'Enterprise' To Be Syndicated This Fall

The syndication rerun rights to Star Trek: Enterprise have been sold by Paramount for more than 90% of the US.

Broadcasting & Cable reported that Paramount has cleared the UPN series for a fall 2005 launch in 49 of the top 50 markets. Among the stations that will be carrying Enterprise are WNBC in New York, KNBC in Los Angeles and WCVB in Boston. Station groups including Cox, Scripps-Howard, Clear Channel, Sinclair and Tribune have all committed one or more stations to the show.

Viacom co-president Les Moonves refused once more to confirm or deny rumours that this would be the last season of Enterprise on UPN. Inside Bay Area quoted Moonves as saying, "The series is struggling...no decision has been made." He has made similar statements repeatedly since the winter press tour presentations several weeks ago.

Moonves also refused to speculate on the future of another prominent UPN show, WWE Smackdown!, which has been very successful for UPN but does not fit in with the network's new female and urban-oriented demographic. "It still makes us a decent amount of money," he noted, calling it "great counter-programming" to the larger networks, but "it doesn't fit into the overall strategy" for the network.

UPN has one year left in its deal with World Wrestling Entertainment, after which the contract would have to be renewed. The future of the critically acclaimed but still low-rated Veronica Mars is not yet certain either.

Mediaweek's Programming Insider also has coverage of the Enterprise syndication deal from the NATPE conference.

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