News Shorts

Jacko look-back sweeps the night
The King of Pop ruled primetime last night, as “Michael Jackson 30th Anniversary Special” carried CBS to wins in both households and adults 18-49. The concert won every half-hour from 9-11 p.m. in households and adults 18-49, an impressive feat considering NBC’s “Frasier” aired its 200th episode and a clip show at 9 p.m. “Michael Jackson” averaged a preliminary 15.7/24 household rating and share and 10.8 adult 18-49 rating. The “Frasier” special, which ran from 8-10 p.m., averaged a 10.5/15 household rating and share and 6.8 adult 18-49 rating. CBS also won the 8 p.m. hour in households with “JAG,” while Fox’s “That '70’s Show” and a repeat of “Frasier” won the hour among adults 18-49. The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Tuesday were: CBS 14.4/22 and 8.7, NBC 9.4/14 and 5.9, ABC 7.2/11 and 3.7, and Fox 5.5/8 and 4.6. On Monday, Fox squeaked out a win among adults 18-49, winning only one half-hour in the demographic. But ABC’s “Monday Night Football” matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans was too low-rated to give its network the win. Without adjusting for time zone differences, the game averaged a preliminary 10.5/16 household rating and share and 6.6, adult 18-49, rating. ABC won households for the night, but CBS won three half-hours in households with “King of Queens,” “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “Becker.” “King of Queens” and “Raymond” also won their half-hours among adults 18-49. The preliminary Nielsen household rating and share and adult 18-49 rating for Monday night were: ABC 10.0/15 and 5.6, CBS 9.8/15 and 5.3, NBC 7.7/12 and 4.9, and Fox 7.3/11 and 5.7.

CBS gives full-year pickup to 'Ellen Show'
In one of the unlikelier pickups so far this fall, CBS has extended its order for "The Ellen Show" to the rest of the season. As recently as a few weeks ago media buyers had tagged the low-rated series as one they expected to see canceled. In her review of the show, Media Life's Elizabeth White wrote, "[D]espite Ellen DeGeneres’ talents as a comedian, 'The Ellen Show' is no more than a celebrity project. It cushions the star's talents above everything else, so that no attention is paid to whether the rest of the cast has any chemistry." Meanwhile, over at UPN, the network has ordered another nine episodes of "Special Unit 2."

Esquire and GQ go at it over caviar pic
Perhaps you remember the photo of a lissome Italian actress, her nude torso concealed only by a film of caviar, that graced the cover of a certain men's magazine about nine months ago. David Granger certainly remembers it, as it was his magazine, Esquire. And it didn't take long for him to notice when the exact same picture turned up on the cover of this month's issue of the Italian edition of GQ. "I am amazed, especially because GQ and Esquire are direct competitors," Granger told The Wall Street Journal. (Of course, Esquire competes with American GQ; the Italian version of the title is published by Condé Nast's international arm.) "With all due respect to Esquire, they didn't invent Monica Bellucci," retorted Italian GQ editor Andrea Monti. Legally, it's a moot issue: Fabrizio Ferri, the photographer who snapped the cover shot and other pictures that appeared in both magazines, owns the images, and Esquire's exclusive rights to them ran out within 90 days of the issue’s publication.

End looms for Howard Stern TV show
It looks like someone has decided that Howard Stern's face was made for radio after all. The shock jock's syndicated TV series, "The Howard Stern Radio Show," will cease production after taping this Saturday's show, according to a published report. King World, which distributes the show, is said to be developing a spate of programs to offer as replacements for "Howard Stern," which runs on a majority of CBS owned-and-operated stations and on the E! cable network. Stern's radio gig at CBS/Infinity Broadcasting nearly came to an end last December, but he was able to negotiate a new five-year deal at the last second.

ABC eighty-sixes 'America.01'
If it looks like a bad idea, quacks like a bad idea, and goes on the air a few weeks after being conceived, it probably is a bad idea. So ABC has learned with “America.01,” its Friday night newsmagazine about life after Sept. 11. The network has shelved the series after only two airings, replacing it this week with “The Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Special” and afterwards with “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” Media folks thought “America.01” might prove to be an effective band-aid for ABC through November sweeps, but last week the program attracted only 6.4 million viewers and earned a 1.6, adult 18-49, rating, the network’s lowest in the 8 p.m. hour all season. “America.01” was benched even quicker than the time slot’s original occupant, “The Mole 2,” which went on hiatus after three airings and an average 2.2, adult 18-49, rating.

Al-Jazeera office destroyed by U.S. bombs
U.S. bombs wiped out the Kabul office of Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera yesterday shortly before Northern Alliance forces took control of the Afghan capital. No one was hurt, but 12 employees at the station were unaccounted for and their safety remained a concern late yesterday. Managing director Mohammed Jassim al-Ali claims the U.S. military knew the exact whereabouts of his station, but said his staff received no warning of an impending strike. The workplace of the suddenly-prominent satellite channel was across the street from the Taliban's Ministry for the Suppression of Vice and the Promotion of Virtue and in the midst of a neighborhood populated by many Taliban officals, while anti-aircraft positions were situated on a nearby hill. Al-Jazeera has become a household name after its exclusive presence in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan was sought by U.S. networks deprived of direct access. The destruction of the network's office looks bad for the U.S. government, which has accused the network of assisting bin Laden in the propaganda war.

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