Media Group. The channel's headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia. Launched on May 2, 1982, the channel broadcasts weather forecas ...
weather event series * ''Ready, Set, Pet'', hosted by Phil Torres


Notes


External links

* {{Hearst Hearst Communications assets Hearst Television Television production companies of the United States Companies based in Charleston, South Carolina American companies established in 1988 Mass media companies established in 1988 Television syndication distributors 1988 establishments in Maryland 2017 mergers and acquisitions