TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) today announced it has cleared “T.D. Jakes”, a multi-issue daily one-hour talk show hosted by T.D. Jakes, on 29 TEGNA Media stations to air in the fall of 2016. In a move designed to create more original programming, TEGNA Media will both produce and distribute the “T.D. Jakes” series.

“T.D. Jakes has a unique and uplifting voice that is well suited for daytime television. With Jakes at the helm, this program has an opportunity to attract blue-chip advertisers, generate large audiences and empower viewers across the country,” said Dave Lougee, president, TEGNA Media. “During the show’s test run this summer, Jakes’ audience grew each week in every market. Once viewers found him, they liked him and we look forward to introducing him to a wider audience next fall.”

“T.D. Jakes” enjoyed a highly successful month-long test run this summer on four TEGNA Media stations. The shows tackled socially relevant, topical and exclusive stories, highlighting Jakes’ unique, heart-centered wisdom and humor. As he did last summer, Jakes will continue to offer personal stories and welcome celebrity and non-celebrity guests for enlightening, entertaining and sometimes unexpected conversations.

Jakes is a prominent Dallas-based pastor, entrepreneur and businessman, whose multi-platform reach extends far beyond the pulpit of his 30,000-member church and humanitarian organization, The Potter’s House. His reach also includes nearly 5 million social media followers. In addition, Jakes is a best-selling author of more than 40 books with his latest, Destiny, debuting in the top ten on The New York Times Bestseller List this past August. He has produced Grammy Award winning music and several feature films including “Heaven is for Real”, “Sparkle”, and “Jumping the Broom”. His next film, “Miracles from Heaven”, will be released on March 18, 2016.

“It is indeed an honor for TDJ Entertainment to work with such a stellar slate of industry players like TEGNA Media, 44 Blue, EnLight and Scott Carlin whose belief in my ability to engage a broader audience with relevant and uplifting content is consistent with my years of experience at the intersections of the faith-based, entertainment and business worlds,” said T.D. Jakes, CEO of TDJ Entertainment and Senior Pastor of The Potter’s House of Dallas, Inc. “This is an unprecedented opportunity to bring a new voice to a familiar platform. To say I am excited and challenged by this opportunity is an understatement.”

“T.D. Jakes” will be owned and distributed by TEGNA Media. Launch markets will include Atlanta, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Minneapolis and Seattle, reaching nearly one-quarter of the U.S. television audience. Upwards of 20 TEGNA Media markets will launch the show in the afternoon time period. Additional TEGNA Media stations will air the show as timeslots clear.

“Our successful test run confirmed what we already knew – there is a new generation of viewers hungry for positive content that transforms their lives and relationships in an entertaining manner,” said Stephanie Noonan Drachkovitch, executive producer and president of 44 Blue Productions. “We’re proud to partner with T.D. Jakes, TEGNA, and EnLight Productions to expand our format into a daytime television mainstay that is sure to educate, inform, and uplift viewers for years to come.”

The show will be sold in syndication by Scott Carlin, a 30-year veteran of the media business. Carlin has been actively engaged in independently creating, producing and distributing television during that time. Currently, he is a transactional advisor to independent producers and media companies on content development, distribution strategies and new media investments. Scott recently served as President of HBO’s Domestic Television Distribution and before that was Executive Vice President for Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. He also produced the first long-form documentary on the life of Deepak Chopra called, “Decoding Deepak.”

“T.D. Jakes” will be produced by TEGNA Media, Emmy-nominated 44 Blue Productions (“Wahlburgers”, daytime syndicated series “Family Court with Judge Penny”), Jakes’ own TDJ Enterprises and EnLight Productions. Executive producers of the show will be 44 Blue’s Emmy-winning president and co-founder Stephanie Noonan Drachkovitch, Jakes, Derrick M. Williams (executive vice president, TD Jakes Entertainment) and EnLight’s Emmy-award winning president Adriane Hopper Williams.

About TEGNA

TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA), formerly Gannett Co., Inc., is comprised of a dynamic portfolio of media and digital businesses that provide content that matters and brands that deliver. TEGNA reaches more than 90 million Americans and delivers highly relevant, useful and smart content, when and how people need it, to make the best decisions possible. TEGNA Media includes 46 television stations and is the largest independent station group of major network affiliates in the top 25 markets, reaching approximately one-third of all television households nationwide. TEGNA Digital is comprised of Cars.com, the leading online destination for automotive consumers, CareerBuilder, a global leader in human capital solutions, and other powerful brands such as G/O Digital, Cofactor and Sightline Media Group. For more information, visit www.TEGNA.com.

About 44 Blue Productions

44 Blue Productions is an award-winning producer of non-fiction and unscripted programming, whose series have aired on more than a dozen domestic television networks and in more than 120 countries worldwide. Founded by Rasha and Stephanie Noonan Drachkovitch, 44 Blue’s impressive slate of groundbreaking series includes A&E’s twice Emmy® nominated series Wahlburgers, as well as A&E’s top-rated new series Donnie Loves Jenny and Nightwatch; MSNBC’S critically acclaimed Lockup and its spinoff series Lockup: Raw, Lockup: World Tour and Life After Lockup; Animal Planet’s Pit Bulls & Parolees; BET/Centric’s upcoming According to Alex, Style’s Emmy® nominated Split Ends, Spike’s Deadliest Warrior and OWN’s Gracie Award winning Married to the Army: Alaska. 44 Blue’s current slate includes projects with high-profile talent including Mark Wahlberg, Donnie Wahlberg, Dick Wolf, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jennifer Garner, Whoopi Goldberg and others. 44 Blue is represented by the William Morris Endeavor Agency.

About EnLight Productions

Adriane Hopper Williams is the co-owner and Executive Producer of EnLight Productions. Hopper Williams is an Emmy Award-winning producer and has worked closely with 44 Blue Productions as showrunner for five television series including the Emmy-nominated PBS talk show, A Place of Our Own/Los Ninos En Su Casa, First Week In for Discovery and the award- winning series, Married to the Army Alaska and Breaking Down the Bars for OWN.