News Shorts

NBC takes Monday with longer 'Fear' and 'Folks'
Super-sized episodes of “Fear Factor” and “Meet My Folks” pushed NBC to an easy win on Monday among adults 18-49. NBC won every half-hour but one in the demo with a 90-minute “Fear Factor” pulling the night’s highest rating on any network. The show averaged a 7 rating and improved from beginning to end by 24 percent. Moreover, its nearest competitor in its last half-hour, a repeat of “Everybody Loves Raymond” on CBS, trailed by more than 2 points. Meanwhile, Fox’s debut of the reality show “Married by America” proved a weak competitor. The two-hour special was in third place for its entire run. More troubling, the show’s rating slumped 7 percent in its final half-hour. NBC dominated with an average 6.2 rating for the night, based on preliminary Nielsen data. CBS had a 4.8 and Fox had a 4. ABC had a 2.6 and ranked last in every time period. Its continuing “I’m a Celebrity” scored its highest rating with an abysmal 2.9. CBS ranked No. 1 in households with a 9.4 rating and 15 share. NBC had an 8/12, Fox had a 5.5/8 and ABC had a 5.2/8.

Big Four split Sunday with strong new shows
On a night when each of the broadcast networks ranked No. 1 for at least one half-hour among adults 18-49, Sunday was also a time for a handful of midseason or returning rookie shows to prove themselves. The news on that front was good for each of the Big Three networks. ABC’s “Dragnet” ranked No. 1 at 10 p.m. with an average 4.2 rating against NBC’s “Boomtown,” which was yanked for the February sweeps, but which also did well with a 4.1 rating in the time slot. Meanwhile, CBS’s “My Big Fat Greek Life” continued to do well, even without the cushy “Everybody Loves Raymond” lead-in it had for its debut. The show was CBS’s highest-rated with a 4.4 rating against Fox’s “The Simpsons,” Sunday’s highest-rated show. Sunday ultimately belonged to Fox, though. “King of the Hill” and two episodes of “The Simpsons” ranked No. 1 in their time slots and pushed Fox to a win for the night.Fox had a 4.6 adult 18-49 rating, compared to NBC’s 4, ABC’s 3.7 and CBS’s 3.1, based on Nielsen overnights.CBS was the top-rated network among households. It had a 7.6 rating and 12 share. NBC had a 7.4/12 while ABC and Fox tied with a 5.8/9.

September launch for grown-up music magazine
Britney and Beyoncé not doing it for you anymore? Hang on until September, when former Spin editor Alan Light will introduce a new music magazine for adults. Light's company, Good Music Media, has reached an agreement to publish the first two issues of the as-yet untitled magazine with help from World Publications, whose roster of titles includes Saveur, Garden Design and Sailing World. Each issue will have a print run of about 200,000. Light's partners in the venture included publisher/CEO John Rollins and COO Dana Sacher. All three played a part in the 1993 launch of Vibe. According to Good Music Media, consumers over 30 account for 56 percent of music sales.

'Dating Game' and 'Newlywed' revivals on NBC
TV’s original find-a-mate show is returning to primetime. NBC will revive “The Dating Game,” along with “The Newlywed Game,” in a one-hour programming for next season. Both aired during primetime in their original 1960s-‘70s run, but have been relegated to syndication more recently. The last version of the shows, which were both created by Chuck Barris, aired in 1996. Sony Pictures Television will produce eight half-hour episodes of each show. NBC says the shows' formats will be updated. Fox recently announced plans for a reality dating show called "Mr. Personality" that resembles "The Dating Game" in that a single woman picks from among bachelors whose faces she is not allowed to see..

Ex-Us editor sues Jann over retirement plan
Terry McDonell did Jann Wenner a favor when he quit as editor of Us Weekly last year, clearing the way for Bonnie Fuller to come in and remake the title. An unwitting favor, perhaps, but still a favor. But rather than show some gratitude, Wenner is trying to stiff his ex-employee out of more than $112,000, according to a lawsuit McDonell, now managing editor of Sports Illustrated, filed recently. McDonnell, who’s been friends with Wenner for 30 years, claims in the suit that Wenner has been trying to renege on promises regarding his retirement benefits. McDonell worked for the Wenner-owned Outside and Rolling Stone before leaving to spend six years at Hearst Magazines. When he returned to Wenner in 1997, he says, the company promised that his Hearst supplemental retirement plan “would be replicated for him at Wenner.” McDonell says he’s owed $130,955 per year for his retirement when he turns 65 in six years, but says Wenner only offered $18,636 per year for 15 years. Wenner Media denies the allegations made in the suit, which has been stewing since December.

Whoa, Snoop and Ashton get shows on MTV
Don't be surprised if you notice a funny smell wafting out of MTV headquarters. Former High Times magazine Stoner of the Year Snoop Dogg and "Dude, Where's My Car?" star Ashton Kutcher have signed to host two of three new MTV series. Snoop’s “Doggy Fizzle Televizzle” will be a comedic variety show. During a December pilot, Snoop portrayed a substitute teacher and fast-food restaurant drive-thru worker. The show will run for six episodes starting June 22 at 10 p.m. On “Punk’d,” debuting March 7 at 10:30 p.m., Kutcher, star of Fox's "That '70s Show," will play jokes on celebrity friends such as Justin Timberlake. A final show, “Surf Girls,” shadows amateurs vying for a sponsorship deal while surfing in pretty places. It debuts May 12 at 10:30 p.m. Also, MTV has announced that the third season of “The Osbournes” will return June 10. There’s speculation that this could be the show’s final season, what with Sharon Osbourne’s upcoming talk show and the series’ slipping ratings. No deal is in place for a fourth season. MTV will take its “TRL” on the road April 14, inviting different high schools to the Times Square studio before traveling to the alma mater of one of the “TRL” stars. “Road Rules: South Pacific” returns May 26 at 10 and “Real World Paris” bows June 3 at 10.

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