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over at PAX . . .
Repeat network gooses up Sunday with originals
By Elizabeth White
Getting as much mileage as it can out of its limited schedule, PAX’s fall rollout is packed with sneak previews and rebroadcasts, just as its fall schedule is filled with multiple runs of its eight original series.
The new series "Forbidden Secrets" has two sneak previews, a series premiere, and a rebroadcast within the first two weeks of September.
The new drama "The Ponderosa" escapes with just two rebroadcasts, while the sophomore series "Mysterious Ways" and "Encounters with the Unexplained" have just one sneak preview apiece.
Once the season gets started, "Doc," "The Ponderosa" and "Candid Camera" will each air twice a week.
The rest of PAX’s primetime lineup is largely filled with reruns of "Touched by an Angel" and "Diagnosis Murder."
Such a repetitive schedule keeps PAX in the basement in ratings and in the continued low esteem of a number of media folks.
"We actually categorize PAX as basic cable, even though they’re not, because they have so much repeat programming," says Deana Myers, an analyst at Paul Kagan Associates.
"It’s hard to say that they’re in the same category as other broadcast networks, when most of their programming is first viewed somewhere else. And none of the other networks share programming, like PAX does with NBC."
But PAX is hoping to change that, even with its slight schedule, beginning with this season’s Sunday night lineup.
All four of the network’s time slots feature programs that are original and unique to PAX. Three new series will debut on Sunday, "Ed McMahon’s Next Big Star," "Candid Camera" and "The Ponderosa," flanking the night’s anchor program "Doc," PAX’s almost-breakout hit from last year.
Last season, "Doc" was the highest-rated program on PAX, ranking 165th out of 199 shows. That may not sound too impressive in the absolute sense, beating out only such shows as UPN’s "XFL" games and the WB’s "The PJs."
But the medical drama’s average of a 1.4 household rating is a full half-rating-point higher than what PAX has averaged season-to-date since October, and "Doc’s" average of 2.1 million viewers is more than 50 percent higher than PAX’s season-to-date average viewership.
It’s that kind of mild success that PAX is hoping for with "Doc’s" lead-out show, "The Ponderosa," a new Western set as a prequel to the 1960s series "Bonanza."
"I don’t know if PAX will close the gap between itself and UPN and the WB," says Bill Marchetti, another analyst at Paul Kagan Associates. "They’re not expecting big ratings, and they’re probably 70 to 80 percent of where they want to be. If they do some original programs, especially with some well-known names, then they can get some incremental ratings increases."
Along those lines, PAX is also expanding its lineup of NBC rebroadcasts, adding "Weakest Link" and "Crossing Jordan" to last year’s joint-venture "Mysterious Ways."
Rebroadcasts of "Weakest Link" will air on Friday nights, leading into "Encounters with the Unexplained," a show hosted by NBC’s "Law and Order" star Jerry Orbach. If rebroadcasts of "Crossing Jordan" join the schedule in January as planned, "Mysterious Ways" will serve as its lead-in on Tuesday nights.
|
PAX
fall schedule |
|||||
| Day |
6:00 |
7:00 |
8:00 |
9:00 |
10:00- 10:30 |
|
Mon. |
For- |
Touched by an Angel/ Left Behind (Jan.)** |
Diagnosis Murder |
||
|
Tues. |
Doc |
Mysterious Ways |
Diagnosis Murder/ Crossing Jordan (Jan.)** |
||
|
Wed. |
Candid Camera |
Touched by an Angel |
Diagnosis Murder |
||
|
Thurs. |
It’s a Miracle |
Touched by an Angel |
Diagnosis Murder |
||
|
Fri. |
Weakest Link |
Encounters With the Unexplained |
Diagnosis Murder |
||
|
Sat. |
The Pond- |
PAX Big Event |
|||
|
Sun.* |
Next Big Star |
Candid Camera |
Doc |
The Ponderosa |
|
| *PAX’s
Sunday programming begins at 6 p.m. ET, one hour earlier than other
broadcast networks. ** "Left Behind" is a series planned to begin in Jan., and "Crossing Jordan" is a new NBC series scheduled for rebroadcast in Jan. Source: PAX TV |
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PAX Fall season premiere dates |
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|
Date |
Time |
Show |
Notes |
|
Aug. 31 (Fri.) |
9:00 |
Forbidden Secrets |
Sneak preview |
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Sept. 3 (Mon.) |
8:00 |
Forbidden Secrets |
Sneak preview |
|
Sept. 4 (Tues.) |
9:00 |
Mysterious Ways |
Sneak preview |
|
Sept. 7 (Fri.) |
9:00 |
Encounters with the Unexplained |
Sneak preview |
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Sept. 8 (Sat.) |
4:00 - midnight |
Bonanza Extravaganza |
"Bonanza" marathon promoting PAX’s new series "The Ponderosa" |
|
Sept. 9 (Sun.) |
6:00 |
Ed McMahon’s Next Big Star |
Series Premiere |
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8:00 |
Doc |
2nd Season Premiere |
|
|
9:00 |
The Ponderosa |
Two-Hour Series Premiere |
|
|
Sept. 10 (Mon.) |
8:00 |
Forbidden Secrets |
Season Premiere |
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Sept. 11 (Tues.) |
9:00 |
Mysterious Ways |
2nd Season Premiere |
|
Sept. 12 (Wed.) |
8:00 |
Candid Camera |
Season Premiere |
|
9:00 |
The Ponderosa |
Rebroadcast of Series Premiere |
|
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Sept. 13 (Thu.) |
8:00 |
It’s a Miracle |
4th Season Premiere |
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Sept. 14 (Fri.) |
8:00 |
Weakest Link |
Rebroadcast from NBC |
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9:00 |
Encounters With the Unexplained |
2nd season premiere |
|
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Sept. 15 (Sat.) |
7:00 |
Ed McMahon’s Next Big Star |
Rebroadcast of series premiere |
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8:00 |
The Ponderosa |
Rebroadcast of series premiere |
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|
10:00 |
Forbidden Secrets |
Rebroadcast of series premiere |
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| Source:
PAX TV
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August 28, 2001 © 2001 Media Life
-Elizabeth White is a staff writer for Media Life.
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