ELP Communications

"TAT Communications" redirects here. Not to be confused withTaft Broadcasting.

"Embassy Television" redirects here. Not to be confused withEmbassy Row (production company).

ELP Communications(formerly known asT.A.T. Communications Company,Embassy Television,Embassy Telecommunications,andEmbassy Communications) was an American televisionproduction companythat originally began in 1974.

ELP Communications

Embassy Television logo, designed byChermayeff & Geismar,used from 1982 to 1986. A registered trademark symbol was added in 1984.
Formerly	T.A.T. Communications Company (1974–1982) Embassy Television (1982–1986) Embassy Telecommunications (1982–1986) Embassy Communications (1986–1988)
Company type	In-name-only unit ofSony Pictures Television
Industry	Television production Broadcast syndication
Founded	1974(1974)
Founders	Norman Lear Jerry Perenchio
Defunct	1998(1998)
Fate	Currently exists as an in-name-only unit ofSony Pictures Television
Headquarters	10202 West Washington Boulevard, Culver City, California , United States
Parent	Embassy Communications, Inc. (1982–1985) The Coca-Cola Company(1985–1987) Sony Pictures Entertainment(1987–1998)
Subsidiaries	Tandem Productions

History

Beginning

ELP Communications was originally formed in 1974 as T.A.T. Communications Companywhen Norman Lear joined up with former talent agentJerry Perenchio,a year beforeBud Yorkinended his partnership with Lear. "T.A.T." stood for theYiddishphrase "Tuchus Affen Tisch" (תּחת אויפֿן טיש), which meant "Putting one's ass on the table."

The first sitcom to be produced by T.A.T. Communications wasThe Jeffersons,which was spun off from the sitcomAll in the Familyin 1975. The company made its syndicated project withMary Hartman, Mary HartmanthroughRhodes Productions(a division ofFilmways), only for the latter to withdraw support in order to get Norman Lear to launch its own syndicated unit.

Acquisition of Avco Embassy and rename

Television producerNorman Learand his business partnerJerry Perenchiobought Avco Embassy Pictures Corporation in January 1982 and decided to drop the name "Avco" from the name to bring back the name Embassy Pictures and T.A.T. Communications Co. was renamed as Embassy Communications, Inc.

The television division was renamed as Embassy Television, a division name for his shows by the former T.A.T. Communications such asThe Jeffersons,One Day at a Time,andThe Facts of Life.More shows were produced by Embassy Television such as the first two under the name:Square PegsandSilver Spoons.The latter show ran five seasons, while the former ran one but developed a cult following.Who's the Boss?was piloted later in 1983 until airing in 1984. Embassy Television also producedDiff'rent Strokes's final season fromTandem Productions,which was eventually operated by Embassy.

Embassy also held the TV rights to a majority of the Embassy theatrical library, syndicated under the umbrella titleEmbassy Night at the Movies.Embassy Telecommunications was the television distribution arm of Embassy Television. They distributed off-net syndicated shows by Embassy Television and those by Tandem Productions and T.A.T. Communications. Tandem's PITS Films was folded into Embassy Telecommunications.

Coca-Cola era

Lear and Perenchio sold Embassy Communications (included Tandem Productions) toThe Coca-Cola Company(then-current owners ofColumbia Pictures) for $485 million on June 18, 1985.After the sale, Lear, Perenchio, norBud Yorkinwere no longer involved with Embassy or Tandem. A month later in July 1985,CBScanceledThe JeffersonsandDiff'rent Strokeswas already canceled byNBC.The latter was later moved toABC.During the fall, a new Embassy sitcom called227debuted on NBC.

A year later, Embassy Communications became the only television banner as Embassy's television divisions (Embassy Television, Embassy Telecommunications, and Tandem Productions) were consolidated into the holding company.

When ABC canceledDiff'rent Strokes,the brand nameTandem Productionsbecame dormant but renamed active as an in-name-only division. On November 24, 1986, Coca-Cola fused Embassy's television operations including the movie packages (Embassy Night at the Movies,Embassy IIandEmbassy III) withColumbia Pictures Television;the combined company became Columbia/Embassy Television, though Columbia and Embassy continued to produce and distribute programs under their separate names. During that formation, Coca-Cola took Columbia and Embassy out of the first-run syndication business and focused them on first-run network and off-net syndication programming. This was also the formation of Coca-Cola Television when Coke regrouped Columbia Pictures Television, Embassy Communications, andMerv Griffin Enterprises.Married... with Childrenwas the next—and as it would transpire, last—successful sitcom by Embassy Communications, debuting as part of the fledglingFox Broadcasting Company's first primetime lineup in 1987.

Columbia Pictures Entertainment and Sony Pictures Entertainment eras

On December 21, 1987, Coca-Cola sold itsColumbia Picturesentertainment businesses toTriStar Pictures,Inc. and renamed the Tri-Star holding company as "Columbia Pictures Entertainment" for $3.1 billion.Columbia/Embassy Television then merged with TriStar Television to form a new version of Columbia Pictures Television. Embassy Communications then became ELP (Embassy Lear Pictures) Communications. Still-running and newer Embassy shows would begin to use the Columbia Pictures Television logo in January 1988 but would use the ELP copyright in the credits in February 1988.Embassy Night at the Movieswas renamed asColumbia Night at the Movies.On November 8, 1989, Columbia Pictures Entertainment was sold toSonyand renamed as Sony Pictures Entertainment on August 7, 1991.

The final long running show to be produced by Embassy Television, as ELP Communications, wasBeakman's Worldin 1992. In February 1994, SPE merged Columbia Pictures Television and the newly relaunched TriStar Television to becomeColumbia TriStar Television.All series by CPT, TriStar, ELP, and Merv Griffin were brought under the banner (though most shows would not begin to use CTT's logo until around 1997).Beakman's Worldwas cancelled in 1998 and ELP Communications became an in-name only unit of Columbia TriStar Television.

Today, television distribution rights to both Embassy's television and theatrical libraries are now owned bySony Pictures Television.Also, all shows from T.A.T. Communications Company to ELP Communications are all copyrighted by ELP Communications.

Studios and tapings by ELP Communications

• The JeffersonsatCBS Television City(1975),Metromedia Square(1975–1982) andUniversal Studiosby Compact Video (1982–1985)
• Hot l BaltimoreatABC Television Center(1975)
• One Day at a TimeatCBS Television City(1975), Metromedia Square (1975–1982) and Universal Studios by Compact Video (1982–1984)
• The DumplingsatThe Burbank Studios(1976)
• All's Fairat Metromedia Square (1976–1977)
• Mary Hartman, Mary Hartmanat Metromedia Square (1976–1977)
• A Year at the Top(1977)
• Fernwood 2 Nightat Metromedia Square (1977)
• America 2-Nightat Metromedia Square (1978)
• Hello, Larryat Metromedia Square (1979–1980)
• McGurk: A Dog's Life(Pilot) (1979)
• The Baxtersat Metromedia Square (1979–1981)
• The Facts of Lifeat Metromedia Square (1979–1982), Universal Studios by Compact Video (1982–1985) andSunset Gower Studios(1985–1988)
• Palmerstown, U.S.A.at Metromedia Square (1980–1981)
• Silver Spoonsat Metromedia Square for pilot (1982), Universal Studios by Compact Video (1982–1985) and Sunset Gower Studios (1985–1987)
• Square Pegson location (1982–1983)
• Who's the Boss?at Universal Studios by Compact Video (1983–1985) and ABC Television Center (1985–1992)
• a.k.a. Pabloat Universal Studios by Compact Video (1984)
• Double Troubleat Universal Studios by Compact Video Season 1, C.C.R. Video Corporation, Sun Television, Compact Video Season 2 (1984–1985)
• E/Rat Universal Studios by Compact Video for Pilot, by One Pass Film and Video (1984–1985) by Sun Television (1985) Quality Video (1985)
• Diff'rent Strokesat ABC Television Center (1985-1986, final season only)
• 227at Metromedia Square (1985–1986), Fox Television Center (1986–1987), and Sunset Gower Studios (1987–1990)
• The Charmingsat ABC Television Center (1987–1988)
• Married... with Childrenat ABC Television Center (1987–1988), Sunset Gower Studios (1988–1994) andSony Pictures Studios(1994–1997)
• Everything's Relativeat Unitel Video Inc. New York (1987)
• Free Spiritat ABC Television Center (1989–1990)
• Phenomat ABC Television Center (1993–1994)

Theatrical release

• Blue Collar(1978, as T.A.T. Communications Company and distributed byUniversal Pictures)

External links

• TAT Communications Companyat the Internet Movie Database
• Embassy Televisionat the Internet Movie Database
• Embassy Telecommunicationsat the Internet Movie Database
• Embassy Communicationsat the Internet Movie Database
• ELP Communicationsat the Internet Movie Database