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TV This Week

For ABC, a day of hurricane healing

Network is airing a day-long fund-raiser for Sandy relief

By Louisa Ada Seltzer

November 5, 2012

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From 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina and now to Hurricane Sandy, television has been a great way to raise funds for the victims, reaching a massive audience with minimal effort.

On Friday NBC, the NBCUniversal cable networks and HBO aired a telethon to benefit victims of the recent storm.

Today ABC is doing its own fund-raising effort, starting this morning at 7 a.m. with "Good Morning America" and carrying through the entire day, all the way through "Jimmy Kimmel Live" at midnight.

The network will likely raise millions. Friday's "Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together" raised almost $23 million, with 6.3 million viewers tuning in at 8 p.m. on NBC. Millions more watched on cable.

After Katrina NBC aired a telethon that raised $40 million, and the Big Four collaborated on a post-9/11 telethon that raised $200 million.

But this year the networks evidently weren't feeling as collaborative.

CBS and Fox parent News Corp. both donated $1 million for hurricane relief, while Disney ABC donated $2 million, but they all declined NBC's invitation to join in airing the telethon.

Today's day of giving may not do much to raise ratings, but ABC should have a substantial audience anyway. It's the second week of November sweeps, and so its entire schedule is original, including most-watched show "Dancing with the Stars" at 8 p.m.

A look at this week's top TV draws
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5
Time		Network	Program			Description
8 p.m.		NBC	"The Voice" (R)			The top 20 singers perform in the playoff round.
8:30 p.m.		ESPN	"Monday Night Football" (S)			Two surprisingly struggling teams, the Eagles and Saints, face off in New Orleans.
9 p.m.		Fox	"The Mob Doctor" (D)			Returns after a baseball hiatus, but will ratings perk up for the new drama?
9 p.m.		Travel Channel	"Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations" (R)			Series finale. Bourdain tours Brooklyn before he makes his move to CNN next year.
9 p.m.		HBO	"Witness" (N)			Series premiere. Following photojournalists working in dangerous parts of the world. Up first: Juarez.
10 p.m.		Bravo	"Start-Ups: Silicon Valley" (R)			Series premiere. Following a group of young entrepreneurs in California.
10 p.m.		Discovery Channel	"Jesse James: Outlaw Garage" (R)			Series premiere. Jesse James returns to TV, working on custom cars and bikes in Austin.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6
Time	Network			Program	Description
7 p.m.	Multiple Networks			"Presidential Election" (N)	Coverage of the presidential election and other key races around the nation.
8 p.m.	Syfy			"WWE SmackDown" (S)	Airing on a special night, perhaps targeting non-voters.
9 p.m.	Discovery Channel			"Alaska: The Last Frontier" (R)	The family fishes for salmon, halibut and trout.
9 p.m.	ESPN			"NFL Alumni Skills Challenge" (S)	Competition between ex-NFL players, including Barry Sanders, Deion Sanders, Jerry Rice and Brett Favre.
10 p.m.	Food Network			"Chopped" (R)	This week's contestants are people known for helping their communities.
10 p.m.	MTV			"Underemployed" (C)	Raviva and Lou fight over money and Sophia's parents visit.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7
Time	Network			Program	Description
8 p.m.	Fox			"The X Factor" (R)	The top 12 finalists perform.
8 p.m.	NBC			"The Voice" (R)	More live coverage from the playoff round.
8 p.m.	NBC Sports Network			"Major League Soccer" (S)	MLS playoff game between New York and D.C.
9 p.m.	ABC			"Modern Family" (C)	Haley is arrested for underage drinking.
10 p.m.	Syfy			"Deals from the Darkside" (R)	Series premiere. A dealer tries to sell a chair they claim is from the deck of the Titanic.
10:30 p.m.	ESPN			"NBA Basketball" (S)	The Spurs take on the Clippers in Los Angeles.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8
Time	Network			Program	Description
8 p.m.	NBC			"The Voice" (R)	On a special night the results from the live playoffs are revealed.
9 p.m.	Fox			"Glee" (C)	The singers participate in auditions for the school's version of "Grease."
9 p.m.	USA			"Burn Notice" (D)	Season premiere. The crew tries to come up with a plan to escape from Panama.
10 p.m.	CBS			"Elementary" (D)	Holmes thinks a plane crash wasn't an accident.
10 p.m.	Comedy Central			"Gabriel Iglesias Presents Stand-Up Revolution" (C)	Season finale. Comedians Ian Bagg and Pablo Francisco perform.
10 p.m.	FX			"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" (C)	The group visits a therapist, and here's a surprise–one of them is deemed to be abnormal. (Just one?)
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9
Time	Network			Program	Description
5:30 p.m.	ESPN			"College Basketball" (S)	Season-opening matchup between perennial powers Connecticut and Michigan State.
8 p.m.	CW			"America's Next Top Model" (R)	The models write their own scripts for a potential TV commercial.
8 p.m.	Lifetime			"Teenage Bank Heist" (M)	A group of teen girls rob a bank and take a 17-year-old hostage.
9 p.m.	Disney Channel			"Fish Hooks" (K)	Milo pulls a prank on the school lunch lady, which ends up getting her fired.
10 p.m.	CBS			"Blue Bloods" (D)	Danny tried to solve a murder committed by someone in costume on Halloween.
10 p.m.	HBO			"Real Time with Bill Maher" (C)	There will no doubt be plenty of talk about this week's election.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10
Time	Network			Program	Description
8 p.m.	ABC			"College Football" (S)	Undefeated Notre Dame tries to keep its streak alive at Boston College.
8 p.m.	Lifetime			"The Christmas Consultant" (M)	A mother who works too much hires a consultant to help her with family holiday planning.
9 p.m.	Syfy			"Ghost Storm" (M)	Supernatural forces cause a huge electrical storm.
10 p.m.	CBS			"48 Hours" (N)	Creepy episode titled "Beauty School Bloodbath."
10 p.m.	CMT			"Chainsaw Gang" (R)	Series premiere. Following the lives and work of a group of chainsaw artists.
10 p.m.	TBS			"Wedding Band" (C)	Series premiere. Four friends living in Seattle form a band that plays at weddings.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11
Time	Network			Program	Description
8 p.m.	ABC			"Once Upon a Time" (D)	A murder takes place during a full moon, and Ruby is the main suspect.
8:20 p.m.	NBC			"Sunday Night Football" (S)	Great matchup between the Texans and Bears in Chicago.
9 p.m.	Fox			"Family Guy" (C)	Special hour-long edition to celebrate the show's 200th episode.
9 p.m.	AMC			"The Walking Dead" (D)	The Governor throws a party, but Michonne remains suspicious of him.
10 p.m.	CBS			"The Mentalist" (D)	Jane thinks the killing of a reporter is related to a story she happened to be working on.
10 p.m.	HBO			"Treme" (D)	LaDonna prepares for her assault hearing, while Albert prepares for chemotherapy.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.