roadcastin-- bureau there. CBS correspondent John Blackstone thinks the other networks are shortsighted. "This is a very busy Sitomer joins Telepictures news town," he said. "There's a lot of breaking news here, and this is the log- `Inside Edition' vet will co- executive -produce `Extra' ical place to jump off into the kinds of By Joe Schlosser Telepictures Productions and will work national stories we do here." Those with the studio's executives to create a include reports on research and devel- Wamer Bros. snagged a top free new half -hour show to go with Extra in opments from the Silicon Valley and agent away from one of its rival access time periods. from such major local institutions as syndicated news magazines "One of the great joys in the business Stanford University, the University of last week, signing Sheila Sitomer to is when you are able to pull something California at Berkeley, and UC San coexecutive- produce Extra. off that helps you and hurts the compe- Francisco Medical School. Sitomer will join Extra this summer tition, and we believe we did that," says "I'm also disappointed not to have from her post as co- executive producer Jim Paratore, president of Telepictures the competition," he said. Regarding of King World Productions' Inside Productions. "We felt Sheila's back- Kashiwahara's departure and his own Edition. She will join forces with cur- ground and experience for this kind of affection for San Francisco, Blackstone rent Extra executive producer Steve show was too good to pass up." commented that "I used to say I had the Lange. Sitomer became available last week best job at CBS News; now I say I have Sitomer was also given an overall when King World Productions decided best job in network television." development deal with Warner Bros. to sign Charles Lachman as the sole ex- ecutive producer on Inside Edition. Sit- omer and Lachman had co- produced both of King World's syndicated news `Love Boat' catches wave magazines- American Journal and Inside Edition -for the past three years. Debuts gives UPN best King World canceled American Jour- Monday night numbers nal last month and decided to consoli- date its work force. in almost two years "We tried to make a deal with both [Lachman and Sitomer], and we By Michael Stroud couldn't afford to keep both," says UPN's Love Boat: The Next Wave Andy Friendly, King World's executive rode a wave of interest to an im- vice president of programming and pro- pressive opening in its debut last duction. "We think the world of both of Monday, giving a boost to the network. them. We went with our first choice and The Spelling Entertainment remake of got him, period." the 1970s hit scored a 4.5 rating and 8 Sitomer, who has been with Inside share, UPN's highest household ratings UPN got a Monday lift from 'Love Boat.' Edition for the past 10 years, says she for the time period in nearly two years. stream fare and away from the urban, has no hard feelings and is looking for- The figures handily beat ABC drama "edgy" demographic the network previ- ward to working in a new environment. Push, which scored a 0.8/3 in the 8 -9 p.m. ously sought. "We know we are going to be rivals time slot, one of ABC's lowest showings UPN has ordered six episodes of Love and competitors next year, but we have for the time period on record, according to Boat, which stars Robert Urich as the cap- a good rapport and have had one for a Nielsen Media Research. (The ABC show tain of the Sun Princess. long time," Sitomer says of her rela- was pulled from the schedule last week.) Valentine plans to bolster Monday with tionship with King World brass. "They Love Boat also performed respectably more shows that will appeal to a broad wanted [me] to stay at Inside Edition, in a repeat showing on Tuesday night, audience. The main candidates include but my contract was up and I saw this as scoring a 4.5 rating and a 7 share. Legacy, a family melodrama set in an excellent opportunity. UPN Chairman Dean Valentine was postCivil War Kentucky; Hotel del Sol, a Sitomer and Paratore say they and cautiously pleased by the performance, resort show with characters reminiscent of Warner Bros. executives are consider- although he stopped short of saying that he Northern Exposure, and Boston Grace, a ing a number of ideas for a new com- would launch the show for sure on the net- cop show. panion show for Extra. The earliest work's fall schedule. "We probably won't put a sci -fi show debut for a new show will be fall 1999, "We feel like we got off to a pretty de- [in the slot]," Valentine joked. UPN also Paratore says. cent start," he said in an interview. "It's has a slate of dramas with a sci -fi flavor "It has always been our goal to have too early to tell now how the show will that may accompany its Star Trek: Voy- a companion show to go with Extra, perform. We don't have enough points ager on Wednesday night. and when we built our facilities for yet. There's reason for optimism." Love Boat's maiden voyage gives a where the show [originates] now we Valentine said that many men watched much -needed ratings boost to UPN, which took that into consideration," Paratore the show. (Some observers had assumed has fallen behind arch -rival The WB. The says. "It has always been our plan to the show would appeal largely to women.) show's national ratings were nearly com- do another show -but, unfortunately, The Love Boat performance provides parable to the debut of WB hit show Daw- during the life of Extra we had to rein- some vindication of Valentine's strategy son's Creek, which scored a 4.8/7 when it vent that show rather than launch of shifting the network toward more main- debuted in January. another."

76 April 201998 Broadcasting & Cable