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Message to NBC: Pay them anything they want. With ratings like these, NBC's "Friends" still stands to make the network a boatload. A new episode and a rerun of TV's top sitcom drew a huge 14.5 adult 18-49 for the 8 p.m. hour. The 8:30 repeat of the Thanksgiving episode, featuring Brad Pitt, actually built slightly on its lead-in. NBC won all half-hours for the night as it scored a 13.5 in adults 18-49. CBS had a 6.0, while ABC and Fox shared a 2.3, based on preliminary Nielsen ratings. A repeat of "CSI" drew a decent 5.3 at 8 p.m., jumping 23 percent in its second half-hour. ABC and Fox struggled with two episodes each of "Whose Line Is It Anyway" and "Family Guy," which only managed a 2.3 and 2.1 in adults 18-49, respectively. At 9 p.m. NBC's "Will & Grace," featuring Matt Damon, and a regular "Just Shoot Me" topped CBS's "CSI" with a 12.1 to the forensic drama's 8.9 adult 18-49 rating. At 10 p.m. NBC's "ER" cleaned up with a 14.0 for the hour among adults 18-49, more than doubling the combined audience of CBS's "The Agency" and ABC's "Primetime Thursday." The average household rating and share for Thursday night were: NBC 16.3/25, CBS 11.5/18, ABC 5.8/9, and Fox 3.1/5. On Wednesday night, NBC's regular Wednesday night lineup continued to roll over the competition, giving the network another strong win in adults 18-49 and households. NBC averaged a 6.4 adult 18-49 rating, ABC had a 4.4, Fox a 4.3 and CBS a 2.5, based on preliminary Nielsen ratings. At 8 p.m. an hour-long episode of ABC's "My Wife & Kids" posted some of its strongest numbers yet, bringing in a 5.8 among adults 18-49 and an easy win over NBC's "Ed," which only mustered a 4.0. Fox's "That '80s Show" drew a 4.1 for its half-hour, falling 16 percent from last week and 34 percent from its debut two weeks ago. At 9 p.m. NBC's "The West Wing" came up big yet again with a 7.5 adult 18-49 rating in the hour, topping a 4.8 from Fox's "Bernie Mac" and "Titus" and a 4.3 from ABC's "Drew Carey" and "The Job." At 10 p.m. NBC's "Law & Order" kept all of its lead-in audience and a bit more, posting a 7.7 adult 18-49 rating for the hour, more than doubling the audience for ABC's "20/20 Downtown." CBS was a non-factor for the night, as its "60 Minutes II" and "Diagnosis Murder" original TV movie never drew more than a 2.7 among adults 18-49. The average household rating and share for Wednesday night were: NBC 10.3/16, CBS 9.1/14, ABC 7.0/11 and Fox 5.6/9.
Item: Us Weekly shopping for an editor
Us Weekly, that shameless purveyor of gossip, is generating some rumors of its own as the magazine searches for someone to replace outgoing editor Terry McDonell. Owner Jann Wenner has 10 or so names on his short list, including some that frequently pop up in bold-faced type in media columns, according to the New York Post’s Keith Kelly. Maer Roshan, former No. 2 at Talk and New York magazine, has the right combination of gossip experience and weekly know-how, but is said not to be interested in the job. More interesting, perhaps, is the mention of Bonnie Fuller. As a former editor of Glamour and Cosmo, Fuller knows how to drive newsstand sales, but she's currently in the midst of launching Living Room, a new shelter title, for Meredith Corp. Kate Betts has youth and glamour going for her but lacks the buzz factor after getting low marks for her redesign of Harper’s Bazaar, which dumped her last summer in favor of Glenda Bailey. Kelly reports that Adam Moss, editor of The New York Times Magazine, and Michael Solomon, formerly of Premiere, are also in the running, while if Wenner decides to promote from within, he’ll probably go with Charles Leerhsen. McDonell was named the new managing editor of Time Inc.’s Sports Illustrated earlier this week.
NBC hosts Olympics bash for Games-less SF-ers
NBC is throwing an Olympics party for all the disgruntled San Franciscans who won't be able to watch the Winter Games from the comfort of their own couches. The party, held tonight at the city's Pier 3, will feature food, entertainment, and, of course, televisions allowing revelers to watch the opening ceremonies. Unfortunately, once the Games actually begin, the 100,000 or so Bay Area residents who aren't getting NBC on their televisions will be left to their own devices. The problem first cropped up several weeks ago when the network changed local affiliates from KRON to the more distant KNTV. NBC, which is working on a long-term solution, had originally considered placing trucks with transmitters in neighborhoods where the KNTV signal is weakest, but abandoned that plan in favor of a party.
Mistress in tow, Bryant Gumbel heads for the altar
Bryant Gumbel's divorce only went through six months ago, but he's already looking to throw himself back into the bonds of matrimony. Gumbel, co-host of CBS's "The Early Show," will marry longtime girlfriend Hilary Quinlan later this year, according to a report on PageSix.com. The wedding will take place no later than early November so that guests will be able to expect nice weather for playing golf. Gumbel, who during the divorce proceedings was accused of giving his wife of 28 years only $250 per month to support her and their two sons, reportedly gave Quinlan a ring with a 6 1/2 carat diamond.
Slimmed-down Oxygen sheds another 5 percent
For a company that's barely two years old, the Oxygen Network has an awful lot of experience wielding the ax. The women's cable channel cut its workforce for the fourth time in a year this week. Twenty-four employees, or 5 percent of the remaining staff, were let go on Wednesday. Most worked on the channel's signature program "Pure Oxygen," which has been cut from its original 90-minute length to one hour but will now air five days a week, rather than four. Even with talk show maven Oprah Winfrey and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen as backers, the struggling network was forced to lay off 80 workers in October, largely from health site ThriveOnline.com and teen site Trackers.net. The company has since focused on its main Oxygen.com and Oprah.com properties. Thirty employees were pink-slipped last March and 35 were dismissed last February. In a statement that will no doubt be enormously reassuring to employees, the company said no further cuts were expected.
February 8, 2002 © 2002 Media Life
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