KTTV to Air ‘Lucy’ Special

KTTV-TV Channel 11 will pay tribute to Lucille Ball on Saturday with a 10-hour, commercial-free “I Love Lucy” marathon, beginning at 8 a.m.

During periods between the episodes and at what would normally be the commercial breaks within the shows, KTTV will run newly taped spots featuring Ball’s friends and co-workers sharing their favorite Lucy stories, said Don Tillman, Channel 11’s vice president of programming.

Because there will be no commercials, Tillman said Thursday, episodes will not necessarily begin on the half-hour. The last four episodes to air during the tribute, he said, will be the favorites of the actress, who died Wednesday.

Tillman said the marathon was intended as “a celebration of life, not a mourning situation.”

He said he could not estimate how much the station stands to lose in advertising revenue. Another Los Angeles station estimated the figure at $150,000.