Leonard Firestone
Leonard Firestone was a pioneer in the field of television programming and syndication.
He got his start in entertainment in 1950 at Unity Television as a distributor of theatrical films to television stations, ultimately becoming the company's national sales manager. In the mid-1950s Firestone moved to Ziv Television, where the sales staff he oversaw distributed first-run programming such as Sea Hunt and The Rifleman. Beginning in the 1960s he ran Four Star Television Distribution, followed by a senior vice president position at Filmways, where he was in charge of the off-network syndicated sitcoms The Addams Family and Green Acres.
In the mid-1960s he founded his own company, Firestone Films, which was later known as Firestone Program Syndication Company. Beginning with first-run talk shows such as The Pat Boone Show and The New Steve Allen Show, Firestone moved on to producing first run half-hour programming specifically for syndication. Up until that time the only syndication offerings were reruns of off-network series.
Firestone also developed a phone-sales strategy that resulted in greater revenue and wider ditribution. Additionally, he was a strong advocate of the FCC's "prime time access rule" which allowed affiliates greater access to their own network’s primetime scheduling of syndicated programming.
Leonard Firestone was a pioneer in the field of television programming and syndication.
He got his start in entertainment in 1950 at Unity Television as a distributor of theatrical films to television stations, ultimately becoming the company's national sales manager. In the mid-1950s Firestone moved to Ziv Television, where the sales staff he oversaw distributed first-run programming such as Sea Hunt and The Rifleman. Beginning in the 1960s he ran Four Star Television Distribution, followed by a senior vice president position at Filmways, where he was in charge of the off-network syndicated sitcoms The Addams Family and Green Acres.
In the mid-1960s he founded his own company, Firestone Films, which was later known as Firestone Program Syndication Company. Beginning with first-run talk shows such as The Pat Boone Show and The New Steve Allen Show, Firestone moved on to producing first run half-hour programming specifically for syndication. Up until that time the only syndication offerings were reruns of off-network series.
Firestone also developed a phone-sales strategy that resulted in greater revenue and wider ditribution. Additionally, he was a strong advocate of the FCC's "prime time access rule" which allowed affiliates greater access to their own network’s primetime scheduling of syndicated programming.
Firestone died March 4, 2015, on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. He was 93.
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