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CBS narrowly missed a ratings win in the 18-49 demographic on Thursday with its lineup of “Survivor: Africa” and “CSI,” losing to ABC, which took the night with its coverage of Miami’s win over Nebraska in the Rose Bowl. ABC averaged a 7.3, adult 18-49 rating, to CBS’s 7.0, NBC’s 6.1, and Fox’s 3.5, based on preliminary Nielsen data. CBS had the highest-rated show of the night, with “Survivor” averaging an 8.7 rating and beating NBC’s combination of “Friends” and “Inside Schwartz” by 27 percent. NBC was mostly in repeats. CBS’s “The Agency” at 10 p.m. pulled the network’s average down, though. The show had a 4.5 rating and was in a distant third place in its time slot. The drama’s rating fell almost 43 percent from its “CSI” lead-in. Meanwhile, NBC continued to suffer from poorly rated reruns. A repeat of CBS’s “CSI” at 9 p.m. had a rating that was 28 percent higher than NBC’s lineup, which included a repeat of “Will & Grace” and an original “Just Shoot Me.” In households, ABC had a 12.7 rating and 19 share to CBS’s 11.0/17, NBC’s 8.2/12, and Fox’s 5.5/8. on Wednesday, a repeat of "I Love Lucy’s 50th Anniversary Special" failed to be a ratings hit for CBS in its second airing. The two-hour special came in last place in every half-hour in the 18-49 demographic and was in third place all night among households. ABC won the night with the FedEx Orange Bowl football game between Florida and Maryland. The network won almost every half-hour in both the 18-49 and household targets. ABC averaged a 5.4, adult 18-49, rating and had a 9.8 household rating and 15 share, based on preliminary Nielsen data. NBC was in second place on Wednesday with repeats of "The West Wing," including a special episode at 8 p.m., and "Law & Order." The network averaged a 4.9 and an 8.9/14. Fox had a 4.8 and a 5.6/9 with mostly repeats of its Wednesday comedies. And CBS had a 3.4 and an 8.0/13 with the Lucy special and "60 Minutes II."
MPA and Postal Service in rate hike truce
The Magazine Publishers of America has reached a temporary truce with the U.S. Postal Service in the ongoing feud over the size and frequency of future rate increases. The MPA hailed the compromise as a victory for publishers, saying it would result in an average cost increase for its members of around 10 percent when the hike goes into effect on June 30. It was originally supposed to have taken effect on Labor Day, but the MPA agreed to have the start date moved up in exchange for a promise that the Postal Service would not ask for another increase before fall of this year, effectively capping costs until October 2003. Additionally, "pallet" or "flatbed" magazine shipping, which is cheaper for the Postal Service to process than simple sack shipping, will be subject to a half-cent per-piece reduction in cost. Currently, two-thirds of the shipping is flatbed, the rest is through sacks. "Drop-shipping," in which the magazines are delivered to the post office privately, would now be encouraged with a full-cent price cut. The settlement must be approved by the Postal Rate Commission before it becomes official.
VH1 plans new talk show; so does MTV's Daly
Starting in March, VH1 will try to get in on the late-night talk show action with a new half-hour program that will run opposite the 11 o'clock news. The show, which is tentatively being called "VH1 Live from Hollywood," will be a joint production of Brad Grey TV and VH1, and may be shot at the Hollywood & Highland complex in Los Angeles, according to one report. Meanwhile, MTV headliner Carson Daly will host the first installment of his new late-late-night chatfest this Monday. Daly, who continues to host "Total Request Live" for the cable music network, will follow Conan O'Brien on NBC, filling a time slot the network has struggled with ever since "Later with Bob Costas" ended its run in the mid 1990s.
NBC readies 'Three's Company' tell-all
Get ready for another unvarnished retrospective of 20-year-old betrayals and bad haircuts. On NBC's drawing board are plans for a TV movie that will offer a look at the infighting and ego clashes that took place on the set of the late '70s sitcom "Three’s Company." It turns out that when the camera stopped rolling, "Three's Company," which ran on ABC from 1977 to 1984, was a not-so-lovable hers and hers and his, with star Suzanne Somers leaving the show in a huff after producers turned down her request for a fat raise. Exposing the tensions that underlie classic sitcoms has become something of a cottage industry of late, with NBC airing "Growing Up Brady," based on the memoir of "Brady Bunch" star Greg Williams, in 2000, and CBS putting on "Surviving 'Gilligan’s Island'" last fall.
Disney buys World Cup rights through 2006
Soccer may not command the rapt attention it does overseas here at home, but, recognizing its growing popularity, especially among young females, Disney has secured TV deals for three upcoming World Cup tournaments, to air on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. Major League Soccer, which purchased the U.S. TV rights from German company The Kirch Group for between $40 and $50 million, will front all production costs and sell ad time for the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and the 2003 women's World Cup. ESPN and ESPN2 will broadcast 63 live matches from the 2002 competition; ABC will air eight tape-delayed games and will show the final live. The deal also includes five seasons of MLS play, with three games on ABC and 26 Saturday-afternoon matches on ESPN2. The 2002 games will come from Korea/Japan; 2003 will be held in China.
January 4, 2002 © 2002 Media Life
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