Znaimer, Moses (1942- ) Canadian Media Producer, Executive
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Znaimer, Moses producers no room at all. The networks demanded a name to United Artists Television. Frederick Ziv left percentage of your profits, they demanded script ap- the board of directors at this time to return to Cincin- proval and cast approval. You were just doing whatever nati, where he spent his retirement years. the networks asked you to do. And was not that my type CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON of operation. I didn't care to become an employee of the networks. See also Syndication In 1960 United Artists (UA) purchased Ziv Televi- sion Programs, including the 20 percent share still held Further Reading by chair of the board Frederick Ziv and president John L. Sinn for $20 million. The newly merged production Balio, Tino, United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry, Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, company was renamed Ziv-United Artists. United 1987 Artists had never been very successful in television, Boddy. William, Fifties Television: The industry and Its Critics, having placed only two series in prime time. The Trou- Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1990 bleshooters (1959-60) and The Dennis O'Keefe Show Moore, Barbara. "The Cisco Kid and Friends: The Syndication (1959-60). This pattern continued after the merger. of Television Series from 1948 to 1952." Journal of Popular Film and Television (Spring 1980) Ziv-UA produced 12 pilots during the first year and Rouse. Morleen Getz, "A History of the F.W. Ziv Radio and failed to sell any of them. In 1962, the company Television Syndication Companies, 1930-1960," Ph.D. phased out Ziv Television operations and changed its diss., University of Michigan. 1976 Znaimer, Moses (1942- ) Canadian Media Producer, Executive Moses Znaimer, an internationally known Canadian the 1970s for its late -night, soft -core porn -movie strip- broadcaster and producer, is the executive producer ping, Baby Blue Movies, which shocked Toronto. But and president of CityTV, one of Canada's leading com- its inner-city focus, its celebration of a cosmopolitan mercial media production organizations. There he ethnic diversity in its choice of personalities and re- guides program services such as MuchMusic, Bravo!, porters, its transformation of news into something that and MusiquePlus. Znaimer's work in forging a distinc- was decidedly less formal, more identifiably urban, tive style of television within Canada, and internation- and generally more positive. and its programming mix ally, identifies him as a clear auteur in television of just news, movies, and music all clearly made the production, and he can rightfully claim that he is the station distinctive. Indeed, Znaimer and his small UHF visionary of Canadian television. His early work in station served as the real -life starting point for David broadcasting was as a co -creator and producer of the Cronenberg's dystopic film Videodrome (1983). CBC national radio program Cross -Country Check-up Through the platform of CityTV, Znaimer has suc- in the 1960s (a first in the world) and in television as a cessfully produced a number of programs, many of cohost and producer of the CBC afternoon talk show which have gained national and international distribu- Take -Thirty with Adrienne Clarkson. After being de- tion. The New Music (1978- ), designed as a Rolling nied the opportunity to remake the radio phone-in pro- Stone-style magazine of the air, was widely sold in gram into a national television program, Znaimer quit Canada and internationally. More recently, Znaimer the CBC and launched into private broadcasting. With has broadcast and distributed two fashion -related pro- no VHF licenses available, Znaimer began Toronto's grams, Fashion Television and Ooh -La -La, both na- first UHF station, Channel 57, known as CityTV, on a tionally and internationally. Movie Television, an limited budget in offices on Queen Street in Toronto in interview and news program about Hollywood in par- 1972. The unique programming of CityTV has been ticular. has also been well syndicated throughout Znaimer's central contribution to the world of broad- Canada's independent stations. The success of CityTV casting. The station originally created a sensation in under Znaimer's direction allowed the company that 2629 .