WGN America May Drop 'Underground' In Broadcast Deal
The highly-acclaimed show about the slave experience may no longer air on the network.
Dollars and cents could be the reason WGN American loses its highest rated show, Underground.
The network that also owns Outsiders in currently transitioning to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in a $3.9 billion acquisition deal that includes complete control over programming.
As reported by Variety, there’s been speculation about Sinclair trying to launch a conservative-leaning news channel in WGN America’s place — given the talent available from the Fox News shakeup of the past year — but that would be a big investment for a company that is already taking on a big debt load with the deal.
One has to wonder who are the forces at hand when conservative program is being considered over an majority-Black show about the Underground Railroad.
“The ratings WGN America (delivers) doesn’t justify the type of spending they do on the original programming side,” Sinclair Broadcast Group CEO Chris Ripley said. “The channel could be run much more profitably on a fraction of what they spend on programming.”
Meanwhile on Twitter, fans of Underground are hoping Oprah Winfrey takes the show to her OWN Network which current has Greenleaf and Queen Sugar under its umbrella.
In its second season, the show that stars Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Aldis Hodge and Alano Miller has been highly praised for its intimate portrayal of the American slave experience.