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PPT Still Looking For Television Home

6 October 2006

The Professional Poker Tour is still looking for a television partner willing to broadcast its show.

The Travel Channel, home to the popular World Poker Tour and the PPT's first season, announced in August that they did not plan to pick-up the second season.

The PPT was dropped because the Travel Channel is launching a new initiative called Discovery Travel Media, said the channel's vice president of communications, James Ashurst.

That decision forced PPT owner, WPT Enterprises to postpone the remainder of the PPT's second season, including live tournaments at Foxwoods in November and Bellagio in December. Dates for the resumption of PPT tournaments have not been released, but WPT officials did say they plan to continue the series.

"While we continue to negotiate the broadcast of the second season, we have decided to delay these tournaments for the benefit of players who need to make long-term travel arrangements as well as the league itself," WPT Public Relations Manager Lyndsay LaGree said. "We expect to resume filming in 2007."

The Travel Channel will still air WPT tournaments, which continue to be their highest ranked programming. And even though they will not air any more PPT tournaments, Ashurst said they travel channel is looking into adding more WPT special events into their future television lineups.

"With any strategic investment you're going to have changes," Ashurst said. "Our partnership with the World Poker Tour is still really strong and Wednesday night will continue to be poker night on the travel channel."

The Game Show Network (GSN), a likely home for the PPT because of the popularity of their High Stakes Poker Series, said they have been contacted by the WPT, but was unwilling to comment further. Similarly, WPT officials said they have contacted several potential homes for the PPT, but were unwilling to name them.


Mucking McLane
PPT Still Looking For Television Home is republished from CasinoVendors.com.
Ryan McLane

Ryan McLane was a poker reporter for Casino City. Although he has a strong background in reporting, the same can't be said for his poker skills. He has never won a major tournament nor is he a professional player. He applied for this job thinking it was a joke, only to find it out that it's true, people will pay you to write about poker. His favorite word is ridiculous.

After receiving his BA in History from Stonehill College in Easton, MA, he somehow ended up freelance reporting for a couple years before being deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom III with the Massachusetts National Guard. He's back now and is a strong advocate of the phrase "God Bless America."

Currently, Ryan lives in Boston and occasionally makes international treks to cover tournament poker and news. Feature writing is his passion and there is no need to ask for his opinion, he'll probably offer it first - free of charge.
Ryan McLane
Ryan McLane was a poker reporter for Casino City. Although he has a strong background in reporting, the same can't be said for his poker skills. He has never won a major tournament nor is he a professional player. He applied for this job thinking it was a joke, only to find it out that it's true, people will pay you to write about poker. His favorite word is ridiculous.

After receiving his BA in History from Stonehill College in Easton, MA, he somehow ended up freelance reporting for a couple years before being deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom III with the Massachusetts National Guard. He's back now and is a strong advocate of the phrase "God Bless America."

Currently, Ryan lives in Boston and occasionally makes international treks to cover tournament poker and news. Feature writing is his passion and there is no need to ask for his opinion, he'll probably offer it first - free of charge.