STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 26, 2005--World Wrestling Entertainment® will celebrate the milestone of producing the most original episodes of any weekly fictional entertainment program ever on television when Monday Night RAW airs on August 1 on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET/PT. RAW celebrates original episode No. 636 on August 1, surpassing the previous record-holder, Gunsmoke, which produced 635 original episodes during its 20-year run on television, according to several sources. With a production schedule that calls for 52 original episodes a year, RAW surpassed the mark set by Gunsmoke in less than 13 years.
WWE introduced Monday Night RAW on USA in January 1993. The successful live, prime-time weekly cable series moved to Spike TV in September 2000. In April, WWE and NBC Universal inked a new, three-year agreement that will return Monday Night RAW to USA Network this fall, with RAW's USA debut set for October 3.
"This is a tremendous milestone, and a testament to the dedication of our talented cast of Superstars, television crews and writers who work tirelessly week in and week out to produce the best program possible for our viewers," said Kevin Dunn, WWE's Executive Producer. "We're very proud of producing a weekly television program that for 13 years has grown in recognition and in ratings to the point where it is consistently, 52 weeks a year, one of the most watched regularly scheduled programs on ad-supported cable. Our longevity on television is directly related to the unbelievable enthusiasm and passion of our WWE fans. We look forward to entertaining them for years to come."
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: WWE - News) is an integrated media and entertainment company headquartered in Stamford, Conn. WWE has offices in Los Angeles, Toronto and London, and a sales office located in New York City. Information on the company can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com.
Note: Following RAW and Gunsmoke, other programs among the Top 10 for producing the most original episodes are Lassie, Ozzie and Harriet, Bonanza, Dallas, The Simpsons, and Law and Order.
Trademarks: The names of all World Wrestling Entertainment televised and live programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans and wrestling moves and all World Wrestling Entertainment logos are trademarks which are the exclusive property of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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