Keith Cox Named Executive Vice President, Original Programming for TV Land & Nick at Nite

Keith Cox Named Executive Vice President, Original Programming for TV Land & Nick at Nite

NEW YORK, May 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Keith Cox has joined TV Land and Nick at Nite as Executive Vice President of Original Programming, it was announced today by Larry W. Jones, President of TV Land & Nick at Nite. In this newly created position, Cox will be based at the networks' New York headquarters and report directly to Jones.

Cox, who begins his new assignment in mid-May, will be responsible for the creation, development and execution of original programming and production strategies for the networks, both of which substantially increased original programming content over the past few years. On Nick at Nite, Cox will build upon the network's original programming, which to date has included shows such as Hi-Jinks -- a hidden camera show -- and Nick at Nite's Search for the Funniest Mom in America, the network's reality-based program in which the winning mom gets a shot at her own Nick at Nite pilot. On TV Land, Cox will be charged with increasing the network's originals slate, which already includes the annual TV Land Awards, TV Land Confidential, Sit Down Comedy with David Steinberg, and the upcoming reality series starring Mr. T -- I Pity the Fool -- and several others. Cox will work closely with Sal Maniaci -- TV Land and Nick at Nite's Senior Vice President of Original Programming and Production -- in continuing to bring original content to both networks.

"Keith Cox brings an outstanding track record and impeccable credentials that will only further TV Land and Nick at Nite's original programming agendas," explains Jones. "Keith's considerable experience will allow our networks to develop and create programming that speaks directly to our audiences and continue to elevate our profile as original programmers."

Most recently, Cox held the post of Executive Vice President, Comedy and Alternative Development at the WB Television Network, where he oversaw all of the network's half hour and reality development of such hits as Beauty and the Geek and Surreal Life. He was also instrumental in the development of such critical successes as High School Reunion, Starlet and Pop Stars 2. Cox, who joined the WB in 2001, previously held the position of Senior Vice President, Alternative Programming at the WB.

Earlier in his career, Cox worked at Greenblatt/Janollari as Vice President of Comedy and Drama development and was part of the team that developed Six Feet Under, One on One, The Hughleys, Heat and Vision and Jack - - a cult favorite starring Jack Black. He began his career as Director of Programming during the early days of FX before joining Warner Brothers Television, where he developed several shows for NBC's powerhouse Thursday night line-up including Veronica's Closet, Suddenly Susan and Jesse, as well as The Jamie Foxx Show for the WB.

TV Land Productions was created in 2003 to develop original programming that complements the network's successful acquired programming slate. TV Land Productions has also produced The TV Land Awards Show: A Celebration of Classic TV (March 2003, 2004 and 2005), the Emmy-nominated The Dick Van Dyke Show, Revisited, the network's first original special for broadcast, which premiered on CBS in May 2004, the Emmy-nominated Still Brady ... After All These Years reunion special in September 2004 and Chasing Farrah (Spring 2005), the original reality series that followed iconic Hollywood actress and sex symbol Farrah Fawcett. Over the last year, the network premiered a variety of original series and specials in 2005 including: TV Guide and TV Land Present: The 100 Most Unexpected TV Moments, Living in TV Land, TV Land Confidential and Sit Down Comedy with David Steinberg. For more information about TV Land's original Wednesday night line-ups, visit www.tvland.com.

Nick at Nite Originals was created in 2003 to develop original programming that meets what the network refers to as the "Four F's" criteria: programming that is Family-Friendly, Funny and Familiar. Nick at Nite Originals produces Fatherhood (June 2004), a show based on Bill Cosby's best-selling book of the same name. Nick at Nite also produced Hi-Jinks, the network's hidden-camera series in which adults play good-natured pranks on kids of all ages, which returns to the network in its second season in February 2006. And last May, Darlene Westgor was crowned "The Funniest Mom in America" when the network aired Nick at Nite's Search for the Funniest Mom in America, which returns for a second season in April 2006.

Now seen in over 88 million U.S. homes, TV Land's program mix features popular dramas, sitcoms, westerns, Retromercials and a TV-referential interstitial environment, all programmed with a specific audience in mind - the first generation of Americans to grow up watching television and features all-time Classic hits like All in the Family, I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show, and Bonanza.

MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:VIA.B), owns and operates the following television programming services -- MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, mtvU, VHI, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, MTV INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 12 digital services, all of which are trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.

Source: TV Land/Nick at Nite

CONTACT: Paul Ward, +1-212-258-7704, or Vanessa Reyes, +1-310-752-8081,
both for TV Land/Nick at Nite

Web site: http://www.tvland.com/
http://www.nick-at-nite.com/

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