|
|
Last night, CBS showed how desperately it needs a Thursday youth infusion of the sort Survivor II promises to bring when it debuts later this month. The network averaged a 2.1 preliminary rating among adults 18-49 with its "Diagnosis Murder" and "48 Hours" lineup. In contrast, NBC scored a rating nearly six times higher, averaging a 12.2 among adults 18-49 with original episodes of its Thursday night shows. Among households, ABC managed to win the 9:30 p.m. half-hour with "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" but the rest of the night belonged to NBC. The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Thursday night were: NBC 15.2/24 and 12.2, ABC 9.0/14 and 4.2, CBS 6.7/10 and 2.1, and Fox 4.0/6 and 2.3. On Wednesday, Fox’s new shows bolted out of the gate, winning every time period among adults 18-49 and doubling Fox’s typical Wednesday night ratings this season. The premiere of "Grounded for Life" upped the ratings from its lead-in "That 70’s Show" by 5 percent, and the premiere of "Temptation Island" upped "Grounded's" ratings by another 30 percent. "Temptation" also finished second among households, averaging a 10.5/15 household rating and share. The reality show hurt the ABC’s "Drew Carey" and "Spin City the most, dropping those comedies to third place at the 9 p.m. hour. The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Wednesday night were: NBC 11.1/17 and 6.3, ABC 9.6/14 and 5.1, Fox 9.1/13 and 7.4, and CBS 7.7/12 and 2.7.
Another Teen People editor on the way out
A week after her boss turned in her resignation, another top Teen People editor is jumping ship—literally. Executive editor Amy Paulsen says she will hang up her pencil in June and take to the seas for a year-long boat trip with her husband and daughters. Paulsen, whose plans were first reported by the New York Post’s Keith Kelly, was thought to have a good shot at the top job now that founding managing editor Christina Ferrari is quitting next month. Ferrari is moving to Switzerland, there to join boyfriend Henry Muller, editor at large and former editorial director of Time Inc. With Paulsen out of the running, former Harper’s Bazaar editor Barbara O’Dair is considered the favorite for the managing editor job, according to Kelly.
U.S.
newsweeklies unrattled by Dennis launch
After watching Maxim have its way with the men’s
magazine category for the last couple years, you might expect the folks at
the newsmagazines to be nervous now that Dennis Publishing has
announced its plans to launch a newsweekly of its own. That goes extra for
U.S. News & World Report, which, as the smallest of the bunch, will be
the first to feel the squeeze should The Week (as they’re calling it) be
a Maxim-like success. But if U.S. News owner Mort Zuckerman and his troops
are sweating, they’re not letting on. "I don’t see that it will
have direct implications for the newsweekly field," says Zuckerman of
The Week, which, unlike Time, Newsweek and U.S. News, will have almost no
original reporting, consisting instead of article digests from other
publications. U.S. News editor Stephen Smith has words of praise for
maverick publisher Felix Dennis, who brought Maxim to the U.S. in 1997.
"He’s a very colorful and gutsy guy, and what he did with Maxim is
proof that he can beat the odds." That said, Smith believes the odds
are stacked against The Week becoming another breakout hit for Dennis.
Though the concept worked in England, demand for such a magazine is likely
to be lesser in the U.S., where most newspapers carry syndicated content,
and where the citizens in general care little about international affairs,
says Smith. Also, he says, the economics of distributing and marketing a
new magazine are more brutal in the U.S. than in the U.K., where word of
mouth goes a lot farther. Still, like others, Smith is unwilling to bet
against Dennis. "He’s got vision, he’s got guts, and if anyone
can pull it off, he can."
'Millionaire' jacks up the
payout for sweeps
For most winners on "Who Wants to Be
a Millionaire?", the sensation of having a million bucks is a
short-lived one--lasting only until Uncle Sam comes along for his cut. But
during February sweeps, the network will team up with H&R Block for
"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" tax-free editions. On the Feb.
21, 22 and 23 episodes of "Millionaire," the show will cover the contestants' estimated income taxes on the
prize money they win--meaning that if someone wins
the grand prize, he or she will go home a true millionaire. During
November sweeps week, the network ran "Who Wants to be a
Millionaire?" celebrity edition episodes, but ABC reportedly had difficulty
getting TV stars from other networks to appear on the show for charity.
XFL announces its
broadcast team
The X-treme Football League
(XFL) yesterday announced the broadcast team for the
telecasts to air on UPN. Craig Minervini, sports anchor
at WTVJ (NBC) in South Florida, will handle
play-by-play for the games, which will be broadcast on Sundays at 7 p.m.
Minervini has worked on NBC’s broadcasts of Notre Dame football,
and has also worked for ESPN and Prime Network. Bob
Golic, who played for Notre Dame and in the NFL, will
serve as analyst for the broadcasts on UPN. Golic currently serves
as an analyst on Fox Sports Net and Fox Sports Net Radio Network.
Completing the sportscasting team, Lee Reherman and
Kip Lewis will handle sideline reporting duties. Reherman played
one season for the Miami Dolphins and did a stint as an
"American Gladiator." Lewis, whose
son is Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Sherm Lewis, is also a
former professional football player. Lewis and Reherman previously teamed
up on NBC’s telecast of the 2001 Gator Bowl. UPN's first XFL game will
air on Sunday, Feb. 4 when the Los Angeles Xtreme visits the San Francisco
Demons at the special time of 4 p.m.
'Survivor' cast member
becomes a Trump model
The show's long over, the island is again
deserted, but the cash-ins continue: "Survivor" contestant Greg Buis, who was
best known for chatting it up on a pretend phone made of
coconuts, has signed on with Donald Trump’s modeling agency,
T-Management. The castaway was reportedly discovered by agency president
Annie Veltri during a promotional appearance for the "Survivor"
board game at FAO Schwartz. The move is a bit surprising considering Buis
shied away from the cameras initially after being booted from the island.
He was the only "Survivor" contestant to refuse to participate
in CBS’s press appearances immediately following the episode during which
he was voted off the show. Buis did, however, show up for the town meeting
following the "Survivor" season finale,
as well as for an appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman."
It probably helped him get over his reclusive attitude seeing his castmates
make good on their 15 minutes of fame. "Survivor" winner Richard Hatch
has already written a book and is set to direct a pilot for NBC, while
ex-Navy SEAL Rudy Boesch is being immortalized as a 12-inch action figure.
Printer-Friendly
Version | Send
to a Friend
Cover Page | Contact
Us
© 2001 Media Life
