ION Television Rolls out New Fall Primetime Line-up Beginning Monday, September 7

Schedule Highlights U.S. Premiere of Original Series "Durham County," Debut of "Criminal Minds" and Expansion of the Emmy Nominated "Ghost Whisperer" to Four Nights a Week

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Central to its strategic re-branding as a destination for engaging appointment television, ION Television is aggressively moving forward with a full slate of new off-network and original primetime programming, beginning Monday, September 7.

Kicking off the schedule at 8:00 p.m. is the Emmy-nominated, off-network hit series "Ghost Whisperer," which premiered to strong ratings on ION Television on Mondays earlier this year. "Ghost Whisperer" now moves to four nights a week, Monday through Thursday. Debuting at 9:00 p.m. is the off-net series "Criminal Minds", which will air every Monday, with additional episodes airing Tuesday (9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.); Wednesdays (10:00 p.m.); and Fridays (10:00 p.m.) ION Television has acquired all 91 episodes of the Emmy-nominated show. The critically acclaimed and award winning "Durham County," ION Television's first original series, will air Monday nights at 10:00 p.m.

"ION Television is building a primetime line-up that has star power, hard hitting drama and some of the best storytelling on television," said Leslie Chesloff, Executive Vice President, Programming, ION Media Networks. "We are dedicated to delivering upon our mission of providing quality �positively entertaining' programming that appeals to mainstream audiences, particularly the key 25-54 year old demographic."

The award-winning "Durham County" is a one-hour crime-drama series that follows the troubled world of Homicide Detective Mike Sweeney (Hugh Dillon, CBS' "Flashpoint"). Sweeney becomes personally involved in a murder investigation after moving his family to quiet suburbia for a fresh start when his partner is killed and his wife Audrey (Helene Joy) is diagnosed with breast cancer. Produced by Muse Entertainment and Back Alley Films, the series has received 13 Gemini Award Nominations and five wins.

The one-hour crime drama "Criminal Minds," which starred Mandy Pantinkin (Dead Like Me, Chicago Hope) in its first two seasons and now stars Joe Mantegna (The Last Don, Searching for Bobby Fischer), follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) at Quantico, Virginia. Their job is to analyze the nation's most dangerous criminal minds in an effort to anticipate their next moves before they strike again. Unlike many other procedural crime dramas, "Criminal Minds" focuses on the criminal rather than the crime itself. It is produced by The Mark Gordon Company in association with ABC Studios and CBS Paramount Network Television. The fifth season of "Criminal Minds'" will premiere on CBS in September on Wednesday nights.

A drama-fantasy-thriller, the Emmy-nominated "Ghost Whisperer" is the story of a young newlywed, Melinda Gordon, who has the ability to communicate with the dead. Played by Jennifer Love Hewitt ("Party of Five," "I Know What You Did Last Summer"), Melinda helps restless spirits relay messages and deal with unresolved issues that are keeping them earth-bound. The show is a Sander/Moses Productions in association with ABC Studios for CBS Television Studios. "Ghost Whisperer's" fifth season will premiere in September on Friday nights on CBS.

About ION Television

ION Television (www.iontelevision.com) is a general entertainment network which reaches over 96 million U.S. television households via its nationwide broadcast television, cable and satellite distribution systems. Launched in 2006, ION Television features popular TV series and movies from the award-winning libraries of RHI Entertainment, CBS Television, NBC Universal, Sony Pictures Television, Twentieth Television and Warner Bros. Parent company, ION Media Networks, Inc., owns and operates the nation's largest broadcast television station group. Using its digital multicasting capability, ION Media Networks has launched the digital TV brands qubo, a channel for children focusing on literacy and values, and ION Life, a channel dedicated to active living and personal growth. It also has launched Open Mobile Ventures Corporation (OMVION), a business unit focused on the research and development of portable, mobile and out-of-home transmission technology using over-the-air digital television spectrum. For more information, visit www.ionmedia.com.