MTM Enterprises

MTM Enterprises (also known as MTM Productions) was an American independent production company established in 1969 by Mary Tyler Moore and her then-husband Grant Tinker to produce The Mary Tyler Moore Show for CBS. The name for the production company was drawn from Moore's initials.^[1]

MTM Enterprises, Inc.

Logo with Mimsie the Cat, the company's mascot
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Television and film production
Founded	1969; 56 years ago (1969)
Founders	Mary Tyler Moore Grant Tinker
Defunct	May 19, 1998; 26 years ago (1998-05-19)
Fate	Library assets were folded into 20th Century Fox Television
Successor	20th Television
Parent	TVS Entertainment (Television South plc) (1988–1993) International Family Entertainment (1993–1997) News Corporation (1997–1998)
Divisions	MTM Television Distribution MTM International MTM Home Video MTM Records

With MTM, Moore would become one of the first women to own a television production company. MTM became very successful, producing a number of successful television programs during the 1970s and 1980s. The Walt Disney Company through its subsidiary, 20th Television owns all of its programs.

History

In 1969, MTM Enterprises was organized by both Mary Tyler Moore and Grant Tinker,^[2][3][4] and hired James L. Brooks and Allan Burns to create her sitcom.^[5] Brooks' show Room 222 has even been credited by the Television Academy Foundation for breaking the "new narrative ground" which developed MTM Enterprises' "major sitcom factories of the 1970s."^[6]

In 1971, co-founder Grant Tinker was forced to quit 20th Century Fox Television due to conflicts with how to run MTM, in order to maintain a full-time job at the company.^[7]

In 1976, MTM teamed up with Metromedia Producers Corporation to start a variety show, a first for first-run syndication.^[8] Earlier that year, the company had hired Bud Rifkin to launch a syndicated division.^[9]

In 1977, Ed. Weinberger, James L. Brooks, David Davis, Allan Burns, and Stan Daniels left MTM Enterprises for Paramount Pictures and started the John Charles Walters Company.^{[citation needed]}

Tinker oversaw MTM's operation until leaving the company.

In 1981, Tinker became the chairman of NBC. Lawyers backing NBC's then-owner RCA convinced Tinker to sell his remaining shares of MTM. Moore and Arthur Price, her business manager and company vice president, bought Tinker's shares;^[10] Price subsequently was elevated to president. Tinker later regretted leaving MTM, believing that the company started to decline without him.^[11]

Most of MTM's programs aired on CBS. For many years, MTM and CBS co-owned the CBS Studio Center in Studio City California, where a majority of their programs were filmed and videotaped.

In 1986, MTM launched its own syndicated arm MTM Television Distribution, to handle off-net syndication of the MTM shows, and subsequently courted to continue its relations with syndicator Jim Victory to sell off-network rights to MTM's shows like Hill Street Blues and WKRP in Cincinnati, all the way up until the late 1980s as part of a contract settlement.^[12][13] In 1988, MTM was sold to UK broadcaster and independent station for the South and South East of England TVS Entertainment for $320 million.^[11] A year afterwards, MTM Television Distribution began producing its own programming for the first-run syndication market.^[14]

After TVS lost its franchise to broadcast on the ITV network to Meridian Broadcasting, a number of American companies (and to a lesser extent, Meridian) were interested in acquiring MTM, with Pat Robertson's International Family Entertainment making the first offer.^[15] A small number of shareholders, including Julian Tregar, rejected the offer from IFE. In November, TCW Capital made a bid,^[16] but withdrew it a few weeks later after reviewing the accounts of TVS.^[17] IFE increased its offer to £45.3M, but continued to be opposed by Julian Tregar, who blocked the deal on technical grounds, alleging that the offer was too low.^[17][18] IFE finally increased the offer to appease the remaining shareholders,^[19][20] and on January 23, 1993, their offer of £56.5M was finally accepted.^[21] The deal went into effect on February 1, 1993 (the month after Meridian began its first broadcast).

In 1995, Michael Ogiens, formerly running CBS, as well as his production company Ogiens/Kane Company, joined MTM to serve as president of the company in hopes that MTM would be restored to its independent production glory.^[22] The following year, Josh Kane, fellow partner of the Ogiens/Kane Company joined MTM as vice president for the East Coast offices.^[23] In 1997, MTM hit layoffs at the syndication unit after the cancellation of the show The Cape.^[24]

In 1997, International Family Entertainment was sold to News Corporation, and folded into its subsidiary Fox Kids Worldwide, eventually renamed to Fox Family Worldwide (a joint venture between Fox and Saban Entertainment).^[25][26] MTM's library assets however, were transferred over to 20th Television who retained them, even after Fox Family Worldwide was sold to The Walt Disney Company in 2001.^[27] Until then, The Pretender and Good News were the last surviving shows to be produced by MTM, as 20th Century Fox Television inherited both shows in 1997 (when News Corporation purchased MTM) and 1998 (when MTM ceased operations) respectively. MTM's library became property of Disney following its acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019. Disney holds the rights of most of MTM's shows.

MTM Enterprises also included a record label, MTM Records — distributed by Capitol Records — which was in existence from 1984 to 1988.^[28]

Filmography

Television series

Title	Genre	First air date	Last air date	Number of Seasons	Network	Co-production company(s)	Note(s)
The Mary Tyler Moore Show	Sitcom	September 19, 1970 (1970-09-19)	March 19, 1977 (1977-03-19)	7	CBS
The Bob Newhart Show		September 16, 1972 (1972-09-16)	April 1, 1978 (1978-04-01)	6
Rhoda		September 9, 1974 (1974-09-09)	December 9, 1978 (1978-12-09)	5			First spin-off of The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Texas Wheelers		September 12, 1974 (1974-09-12)	July 7, 1975 (1975-1975-07T24)	1	ABC
Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers		September 14, 1974 (1974-09-14)	December 7, 1974 (1974-12-07)		CBS
The Bob Crane Show		March 6, 1975 (1975-03-06)	June 12, 1975 (1975-06-12)		NBC
Doc		August 16, 1975 (1975-08-16)	October 30, 1976 (1976-10-30)	2	CBS
Phyllis		September 8, 1975 (1975-09-08)	March 13, 1977 (1977-03-13)				Second spin-off of The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Three for the Road	Adventure	September 14, 1975 (1975-09-14)	November 30, 1975 (1975-11-30)	1
The Lorenzo & Henrietta Music Show	Musical-variety	September 13, 1976 (1976-09-13)	October 11, 1976 (1976-10-11)		Syndicated
The Tony Randall Show	Sitcom	September 23, 1976 (1976-09-23)	March 25, 1978 (1978-03-25)	2	ABC (Season 1) CBS (Season 2)
The Betty White Show		September 12, 1977 (1977-09-12)	January 2, 1978 (1978-01-02)	1	CBS
Lou Grant	Journalism drama	September 20, 1977 (1977-09-20)	September 13, 1982 (1982-09-13)	5			Third spin-off of The Mary Tyler Moore Show
We've Got Each Other	Sitcom	October 1, 1977 (1977-10-01)	January 14, 1978 (1978-01-14)	1
WKRP in Cincinnati		September 18, 1978 (1978-09-18)	April 21, 1982 (1982-04-21)	4
Mary	Variety	September 24, 1978 (1978-09-24)	October 8, 1978 (1978-10-08)	1
The White Shadow	Sports drama	November 27, 1978 (1978-11-27)	March 16, 1981 (1981-03-16)	3
The Mary Tyler Moore Hour	Variety	March 4, 1979 (1979-03-04)	May 13, 1979 (1979-05-13)	1
The Last Resort	Sitcom	September 19, 1979 (1979-09-19)	March 17, 1980 (1980-03-17)
Paris	Police drama	September 29, 1979 (1979-09-29)	January 15, 1980 (1980-01-15)
Hill Street Blues		January 15, 1981 (1981-01-15)	May 12, 1987 (1987-05-12)	7	NBC
Remington Steele	Private eye drama	October 1, 1982 (1982-10-01)	February 17, 1987 (1987-02-17)	5
Newhart	Sitcom	October 25, 1982 (1982-10-25)	May 21, 1990 (1990-05-21)	8	CBS
St. Elsewhere	Medical drama	October 26, 1982 (1982-10-26)	May 25, 1988 (1988-05-25)	6	NBC
Bay City Blues	Sports drama	October 25, 1983 (1983-10-25)	November 15, 1983 (1983-11-15)	1
The Duck Factory	Sitcom	April 12, 1984 (1984-04-12)	July 11, 1984 (1984-07-11)
Mary		December 11, 1985 (1985-12-11)	April 8, 1986 (1986-04-08)		CBS
Fresno	Comedy	November 16, 1986 (1986-11-16)	November 20, 1986 (1986-11-20)				miniseries
The Popcorn Kid	Sitcom	March 23, 1987 (1987-03-23)	April 24, 1987 (1987-04-24)
Beverly Hills Buntz		November 5, 1987 (1987-11-05)	April 22, 1988 (1988-04-22)		NBC		Spin-off of Hill Street Blues
Eisenhower and Lutz		March 14, 1988 (1988-03-14)	June 20, 1988 (1988-06-20)		CBS
Annie McGuire		October 26, 1988 (1988-10-26)	December 28, 1988 (1988-12-28)
Tattingers	Dramedy		April 26, 1989 (1989-04-26)		NBC
FM	Sitcom	August 17, 1989 (1989-08-17)	June 28, 1990 (1990-06-28)
Rescue 911	Reality	September 5, 1989 (1989-09-05)	August 27, 1996 (1996-08-27)	8	CBS	Arnold Shapiro Productions	U.S. distribution only, produced by CBS Entertainment Productions
America's Funniest Home Videos	Clip	November 26, 1989 (1989-11-26)	Present	32	ABC		distribution for pre-2001 episodes only; currently distributed by sister company Disney Entertainment Distribution
City	Sitcom	January 29, 1990 (1990-01-29)	June 8, 1990 (1990-06-08)	1	CBS	CBS Entertainment Productions	[N 1]
Capital News	Journalism drama	April 9, 1990 (1990-04-09)	April 30, 1990 (1990-04-30)		ABC
The Trials of Rosie O'Neill	Legal drama	September 17, 1990 (1990-09-17)	May 30, 1992 (1992-05-30)	2	CBS
Evening Shade	Sitcom	September 21, 1990 (1990-09-21)	May 23, 1994 (1994-05-23)	4		CBS Entertainment Productions, Bloodworth-Thomason Mozark Productions and Burt Reynolds Productions	distributed outside of U.S. television by Paramount Global Content Distribution
You Take the Kids		December 15, 1990 (1990-12-15)	January 12, 1991 (1991-01-12)	1		CBS Entertainment Productions and Paul Haggis Productions	[N 1]
The New WKRP in Cincinnati		September 14, 1991 (1991-09-14)	May 22, 1993 (1993-05-22)	2	Syndicated
Graham Kerr's Kitchen	Cooking	September 30, 1992 (1992-09-30)	March 19, 1995 (1995-03-19)	3			distribution only
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman	Western	January 1, 1993 (1993-01-01)	May 16, 1998 (1998-05-16)	6	CBS	The Sullivan Company	U.S. TV distribution only; produced by CBS Productions
Xuxa	Educational	September 13, 1993 (1993-09-13)	December 31, 1993 (1993-12-31)	1	Syndicated	Lynch Entertainment
Christy	Drama	April 3, 1994 (1994-04-03)	August 2, 1995 (1995-08-02)	2	CBS	The Rosenzweig Company
Snowy River: The McGregor Saga	Adventure	September 23, 1994 (1994-09-23)	May 24, 1998 (1998-05-24)	4	The Family Channel		aired on Nine Network in Australia
Boogies Diner	Sitcom	September 17, 1994 (1994-09-17)	January 1, 1995 (1995-01-01)	1	Syndicated	Franklin/Waterman and King Street Entertainment	[N 1]
Family Challenge	Game show	October 2, 1995 (1995-10-02)	September 7, 1997 (1997-09-07)	2	The Family Channel	Woody Fraser Enterprises and Maple Palm Productions
Sparks	Sitcom	August 26, 1996 (1996-08-26)	March 2, 1998 (1998-03-02)	2	UPN	The Weinberger Company
The Cape	Adventure	September 9, 1996 (1996-09-09)	May 19, 1997 (1997-05-19)	1	Syndicated	Zaloom-Mayfield Productions
The Pretender	Science fiction	September 19, 1996 (1996-09-19)	May 13, 2000 (2000-05-13)	4	NBC	NBC Studios	season 1 only; distributed outside the U.S. by NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
Bailey Kipper's P.O.V.	Sitcom	September 14, 1996 (1996-09-14)	December 14, 1996 (1996-12-14)	1	CBS	Kipper Productions and Victoria Productions
Shopping Spree	Game show	September 30, 1996 (1996-09-30)	August 14, 1998 (1998-08-14)	2	The Family Channel	Jay Wolpert Enterprises
Wait 'Til You Have Kids			January 31, 1997 (1997-01-31)	1
It Takes Two		March 10, 1997 (1997-03-10)	May 30, 1997 (1997-05-30)			Mark Phillips Philms & Telephision
Good News	Sitcom	August 25, 1997 (1997-08-25)	May 19, 1998 (1998-05-19)		UPN	The Weinberger Company

1. No longer distributed by 20th Television

Television specials

Title	Genre	Original air date	Network	Co-production company(s)	Note(s)
Carlton Your Doorman	Animated comedy	May 21, 1980 (1980-05-21)	CBS		Pilot for proposed spin-off of Rhoda

References

1. "MOORE, MARY TYLER - The Museum of Broadcast Communications". Museum.tv. November 26, 1995. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
2. "MTM Enterprises. – Records, 1970-1990". Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research. wisc.edu. January 6, 2016.
3. "Mary Tyler Moore". Britannica.com. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
4. Simonson, Robert (January 25, 2017). "Tony and Emmy Winner Mary Tyler Moore Dies at 80". Retrieved October 21, 2023.
5. Sims, David (January 25, 2017). "Remembering Mary Tyler Moore". The Atlantic.
6. "Room 222". Television Academy Foundation. 1997. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
7. "Tinker severs ties with Fox" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 18, 1971. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
8. "Programming Briefs" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 14, 1976. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
9. "Closed Circuit" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 10, 1976. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
10. Schwartz, Tony (July 1, 1981). "Silverman Quits At NBC; Tinker to Succeed Him". The New York Times.
11. Carter, Bill (November 27, 1989). "THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Tinker Looks Beyond 'USA Today on TV'". The New York Times.
12. Dempsey, John (September 17, 1986). "Victory No Quitter; Hits Road Again With MTM Syndie Spoils". Variety. p. 47.
13. Daniels, Bill (October 22, 1986). "MTM Distribution Raises Curtain On Sales Offices". Variety. p. 457.
14. "First-run foray" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 13, 1989. p. 73. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
15. "COMPANY NEWS; Pat Robertson Buys Parent Of MTM for $68.5 Million". The New York Times. (September 23, 1992).
16. Second potential bidder for TVS. The Times. (London). November 4, 1992.
17. Evangelist may be sole runner for TVS. Martin Waller. The Times. November 26, 1992.
18. TVS bid opposed. The Times. December 11, 1992.
19. Evangelist to lift TVS offer. The Times. January 9, 1993.
20. TVS dissidents try for a better offer. Martin Waller, The Times. (London). Wednesday, 6 January 1993
21. Robertson wins TVS. The Times. January 23, 1993.
22. "Ogiens promises to make over MTM" (PDF). Broadcasting. December 4, 1995. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
23. "Fates & Fortunes" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 5, 1996. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
24. Hontz, Jenny (March 14, 1997). "Pinkslips for trio of MTM Worldwide exex". Variety. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
25. Peers, Martin; Richmond, Ray; Levin, Gary (June 12, 1997). "Family affair for Fox Kids". Variety. Retrieved August 14, 2009.
26. Hofmeister, Sallie (July 17, 1997). "News Corp. Taps Fox Kids' Exec". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
27. "NBC To Reboot 'Remington Steele' As Comedy With Ruben Fleischer". Deadline Hollywood. October 9, 2013. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
28. Kingsbury, Paul (2004). The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Sourcebooks, Inc. p. 359. ISBN 978-0-1951-7608-7. Retrieved July 31, 2009.

External links

• MTM Enterprises records — at the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research.