By Kevin Downey
    
   An unprecedented number of syndicated shows that held great promise at last month’s NATPE conference are getting axed even before a single episode hits the air.
   The number of shows not making it is far above normal and comes on top of an unusual number of midseason cancellations this year.
   Among the casualties is "Caroline," a talk show with Caroline Rhea that will now never see the light of day. The show was to be produced by Paramount, which issued a statement saying that the show became financially prohibitive to produce.
    "Colosseum," an hour-long drama with Andrew Dice Clay, has been scrapped too.
    And word circulating among media buyers is that "Who Wants to Date a Hooters Girl?" won’t make it to the air either.
   A spokesperson for production company Lions Gate, however, says a final decision on the show’s fate is several weeks away.
    "It’s unusual when the shows at NATPE presented as having good clearances don’t make it to the air," says Steve Sternberg, senior vice president and broadcast research director at TN Media.
    "A couple of things are happening. Because this season was so screwy with the presidential elections, the November ratings that a lot of people go by were screwed up," he says.
    The ratings mess meant a number of shows that seemed like sure bets were later scratched when better numbers came in this month.
   The result has been the axing of a few shows that were touted at last month’s National Association of Television Program Executives conference in Las Vegas.
    While the elections were one factor in the rash of cancellations, a number of other marketplace conditions have exacerbated the situation.
    "It’s hard to pinpoint the reason," says Bill Carroll, vice president and director of programming at Katz Television Group. "There are fewer good time periods, it’s more expensive to produce, and there are fewer companies involved because of consolidation."
    Another reason, he says, is because of the purchase of Chris Craft, the largest owner of UPN affiliates, by News Corp., the parent company of Fox.
    "In many markets, these stations will run as duopolies. These stations are not in a position to pick up product. Fox [owned and operated stations] are on hold so it puts a logjam on the process."
     The atypical early cancellations are just the latest in a long run of problems for syndication, which has had falling ratings and a number of disappointing new shows.
    In fact, many of the shows that premiered last year are being cut before the first season is completed.
    "Housecalls" was cut, for example. And the "Cindy Margolis Show," which was a companion to "Howard Stern’s Radio Show" was recently canceled before finishing out its first year.
    "No matter the merits of the show, basically it was part of a prior regime and was inherited," says Carroll. "If the show became the next ‘SNL’ it would still be on the air."
     And the fate of "Dr. Laura" has been in question virtually since it went on the air.
    The controversial talk show has been put on hiatus for the second time since premiering last September and is now mostly slotted into early morning time periods that are essentially devoid of viewers or advertisers.
     "The only word I hear is that they will continue production and finish out the year, although anything can change. For most, it’s off the radar but they will quietly fulfill their contract."

-Kevin Downey is a staff writer for Media Life.

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