Bröädcastig The Newsweekly of Television 07-4 Radio al low. 26 55th Year 1996 A Cal-rers Pub ' If' 1111,' ' M le 1 a- rh Aoseiey on the muscle behind the magic in promotion TURNING THE SCREW Clinton summit's one -two punch on children's N *******************3-DIGIT 591 Irlrlrlrlrrrrrllllrrrriri nlrlmllrrlrllrlrrrlhrl 3C075184 AUG97 DEF560 **CR39 JOHN C JOHNSON KTVQ -TV 979 NEPTUNE BUD BILLINGS, NT 59105 -2129 www.americanradiohistory.com EWS . N E W S S E R V I C E . WWW.MSNRC.COM o) 1 5TH . F O R I N F O R M A T I O N C O N T A C T Y O U R A F F I L I A T E R E L A T I O N S O F F I C E: E A S T 2 0 1- 5 8 5- 6 4 2 8 M I D W E S T 8 1 0- 6 4 3- 9 0 3 3 W E S T 8 1 8- 8 4 0- 3 3 3 3 H E PEOPLE YOU KNOW. NEC TED. www.americanradiohistory.com ON J U L Y I 11 , TOM KATIE BRYANT JANE AND BRIAN W I L L S T A R T A R EVOLUTION . www.americanradiohistory.com T H E P A R T N E R S H I P O F M I C R O S O F T AND NBC N T H E P O W E R O F NBC CROSS PROMOTION. 24 HOUR CABLE AND INTERNET M g P R E M I E R I N G J U L Y tss T H E F U T U R E O F NEWS, FROM T _ P a I T ' S T I M E T O 0 ° °T C O l www.americanradiohistory.com http: //www.broadcastingcable.com . Must Reading from Fast Pack June 17, 1996 TOP OF THE WEEK / 4 All four for kids -TV quota With FCC Commissioner Rachelle Chong circulating a plan to establish a kids -TV "safe harbor," all four commissioners seem to support a three -hour standard for children's programing. Chong previously opposed any quantitative standard. The issue may be settled before next month's summit at the White House. /4 Stations claim kids hours are met Accenting to the first batch of TV- station li- cense renewals, stations easily would meet a proposed standard that they air at least three hours a week of children's educational programing. Stations claim to air about four hours a week. / 10 Eight of the top 10 markets Seagram bellies up to broadcasting Ending the liquor industry's 48 -year volun- last week picked up 'Sister, for off-net runs. / 14 tary ban on broadcast advertising, Seagram last week began running whiskey ads on KRIS -TV Corpus Christi, Tex. Congress responded by proposing a formal ban on hard -liquor advertising on TV and radio. / 11 Court overturns indecency rule A federal appeals court says congressional efforts to regulate speech on the Inter- net are unconstitutional. A sponsor of the Communications Decency Act says the court was intimidated by the Internet's complexity. / 20 COVER STORY CABLE /57 Opening eyes to Make way for more sports ESPN and Thrner will marketing "You need to be duking it out to see if there's room for two more cable market it to make sure that they sports networks. ESPN plans to launch its third such net- come." So says Chris Moseley, work this fall, a month before the joint venture of Time Promax's first chairman from a Warner's Sports Illustrated and Turner Broadcasting. 57 cable network. Her goal is to con- / vince companies that promotion A &E gives life to and marketing are an integral Biography Channel part of success, not just a budget A &E's new Biography Chan- item to be adjusted each quarter. nel will feature episodes from On the cover, Moseley tours Dis- the daily series along with as- covery Channel's pavilion in Atlanta, site of the upcom- yet- unnamed programing. The ing Olympic games. Cover photo by Barry Shapiro /26 channel is to debut in 1997. Several other brand extensions Promaxers TV's top supplier of network gather are being tied to the popular YrIL p!eyoh coverage scored prime time fare, Warner hig this year, with Fox, ESPN Bros., will use "show inva- series. 58 sion" to plug its two new talk shows two new sit- / and the regional Sunshine and Network ne. fing ratings coms. The New World/NBC joint venture, Access Holly- Telemedi increases over 1995. i 59 wood, will be heavily cross -promoted on the network. Here's an advance look at these and other major syndi- Cashing in on Internet Computer heavyweights cators' marketing strategies to be unveiled this week at Microsoft and IBM will open shopping spots on the Inter- the Promax & BDA conference. / 38 net. But one research group says retailing on the Internet will get big only with dramatic changes in consumer behav- BROADCASTING / 47 ior and online demographics. / 64 'Rosie' rocks competition Broadcasters are opti- TECHNOLOGY ! 67 mistic that The Rosie O'Donnell Show will draw people back to daytime. The talk/variety show's debut last Mon- CNN/SI teams with Quantel CNN/SI will use day posted the highest first -day numbers for any talk show Quantel Clipbox video file servers and accompanying non- so far this decade. / 47 linear editors to record news feeds, edit clips and play seg- ments to air. The choice by the Time Warner/Turner joint Westinghouse splitting Westinghouse Chairman venture represents a hefty financial commitment. / 67 Michael Jordan wants to split the company's CBS broad- casting unit from the industrial unit. Wall Street reacted Changing Hands 52 Datebook 84 In Brief 88 positively to the news, after initially having difficulty in Classified 71 Editorials 90 Network Ratings 50 evaluating the giant company as a whole. / 47 Closed Circuit 16 Fates & Fortunes 86 Washington Watch..23 Broadcasting & Cable June 171996 3 www.americanradiohistory.com It's unanimous Quello, Chong lend support to three -hour kids -TV guideline; rules may be settled in time for Clinton's July summit with broadcasters By Chris McConnell hours as the level that would insure ed that the rest of the application met license renewal. FCC requirements. The FCC commissioners may set- FCC Commissioner Susan Ness long A total in the two -to-three-hour range tle the issue of children's TV has advocated establishing a children's would win two points. Broadcasters quantity before next month's TV safe harbor, and chairman Reed could still win a third point from alter- White House summit. Hundt has said that he would support nate efforts, such as underwriting educa- While President tional programing or Clinton last week airing public service was inviting broad- announcements. casters to Washing- Broadcasters airing ton next month to between 30 minutes discuss children's and two hours per programing, the week would win one commissioners point. They, too, appeared to be near- could make a case ing a decision that for securing the could take the issue remaining two of setting a three - L -R: FCC Chairman Reed Hundt and commissioners Susan Ness. James Quello points, but that hour standard off and Rachelle Chong. Still to be resolved: how much leeway to allow broadcasters could be approved the agenda for the airing fewer than three weekly hours. only by the full planned summit. such a plan. Commissioner James Quel- commission, rather than the Mass Media At week's end, all four commission- lo said last week that he likely would Bureau staff. ers seemed to support establishing a sign off on a three -hour processing The Chong plan would place an three -hour guideline for processing guideline. automatic sanction on broadcasters license -renewal applications. Under Chong's new plan, broadcast- falling beneath the 30- minutes -per- Commissioner Rachelle Chong - ers would receive points on their week mark. previously an opponent of any quanti- license -renewal applications for the "This gives the chairman and Com- tative standard -was circulating a new amount of children's programing aired. missioner Ness their quantitative plan to a establish a children's TV A total three weekly hours would win approach, while giving me the flexibility "safe harbor" that would set three three points, insuring a renewal provid- that I think is required by the [Children's Annenberg to grade kids shows The Annenberg School for Communication at the Uni- Jamieson says the school hopes its evaluations will versity of Pennsylvania plans to begin evaluating chil- draw attention to the high -quality shows: Its very hard dren's educational programing each year. to get audiences." Future reports will cover seven days The school today (June 17) is releasing a pilot study of programing rather than three, she says. An advisory that it hopes will serve as the model for an annual report board also will be assembled to oversee the school's card on the quality of children's TV fare. "We are attempt- research. ing to look in general at what is available," says Kathleen FCC Chairman Reed Hundt welcomed the project. Hall Jamieson. dean of the Annenberg School. Hundt has said that an independent review of educa- The study. based on three days of television, lists 84 tional shows will assist the FCC in tallying the amount of programs receiving a "high quality" score in the school's such programing aired by broadcasters.