{{Short description|Defunct joint venture between Columbia Pictures Television and LBS Communications}} {{Infobox company | name = Colex Enterprises | logo = Colex Enterprises logo.svg | logo_size = | type = Joint venture | parent = Columbia Pictures Television<br>LBS Communications, Inc. | founded = {{Start date and age|1982|12}} (as an agreement)<br>{{Start date and age|1984|01}} (as an entity) | defunct = {{End date and age|1986|11|04}} (as an entity)<br>{{End date and age|1987|09|11}} (as an agreement){{Citation needed|date=December 2025}} | fate = Merged with Television Program Service(as an entity) Folded into Coca-Cola Telecommunications | successor = Coca-Cola Telecommunications | founder = | hq_location = | hq_location_city = Burbank, California | hq_location_country = United States | area_served = | key_people = Dan Greenblatt | industry = Television syndication | divisions = | subsid = }} '''Colex Enterprises''' was a joint venture between Columbia Pictures Television and LBS Communications, Inc., active from January 1984 to December 31, 1987. The venture's name is a portmanteau of the two companies' names, Columbia and Lexington (derived from LBS's initials/original name, Lexington Broadcast Services).<ref name="broadcasting19840130">{{cite journal|date=1984-01-30|title=Sale in the works for 'Eden' mini-series|journal=Broadcasting|page= 45}}</ref>

==History== In December 1982, Columbia Pictures Television agreed to license domestic distribution rights to the television series ''Family'' to LBS.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1982-12-20|title=Family|work=Broadcasting|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/82-OCR/1982-12-20-BC-OCR-Page-0049.pdf|access-date=2021-11-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=1983-02-14|title=Monitor|work=Broadcasting|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/83-OCR/BC-1983-02-14-OCR-Page-0064.pdf|access-date=2021-11-14}}</ref> ''Family'' was subsequently added to Colex's roster when the venture was officially formed as an entity, and the first new series added to Colex's roster was ''Gidget''. The venture was designed to handle syndication of various properties from CPT on an advertiser-supported barter basis and a cash basis.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1984-10-22|title=The World of TV Programming: Syndication|work=Broadcasting}}</ref>

Initially, the billing for this entity was "A joint venture of Columbia Pictures Television and LBS Communications Inc."<ref>{{cite news|title=Top Cops|work=Broadcasting|date=1984-11-12|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/84-OCR/BC-1984-11-12-OCR-Page-0004.pdf|access-date=2025-10-22}}</ref> In 1985, this was temporarily changed to "A joint venture of LBS Communications Inc. and Columbia Pictures Television," only to revert to the previous billing within a few months.<ref>{{cite news|title=Route 66: The American Adventure|work=Broadcasting|date=1985-09-23|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/85-OCR/BC-1985-09-23-OCR-Page-0017.pdf|access-date=2025-10-19}}</ref>

Colex formed a squad of package monikers in November 1985:<ref>{{Cite news|date=1985-11-11|title=Syndication Marketplace|work=Broadcasting|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/85-OCR/BC-1985-11-11-OCR-Page-0060.pdf|access-date=2021-11-16}}</ref> * Colex First-Run - new material * Colex Premiere Movies - various movies such as eleven post-1947 Bob Hope theatrical films (collectively "Hope Diamonds") and telemovies such as ''Family Reunion'' and ''The Best Place to Be'' * The Colex Collection (a.k.a. Colex Off-Net) - newer off-network material with proven appeal * The Colex 3-Pack - miniseries * The Colex Classics - various classic series

A year later, a duo of rearrangements with the package monikers occurred: * Colex Premiere Movies was renamed to Colex Films. * ''Family'' was moved to The Colex Classics from Colex Off-Net, while ''Ghost Story/Circle of Fear'' was moved to the latter from the former.

By the very beginning of 1987, following the formation of Coca-Cola Telecommunications (from a merger between sister joint venture The Television Program Source and CPT's first-run syndication unit), the billing for this entity was changed to "A joint venture of LBS Communications Inc. and Columbia Pictures Television, in association with Coca-Cola Telecommunications."<ref>{{Cite news|title=New Monkees|work=Broadcasting|date=1987-04-27|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/87-OCR/BC-1987-04-27-OCR-Page-0025.pdf|access-date=2025-10-19}}</ref> Both Colex and Coca-Cola Telecommunications were eventually dissolved, following the formation of Columbia Pictures Entertainment (from a merger between Coca-Cola's entire entertainment business and Tri-Star Pictures).

The name remains a trademark of Sony Pictures Television to this day.

==Programming distributed by Colex Enterprises==

===Television programs=== * ''Father Knows Best'' (1954-1960) * ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'' (1950-1958) * ''Route 66'' (1960-1964) * ''Gidget'' (1965-1966) * ''The Flying Nun'' (1967-1970) * ''Ghost Story/Circle of Fear'' (1972-1973) * ''Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'' (1973) * ''Family'' (1976-1980) * ''Eischied'' (1979-1980) * ''Father Murphy'' (1981-1983) * ''Hardcastle and McCormick'' (1983-1986)

===Movies=== * ''The Care Bears Movie'' (1985) * ''The Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation'' (1986) * ''Heathcliff: The Movie'' (1986)

===Telemovies=== * ''Gidget Gets Married'' (1972) * ''Three Wishes for Jamie'' (1987)

==Post-dissolution== Following the dissolution of Colex as an entity, the agreement between Columbia Pictures Television and LBS continued for four more years, until LBS filed for bankruptcy. During this time, in addition to properties previously handled by Colex, the following properties were licensed to LBS from Columbia Pictures Television (labeled under the billing "distributed by LBS in association with Columbia Pictures Television"):<ref>{{Cite news|date=1988-12-26|work=Television/Radio Age|title=LBS Communications Inc. advertisements|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-TV-Radio-Age/80s/1988/1988-12-26-RTVA.pdf|access-date=2025-10-17}}</ref>

===Programming previously not in syndication=== * ''Matt Helm'' (1975-1976) * ''Gibbsville'' (1976) * ''David Cassidy: Man Undercover'' (1978-1979) * ''Salvage 1'' (1979) * ''The Rousters'' (1983-1984) * ''Crazy Like a Fox'' (1984-1986)

===Programming previously handled by CPT=== * ''Casey Jones'' (1957-1958) * ''What's Happening!!'' (1976-1979) * ''Code Red'' (1981-1982)

===Programming previously handled by CPT for clearances and LBS for advertising sales=== * ''What's Happening Now!!'' (1985-1988) * ''The Real Ghostbusters'' (1986-1991)

==See also== *Coca-Cola Telecommunications

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Defunct mass media companies of the United States Category:Sony Pictures Television Category:Mass media companies established in 1984 Category:Mass media companies disestablished in 1987 Category:Former joint ventures Category:Television syndication distributors