fir` Reed Business Information. THE NEWSWEEKLY OF TV, RADIO 8 INTERACTIVE MEDIA 54.95 BROA i MAY 27, 2002 www.broadcastingcable.com WINNING WITH LESS For the first time ever, in the 2001 -02 season, the Big Four didn't grab even a 50 %u share of the prime time audience » PAGE 6 HELPING CABLE'S LITTLE GUY Never heard of the American Cable Association? Well, the lobbying group is trying to change that » PAGE 40 SERIOUS DOUBTS ABOUT THE NEWS A new study says that, post -9/11, the network newscasts have gotten more frivolous » PAGE 18 ARE ENG VANS SAFE? Not safe enough, says ««« , ««,3,Jxt.LT -',9i California. Regulators I, I, I,111,I rA; there propose rules to BC, 1/'7 t r14 A t J t. O s Yi H JOHN C; ,JI)MNFCIN safeguard against KTV41- l'v electrocution .t6^, WATEhtTrJN WAY (911.1. lNl:.J. MT 'Sg1o4.-77!!: its by » PAGE 42 is of shows against the wall )) PAGE 21 111 KIVIBC WCPO WISN WBNS (TVX JYFF .SAT NWMT NPTV WMC WVEC WWL KOCO WGAL WIVB KOAT WHAS L -J VJXT KVUE KFSN arst- Argyle, WRIC KOTV Media General, WDTN SAZ -Newsweek, TE Freedom, -Í*4rtftì1"f?i iVrá, r -. JI Dallas Atlant. Detroi Houst Seattle Minne. Tamp. ,Ml Pt Cl LJ Through 2006 On These ABC 0 &0, H Bela, Cox, Scripps -Howard, CBS 0131 McGraw -Hill, Gannett, Dispatch, Pos Lin, Emmis, Meredith, Raycom, Youn Benedek, Cordillera, Granite and Liberty Stations! DISTRIBUTION AND 02007 K or Id AII Ri9iits ReurvNl. 01998 Harpo Productions, Inc. Photo credit: Timothy White All Rights Reserved. BROAIICASTINOECABLE {www.broadcastingcable.com} Volume 132 Number 22 Top of the Week May 27, 2002 GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS NBC wins the season, but Big Four share drops below 500/o for the first time. » 6 HOLLINGS PREVAILS DoJ won't be reviewing media mergers after all. » 12 BUILDING The Home Depot signs cross -platform deals with two of the biggest media companies. » 12 PAYOLA RETURNS? Music- industry groups seek probe into radio practices. » 14 RATE REJECTION Library of Congress declines to adopt CARP -recommended royalty fees for streamed content. » 14 The World According to Andy Richter was one Contestants of three promising series to emerge at Fox. COVER STORY redecorate friends' homes in TLC's Trading WORSENING The crisis at Adelphia is CABLE Spaces. far from over as new filings reveal the vastness of Rigas family debt. » 16 ORIGINALS DEFINE YOUR TERMS Project for Without a net A look at MTV's unorthodox and Excellence in Journalism says TV news has lost highly successful programming strategy. » 21 its 9/11 edge; news execs disagree. » 18 Spruced up Planned as a fringe show, Trading KCAL ANCHOR DIES Veteran Spaces gives TLC a prime time birost. » 28 newsman Jerry Dunphy spoke to generations The Flip Side Deputy Editor John Higgins's of Southern Californians. » 20 importance PEJ thinks TV news has gone soft with take on the of originals. » 30 TRADING PLACES Fox swaps the stories like NBC's on "The Diet Game." affiliations of its Minneapolis duopoly stations, WFTC(TV) and KMSP(TV). » 20 B &C Eye 4 Broadcast Ratings 34 Changing Hands 41 Programming Washington Classifieds 47 Mining a franchise A &E's upcoming Snagged Broadcasters- commercial and Editorials 50 programming slate is designed to capitalize on noncom -are among the obstacles to bringing Fates & Fortunes 45 its successful Biography series. » 32 new stations to the FM dial. » 38 Fifth Estater 46 On the network side Former Universal Raising its voice American Cable Association Station Break 36 Studios exec Barbara Fisher is named head of aims for a higher profile in Washington. » 40 The Week That Was 17 programming at Lifetime. » 32 Syndication Watch Wheel of Fortune/ Technology Jeopardy exec takes on Pyramid remake. » 35 Safety first California proposes the nation's Focus The Knoxville, Tenn., market casts a first regulations governing ENG vans. » 42 skeptical eye on Nielsen meters. » 37 Inventors playground A broadcast - technology lab is a good idea, but where will the funding come from? » 44 Broadcasting & Cable /5 -27 -02 3 -1 ,+ I f- d%'=1= The light is on at 400 DTV eb' *al ,06 wYYpf.tr- stations, but, at many, it doesn't burn brightly. Specialty site. np rr 'nr sl.rá ...roomers HEYE it.' tr... fHNM Items JOURNALISM letis 9/11: You are there fr.ra. IAN. Maim As part of its Sept. 11 anniversary programming, ABC News, in a BROADCASTING joint project with USA Today, will re -create the disaster from vari- Call it LPDTV ous vantage points inside the World Trade Center immediately Auction action NAB President Eddie Fritts after the planes hit. The documentary will build on a USA Today claims that more than 86% of special report in December, which used floor plans, photos, archi- Sony's Columbia TriStar Domestic all U.S. homes are in markets tectural designs and testimony to tell the story of those who were Television has shot the pilot for with at least one DTV signal. in the buildings and survived. a new daily half-hour syndicated But that doesn't mean they can "We can show through animation what it looked like to the program in collaboration with receive it. One source estimates people inside," says ABC Executive Vice President Paul Friedman. the popular auction site eBay. that nearly 30% of the more "We've come up with hundreds of individual stories, and we will Shot in Los Angeles, the pilot is than 400 DTV stations are be able to demonstrate many scenarios." now in post -production. The broadcasting at low power, ABC, apparently out front in development of its 9/11 plans, also interactive series includes making it difficult (or impossi- plans a detailed look at the reactions of government. -n. T elements of entertainment, mag- ble) to reach many homes. Just azine and game shows and will how many homes? Don't expect give TV stations Local revenue an answer soon. That would opportunities. The pilot includes require calculating the coverage hundreds of participants who of the low -power DTV broadcasters. The NAB isn't brought collectibles to the shoot. planning on that exercise any- The first cut has been screened time soon. The fuzzy math will for eBay executives, including remain. -K.K. CEO Meg Whitman. The two com- panies are jointly developing the LOBBIES marketing strategy. Launch is set Binzel books for fall 2003. -S.M. Peggy Binzel, EVP of the National Cable & Telecommuni- cations Association, is resigning. Washington cable circles have long buzzed that she was unhappy working for President Robert Sachs and felt that her freedom to operate on the Hill was limited. Binzel came to NCTA with the understanding she would VET PUB TESTS TUBE succeed Sachs. But last fall, Variety, the showbiz bible, is looking to pen its own chapter. Sachs renewed his contract for Execs say the Hollywood mag is fronting a weekend news another three years. Binzel will WAITING GAME chatter -Meet the Press for the entertainment set -to cable head an Atlanta -based trade Speculation is growing that the FCC news nets. The pitch from the magazine's brass, including Peter association, sources say. Sachs won't fill its fifth seat until after Bart and Charles Koones, is that will draw upscale eyeballs the 2002 elections, possibly not has been said be it to trying to until 2003. Nominee -in- waiting à la The Wall Street Journal. Nets pow -wowed with include woo back former EVP David Jonathan Adelstein (above) Krone, who works for mentor MSNBC and Fox, but not CNN, although Bart appears regularly on remains hostage to the battle between Republicans and Leo Hindery and the YES CNN's Lou Dobbs Moneyline. For his part, Bart says Variety is not Democrats over other nominations Network. But Krone says he has the pursuer, adding, "No deal is presently being discussed." Like and appointments, particularly no interest in the job. -P.A. B &C, Variety is owned by Reed Business Information.-A.R. judgeships. -B.M. 4 Broadcasting & Cable /5 -27 -02 N ktlOW-1T ALLS i D BOPPED DOW N DEEP DARK HOLES. (WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE ?) limmontwor RUSSIAN ROULETT M E Win $$$$$ or Fall Down a Ho Premiering June 3, every night at 11pm S H W Russian Roulette is interactive! Viewers play along on n e t w o r k their pc or set -top box and win points for watching commercials - which means viewers win and advertisers win. www.gameshownetwork.com TOP OF THE WEEK Winning, and losing too NBC wins season, but Big Four household share dips below 50% for the first time By Steve McClellan and According to Jim survived in the sitcom Miuily because of genre. Midseason comedies My Wife and big Nielsen -rat- Kids and George Lopez show life. And the ings declines at reality hit The Bachelor proved to be a ABC, the four -network "weapon" that should help next season. household share of prime It was also crying time at Fox: "It was an time audience has fall - unusual and challenging season," said Sandy ento an historic low this Grushow, chairman of the Fox Television season: 47%. Not only is Entertainment Group. it a record low, but it's Grushow and Fox President Gail Ber- also the first time the man also tried to accentuate the positive, four-network share has noting Fox's second -place finish among dropped below 50 %, a adults 18 -34 and first -place finish with sort of unspoken bench- teens and men 18 -34. Jennifer Garner, shown here with Michael Varian, stars in Alias, mark broadcasters dread one of the few new series that stuck on ABC in the past season, Despite this year's setbacks, Berman to fall beneath.