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CBS’s strength on Monday nights may be slipping due to competition from NBC’s freshman series “Fear Factor” and “Crossing Jordan.” Shooting up 23 percent from its first half-hour, “Factor” tied CBS’s combination of “King of Queens” and “Yes, Dear” for the 8 p.m. hour with a 5.4, adult 18-49 rating. At 10 p.m. “Crossing Jordan” proved even more effective, outdrawing CBS’s “Family Law” with a 5.4 to the legal drama’s 3.8. CBS still won the night among 18-49s with a 5.4. NBC and Fox tied at 5.0 and ABC lagged behind at 2.4, based on preliminary Nielsen ratings. The 100th episode of “Ally McBeal” at 9 p.m. on Fox saw a respectable showing of 4.9 among 18-49s, but still a far cry from the 6.4 it averaged during its first season. CBS won that hour easily with a 6.9, adult 18-49 rating, with its duo of “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “Becker.” The household rating and share for Monday night were: CBS 10.0/15, NBC 7.6/12, Fox 7.0/10, and ABC 5.6/9. On Sunday, it was so far, so good for Fox and its new reality effort "The Chamber," which won both of its half-hours at 8 p.m. following two reruns of "The Simpsons." The high-pressure show didn't break a sweat in keeping 83 percent of its lead-in and building 11 percent on its first half-hour. The show's real test will come when it switches to its permanent Friday 8 p.m. time slot, which has proven merciless for even the most promising of shows. But even with that debut, CBS was still the victor in 18-49s, as its "People's Choice Awards" won three of its half-hours starting at 9 p.m. CBS came in with a 4.8, adult 18-49 rating, Fox a 4.6, ABC a 4.3 and NBC a 3.2, based on preliminary Nielsen ratings. ABC corralled a respectable 3.9 among 18-49s from a repeat of the Brendan Fraser film "George of the Jungle" and finished the night with another strong showing of "The Practice," which pulled in a 6.0 for its hour. The household rating and share for Sunday night were: CBS 10.6/16, ABC 6.9/11, NBC 6.6/10 and Fox 5.5/8.
Sports Illustrated editor takes a hike
One of Time Inc.'s top editors has walked out, apparently unhappy with being told how to do his job. Bill Colson is leaving Sports Illustrated, where he has worked for 24 years, the last six as managing editor. Colson's stated reason for his departure was a desire to spend more time with his family, but according to published reports he was at odds with John Huey, the company's editorial director. Under Colson, Sports Illustrated has been praised for its journalism and showered with awards, but it has largely failed to compete with the newer ESPN The Magazine for the attention of young readers. As managing editor of Fortune, Huey had brought fresh excitement to a business title that had grown dull, and he was said to be pushing Colson to do the same at Sports Illustrated. Colson will depart following the conclusion of the Winter Olympics next month.
Colin Powell agrees to MTV global chat
With the U.S. fighting one military campaign and possibly planning another, young people across the world are once again wondering: Boxers or briefs? They'll get a chance to ask this and other questions next month when Secretary of State Colin Powell goes on MTV to take part in a town meeting-style discussion of the war on terrorism. The MTV Global Forum, as it's being called, will be offered to MTV channels reaching almost 375 million households around the world, with participation by studio audiences in Russia, India, Brazil, the Middle East and elsewhere. Each channel will decide for itself whether to carry the 60-minute chat with Powell, who will participate from Washington, D.C., via satellite.
Condé Nast snaps up Modern Bride for $52M
In a deal that will bring the two leading bridal magazines together under one roof, Condé Nast has agreed to buy Modern Bride from Primedia for $52 million. The transaction will bring Primedia considerably closer to its goal of selling off $250 million worth of "non-core" properties. Condé Nast already publishes Bride's, the No. 1 bridal magazine in terms of both circulation and advertising sales. The company hasn't said what it will do with its new acquisition, but one line of speculation has it putting out the two bimonthly titles in alternating months.
ABC picks up 'Jim,' 'Alias,' 'Wife & Kids'
Smarting from a 24 percent drop in ratings this season, ABC mustered what was left of its pride yesterday to announce pick-ups for three new series it will look to build upon in the coming year. Golden-Globe-nominated drama "Alias," new family comedy "According to Jim" and last year's midseason surprise "My Wife and Kids" will all be around next year. Both comedies hark back to the family programming ABC was once known for and now seeks to return to. "My Wife and Kids" is the network's highest-rated comedy among adults 18-49 and 18-34, and more importantly, regularly wins in both demos in its Wednesday 8 p.m. time slot. Its companion in the 8 p.m. hour, "According to Jim," regularly keeps nearly all of its lead-in's audience, ensuring a win against weak competition like CBS's "60 Minutes II" and NBC's "Ed." The flashy thriller "Alias" has established itself just as Fox's "The X-Files" has stumbled. No word yet on Steven Bochco's "Philly," whose prospects look hopeful since it stood its ground following a shaky start.
Low ratings? Blame it on the sunshine
When Carat UK discovered that television viewing in Britain was down for the first time in seven years, researchers were at a loss to explain why. “It’s quite odd for it to have fallen,” remarks Guy Abrahams, Carat’s strategy director. His teams began running through all sorts of scenarios. Could it be the rise of the internet? The growth of DVDs? Mobile phones? Alienation from commercial culture? There was only one problem with all those hypotheses: it soon became clear that the biggest drop in TV viewing was among children ages four to nine—not exactly prime mobile phone users or DVD watchers. Finally, last week, Carat’s researchers had something of a breakthrough. “If you ask what the main cause was, it would probably come down to temperature and sunshine. It took us a while to work it out,” Abrahams says. It turns out that Britain had a few quarters of sunnier-than-usual weather. “It was one of those things where you go through a list of things that affect TV viewing,” Abrahams says. “The tech revolution hasn’t all the sudden hit these young children for some reason. The ability to play outside looks to be the likely cause.”
January 15, 2002 © 2002 Media Life
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