The Program Exchange: Difference between revisions

In 1979, DFS Program Exchange was formed and founded by Dancer Fitzgerald Sample, more commonly known as "DFS", which was a Madison Avenue-based advertising company. DFS was renamed "DFS-Dorland" in 1986, and in 1987, the company was acquired by "Saatchi & Saatchi", who took the "DFS-Dorland" out of the company's name (although "DFS" would continue to be listed in their logo until 1993). Ever since 1979, the Program Exchange has been a "barter company", trading shows with TV stations in "exchange" (pun intended) for the stations to run ads for DFS/Saatchi & Saatchi clients such as General Mills, allowing even low-budget stations to air them. In 2008, the Program Exchange was acquired by ZenithOptimedia, itself owned by the French media corporation Publicis Groupe S.A. In 2016, the company's website shut down, and it's presumed the company went defunct. The shutdown of the site coincided with Comcast's purchase of [[DreamWorks Animation]] (which included [[DreamWorks Classics]], a major client for TPE). Today, the rights to shows originally syndicated by TPE have since gone back to their original owners.