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The Program Exchange facts for kids

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The Program Exchange
Formerly
  • DFS Program Exchange (1979-1986)
  • DFS-Dorland Program Exhcnage (1986-1987)
Subsidiary
Industry Television syndication
Fate Defunct
Founded
  • 1979 (as DFS Program Exchange)
Founder Hill Blackett and John Glen Sample
Defunct 2016
Headquarters New York, United States
Key people
 TBA
Owner Publicis
Parent ZenithOptimedia

The Program Exchange was a company that helped put TV shows on different television channels. It was known as a "syndicator" because it helped distribute programs. This company started in 1979 as DFS Program Exchange. Over the years, its name changed a couple of times. It eventually became part of a bigger company called Publicis. The Program Exchange stopped operating in early 2016.

What Was The Program Exchange?

The Program Exchange was a special kind of TV show distributor. It was called a "barter syndicator." This means that instead of TV stations paying money to show a program, they would agree to air commercials. These commercials were often for products from companies like General Mills. This way, stations that didn't have a lot of money could still show popular programs.

How Did It Work?

The company helped producers get their shows on many different TV channels. They often distributed older shows that were still popular. They also helped share programs that met special rules for educational TV. For a long time, The Program Exchange held the rights to shows from Jay Ward Productions and Total Television. These included classic cartoons that many people still love today.

A Look Back: Its History

The Program Exchange began in 1979. It was first called DFS Program Exchange. Later, for a short time, it was known as DFS-Dorland Program Exchange. From 1987 to 2008, it was part of an advertising company called Saatchi & Saatchi. Then, in 2000, a company named Publicis bought Saatchi & Saatchi. In 2008, Publicis moved The Program Exchange to another one of its companies, ZenithOptimedia. The company's website closed down in early 2016. This happened around the same time that NBCUniversal bought one of its big clients, DreamWorks Classics.

Shows You Might Know

The Program Exchange helped distribute many different TV shows. The dates listed below show when The Program Exchange distributed them. These are not the dates the shows first aired.

Popular Kids' Shows

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