Off-net strategies are tested: with fewer hits available, some nets will be paying top dollar.(Cable syndication: the basic plan for 2004)

Broadcasting & Cable, October, 2003 by Romano, Allison

At first blush, the CBS Thursday-night drama Without a Trace doesn't look like one of the hottest properties on broadcast television. Ratings and buzz are good, but the sophomore series is not yet a blockbuster on the order of CSI or Law & Order. Yet cable channels are salivating over the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama, which boasts two coveted syndication features: self-contained episodes and an investigative format. Few other shows follow that formula--and most of those that do start with the words Law & Order.

So industry executives expect Warner Bros.' Without a Trace to sell fast and possibly command more than $1 million per episode. Some of cable's biggest customers for off-net shows, including TNT and Lifetime, are said to be in the hunt.

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