Fox edges a Tuesday victory in 18-49s
A mix of original and reality programs made the competition for the adult 18-49 rating especially tight on Tuesday. Fox ultimately came out ahead with a 3.3 and a slim one-tenth of a rating point margin. But each of the networks won at least one half-hour in the demo, except for CBS. ABC and NBC tied with a 3.2 and CBS had a 2.6. CBS’s "Big Brother 2" came in second place against NBC’s "Spy TV" in its first half-hour and a celebrity special of "Millionaire" on ABC in its second half. The network stumbled with "JAG" and "Judging Amy." Both came in last place in their time slots. NBC went from No. 1 at 8:00 p.m. with "Spy TV" to No. 4 at 8:30 p.m. with the premiere of "The Downer Channel." That show lost 12 percent of its lead-in rating. Fox had more success with the premiere of the limited run, reality show, "Murder in Small Town X," at 9:00 p.m. That show averaged a 3.6 and won its hour and improved on "The Simpsons’" lead-in rating by 18 percent. ABC was No. 1 in households with a 6.7 rating and 12 share, based on Nielsen fast national ratings. NBC had a 5.4/9, CBS had a 5.3/9, and Fox had a 4.4/8.

ABC to air grisly 'Private Ryan' unedited
Taking your four-year-old to see "Saving Private Ryan" in the theater probably would not have been a good idea. But old and young alike will be able to enjoy the limb-severing, cranium-exploding action, expletives and all, when ABC airs the Oscar-winning World War II epic next season. That’s correct: The Disney-owned network plans to broadcast "Ryan," director Steven Spielberg’s gritty re-creation of the D-Day invasion and its aftermath, without any of the hackneyed, distracting editing typical in network treatments of R-rated films, according to TV Guide Online. So don’t expect to hear those dogfaces saying "shucks" or "fudge." ABC's movie docket for the coming season also includes less daring fare such as "Stuart Little," "Simon Birch" and "Notting Hill."

Survey: V-chip little used in American homes
Despite a widespread feeling among parents that children are exposed to too much sex and violence on television, the "V-chip" has yet to catch on as a way of screening out mature content. More than 80 percent of parents say they are worried about the influence of television on children's behavior, according to a new survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Still, though 40 percent of American households have a television with a V-chip, only 17 percent of the parents in those households bother to program the chip and utilize the technology. Overall, only 7 percent of parents have ever used a V-chip. Far more popular with parents are television ratings. Over 50 percent of parents say they use ratings in deciding what to allow their children to watch. Eight hundred parents and children were interviewed in the survey, the results of which were released yesterday.

'Rugrats' special sets a record for Nickelodeon
If you're over 20 and don't have kids, you may have only the dimmest awareness of who the Rugrats are. But if you still add "...and a half" after telling people your age, chances are you were watching "All Growed Up" on July 21. The 10th anniversary "Rugrats" special set a record for kids' network Nickelodeon, reaching more than 70 percent of kids ages 2-11 for a total of more than six million child viewers. The one-hour special, which aired at 8 p.m. EDT, averaged a 20.4 rating/70 share, according to Nielsen Media Research. Overall, "All Growed Up" was watched by 5.9 million households, scoring a 7.2 rating/15 share.

Bad boy Benza booted from Stern show for slap
Former gossip columnist A. J. Benza has done the seemingly impossible: getting himself fired from Howard Stern's radio show for bad behavior. Benza, whose talk show on E!, "A. J. After Hours," was canceled earlier this month, was reportedly dismissed after getting into an argument with Stern sidekick "Stuttering John" Melendez and slapping him in the face. The confrontation came after several callers shared with Benza their low opinion of "A. J. After Hours." Benza accused Melendez of choosing only callers who wanted to insult him, yelling, "I'm gonna grab Stuttering John by the neck and punch him in his face." Several minutes later, Melendez, pretending to be a caller, made fun of Benza's thinning pompadour. A brief scuffle ensued during which Benza struck Melendez in the face. Afterwards, he was told to leave the studio and not come back. Benza is the author of the recent memoir "Fame: Ain't It a Bitch."

July 25, 2001 © 2001 Media Life

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