Preseason NFL action lifts CBS to No. 1 Saturday
   Preseason NFL football led CBS to a first-place finish among viewers 18-49 Saturday night, though final ratings may change due to the game’s live nature. According to Nielsen overnights, the network averaged a 2.0 rating among 18-49s, ahead of Fox’s 1.9, NBC’s 1.6 and ABC’s 1.4.
   At 8 p.m. among households, CBS led with the first hour of football averaging a 4.1 rating. NBC was second with a repeat episode of “Crossing Jordan” and Fox third with a 3.3 average for two episodes of “Cops.”
   Football led again at 9 p.m. as CBS improved to a 4.3 average household rating. NBC was second with a 4.1 for a repeat of “Las Vegas” and Fox third with a 3.7 for “America’s Most Wanted.”
   NBC took the lead at 10 p.m. with a 5.0 average for a repeat of “Law & Order.” CBS dropped to second with a 3.9 average for football, with ABC third with the last hour of the movie “The Mexican.”
   For the night, NBC averaged a 4.2 rating and posted an 8 share among households, edging CBS’s 4.1/8 for first place. Fox was third at 3.5/7 and ABC fourth at 3.0/6.
   On Friday night, NBC was first among 18-49s with a 2.2 average rating. ABC finished second at 2.1, Fox third at 1.9, CBS fourth at 1.5, UPN fifth at 1.2 and the WB sixth at 0.8.
   Among households, NBC led at 8 p.m. with a 5.5 average rating for the first hour of a two-hour “Dateline.” ABC was second that hour with a 4.2 average for a repeat of “Supernanny” and CBS third with a 4.0 for “60 Minutes II.”
   NBC led again at 9 p.m. with a 6.7 average for the second hour of “Dateline.” ABC was second with a 4.2 for an hour of “Hope & Faith” reruns and Fox third with a 3.8 for its second hour of NFL preseason football.
   NBC completed the nightly sweep at 10 p.m. with a 5.0 average rating for a repeat of “Crossing Jordan.” ABC was second with a 4.7 for “20/20” and CBS third with a 3.9 for a repeat of “Numb3rs.”
   NBC was first on Friday night among households with a 5.7 average rating and a 10 share. ABC was second at 4.4/8, CBS third at 3.7/7, Fox fourth at 3.5/6, UPN fifth at 2.2/4 and the WB sixth at 1.5/3.

NYC's Univision tops in August among 18-49s
Numero uno, Univision's New York City station WXTV, finished first in primetime ratings during in August for its first-ever monthly win, countering critics’ arguments that the local people meter ratings undermeasures minorities such as Hispanics, according to Nielsen Media Research. A Spanish-language station had never topped the rankings before. WXTV placed first among adults 18-49 and 25-54. In 18-49s, WXTV averaged a 2.2 rating and a 6 share for the period from July 28-Aug. 24. CBS affiliate WCBS came in second with a 2.0/6, NBC affiliate WNBC was third with a 1.9/5, and ABC affiliate WABC ranked fourth with a 1.8/5. The broadcast networks showed reruns and low-rated first-run reality shows during that period. Univision's original soap operas led the way. WXTV's strongest rated show was "La Madrastra" (The Step Mother), about an innocent woman wrongly jailed on murder charges.

Martha back in the public eye as house arrest ends
Martha Stewart will be free to frolic without court-imposed jewelry starting on Wednesday, and unlike most ex-cons, she won’t have any trouble finding work. In fact, it’s getting more and more difficult to avoid Martha, a stark contrast to the past two years. Now more popular than she was before her incarceration, according to a recent Gallup poll, Stewart will be seen on two new television shows beginning this September: “Martha” and “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart.” NBC has begun running promos for the latter along with original “Apprentice” mogul Donald Trump. Also in September, she’ll once again be portrayed by Cybil Shepherd in CBS’ “Martha Behind Bars.” Stewart will remain on probation until 2007, meaning she can’t get drunk or hang out with other ex-cons, among other things. And for those who don’t trust Martha to be on her own for a second or just can’t get enough post-penitentiary living, you can tune into her 24-7 on her new radio station from satellite provider Sirius.

'Big Brother's' baby blues: Dutch mull on-air birth
In the most recent edition of the British “Big Brother,” viewers watched nurse Makosi Musambasi have sex, then claim she was pregnant. She wasn’t, but it seems her close call may have planted a seed for the newest Dutch version of the show. Producers have invited a 27 year-old pregnant woman named Tanja to compete and give birth on TV. But don’t set your Dutch TiVo yet. “Big Brother” is currently under investigation for the idea by the Christian Democrat-led government, as laws about child acting in the Netherlands are very strict. According to a report in the Dutch daily De Telegraaf, the soon-to-be mother is unconcerned. “I think that my child will be proud of it later,” she said.

Latest newspaper fakeout courtesy of So. Illinois
It had all the elements of a classic tragedy: a single father deployed to Iraq, an absent mother, and a terrified 8-year-old who eloquently shared her pain with newspaper readers. One problem: Kodee Kennings didn’t exist. On Friday the Daily Egyptian, Southern Illinois University’s student-run newspaper, ran a note saying that no one could verify Kennings’ existence despite the fact the paper had been running letters written by the purported 8-year-old for two years. Kennings was supposedly living with 27 year-old Jaimie Reynolds, a 2004 graduate of the school. She claimed that then-editor Michael Brenner, a close friend, asked her to help him concoct the tale to help jumpstart a career in journalism. But Brenner, who has since graduated, says he, too, was duped. “There is no pleasant way to put it,” the paper wrote in an apology to its readers.  “We didn’t check the facts carefully.” The lie came to light when the Chicago Tribune and Daily Egyptian began investigating the purported death of Kennings’ dad in Iraq and soon found that no such man existed. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Springfield State Journal-Register where Brenner interned the past few years will likely review his work there as well.

Programming notes: ABC revives 'This is Your Life'
ABC's taking the 1950s TV show “This is Your Life” out of mothballs. The network is teaming with Fox TV Studios for an updated version of the classic show, which moved to NBC from radio in 1952. No launch date has been set, and to avoid copycats, no show format changes have been revealed. Fox TV vice president Mindy Moore will executive produce. In other programming, the WB has committed to a pilot called “Tribe” from McG and “ER” executive producer Scott Gemmill, about a Los Angeles undercover team made up of rejected cops. The WB is also expected to commit to a pilot from “Sex and the City” creator Darren Star for a primetime soap set in the Hamptons. HBO has picked up a comedy pilot from Lydia Dean Pilcher, an executive producer of “Iron Jawed Angels,” about Manhattan women in their 30s dealing with motherhood, work and relationships. No timetable for the project has been set. And Hallmark Channel plans a four-hour miniseries called “Blackbeard,” set to launch next June, starring Angus Macfadyen, Richard Chamberlain, Stacy Keach and Rachel Ward.

Correction: Inc. founder was Goldhirsh, skip the c
The last name of Inc. founder Bernard Goldhirsh was spelled incorrectly in Friday's story "Finding a new voice for the new Inc." There is no c in his name. Media Life regrets the error.