GSN Sets Record with Whammy! Launch

Game Show Network's April 15 premiere of original game show Whammy! The
All New Press Your Luck
set a network ratings record for an original-series
premiere.

Whammy!'s 0.8 rating bested GSN's previous high of a 0.7 for the January
2000 premiere of Hollywood Showdown, network officials said.

Further, the show -- a new version of classic 1980s game show Press Your
Luck
-- generated a strong 0.5 rating within the adult 18-through-49 and
25-through-54 demographics for the older-skewing network.

The show also improved GSN's 10 p.m. ratings by 70 percent, the network
said.

Along with Whammy!, the network also premiered classic episodes of
Hollywood Squares, which generated an inaugural 0.5 rating, GSN said.

In June, GSN will launch two more original series, Russian Roulette
and Friend or Foe.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.