Hallmark buys 'MASH' reruns; Cable channel will begin airing show in fall 2003

The Hallmark Channel, the network owned by Crown Media Inc., announced Monday that it had obtained exclusive cable TV rights to the ageless sitcom "MASH." Industry reports say the multiyear deal with Crown Media, which is two-thirds owned by Hallmark Cards Inc., was worth at least $60 million - not bad for a show that signed off the air 19 years ago. "MASH," which ran 11 seasons on CBS, will begin airing in fall 2003 on the Hallmark Channel. The show now airs up to eight times a day on the FX channel, which like Twentieth Television, the studio that produced "MASH," is owned by media giant News Corp. The cable rights to all 255 episodes will not affect the show's broadcast rights. WDAF-TV (also owned by News Corp.) airs "MASH" repeats at 11:30 p.m. weeknights in Kansas City. Only a few programs have stood the test of time and become classic TV shows. "MASH" occupies a unique place in that pantheon. Viewership eventually drops off sharply for nearly every off-network program, but "MASH" is an evergreen that just keeps pulling in viewers and making money. David Kenin, executive vice president for Crown Media United States and Hallmark Channel's top programmer, said he was thrilled to win the rights to "MASH." "This is a show that has enduring equalities, genuine moments, genuine characters," Kenin said Monday in a telephone interview. "Somehow it continues to be relevant to new generations of audiences." Though Kenin would not confirm dollar amounts, the Hollywood Reporter stated that Hallmark Channel agreed to pay $250,000 to $300,000 an episode. By comparison, "Will & Grace," a much fresher sitcom that has never aired in repeats, begins its off-network run this fall on Lifetime, which is paying $400,000 an episode. David Lee Smith, a media analyst with RBC Capital Markets, said that on the surface, the deal appeared to be a good move. "I think it's probably positive, and it's popular programming, and they're building up a pretty good repertoire of such programming," Smith said. "At initial glance, the price looks about right." Crown Media's stock, which is traded on the Nasdaq market under the ticker symbol CRWN, closed Monday at $6.80, off $1.09. Kenin, who joined Crown Media in January, pioneered the acquisition of off-network properties for cable television. At USA Network in the late 1980s and early '90s, he built a successful lineup of reruns, including "Murder, She Wrote," "Miami Vice" and "MacGyver." At first glance, "MASH" may seem an odd match for the Hallmark Channel, a network that prides itself on family-friendly entertainment. Most episodes carry a "TV-PG" rating. But Kenin noted that the show's strong, sometimes preachy, messages and the camaraderie among the staff of the fictional 4077th mobile Army hospital were an excellent fit for Hallmark. "It is a show about values and about family - not a traditional family in the sense of mother and father and children in a home, but a show about relationships that serve as a surrogate family," Kenin said. "I can't think of a show we'd rather be associated with." Industry sources agreed that "MASH" was a good acquisition for Hallmark, though it would appeal mainly to older viewers. "Is it going to get a younger audience? Probably not," said Tim Brooks, senior vice president of research for Lifetime. "But will it retain that classy image that the network wants? Probably it will." To reach Aaron Barnhart, call (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site, www.tvbarn.com. The Star's Jennifer Mann contributed to this report.