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A lifetime ago when I was a program director in Washington, D.C., Byron Allen was one of the people who often called to pitch new shows.
Unlike the major syndicators, whose huge budgets allowed them to wine and dine program buyers, Byron was an independent who produced, performed in and marketed his own product. Like most other independents, he never showed up in my office, but he sure knew how to use the phone.
I rarely bought any of Byron’s programs because we seldom had appropriate openings in our schedule, but that didn’t lessen his enthusiasm or slow his pitch. You would have thought I was his best customer, and I’m sure the other program managers in town felt the same way. You had to like the guy because he clearly believed in the value of his product, and he never seemed to give up.
Over the following years I’ve had little contact with Byron, but I have noted the growth of his company, especially his acquisition of television stations. His stations are not in major markets, but most seem to be solid operations. As best I can tell, he runs them well.
Why am I sharing this? Because Byron Allen believes in the future of our business. Virtually every investment he has made, every deal he has reached for, has been about his belief in linear television.
Of all the opportunities Byron Allen has