Dr. Phil launching new TV network in Roanoke
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Dr. Phil is back in the TV business. Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Phil McGraw, the daytime talk show host known as Dr. Phil, is launching a new television network based in Roanoke.
- Merit Street Media is part of a partnership with the Fort Worth-based Christian programming company Trinity Broadcasting Network.
Why it matters: North Texas has been a smaller, between-the-coasts hub for television programming for decades.
- Political commentator Glenn Beck launched his own network, The Blaze, in Las Colinas about 10 years ago.
- Former Republican senator and presidential candidate Rick Santorum launched a Christian film studio in Flower Mound around the same time.
Between the lines: McGraw has a history in North Texas. He received his doctorate from UNT. His 1979 dissertation focused on rheumatoid arthritis.
The big picture: McGraw's new 5-acre headquarters includes a small museum dedicated to … himself. It includes signs, posters and other memorabilia from his 26-year career in television, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Details: The new network will feature "Dr. Phil Primetime," news programming and true crime shows, including a new block of content hosted by contentious crime commentator — and former "Dancing With the Stars" contestant — Nancy Grace.
- Merit Street will air on AT&T U-verse, Frontier and Spectrum starting Feb. 26.
Of note: If you'd like to see McGraw do his thing in person, you can sign up to be in the audience here.
- He tapes two episodes a day, three days a week. Each session lasts from around 8am to 2pm, according to his website.
Meanwhile: Episodes of McGraw's old daytime show will continue to air in syndication.
What we're watching: Will the people who control the TVs in doctor's office waiting rooms and mechanic shop lobbies be able to find Dr. Phil's new programming?
Worthy of your time: Check out this 2021 Buzzfeed story about the ways McGraw exploits his most vulnerable guests.