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O D Y 5 5 E Y A HALLMARK & HENSON NETWORK www.americanradiohistory.com BroadcasigiCable June 71990 www.broadcastingcabie.cam Volume 129 Number 24 PBS' late -night news challenge New program from MacNeil- Lehrer partnership wants to uplift nightly news. / 8 Networks vs. MTVN's deal for a decade Carriage agreement with AT &T locks in MTV and Nick, doubles reach of Noggin. /10 Affiliates Headline News stops repeating itself Hoping to reverse ratings slide, news net to present new format and studio on June 15. / 10 Price isn't right, say bidders Some claim FCC mini- mums for broadcast licenses don't reflect market. / ?2 ABC floats new proposal to affil- Feds to scrutinize mayhem marketing President iates New plan is similar to the previous calls for study of promotions aimed at children. 16 deal that fell apart, but stations face severe / inventory cuts if they don't sign on the dot- For more late- breaking news, see "In Brief" ted line. 6 on pages 60 -61 / Metro snapped up Westwood One buys traffic - Making the reporting network. / 28 most of it CABLE / 8G With increased competition Malone's high -class deal supervoting Class B from new broad- stock, not wireless, drives Liberty's $3 billion Associated cast networks, buy. / :ì cable and the Cable's family circle Industry to show 600 hours of Internet, valu- nonviolent programming. / 38 able ad minutes are tougher to TECHNOLOGY/ 40 give up to pro- Football made simpler ABC will use Sportvision motion. Syndi- system to show viewers how far teams must go for first cators are having downs. / 40 to work harder to exploit dwin- Mile -high DTV troubles Community opposition dling promo stalls Denver tower construction. / 40 time. /19 AOL stakes out Net music turf IsP picks up two online music companies for $400 million in stock BROADCASTING / 2G swaps. / 44 Life after Hercules USA Networks unveils Back 2 Atomic Pop pumps up Public Enemy The rap Back action: `Jack of All Trades' and `Cleopatra 2525.' / 26 group's latest offering is now available via digital down- High court won't hear CNN case Media lose load. / 44 another case on privacy- violation issue. / 26 WebTV box redux Microsoft unveils its next- genera- Dealer ads motor from WXYZ-TV six -figure tion set -top boxes. / 45 loss seen as Detroit-area auto group exec pulls spots over Changing Hands 55 Datebook 54 Get w/ the Program...32 negative story. 27 / Classifieds 46 Editorials 62 In Brief 60 Chancellor signs off Sells majority interest in its Closed Circuit 14 Fates & Fortunes 58 Nielsen Ratings.34, 38 billboard business to Lamar. / 28 Cutting Edge 42 Fifth Estater 57 Washington Watch ..18 4 BROADCASTING & CABLE / JUNE 7, 11188 www.americanradiohistory.com FOX introduces a tremendous medical breakthrough. The mcst reliable, comprehensive and personalized health information avaikable on TV and the Internet. The Health Network. The pre -emirent health information source available 24 tours a day. Ccme to Booth #4565 and check into The Health Network. www.thehealthnetwork.com www.americanradiohistory.com Broadcasliog&Cahlc TOP OF THE WEEK ABC Tightens Vise Network threatens to take back time unless affiliates agree to NFL -exclusivity plan By Steve McClellan "adjustments" that the network would No local station break time in the pre- and Joe Schlosser likely implement for the 1999 -2000 game telecast for Super Bowl XXXIV. season. They include: But the network also said it was will- Iis hardball time in the standoff Elimination of the 10:30 p.m. local ing to do a deal tying the NFL, exclu- between ABC and its affiliates. On 30- second news brief to promote late sivity and an equity stake in the soap the eve of its annual affiliate meet- newscasts. channel, similar to the deal that fell ing in Los Angeles this week, ABC said A daily, one -minute reduction in apart two months ago. That deal disin- it would take back spots and promo- local program windows for Good tegrated due to disagreement on exclu- tional time and reduce compensation - Morning America. sivity, where ABC wanted a "favored unless affiliates agree to a $50 million Reduced affiliate prime time invento- nations" clause that would allow it deal to help pay for National Football ry by three -and -a -half minutes per flexibility to begin repurposing moves League rights. week (90 seconds each on Tuesday, similar to other networks. By contrast, CBS affiliates were in a Thursday and Sunday). Last week, station sources said that virtual lovefest last week at their annu- Elimination of compensation for car- the proposed "adjustments," would not al confab in Las Vegas. Even when riage of specials such as the Academy go over well with ABC affiliates. CBS' top Washington -based executive, Awards, Barbara Walters, the Miss "They'll hate it," predicted one execu- Marty Franks, took it to affiliates on a America telecast and sports events, tive. couple of heated legislative issues, he such as golf and auto racing. The latest exclusivity proposal opened his remarks by stating, "I love A sharp cutback in the amount of replaces the favored nations clause you dearly." local inventory for both the Academy with a clause that gives the network the ABC's latest NFL proposal would Awards telecast and the pre- awards right to repurpose up to 25% of its also grant stations limited exclusivity show. prime time schedule without restric- and a piece of the cable soap opera Elimination of local station break tions. Exclusivity windows for various channel the network intends to launch time in the Orange, Rose, Fiesta and types of programs remain largely intact next January. Sugar bowls, which sources said could from previous proposals, including six If its plan is rejected, ABC told affil- amount to about a dozen units per months (or the end of the TV season, iates last week, then expect a series of game. whichever is earlier) for prime time Scripps pays $3 million, settles dispute with ABC Promotion time does add up. Scripps Howard Broad- between the network and our affiliates, and we always casting found that out the hard way when its ABC affili- deal with those issues privately. There are no outstand- ates covered up network -fed promotion spots with local ing issues between the network and Scripps Howard?' promos. Consequently, Scripps recently agreed to com- Scripps issued a similar statement. pensate ABC for the encroachment, a violation of the Sources familiar with the situation suggested that affiliate agreement, to the tune of approximately $3 mil- some of the station people involved felt that substituting lion, a source familiar with the settlement said. local promos for network promos would be a way to The network confirmed the promo switches by moni- benefit both network and stations -that if a local news- toring its scheduled spots at the Scripps Howard ABC cast does well, it makes a good lead-in to the network stations, and through the reporting of the stations them- newscast that follows. selves, and then sought compensation. But other sources say some of the preempted spots Many of the details as to how and why the Scripps were in primetime, promoting late news at the expense stations covered the network spots were not available of network programming. Those sources suggest that and neither side was willing to discuss the matter. How- the situation indicates the contentiousness that has sur- ever, a Scripps source acknowledged that the company rounded talks between ABC and affiliates this year as would pay the settlement in promo spots, not cash. they discuss their future relationship, as well dissatis- Scripps owns six ABC affiliates: WXYZ Detroit, faction with ABC's primetime schedule. WMAR -TV Baltimore, WCPO -TV Cincinnati, Sources say that talks between Scripps Howard WEWS(TV) Cleveland, WFTS(TV), Tampa and KNXV- and ABC have been less- than -harmonious, reflecting TV, Phoenix. the overall unhappiness of many affiliates concerning ABC issued a brief statement on the matter without their inability to reach an understanding with the net- further comment: "From time to time, issues come up work. -Dan Trigoboff and Steve McClellan 6 BROADCASTING & CABLE / JUNE 7, 1999 www.americanradiohistory.com Networks vs. TOP OF THE WEEK series. Windows fo - news shows vary Affiliates Freedom Broadcasting's Alan Bell widely, including a nere four hours for said, "Clearly we are divided on these World News Tonight. but 60 days for issues, but that's not necessarily the news magazines. Braking news cover- end of the world. That doesn't hang our age would not be exclusive. president, didn't relationship." The network wot Id have unrestrict- mince words The biggest issue coming into last ed repurposing rights for its soaps, but when it came to week's CBS affiliate meeting was the would grant a foui-hour window for both sides deal- battle over the 7 -8 a.m.