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AOL Time Warner chief executive Gerald Levin has announced he will take early retirement from the media conglomerate. Levin, who is 62, will be succeeded by co-chief operating officer Richard Parsons. Levin will retire this coming May. Robert Pittman, co-chief operating officer with Parsons, will become chief operating officer and will report directly to Parsons. Levin’s announcement of his retirement comes within of year of the merger of AOL and Time Warner, a deal representing the highlight of Levin’s career after years climbing up the ranks of Time Warner. In remarks prepared for the announcement, Levin said he had been consider the retirement decision for some time. The elevation of Parsons, 53, who oversees much of the Time Warner side of the business, comes as something of a surprise. Pittman, who served under AOL chairman Steve Case, had earlier appeared to be the heir apparent.
Fox sweeps with Billboard awards
Fox scored among adults 18-49 last night with the “2001 Billboard Music Awards” winning every half-hour in the demographic. ABC won households for the night, thanks to a strong performance by “NYPD Blue” and “Philly.” But only “NYPD Blue” managed to do well among adults 18-49, tying the 9:30 p.m. half-hour with the “Billboard Music Awards.” At 10 p.m., part two of CBS’s “Jim Henson’s Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story” won the hour in the demographic. Overall, “Jack and the Beanstalk” retained 93 percent of its household and adult 18-49 audience from Sunday. The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Tuesday were: ABC 8.4/13 and 4.2, CBS 7.4/12 and 3.7, Fox 7.0/11 and 5.6, and NBC 6.8/11 and 4.0. On Monday, ABC won in households and adults 18-49 thanks to repeats on CBS and strong showings for a “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” and “Monday Night Football.” Without adjusting for time zone differences, the game averaged a 10.9/17 household rating and share and a 6.4, adult 18-49, rating. A rerun of CBS’s “Everybody Loves Raymond” won the 9 p.m. half-hour in households and adults 18-49, and CBS finished second in households for the night. On Fox, “Boston Public” won the 8 p.m. hour among adults 18-49, and Fox placed third for the night in the demographic. The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Monday night were: ABC 10.3/16 and 5.7, CBS 9.5/15 and 5.0, NBC 6.7/10 and 3.5, and Fox 6.9/10 and 4.8.
Paxson: NBC jilted us for Telemundo
An out-and-out feud has boiled up between NBC and Paxson Communications over the former's proposed acquisition of Spanish-language network Telemundo. Paxson has initiated breakup proceedings to sever itself from NBC and asked the Federal Communications Commission to block the $2 billion NBC-Telemundo deal. Paxson's quarrel arises from the terms of its 1999 agreement with NBC, under which the General Electric-owned network acquired a 32 percent stake in Paxson for $415 million. The deal left the door open for NBC to acquire a larger, controlling interest in Paxson eventually, and to that end it agreed not to take any actions that might complicate a full acquisition. Paxson says the NBC-Telemundo deal has done just that, making it virtually impossible for NBC to win approval from the FCC to acquire Paxson. For its part, NBC says its actions did not constitute bad faith but merely reflected its hope that the FCC would revise its ownership rules before 2009, when NBC's contract with Paxson runs out. "I feel like a woman that’s just been jilted and then finds her husband out with another woman," Paxson chairman Bud Paxson told reporters yesterday.
'Azaria' and 'Fear Factor 2' coming in January
NBC has set a date for the premiere of its midseason entry "The Hank Azaria Show." The new sitcom, which follows the day-to-day and fantasy lives of a TV comedy writer, will debut Tuesday, Jan. 8, at 8 p.m. Only five of the show's initial 13 episodes have been produced owing to the departure of the original executive producer last month. Azaria voices animated characters on "The Simpsons" including Moe the bartender, Police Chief Wiggum and Apu Nahasapimapetalon. He also had a recurring role on the series "Mad About You." Also that week, "Fear Factor" will return to the air for the first installment of a new 18-episode run. "Fear Factor," which averaged a 5.6 rating and 12 million viewers over the summer, will air Monday, Jan. 7, at 8 p.m.
NBA talks to Disney about TV rights
The NBA, realizing that it's probably not going to be able to get more money in a new television rights deal than it did last time around, has reportedly opened up talks with ABC and ESPN, both of which are owned by Disney. NBC and Turner Broadcasting Systems paid $2.4 billion for their soon-to-expire four-year contract but are said to have offered slightly less in the current negotiations with the league. It’s the first time the NBA will not have been able to ask for and receive a hefty increase in rights fees. Still, if a Disney deal comes to pass, the league could still make out well through such perks as licensing rights, profit sharing and joint ownership of a new NBA cable channel. In one scenario, the NBA would partner with both Disney and AOL Time Warner, broadcasting two games a week or so on CNN/SI.
ABC mulls weekend version of 'GMA'
Now that its "Good Morning America" has pulled closer to NBC's once-untouchable "Today" during the week, ABC is reportedly considering replacing its Sunday morning slate of kids' programming with a weekend version of the morning news program. The last weekend incarnation, hosted on Sundays by Willow Bay, now at CNN, was pulled in 1997 because of low ratings. The newly resurgent "GMA" would likely outdraw the Disney cartoons and Disney Channel reruns ABC now airs, which regularly lose out to other cartoon offerings on Nickelodeon, the WB and Fox. A Sunday installment of Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson could potentially prop up the struggling current events roundtable "This Week," which has been at the mercy of NBC's "Meet the Press" for some time. But ABC still must face its local affiliates, who might not give up control of the time periods so easily.
'Naked News' comes to pay-per-view
Television's inevitable total shift into hardcore pornography crept a little closer to reality yesterday as web favorite "Naked News" announced it would be making the jump to pay-per-view. The 55-minute program, which unfolds the news, sports, lifestyle news and celebrity gossip as its female anchors uncover their bodies, will debut on Dec. 7 at 10 p.m. on InDemand cable and will appear every Friday from then on at $3.95 a pop. The program has developed a monster following in its two years online, drawing six millions viewers a month to its daily airings. But all kidding aside, the show's producers insist the show is not adult entertainment. "Neck-up qualifications come first," executive producer Kathy Pinckert tells the New York Post. "To do your job nude, with no props, no desk or a suit kind of makes it much more empowering. Gestures, voice and facial expressions take on a whole new meaning."
December 5, 2001
© 2001 Media Life
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