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Sunday night movies failed to win over viewers last night, as audiences tuned in to series programs on the networks instead. At the start of the night, CBS’s “60 Minutes” and “Touched by an Angel” won households, while a repeat of “Flubber” ran on ABC. Then ABC’s “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” and “The Practice” won the last two hours of the night, as CBS switched to part one of the TV movie, “And Never Let Her Go.” Among adults 18-49, Fox won every half-hour except one, the 7 p.m. slot with “Futurama.” NBC was nearly nonexistent the entire evening, placing last during every half-hour in both households and adults 18-49. The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Sunday night were: CBS 9.1/15 and 3.4, ABC 8.4/14 and 4.3, Fox 6.3/10 and 5.5, and NBC 4.7/8 and 2.6.
Inside-Brill deal, at hand, continues to perplex
With the sale of Powerful Media to Steve Brill expected to be announced today, media watchers are curious to see what form the deal will take. Among the questions is which executives from Powerful Media, which owns media and entertainment web site Inside.com and its print companion title, will stick around through the transition. At least one will not: CEO Deanna Brown is leaving, according to reports. Brown was formerly publisher of Brill’s Content magazine and reportedly clashed with Brill during her tenure there. The most likely scenario now has Powerful Media co-founders Kurt Andersen and Michael Hirschorn both taking jobs under Brill. Andersen will be named vice chairman of Brill Media, while Hirschorn will be editorial director of the company and editor in chief of the web site, according to reports. But neither man may be planning to hang around for long. Hirschorn is being courted for the soon-to-be-empty editor in chief post at Wired magazine, according to rumors, while Andersen is also said to be plotting his exit strategy. Meanwhile, it’s still not known how many of the 100 or so full-time employees of Powerful Media will be axed in the bargain. One rumor has everyone getting summarily laid off, forcing them to apply anew for jobs at Brill Media.
CBS kills off 'Big Apple,' no match for 'ER'
After five weeks on the air, CBS pulled the plug on the cop drama "Big Apple" on Friday. "Big Apple" was placed at the end of CBS’s new highly-rated Thursday night at 10 p.m., following strong lead-ins "Survivor: The Australian Outback" and "CSI." The series, which centers around the NYPD, the FBI and the Mob, received rave reviews but scored extremely low ratings against the highest-rated drama on television, NBC’s "ER." Last Thursday, "Big Apple" kept only 31 percent of the young adult audience watching "CSI." The show, which starred "Married With Children’s" Ed O’Neill, also lost a significant amount of its own audience between the first and second half hour.
Prim MTV turns away racy PETA ad
Has MTV been taken over by prudes? The cable network, which brought the world "The Thong Song," "Undressed" and too many hip hop videos to mention, has refused to air a public service announcement sponsored by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals on the grounds that it is too sexy. The ad, which encourage viewers to spay or neuter their pets, depicts two animatronic cats gettin' it on. A spokesman for MTV told The Washington Post that its guidelines prohibit anything depicting "fornication." "In this particular instance, we found the ad to be too graphic, in the sense of the animals having sex," an MTV spokesman explained. The spot has also been rejected by the Discovery Channel, which regularly features footage of real animals engaged in coitus. PETA was reportedly told by an ad sales executive at Discovery that the ad "pushed the envelope" too far. The exec clarified that documentary footage of animals is natural but in the ad the animals act like people. "We feel portraying animals as people in this manner is just an inappropriate subject for our air," the executive said. Even Fox affiliates wanted no part of showing it during "Temptation Island." The ad was shown on NBC's "Tonight Show" during Pamela Andersen's appearance on the show. The spot has also been a popular favorite on the Adcritic.com web site.
Fox bars '70s Show' star from 'Millionaire' gig
Ashton Kutcher, who plays the dumb guy on "That '70s Show," may be a whiz in real life, but he won't get a chance to show it off anytime soon. Fox executives recently pulled the plug on a scheduled appearance by Kutcher on ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." The actor and former Abercrombie & Fitch model, whose brother received a heart transplant, had planned to donate his winnings to a University of Iowa medical center that gives support to the families of transplant patients. But Fox brass, who were concerned the appearance would conflict with an episode of "That '70s Show" on Tuesday night, were unmoved. An offer by ABC not to air any of his moments on Tuesday or Wednesday night was turned down. There is a happy ending to the story, as Fox donated $32,000 to the hospital after Kutcher agreed to back off. NBC and CBS have also put their foot down in the past, canceling appearances by stars from their own shows on "Millionaire" last November.
Lifetime lines up comedies for fall
Hoping to add to its successful slate of Sunday night dramas, women's cable network Lifetime is considering a slew of comedies for next year. Comedy repeats have worked out for the network and next year reruns of "Mad About You" and "The Nanny" will air. The network will decide on the final projects sometime in June, choosing from such candidates as "Suits and Skirts," a pair of half-hour episodes in corporate America with identical story lines, one told from the viewpoint of the execs, one from the assistants; "Suburbia," a project about a hip urban female who doesn't adjust well to a move to the suburbs with the hubby; and "Life Hits the Fan," an "Ed"-type comedy centering on a driven career woman who leaves the daily drudgery behind for a new start as a "life coach." The network is also considering two other half-hour programs and three hour-long series.
April 2, 2001 © 2001 Media Life
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