Embassy Television
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(Embassy Television is not to be confused with Avco Embassy Television. AETV is known today as NBC Universal Television)
Embassy Television (also known as Embassy Telecommunications, Embassy Communications, and ELP Communications) was an American television production company that began in 1982. The company was folded into Columbia TriStar Television in 1998.
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[edit] As Embassy Television/Embassy Telecommunications
The name was formerly known as TAT Communications Company. Television producer Norman Lear bought Avco Embassy Pictures Corporation in 1982 and decided to drop the name "Avco" from the name to bring back the name Embassy Pictures.
Lear decided to launch Embassy Television, a subsidiary name for his shows by the former TAT Communications such as The Jeffersons, One Day at a Time, and The Facts of Life. More shows were produced by Embassy Television such as: Square Pegs, Silver Spoons, and Who's the Boss?. Embassy Television also produced the sitcoms Archie Bunker's Place, Gloria, and Diff'rent Strokes both from Tandem.
Embassy Television also held the TV rights to a majority of the Embassy theatrical library (see Embassy Pictures for more information). Embassy Telecommunications (formerly P*I*T*S Films), was the television distribution arm of Embassy Television.
They distributed off syndicated shows by Embassy Television and those by Tandem Productions, TAT Communications, and TOY Productions.
[edit] As Embassy Communications
In 1985, CBS cancelled The Jeffersons and NBC cancelled Diff'rent Strokes, the latter of which then moved to ABC. Embassy Television and Tandem Productions were sold to The Coca-Cola Company (then-current owners of Columbia Pictures) for $500 million and a new sitcom 227 was produced.
A year later, the television brand name was renamed to Embassy Communications as a television production and distribution banner of Embassy by producing the shows by Embassy Television and distributing those by Tandem Productions, TAT Communications, and TOY Productions, except for What's Happening!!, which had been sold to Columbia Pictures Television, and revived as What's Happening Now!!. When ABC cancelled, Diff'rent Strokes, the brand name Tandem Productions was abandoned and was folded into Embassy Communications. Married with Children was the next successful sitcom by Embassy Communications in 1987.
In December 1987, Coca-Cola decided to merge the theatrical divisions Columbia Pictures and Tri-Star Pictures into Columbia Pictures Entertainment and merging their other units Triumph Releasing Corporation, Embassy Communications, and Merv Griffin Enterprises under that banner. Still-running Embassy shows would bear the Columbia Pictures Television logo for the rest of their runs.
[edit] As ELP Communications and beyond
Embassy Communications then became ELP Communications (ELP standing for Embassy Limited Partnership) in 1988 under the banner of Columbia Pictures Television, and was sold to Sony Corporation along with CPE and its other units on November 7, 1989.
The final surviving show to be produced by Embassy Television was Beakman's World in 1992. When Sony Pictures Entertainment launched Columbia TriStar Television in 1994, Beakman's World and Married with Children were produced under the banner. However, Married with Children was still under bearing by CPT. Beakman's World was cancelled in 1998 and SPE decided to fold ELP Communications into Columbia TriStar Television, retiring Embassy Television for good.
Today, television distribution rights to both Embassy's television and theatrical libraries are under the Sony Pictures Television banner. Also, all shows from TAT Communications Company to ELP Communications are all copyrighted by ELP Communications on DVD releases by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, with the exception of the first season of 227.
[edit] Studios and tapings by Embassy Television and beyond
- 227 at Metromedia Square (1985-1986); renamed Fox Television Center (1986-1990)
- Diff'rent Strokes at Metromedia Square (1978-1982), Universal Studios (1982-1985) and ABC Television Center (1985-1986)
- Silver Spoons at Metromedia Square for pilot and Universal Studios thereafter (1982-1987)
- The Facts of Life at Metromedia Square (1979-1982), Universal Studios (1982-1987) and NBC Television Studios (1987-1988)
- The Jeffersons at CBS Television City (1975), Metromedia Square (1975-1982) and Universal Studios (1982-1985)
- Who's the Boss? at Universal Studios (1983; 1984-1987) and ABC Television Center (1987-1992)
[edit] In Charge of Production for Embassy Television
- Ken Stump (1982-1988) former associate producer for Tandem Productions and TAT Communications from 1978-1980
- Ed Lammi (1988-1998) for ELP Communications
