Going into the second half of the season, ABC has a raft of problems, notably its aging viewership. Yet it plans no massive changes as it enters mid-season, preferring rather a spate of small fixes to its schedule.
     Executives, meeting with reporters on the winter press tour in Pasadena, were quick to admit to the ills of the network's aging viewership.
    "There is still no clear 18-49 leader. The season is still really up for grabs, and by our measurements we are and continue to be No. 1 in viewers and households. But we’re not going to be happy until we regain the supremacy that we had last season with young adults," ABC Entertainment Television Group co-chair Stu Bloomberg told reporters Friday. 
    Network executives also conceded that ABC has been hurt by the contracting ad market, and that its series premieres this season have brought little but disappointment.
   Most of the network’s tinkering is designed to address more pressing concerns about demographics, however.
    Beginning with "Millionaire," ABC will roll out a bundle of stunt episodes designed to rein in the rapid geriatrification of the show’s viewership. The program’s audience has shrunk by 30 percent compared to last year, and its aging demos have allowed NBC to pull ahead in the race for adults 18-49.
    H & R Block will sponsor four "tax-free editions" of the show during February sweeps, though it’s hard to imagine this gimmick striking chords with younger viewers.
   More to the point will be February’s two rock ‘n roll editions, featuring the likes of Backstreet Boys and Dixie Chicks members competing for the prize money.
   ABC has no plans to scale back its Regis-heavy schedule, promising to retain all four weekly "Millionaire" episodes at least through May, when the network may reevaluate. The show could also take a rest for a few weeks over the summer.
    A few other programming standbys will be taking vacations as well.
   "Spin City" will go on hiatus beginning on March 14, with comedian Dennis Leary’s "The Job" taking its Wednesday evening slot.
    The underachieving "Geena Davis Show" will take a break starting March 27. The Tuesday-night hole will be filled by a yet-untitled comedy starring Joan Cusack.
   Network executives expressed frustration in Pasadena that the new hospital-drama "Gideon’s Crossing," at least in its current time slot, has yet to become a bona fide hit. The show will move from Mondays to Wednesdays in search of better exposure.
   When "Gideon’s Crossing" finishes up its run this Spring, its slot will be filled by "The Beast," a new broadcast-news drama. The network also announced that "The Beast’s" pilot will have to be re-shot.
   Once "The Mole" airs its ninth and final episode in March, the new Damon Wayans comedy "My Wife and Kids" will debut in its time slot, on March 13.
    By opting for the time-released method of midseason premiers, ABC hopes to maximize the buzz for each program and make sure none gets lost in the crowd.
   "By staggering the premieres of our mid-season shows, we'll be able to commit 100 percent of our promotional efforts to every launch," said Bloomberg. He added that this strategy will allow ABC’s current series to finish up their seasons without having to lapse into repeats.
    Nearly all of the scripted series premiering in March are intended to skew younger, as execs refuse to concede younger viewers to rival NBC.
    To that end, ABC will also resurrect the reality series "Making the Band," which ran last season to unspectacular numbers. The show was expected to be retired until recently, following the debut of the band’s single. "Liquid Dreams," by the show’s boy band O-Town, has topped Billboard charts over the last few weeks and breathed new life into the series.
   "Making the Band" will likely air on Fridays, elbowing "Two Guys and a Girl" or "Norm," and possibly both, back to a mid-week slot.
    ABC also put out a few more teasers for reality/chase show "The Runner," produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The show has been in development since last summer, but the network has yet to attach a date to it.
    The network announced that it has signed on "The Practice" for two more seasons, with an option for a third. Still up in the air, however, is the future of sitcom "Dharma and Greg" after season’s end.

- Gabriel Spitzer is a staff writer for Media Life.

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