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It's official: When Rosie O'Donnell steps down from her talk show next May, she'll be replaced by actress Caroline Rhea. Warner Bros. has confirmed that Rhea, who plays Aunt Hilda on "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch," will appear beginning this fall as a regular guest host in preparation for the 2002-03 season, when she will have the renamed show to herself. Rhea was to have had her own talk show this season, but producer Paramount pulled the series from development, saying it was too costly. O'Donnell's show, meanwhile, has been on something of a ratings slide, managing only a 2.1 for the period that ended July 15. It has reportedly been losing its slots in several markets to new game shows including "$100,000 Pyramid" and the syndicated version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
How bad is it? Reality repeats win.
Either people actually like this stuff, or there’s really nothing on TV this summer. Last night, repeats of reality programs gave NBC a clean sweep during primetime among adults 18-49. The network won all eight primetime half hours in the demographic with repeats of “Fear Factor,” “Spy TV” and “Weakest Link.” “Link” also won the 10 p.m. hour in households by two shares, while a repeat of ABC’s “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” won households at 9 p.m. by three shares. The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Sunday night were: CBS 6.6/12 and 1.8, NBC 5.5/10 and 4.1, ABC 5.4/10 and 2.6, and Fox 3.7/7 and 2.7. Over the weekend, reality television also won Saturday night, with CBS and Fox splitting wins in households and adults 18-49. At 8 p.m., CBS’s “Big Brother 2” edged Fox’s “Cops” to win the hour in both households and adults 18-49. Then at 9 p.m., Fox’s “America’s Most Wanted” took the hour in both households and adults 18-49, giving Fox a win for the night in the demographic. Neither ABC’s movie, “Stephen King’s Thinner,” nor NBC’s movie, “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” generated much interest, allowing CBS to eke out a victory for the night in households with repeats of “Walker, Texas Ranger” and “The District.” On Friday night, ABC swept nearly every hour in both households and adults 18-49 with its wholesome lineup of “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” and “20/20.” The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Friday night were: ABC 7.0/14 and 2.9, NBC 5.1/10 and 2.2, CBS 4.2/8 and 1.4, and Fox 3.5/7 and 2.1. For Saturday night: CBS 4.2/9 and 1.9, Fox 4.1/9 and 2.6, ABC 4.1/9 and 2.0, and NBC 3.0/6 and 1.8/7.
Ziff-Davis fires 13, including editor, at PC Mag
Upheaval is turning into a way of life over at Ziff-Davis Media. In the newest shakeup, 13 staffers at PC Magazine, the company's 1.225-million circulation flagship, have lost their jobs, according to a report by Keith Kelly in the New York Post. Among the fallen was editor Jeffrey Rothfeder, who is said to have clashed with Ziff-Davis editorial director Michael Miller. Rothfeder's somewhat checkered curriculum vitae includes an apparent resume-falsifying episode that cost him a job offer to be managing editor of CNBC. Through June, advertising pages in PC Magazine were down nearly 25 percent from last year, with a total of 1,316.98. Last week, Ziff-Davis said it was folding another one of its titles, Family PC.
News Corp. making major station trades
Let the trading begin. Fresh from winning FCC approval for its acquisition of 10 Chris-Craft television stations, News Corp. is brokering the deals it will need to stay in the agency's good graces. News Corp. already has an agreement to turn over two stations, ABC affiliate KTVX in Salt Lake City and NBC affiliate KMOL in San Antonio, to Clear Channel Communications in exchange for WFTC in Minneapolis, which is already affiliated with News Corp.'s Fox network. The trading eliminates what otherwise would have been an unlawful duopoly in Salt Lake City for News Corp. The company is also reported to be in talks with Viacom, with News Corp. eyeing Viacom stations in Atlanta, Houston, Tampa and Washington D.C., and Viacom browsing Fox stations in Baltimore in San Francisco.
Downey missed his chance to be Mr. McBeal
If the ghost of Christmas Past could get hold of Robert Downey Jr., the actor might be surprised to see what could have happened on "Ally McBeal" if he hadn't gotten busted for drugs and kicked off the show. It seems that there were to be wedding bells for Downey's Larry Paul and Calista Flockhart's Ally McBeal. "I don't know that [Larry and Ally] were actually going to get married, but there was going to be a ceremony and then something was going to happen," former "Ally" star Gil Bellows, who played past love Billy, told TV Guide Online. The actor also said his now-deceased character would have given Ally some spiritual support and advice right before the big day. Downey pled no contest to one felony count of cocaine possession and one misdemeanor count of being under the influence of a controlled substance last month. He was sentenced to a year in a live-in rehabilitation program and three years of probation.
CNN bigs get behind fired lawyer in 'Wind' flap
CNN’s chief legal counsel is getting some high-profile support in a dispute with management. Lawyer-in-chief Eve Burton left her job a week ago, reportedly over a disagreement with CNN higher-ups about the controversial "Gone with the Wind" satire, "The Wind Done Gone." Now CNN celebrities such as Larry King, Greta Van Susteren, Christiane Amanpour and Judy Woodruff have rushed to Burton’s aid, reportedly lending their names to appeals to CNN management on Burton’s behalf. The copyright holders of Margaret Mitchell’s "Gone with the Wind," originally published in 1936, have filed suit to block the publication of the satire, arguing that it violates the copyrights of the original work. CNN had originally joined with other news organizations in supporting the publishers of "The Wind Done Gone," but soon withdrew its support. Some speculate that the corporate interests of CNN parent AOL Time Warner played a role in CNN’s withdrawal; AOL Time Warner companies own the copyright to a sanctioned sequel to "Gone with the Wind," as well as "Gone with the Wind" movie rights. Burton’s superiors were reportedly upset that she continued to support the satire’s publisher. CNN’s upper management has denied that the book dispute had anything to do with Burton’s departure.
July 30, 2001 © 2001 Media Life
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