| Leeza | |
|---|---|
| Format | Talk show |
| Presented by | Leeza Gibbons |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 1,270 |
| Production | |
| Location(s) | Paramount Studios Hollywood, California |
| Running time | approx. 44 min (without adverts) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC and Syndication |
| Original run | January 17, 1994 – September 8, 2000 |
Leeza is a daytime television talk show hosted by Leeza Gibbons. The show ran on NBC between 1994 and 1999, and was also shown on other stations in markets where the local NBC affiliate pre-empted it in favor of other programming, and then aired as a syndicated program from 1999-2000. It was taped at Paramount Studios on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California, and was produced by Gibbons' production company and Paramount Television.
Gibbons was also a hands-on executive producer in addition to host of the show, involved in every aspect from selecting show topics to finding guests. Each week, Gibbons worked with her team to track stories and to bring the audience new, in-depth and real perspective on the issues of the time.
Recurring topics discussed on the show include: the Columbine High School massacre, the Oklahoma City bombing, JonBenét Ramsey's murder, the O. J. Simpson murder case, Matthew Shepard's murder, the Northridge earthquake, and actor David Strickland's suicide, among others.
Leeza received 27 Daytime Emmy Award nominations (including nominations for Outstanding Host and Best Show for every year the show has been on the air) and has won three Emmy awards. The show also received a Genesis Award for programs that revealed animal abuse, the Media Access Award for accurately portraying persons with disabilities and an award from the Alzheimer's Association for show programming.
The program aired for the last time on NBC on September 3, 1999, with the timeslot it occupied returned to NBC affiliates in exchange for the late morning slot which was reserved for the Later Today premiere the following Monday. Leeza's timeslot often varied, as some stations aired the show in the morning while others aired it in the late-afternoon. After leaving NBC, it was then broadcast in syndication until 2000.
The program was also shown in the United Kingdom, as part of the original daytime schedule on Channel 5.