G***S*****Y*.*** S-Liuit 554 A009273681ttp APR93 BR222 55 Druoklyn CENTS MN 5543C Have You Taken a Look at Our Numbers Lately?
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Broadcasting FIRST IN TELEVISION CABLE RADIO SATELLITE J SHAKEUP AT TWENTIETH TELEVISION / 4 NBC, CBS WEIGH IN WITH FALL FIREPOWER / 6 KCRA -TV ASKS FOR EXTENSION OF PTAR WAIVER / 27 WARNER BROS. ESTIC TELEVISION DISTRIBUTION A Tina Warner l:um,p_any g***s*****Y*.*** s-LIuIT 554 A009273681ttP APR93 BR222 55 dRUOKLYN CENTS MN 5543C Have You Taken A Look At Our Numbers Lately? #1 in HONORS! A record setting 50 L.A. EMMY Nominations! In fact, we've become L.A.'s MOST HONORED station for news in just two years! #1 in GROWTH! The viewers have made KCAL, Southern California's FASTEST GROWING source for local news! #1 in CONVENIENCE! Local news at 8 PM, 9 PM and 10 PM means you can watch ANYTIME, in PRIME TIME! i u. PRIMENEws Represented by Blair Television K C A L T V L O ti A N G E L E S Broadcastingm IRh I]z NBC WINS CLOSEST -EVER MAY SWEEPS CBS is second and ABC third; everybody finds something to crow about By Steve McClellan nant or out of the race." NBC was down 12 %, with an 11.5. "This is the kind of competitiveness But John Damiano, vice president, In what television researchers say we love to see," said one agency ex- media and audience research, NBC, was the most competitive sweeps ecutive. "No one network controls any dismissed the importance of NBC's ever (excluding July), NBC won key audience segment, although Fox decline in the time period. "The entire the prime time household May race by is really the place to reach teens." prime time performance is important a tenth of a rating point. CBS was And while ABC was third in the to our affiliates," he said. second and ABC third. And while overall household race, it probably The highest -rated series episode of NBC got bragging rights for the scored a lot of points with affiliates for the sweeps was the final episode of household race, network and agency finishing first in one critical half -hour- The Cosby Show (28.0/45). Rose- executives said the difference was so the 10:30 p.m. -11 p.m. time period anne was the highest -rated series little as to be insignificant. leading into late local news. ABC was throughout the sweeps, averaging a All three networks said they were up 21% in that half -hour, with an aver- 21.3/32. Part two of ABC's Stay the pleased with their performance in the age 12.6 rating. CBS was down slight- Night was the highest -rated movie of just -ended sweeps. Naturally, NBC ly, finishing second with a 12.3, and the sweeps (17.9/28). was pleased to be tops, for the eighth consecutive May, even if by a hair's breadth. But CBS and ABC officials said that much of NBC's success was MURPHY BROWN GIVES due to final episodes of series that won't be around next season, includ- ing Cosby and Golden Girls. BIRTH TO CONTROVERSY Fox was happy with its perfor- By Rich Brown mance as well. The fourth network Angeles was "directly related to the was up 20% overall in the sweeps breakdown of the family structure, compared with a year ago, and was CBS knew it had a ratings grabber personal responsibility and social or- number one among men 18 -34 and last Monday when the popular der in too many areas of our society. teens in the just- finished sweeps. sitcom character Murphy Brown "lt doesn't help matters when prime NBC finished the sweeps with a gave birth to her first child. But noth- time TV has Murphy Brown, a charac- 12.0/21, while CBS was just behind ing could have prepared the network ter who supposedly epitomizes today's with an 11.9/20. ABC was a close for the media attention that followed intelligent, highly paid professional third with an 11.6/20, and Fox finished the broadcast. woman, mocking the up with a 7.1/13. The brouhaha importance of fathers In the key demographics, the con- over Murphy Brown by bearing a child test was just as close. NBC managed kicked off last Tues- alone and calling it to stay on top in most categories, al- day when Vice Pres- just another lifestyle beit by small margins, and showed ident Dan Quayle, choice," said Quayle. declines in most key demos from a delivering a speech By the end of last year ago. CBS was down in women in San Francisco, week, Quayle's at- and posted slight gains among men, criticized the epi- tack had become while ABC posted gains across the sode for glorifying front page news in board in the 18 -49 and 25 -54 age unwed motherhood the New York groups. and "mocking the Times, the Washing- "The race was so close that there importance of fa- ton Post, USA To- really is parity among the three net- thers." Taking the day and virtually ev- works," said Alan Wurtzel, senior criticism a step fur- erywhere else that vice president, market research, ther, Quayle said the news was being dis- ABC. "No one network was domi- recent rioting in Los pensed. CBS execu- Broadcasting May 251992 3 tives, when asked what they thought about all the attention, avoided the This -Week content issue but said they welcomed the publicity. "All I'll say is it's great that a show NBC'S MAY / 3 GRAVEYARD like this is on the national agenda," NBC won the May SHIFT 27 said Jeff Sagansky, president, CBS / ratings race by a tenth of Entertainment. In spite of a 20% drop a ratings point, Quayle's attack on Murphy Brown in ratings for its network followed closely by CBS. prime time lineup, set in motion a national debate on Fox's performance NBC affiliate KCRA -Tv single motherhood that eventually was up 20% over last Sacramento has made its way to the President. White year. asked the FCC to permit House Press Secretary Marlin Fitz- MORE FALL it to extend its prime water on Wednesday initially backed time schedule shift- up Quayle's criticism of the show. al- LINEUPS / 6 from 8 -11 p.m. to 7- 10 p.m. another though he later softened the endorse- CBS's new fall Afire,' one of -for 'Hearts year. The ment by saying that Murphy Brown schedule features nine CBS's new entries in its station says it needs exhibited positive "pro -life values." By new shows and just- announced fall more time to review the results. the time reporters were able to ques- shuffles four nights; it lineup (p. 6) plans to gear the tion President Bush on the topic, the mostly kids' Friday to A BUSINESS chief executive said he was con- adult viewers. NBC HDTV CELL VIEW / 30 cerned by the number of broken fam- introduces eight series SELL 23 Money manager ilies in the U.S., but he would not "get in its effort to regain / Mario Gabelli into the details of a very popular tele- first place. The Advisory says broadcasting is still a vision show." The Murphy Brown epi- Committee on Advanced good business -but it sode in question, the season finale, MU PULLS Television Service is floating the idea of used to be a great attracted 38 million viewers. 'KELLEY' 12 / cellular coverage for one. A second source of Looming production high- definition revenue, he says, is deficits have forced television. An ACATS essential. MCA TV to pull Kitty subcommittee is KATLEMAN EXITS Kelley from the approaching syndication market. manufacturers and The talk show joins Ron broadcasters with the N EWS DEPARTMENTS TWENTIETH Reagan, My Talk plan, which, if workable, B usiness 30 Show and Hollywood would allow faster, Cable 21 Sheslow also rumored out; Studio 33 among more affordable HDTV Radio 25 MCA TV's recent implementation. Technology 23 Bell hired as replacement setbacks as a first - Television 12 run strip supplier. PAXSON'S RADIO Top of the Week 3 By Mike Freeman MOVES 25 Washington 27 THE COST OF PAY / Lowell (Bud) Paxson, PER 21 FEATURE SECTIONS In Twentieth Television Chairman VIEW / the "mystery man" Lucie Salhany's third major Bicoastal 11 NBC affiliates are known best for his By the Numbers 43 shakeup within the Fox Inc. televi- uneasy about the role in creating the Changing Hands 31 sion divisions, Harris Katleman re- investment they've Home Shopping Closed Circuit 10 as president of network pro- made in promoting the Network, is moving signed Datebook 34 duction, making way for Salhany's Olympic Triplecast. aggressively into in Editorials 58 hiring of KTLA -TV Los Angeles General Participants the per - Florida radio with a plan inquiry plan have Fates & Fortunes 52 Manager Steve Bell to fill the post. to buy two FM's and seen little return so far, two AM's in each of the Fifth Estater 51 The house upper -office cleaning, and some wonder state's major mar- For the Record 44 which Salhany started within months about the long -term cost kets. Paxson credits the In Brief 56 of her arrival last fall from Paramount, of encouraging their new ownership limits Monday Memo 5S is also rumored to have claimed Stu- viewers to turn to the with making a profitable Open Mike 36 art Sheslow, Twentieth's vice presi- competition. excursion possible. Ratings Week 20 dent of creative affairs, who is report- edly going to be replaced by Peter Founded in 1931 as Broadcasting. the News Magazine of the Fifth Estate.