The Lexington Broadcast Services Company (first known as Lexington Broadcast Services and later known as LBS Communications) was an American television production and syndication company founded on November 15, 1976, by advertising pioneer Henry Siegel, who, according to Advertising Age, was "the man who built Lexington Broadcast Services into the nation's largest barter syndicator, and thus defined that segment of the TV ad business.""50 Who Made A Difference", page 45. Advertising Age, Spring 1995.
History LBS was originally a unit of Grey Advertising, in order to develop products that were marketed for syndication. Some of the first products that were made were Not for Women Only, which was produced by WNBC-TV in New York City, and Hot Fudge, which was produced by then-ABC O&O WXYZ-TV in Detroit. Siegel was moved from Grey Advertising's president in order to become head of Lexington Broadcast Services Company. In 1977, it launched its first breakout hit for the company, Sha Na Na, for syndication, with advertising on a barter basis.
In December 1982, it entered into a partnership with Columbia Pictures Television to bring the ABC drama Family to off-net syndication starting in September 1983, with LBS handling distribution under license from Columbia Pictures Television, which was sold onto a barter basis. The success of Family led to the formation of the Colex Enterprises joint venture (as mentioned below). In 1986, it launched a syndicated block with DIC Entertainment and Mattel, Kideo TV. That year, DIC and LBS formed the Family Theater package of eight animated specials, and decided that DIC and LBS would team up with Columbia Pictures Television to produce a live-action Dennis the Menace feature film.
In 1985, LBS, DIC Enterprises and Karl/Lorimar Home Video set up a home video distribution venture, Kideo Video, which released titles from LBS' Kideo catalog, through which, by 1986, LBS planned to release titles for the videocassette market, and it gained programming rights for 200 Kideo titles. By 1987, LBS had to market beauty videocassettes due to the underperforming expectations of the initial Kideo videocassettes, and sponsored made-for-TV specials would not be included in its initial deal.
In June 1987, DIC and LBS settled their lawsuits regarding Kideo Video "amicably" out of court, due to the cross complaints that stemmed from the home video label beginning in 1985. The settlement allowed Lorimar Home Video to continue distributing for the home video market certain kids' animated programs, and called for LBS and DIC to have the right to enter into separate home video agreements independently of each other. In addition, the rights of one of the companies could be independent of each other, and also independent of Lorimar Home Video, and the issue of a joint account that LBS was managing and allegedly was being trafficked in and out of the Cayman Islands was raised. It was revealed that there was wrongdoing in the $250 million account co-owned by LBS.
In late July 1987, LBS Communications, on behalf of Westgate Entertainment, began marketing a $3 million, two-hour barter syndicated special on the Titanic, and LBS and Westgate had exclusive rights to the taped footage of the attacks at that time. The company had to feed the special to an ad-hoc network of TV stations on October 28, and at least 30 minutes of the two-hour special would be from Monte Carlo. It was decided that LBS would sell the telecast as part of a four-special barter package.
The company was known for distributing programs from DIC Entertainment and Columbia Pictures Television (including select material from Columbia subsidiary/label Screen Gems), by way of its Colex Enterprises joint venture with Columbia, in addition to the 1991 syndicated re-launch of Baywatch. The company was also known for handling Elia Kazan's films that he directed from 1945 to 1976, and syndicating selected Bob Hope-produced movies that reverted to him after their initial release. That year, LBS Communications built up its distribution arm to allow stations to broadcast syndicated TV productions from outside production companies, and Paul Siegel would take over as president of the LBS Entertainment division. He had plans for advertising with Paramount Domestic Television and Coca-Cola Telecommunications, but the company then found itself in the cold, and the alternatives failed to materialize due to a management buyout of the company from Grey Advertising by Marvin Davis, who was a former owner of the 20th Century-Fox film studio.
Around the time that LBS' partnership with Columbia Pictures Television ended, LBS began to lose money, and in December 1991, LBS filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. As a result, the company ended up having to sell between 80 and 85 percent of its assets to its Baywatch distributor partner, the Scotti Brothers' All American Television.
TV programs Title Run Co-producer Current distributor Not for Women Only 1976–79 Hot Fudge 1976–80 The Andy Williams Show 1976–77 Pierre Cossette Enterprises Sha Na Na 1977–81 Pierre Cossette Enterprises Sorority '62 1978 Dick Clark Productions Hee Haw Honeys 1978–79 Yongestreet Productions Ryman Hospitality Properties The Health Field 1979–84 Doctor Snuggles 1981 Polyscope Ulysses 31 1981 DIC EnterprisesTMS Entertainment WildBrain The Glen Campbell Music Show 1982–83 Pierre Cossette ProductionsGaylord Program Services In Search of... 1982–83 Alan Landsburg Productions NBCUniversal Syndication Studios Super Friends 1982–85 Hanna-BarberaDC Comics Warner Bros. Television Inspector Gadget 1983–86 DIC EnterprisesNelvana WildBrain Family 1983–84 Columbia Pictures TelevisionSpelling/Goldberg Productions Sony Pictures Television How the West Was Won 1983–84 MGM Television Warner Bros. Television LBS Children's Theater 1983–85 Various Various The Greatest American Hero 1984–85 Stephen J. Cannell Productions Shout! Factory Heathcliff 1984–85 DIC Enterprises WildBrain Tales from the Darkside 1984–88 Laurel EntertainmentJaygee ProductionsTribune Broadcasting CBS Media Ventures INDAY 1985–86 Tribune Broadcasting M.A.S.K. 1985–86 DIC Enterprises WildBrain Care Bears 1985 DIC Enterprises WildBrain What's Happening Now!! 1985–88 Columbia Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Kideo TV 1986–87 DIC EnterprisesMattel WildBrain Canned Film Festival 1986 Young & RubicamChelsea Communications Keurig Dr Pepper/Fremantle The New Gidget 1986–88 Ackerman/Riskin ProductionsColumbia Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television The Adventures of Teddy Ruxpin 1986–87 DIC EnterprisesAtkinson Film-Arts The Jim Henson Company The Real Ghostbusters 1987–91 DIC EnterprisesColumbia Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television The New American Bandstand 1987–88 Dick Clark Productions Hardcastle and McCormick 1987–88 Stephen J. Cannell Productions Sony Pictures Television New Monkees 1987–88 Coca-Cola TelecommunicationsStraybert Productions Sony Pictures Television Family Feud 1988–92 Mark Goodson Productions Fremantle Police Academy 1988–89 Ruby-Spears ProductionsWarner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Crazy Like a Fox 1989 Columbia Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television The New Adventures of He-Man 1990 Jetlag ProductionsParafrance Communications NBCUniversal Syndication Studios Dragon Warrior 1990 Saban International Memories...Then and Now 1990–92 NBC News Productions NBCUniversal Syndication Studios Baywatch 1991–92 The Baywatch CompanyTower 12 Productions Fremantle
Ad sales Fame Hollywood Squares (1986–89) The New Liar's Club This Is Your Life (1983–84) Too Close for Comfort
Colex Enterprises The Canterville Ghost (1986) Dennis the Menace The Donna Reed Show Eischied Family Reunion Father Knows Best The Flying Nun The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show Ghost Story Gidget Gidget's Summer Reunion (1985) Hawk Hazel Joe Forrester Jungle Jim Miracle of the Heart: A Boys Town Story (1986) The Monkees Route 66 Wild Bill Hickok
Films Heathcliff: The Movie (1986) (released by Atlantic Entertainment Group and produced by DIC Entertainment and McNaught Syndicate) Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986) (released by Columbia Pictures and produced by Nelvana)
TV specials Title Run Co-producer Current distributor The Clairol Crown 1979–81 Strawberry Shortcake 1980–85 Kenner ProductsMueller/Rosen Productions (#1-#3)Murakami-Wolf-Swenson (#1/#3)Perpetual Motion Pictures (#2)Nelvana (#4-#6) CBS Media Ventures (#1-#2)WildBrain (#3-#6) Peter and the Magic Egg 1983 Mueller/Rosen ProductionsMurakami-Wolf-Swenson CBS Media Ventures The Care Bears in the Land Without Feelings 1983 Kenner ProductsAtkinson Film-Arts Cloudco Entertainment The Care Bears Battle the Freeze Machine 1984 Kenner ProductsAtkinson Film-Arts Cloudco Entertainment Poochie 1984 DIC Enterprises WildBrain The Adventures of the Get Along Gang May 6, 1984 Nelvana Cloudco Entertainment GoBots: Battle for GoBotron 1984 Hanna-BarberaTonka Warner Bros. Television It Came Upon the Midnight Clear December 8, 1984 Columbia Pictures Television Sony Pictures Television Peter and Paul 1985 Universal Television NBCUniversal Syndication Studios Hope Diamonds 1986 Hope Enterprises Sony Pictures Television The Story of Rock 'n Roll 1987 Chelsea Communications Fremantle Return to the Titanic...Live October 28, 1987 Westgate Communications Fremantle Bonanza: The Next Generation 1988 Bonanza VenturesGaylord Productions Entertainment One Exploring Pyschic Powers...Live 1989 Fremantle The Billy Martin Celebrity Roast September 30, 1989 Multiview Productions Fremantle It Nearly Wasn't Christmas 1989 Ventura Entertainment Group Fremantle
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