The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 85

mi.ii.i i g. .1 nr ,1.. tT-r iprinpi LOS ANGELES TIMES F11 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2000 TODAY ON TV Prime-Time TV Rankings CHANNELS Los Angelas S3 KVEA ITelel 23 TCM "While the City So Far, Subway Series Is Slow to Leave Station Sleeps" '561hr40 85738477 (9:15) Orange County 03 KDOC (Ind.) 56 fl KCBS (CBS) 02 ew York, New York" hasn't been a happy tune thus far for Fox, as the "subway" TLC A Baby Story (TVPu) TNN Dukes of Hazzard TNT ER (TV14-L) USA Something So Right (TVPG) OKNGC (NBC) 04 ES KLCS (Edu.) 17 0KTLA(WB)O5 GH KRCA (Ind.) 20 KABC IABC1 07 Palm Springs 9:30 a.m. 36 KMIR (NBCI 04 BET Bill Winston DISN Bear in the Big Blue House El Talk Soup (TVPG-D) 870036 ESPN2 BodyShaping FAM Two of a Kind (TVG) FNC NewsQuinn FSN National Sports Report FSN2 The Method FX MASH (TVPGI HBO Babar (TVY) HGTV Room by Room LIFE Austin's Daily Workout (TVG) MTV MTV Jams (TVPG) NICK Hey Arnold! 462458 SUND "My Name Is Joe" '98 (R)1hr45 215038 TLC Nini's Treehouse KCAL To Tell the Truth DTJ KTTV Divorce Court (TVPG) 42KESQ(ABC7, 25 Santa Barbara ED KTTV (Fox 1 1 IBKC0PUPN)13 03 KSCI (Ind 18 ffl KWHY (Ind 22 B3 KCET (PBS) 28 HD KCET Between the Lions (TVY) KTBN Unfolding Majesty With opposite the season premiere of "Providence," with Melina Kanakaredes compared to its launch two weeks before. In similar fashion, "Law Order" and its spinoff, "Law Order Special Victims Unit," laid down the law against ABC's "Gideon's Crossing" and CBS' "Nash Bridges," with the latter down by 3 million viewers from its season premiere.

ABC remains on top thanks to "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," but the quiz show continues to trend downward in terms of overall audience (off by roughly 1 million viewers versus the previous week) and especially the young-adult audience. In fact, despite finishing first by a solid margin in total viewing, ABC ranked third last week among adults ages 18 to 49. -BRIAN LOWRY San Bernardino 3 KPXN (PAX) 30 KVCH (PBSI 24 ES KTBN (Ind 40 Ventura County World Series between the Yankees and Mets has gotten off to a slow start compared with last year's box score, based on viewing estimates issued Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research. Viewing of the first two games Saturday and Sunday was down nearly 20 compared with a year ago, when the Yankees played the Atlanta Braves still enough to lift Fox into third place for the week. While viewers continue to sample new programs, meanwhile, ratings for several of those series have already dropped sharply, especially when established shows enter the picture.

CBS' "The Fugitive," for example, was off almost 30 Friday National Nielsen Vlewershlp K0CE (PBS) 50 S3 KADY(UPN) IB 8:00 a.m. Cable Service 39 ESPN2 84 NICK 38 FAM 47 I24I KVCR More Than Memories BD KCET Noddy (TVYI 55748 El KMEX DKDA (TVPGI 361 KMIR The People's Court CD KTBN James Robison 42! KESQ Montel Williams 75274 BO KDOC Southland Today BD KLCS Taxes in S. History: Special Programming (1 1 :20) Magnum, P.I. BET Amen CMAX "Defending Your Life" '91 (PG1hr52 902187 CNBC Street Signs COM Ben Stein's Money (TVPG) CSPN U.S. House of Representatives 1891651 DSC Jennings Design (TVG) DISN The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (TVY) El Hollywood Nights (TVPG-S) ESPN NFL's Greatest Moments ESPN2 World's Strongest Man Competition FAM Itsy Bitsy Time (TVY) 776038 FX Beverly Hills.

90210 HGTV The Carol Duvall Show HIST True Action Adventures (TVG) LIFE Unsolved Mysteries (TVPG) MTVVH1 Music Videos (TVPGI NICK Dora the Explorer 151670 SCI-FI Wonder Woman (TVG) TBS "Breakheart Pass" '76 (PG) 2hr05 97946629 TCM "Mister Buddwing" '66 1hr40 4217835 TIC A Wedding Story (TVG) TNN Dukes of Hazzard TNT "Eddie and the Cruisers" '83 (PG) 2hr 726309 USA Wings (TVPG-D) FNC 91 SCI-FI 87 SHOW 41 SUND 36 AMC BET BRV0 CNBC COM CSPN FSN 27 uean a wary Brown B3 KDOC Benny Hinn CMAX "Nice Guys Sleep Alone" '99 R1hr29 921 187 CNN Burden of Proof 202903 DISN Out of the Box (TVY) El Mysteries Scandals (TVPG-D) ESPN2 RPM 2Night FAM CBN Special Edition 868583 FSN2 Gilad's Bodies in Motion HBO Tracey Takes On (TVPG) HGTV Appraise It! LIFE Murphy Brown NICK Blue's Clues SUND "Life on Earth" '98 1hr01 4068583 TIC A Baby Story (TVPG) TMC "Defiance" '80 (PG) 1hr42 2338401 9 (9:551 USA Hearts Afire (TVPGI TBS CMAX 45 FSN2 59 FX 89 HBO 33 HIST 30 HGTV 80 IFC 21 LIFE 46 MSNBC 90 MTV 48 TCM TLC TMC TNN TNT USA VH1 Here are the rankings for national prime-time network television last week (Oct. 16-22) as compiled by Nielsen Media Research. They are based on the average number of people who watched a program from start to finish. Nielsen estimates that there are 260 million potential U.S. viewers age 2 and older.

Viewership is listed here in millions. CNN 42 DSC 37 DISN 53 El 63 ESPN 34 Nat- View- KCAL Bewitched (TVG) BD KC0P63 KADYSabrina 1241 KVCR Austin City Limits (TVGI HD KCET Dragon Tales (TVY) EH KTBN Kenneth Copeland H3 KOCE School of Fine Art SD KLCS Book of Virtues 84309 03 KRCA Cine AMC "This Earth Is Mine" '59 2hr05 10505922 Northern Exposure (TVPG) BET Amazing Facts BRVO Bravo Profiles (TVPGI CMAX "Haunted Honeymoon" CNN In the Money COM 'Trapped in Paradise" '94 (PG-13) 2hr 6559019 DISN Bear in the Big Blue House El FashionTelevision ESPN SportsCenter ESPN2 NHL 2Night FAM Angela Anaconda (TVY7) FSN2 Yoga Zone FX MASH (TVPGI HBO "The All New Program Program 10:00 a.m. WB WB 106. 107. 259 235 GrossePointe Popular Use numbers after call letters to set VCR Plus.

Where there are two numbers, repeat the procedure. (R) in the grid, denotes a repeat program. KCBS The Price Is Right (TVG) Cable Top 10 TV RATINGS All Children Directed to Older Children (TVYI (TVY7) ER Friends Every. Loves Raymond Millionaire (Sun.) Millionaire (Wed.) Will Grace (8:30) The Practice World Series (Sun.) Will Grace Law Order Directed to Older Children; i i RtYi Martha Stewart 4S322 a KNBC Men Are From Mars. Women Are From Venus 41 564 KTLA Sally Jessy 94670 El KABC 42) KESQ The View Eric Roberts; Paula Jones.

96038 KCAL Judge Mathis (TVPG) 03 KTTV Power of Attorney 00 KCOP Montel Williams 15212 KWHY Hablamede Amor Here are Nielsen's top 10 cable programs in prime time last week, also ranked by total viewers (in millions). (TVY7-FV) (TVGI 11:30 a.m. 1 FantasyViolence General Audience Parental Guidance Parents Strongly Cautioned Mature Audiences Only (TVPGI (TV14) (TVMA) Net- Vtew- PfepM wen an 1. Sunday Night Foods ESPN 665 2. Wrestling 10 p.m.) TNN 5.94 3.

"Pretty Woman" TBS 563 4. Wrestling 9 p.m.) TNN 5.60 5. Spongebob Squarepants NICK 3.43 6. Wrestling 8 p.m.) TNT 3.24 7. Jackass MTV 3.07 8.

Rugrats NICK 3.06 9. WiktThomberiys NICK 301 10. "ShnekLast Friday 13th" USA 2.97 Adventures of Laurel Hardy: For Love or Mummy" (PG) 541090 HGTV TIPical Mary Ellen HIST Civil War Journal (TVG) IFC Independent Focus (8:151 LIFE Designing Women (TVPG-D) MTV TRL (TVPG) NICK The Wild Thornberrys (TVY) SCI-FI Sightings (TVPGI TLC Salty Lighthouse (TVY) TMC "Malaika" 39505816 (8:20) TNT Lois Clark: (TVPGI USA Carol Burnett and Friends VH1 Music Videos (TVPG) Melina Kanakaredes (D) Suggestive Dialogue (I) Coarse Language (SI Sex (V) Violence Movie Ratings A CLASSIC FIRST RATE FLAWED: HAS MOMENTS DESPERATION TIME Morning 131 KEYT News KTLA The Nanny (TVPG) KABC News DO KSCI Taiwan News 241 KVCR Kaye's Quilting Friends BD KCET Teletubbies (TVY) 56477 CD KTBN Benny Hinn BO KDOC Headline News BO KLCS Teen Issues 631 KADY The CosbyShow BET 106th Park: BET Top 10 Live COM Ben Stein's Money (TVPG) DISN Otter (TVY) ESPN2 Soccer- UEFA Champions League: FC Shakhtar Donetsk vs. S.S.Lazio. 31643748 FAM Itsy Bitsy Time (TVY) 777767 FSN Paralympic Daily Highlights HGTV Simply Quilts HIST Great Blunders in History NICK Maggie the Ferocious Beast 169699 TIC A Wedding Story TMC "Time Chasers" '94 1hr30 71759651 (11:40) USA Wings (TVPG-DI 8:30 a.m.

Network Averages Here is the number of viewers that each network averaged per hour of prime time, for last week and for the season. 7:00 a.m. rly NBC NBC CBS ABC ABC NBC ABC FOX NBC NBC CBS FOX ABC ABC NBC NBC ABC ABC CBS CBS CBS CBS CBS CBS ABC NBC CBS NBC ABC FOX ABC CBS NBC NBC ABC CBS ABC NBC NBC ABC CBS ABC CBS ABC FOX ABC FOX FOX CBS CBS NBC NBC FOX CBS ABC CBS CBS CBS FOX 1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

9. 10. it. 12. 13.

14. 15. 16. 17. IB.

19. 20. 21. 22. 23.

24. 25. 26. 27. 28.

29. 30. 31. 32. 33.

34. 35. 36. 37. 38.

39. 40. 41. 42. 43.

44. 45. 46. 48. 49.

50. 51. 52. 53. 54.

55. 56. 57. 58. 59.

60. 61. 62. 63. 25.92 22.72 21.26 20.37 19.83 19.82 19.30 19.04 18.59 17.77 1758 1756 17.05 16.89 16.80 16.49 1613 15.48 1484 14.74 1423 1407 13.95 13.64 13.45 13.39 1331 1307 1306 1305 1287 1286 12.71 12.63 1242 12.15 1206 1201 1145 11.13 11.12 10.81 10.70 10.60 10.52 10.41 1041 1017 10.16 1014 1013 10.00 989 9.61 937 9.29 926 921 880 8 73 847 843 7.92 13 KCAL I Dream of Jeannie IB KCOP 63; KADY Pepper Ann BD KCET Arthur (TVY) 58922 HQ KPXN James Robison H3 KTBN Laverne and Edith Tripp BD KOCE Teletubbies 324670 0D KLCS Cursive Handwriting; Phonics in Context (8:45) BET Peter Popoff DISN Winnie the Pooh (TVY) El Fashion Emergency (TVG) ESPN2 NBA Today FAM Kids From Room 402 (TVY7) FSN Regional Sports Report 241 KVCR Creative Living BO KCET Sesame Street 88748 El KMEX MartaSusana 13854 36I KMIR Dr.

Laura 833922 CD KTBN Behind the Scenes ES KVEA "Mas Alia de la Violencia" 2hr 62699 03 KLCS Working Together; Interactions: Real Math, Real Careers (10:15) KRCA Cine AMC "Baby, the Rain Must Fall" 651hr55 Murder, She Wrote BET OH Drama! 927318 BRVO "The Dresser" '83 (PG2hr30 330212 CNN CNN Today COM Daily Show (TVPG) 6552106 DSC Home Matters (TVG) DISN Rolie Polie Olie (TVY) El The True Hollywood Story (TVPG-V) "American Crime Fighter: John Walsh" 173980 ESPN Racehorse Digest ESPN2 Bowling- Senior Tour. 1368583 FAM The 700 Club FSN2 The Method FX Beverly Hills, 90210 (TVPGI HBO "Never Been Kissed" '99 (PG-131hr47 453403 HGTV At the Auction HIST 20th Century (TVPGI LIFE Golden Girls (TVPG-DI NICK Little Bill 735816 SCI-R Dark Shadows (TVPGI SHOW "Second Best" '94 (PG-13) 1hr45 TBS Hunter TLC A Dating Story (TVG) TNN Dukes of Hazzard TNT ER (TV14-L) USA Jesse (TVPG) VH1 New Videos (TVPG) week tadate ABC 12.93 million 13.48 NBC 12.22 11.96 CBS 11.44 12.86 FOX 11.44 9.73 UPN 4.53 4.57 WB 4.13 4.29 Becker World Series (Sat) Millionaire Clue.) Millionaire (Thur.) Die West Wing Just Snoot Me Monday Night Football the Drew Carey Show King ol Queens Yes, Dear CSI 60 Minutes Touched by an Angel JAG Spin City lal Older. SVU Family Law Ed TheGeena Davis Show Dark Angel NFL Monday Showcase Bene Providence Baseball AL Playons (Tue.) Pres. Debate Analysis The District "Forrest Gump" Dateline NBC (Fit) Third Watch "The Uon King ir ash Bridges 2020 (Fit.) Welcome to New York Gideon's Crossing World Series Pregame (Sun.) 2020 Downtown That '70s Show NaPostgameShow Walker, Texas Ranger 48 Hows "While you Were Sleeping" Deadline Titus "For All Time" Pnmetime Thursday "Songs in Ordinary Time" Pres. Debate Analysis The Fugitive Baseball NlPlaw (Mon.) Whose line Is It? (8:30 That's Lite Diagnosis Murder Dateline NBC (Sun.) Afternoon Noon Net- View-Program worn era 64.

Police Videos FOX 7.59 65. NL Playoffs Ptegame (Mon.) FOX 7.46 66. Daddio UPN 7.36 67. WWFSmackdown! UPN 7.21 68. City Ot Angels CBS 7.12 69.

Whose Une Is It Anyway? ABC 703 70. TUl Heaven WB 695 71. "When Cameras Cross Une" FOX 686 72. Tucker NBC 6.74 73. Titans NBC 6.73 74.

"Truth Behind Rumois" FOX 6.16 75. Two Guys and a Gill ABC 6.06 76. MadlganMen ABC 5.82 Norm ABC 5.82 Star Trek: Voyager UPN 5.82 79. Charmed WB 5.37 80. Freakylinks FOX 5.31 81.

Pres. Debate Analysis NBC 5.30 82. Trouble With Normal ABC 5.26 83. "Bridges ol Madison County" NBC 5.21 84. Bully the Vampire Slayer WB 5.10 85.

Dawson's Creek WB 5.02 66. Angel WB 4.92 87. Roswell WB 4.78 88. "Turbulence" FOX 4.42 89. "Cheating Spouses on Tape" UPN 4.25 90.

The Parkers UPN 4.01 91. The Steve Harvey Show WB 3.87 92. "World Nastiest Neighbors" UPN 3.79 93. SaDnna, the Teenage Witch WB 3.70 94. TtieHughleys UPN 3.64 95.

7 Days UPN 360 96. Moesha UPN 3.59 97. Felicity WB 3.58 98. ThePJs WB 3.53 99. Girlfriends UPN 3.20 For Vour love WB 320 101.

"Copycat" UPN 3.09 102. Hype WB 308 103. Gilmore Girts WB 2.89 104. NlkM WB 2.74 105. The Jamie Fon Show WB 2.70 FX MASH (TVPG) HGTV Smart Solutions IFC "The Grass Harp" '95 KCBS 2 Woman 59318 El KNBC Access Hollywood KTLA Little KABC 3 KEYT All My Children (TV14 84106 Southland Viewing Here are Nielsen's Top 10 prime-time programs in the Los Angeles area during the same week.

The rankings are based on the number of households watching. (PG1hr47 LIFE Designing Women (TVPG-D) NICK Rugrats 938816 78 (PG) KCAL News 03 KTTV Judge Hatchett (TVPGI 1hr42 5251380 tiumea Dirtnaay party. 4WM TBS Cosby (TVGI TLC Skinnamarink TV (TVY) QD KCOP Maury (TVPG) 96090 03 KSCI Mandarin Drama 241 KVCR Quilting Heartland BD KCET Caillou (TVY 69038 USA Carol Burnett and Friends 9:00 a.m. 136! KMIR Pea TV KCBS Martha Stewart 46106 03 KTBN The 700 Club 421 KESQ News Jonathan Lipnicki. 37361 KNBC 36 KMIR Today 164552 0 KTLA Morning News 82835 fl KABC 13 KEYT 142 KESQ Good Morning America 77903 KTTV Good Day A.

20019 EH KC0P63I KADY Buzz Lightyear of Star Command 65403 KWHY Bizbirije 32545 24 KVCR Intro to Sociology BD KCETZoboomafoo(TVY) ED KPXN Employment Television E3 KMEX jDespierta America! HQ KTBN Rod Parsley KOCE Against All Odds: Inside Statistics ffl KVEA Esta Manana 31 KJLA Luke 00 KLCS Learning English KRCA Nubeluz (TVY) 59187 America's Castles (TVG) BET Feed the Children CNBC Market Watch 14187 CSPN U.S. House of Representatives 847274 (Live) DISN Rolie Polie Olie (TVY) EIE! News Daily 795571 ESPN SportsCenter ESPN2 Kiana's Flex Appeal FAM The Adventures of Mary-Kate Ashley (TVY) FSN Regional Sports Report FSN2 Gilad's Bodies in Motion FX MASH (TVPGI HBO The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures (TVY) HGTV Decorating With Style HIST The Real West (TVG) LIFE Austin's Fit Lite (TVG) MSNBC Decision 2000 9611504 NICK CatOog 476651 SCI-FI Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TVG) TBS Little House on the Prairie TCM "The Scarlet Coat" '55 1hr41 TLC Jay Jay the Jet Plane (TVY) TNT CHiPs (TVPG) VH1 Back to Back Videos (TVPGI 7:30 a.m. 0 KTLA Sally Jessy Raphael 77090 KABC (31 KEYT 455 KESQ St Hoeee- Prapatt doe holds 1. Will 4 Grace KNBC 990,768 2. Friends KNBC 958.635 3.

Will Grace (8:30 p.m.) KNBC 905.080 4. FJ) KNBC 883,558 5. The Practice KABC 846,169 6. World Series Post (Sun.) KTTV 792.614 7. Just Shoot Me KNBC 733,714 Millionaire (Sun.) KABC 733.714 9.

The West Wing KNBC 706,926 10. law a Order KNBC 696,215 10:30 a.m. Uve! With Regis 79458 KCAL Family Feud ED KTTV Divorce Court (TVPGI EH KCOP Maury 66922 ABC CBS CBS NBC HO KSCI I Can Do It! B3 KVEA Cotorreando 32458 BD KDOC Perry Mason (TVPG-V) BD KLCS In Focus KRCA Noticias 63i KADY Bloomberg Television AMC "The Undefeated" '69 G2hr 199090 Night Court CNN TalkBack Live 225854 COM Saturday Night Live (TV14I DSC Christopher Lowell (TVG) DISN Out of the Box (TVY) El Celebrity Profile (TVPGI ESPN Bicycle Racing- Van's Triple Crown, BMX: Stop 2. 379342 FAM Brazelton on Parenting (TVGI FNC NewsSmith 03 KTTV Power of Attorney 24! KVCR HomeFix CD KTBN Casey Treat S3 KDOC New Zoo Revue (TVG) BD KLCS World of Work; 3-2-1 Classroom Contact (10:45) COM Whose Line Is It Anyway? DISN Bear in the Big Blue House ESPN America's Horse FNC NewsVester FSN2 Yoga Zone HGTV Collectible Treasures IFC 'The Shooting Party" '84 1hr37 LIFE Golden Girls (TVPG-D) NICK Franklin 941380 'Cursed' KWHY Inocentes Culpables 24i KVCR Sesame Street 93632 BO KCET Barney Friends (TVY) CD KTBN Dr. Cherry HQ KOCE Instructional TV KVEA Padre Alberto HD KDOC Life in the Word HD KLCS Geometry in My World L.A.

Law BET AM at BET 8281 06 BRVO St. Elsewhere CNBC Power Lunch 87545 CNN Newsday DSC Assignment Discovery (TVG) DISN Otter (TVY) Celebrity Homes ESPN SportsCenter ESPN2 NFL 2Night 8007570 FAM Itsy Bitsy Time (TVYI 121564 FNC NewsAsman FSN Sports Geniuses FX NYPD Blue (TV14) HGTV Appraisal Fair HIST Weapons at War (TVG) LIFE Murphy Brown MTV Music Videos (TVPG) NICK Little Bear 952496 SCI-FI The Sentinel (TVPG) TBS Matlock SCI-FI Crossing Over (TVPGI SUND "Lock. Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" 71748038 110:35 TLC A Dating Story (TVG) USA Ned and Stacey (TVPG-D) FSN Drag Racing- NHRA AutoZone Nationals. 44816 FX "Posse" (R 2hr 4242458 HBO "Edward Scissorhands" 1hr45 8871729 HGTV Decorating With Style HIST FBI: Untold Stories (TVPG) LIFE Lifetime Live 854380 MTV Making the Video (TVPGI NICK Little Bear 932632 SCI-FI Wonder Woman (TVGI 11:00 a.m. Continued from Fl While favorable scheduling is usually seen as the ultimate reward, in this case the program's creators, Mitchel Katlin and Nat Bernstein, maintain that time period itself turned out to be a curse fostering anxiety among network officials as to whether the series' offbeat sensibility would connect with the audience.

"Cursed" stars Steven Weber, best known for "Wings," as an ad executive whose pals include Chris Elliott a and Wendell SHOW 'The Rose Garden" 89 (PG-13) 1hr53 3000361 (12:151 KCAL Beakman's World 18274 03 KC0P63I KADY Recess DO KSCI Iran-Sima (Farsi) 76854 41 KVCR Intro to Sociology BO KCET Clifford the Big Red Dog DD KTBN Marilyn Hickey HQ KOCE Sew Young. Sew Fun E3 KDOC Hollywood Plaza ED KLCS Clifford the Big Red Dog GB KRCA Chespirito KCBS The Young and the Restless (TV1 4) 36632 KNBC News KTLA Judge Mills Lane KABC! 3 IKEYT Port Charles (TV14-L) 95748 KCAL Moral Court ED KTTV Queen Latifah 12090 DO KCOP Ricki Lake (TVPG) 15908 KWHY "El Angel Negro" '42 TIC A Makeover Story (TVGI TNN Starsky and Hutch (TVGI USA Veronica's Closet (TVPG) VH1 Behind the Music (TVPG) Please see TV LOG F12 7 't g-i I I I In Ijl I a t- I "i SCR: Money Will 'Fulfill Artistic Potential' Continued from F2 million is being raised to help the theater meet its current operating budgets while the expansion effort goes forward. A large chunk of the money comes from top executives of companies involved in the advancement of virtual reality. Broadcom Corp. co-founder Henry T.

Nicholas III and his wife, Stacey, have given $2.5 million; Paul Folino, president and chief executive of Emulex donated $2.5 million. Nicholas, who said he and his wife were stunned by the quality of SCR productions upon moving to Orange County five years ago, sees synergy between the theater which leaders often lament appeals mainly to increasingly graying audiences and the Internet world, which is thought to be creating a new breed of consumer and arts aficionado. The Internet and its television tie-ins will spread what's being done in the theater, Nicholas said in an interview, the enchantment of theater will do the rest. "Anyone who sees a play electronically and finds that compelling, the next thing they're going to want to do is see it live, because there is no substitute for a live production," Nicholas said. Folino's gift is geared largely toward education and outreach programs aimed at cultivating younger audiences.

The campaign includes a "youth initiative" of three youth-oriented plays a year, many of them new commissioned works from major, established playwrights. SCR also aims to boost its annual budget for adult-play commissions from about $180,000 to about Emmes said that commissions that CHRIS HASTON Steven Weber plays an advertising executive in NBC's new "Cursed." now amount to about $10,000 to $15,000 per play could rise to $20,000 to $25,000 in the case of major playwrights. Henry T. Segerstrom, Orange County's leading arts donor, has given the land for the project, along with $1 million from his family's foundation. The existing Mainstage theater, which will be refurbished as part of the capital campaign, will be renamed the Segerstrom Theatre.

The existing Second Stage will become the Nicholas Studio Theatre. Folino, SCR board president, said that a large naming gift has been secured for the new theater, but the donor doesn't want it announced until next year. Emmes said that the Mainstage and Second Stage seasons will be curtailed by one show each during 2001-02 and 2002-03 to allow time for construction and renovations. Pierce The Gregory Hines In the original pilot, Weberstill recovering, from a breakup with his girlfriend (Amy Pietz of "Caroline in the goes on a date that ends badly and the woman places a curse on him, prompting a run of extraordinarily bad luck. During a recent conference call, NBC Entertainment President Garth Ancier called the series as it stood "a little too silly for our taste" and observed that the scripts coming in were "somewhat disappointing." So disappointing as to prompt the network to oust Katlin and Bernstein, drafting Adam Chase a former writer on "Friends" to reconstitute the show on what amounts to the dead run.

At one point, when Katlin and Bernstein were still on board, even the basic premise was dropped and the title changed to "The Steven Weber Show." The new creative team junked part of the prototype while retaining some sequences. With producers working frantically to meet the premiere date, the new first episode isn't scheduled to reach TV critics until today. Not only were Katlin and Bernstein forced out, but Ancier indicated NBC might have scrapped the show entirely had such a step not been taken. Reading NBC's comments regarding "Cursed" has been vexing to the producers, whose credits include "Doogie Howser, M.D." and creating two short-lived sitcoms in 1997, "The Gregory Mines Show" and the Tim Curry vehicle "Over the Top." "We wanted to go for something that was bizarre and different, and succeed or fail on its own merits," Bernstein said. "NBC) got nervous because of the time slot." NBC is clearly desperate to introduce a new comedy hit, having RADIO spent years throwing one sitcom after another onto its Thursday "Must-See TV" roster, trying to find a worthy companion to "Friends." Those efforts have yielded a long list of casualties, including "Jesse," "The Single Guy," "Veronica's Closet," "Suddenly Susan" and "Fired Up." According to Katlin, despite positive initial response to aspects of the pilot, the network almost immediately seemed more comfortable taking the talented ensemble cast and "turning it into 'More From the get-go, it seemed they didn't know if they wanted the show or not." Given NBC's track record with such similar-looking programs, he added: "How many years are they going to try to create the same show and fail?" "Cursed" is far from the only high-profile series this year to experience a preseason overhaul.

Others include NBC's "The Michael Richards Show," which premiered Tuesday, and Fox's "Normal, Ohio," starring John Goodman, which arrives next week. Industry sources see the tendency to "retool" shows after ordering them as an inevitable result of programs being bought based on talent or production auspices, as opposed to delivering the most compelling prototype. In the case of Richards, for example, NBC made a significant commitment to the former "Seinfeld" co-star before a script was in hand, heightening pressure to schedule the show despite misgivings about the pilot. Another factor is more network control over the creative process in general, with many of their series coming from a sister studio, meaning a single executive has oversight of both the network and production company. Beyond the high stakes for NBC, "Cursed" is extremely important to Artists Television Group, the new production enterprise under the aegis of former super-agent Michael Ovitz.

ATG made a splash last spring by selling five prime-time programs for this fall, but its two other sitcoms, ABC's "Madi-gan Men" and the WB's "Grosse Pointe," are already struggling in the ratings, and a proposed Fox series from "Jurassic Park" writer Michael Crichton has been indefinitely delayed. Another ATG drama for Fox, "The Street," premieres next week. Tips for Today p.m. The Politics of Culture: "Bruce Conner's Art," with Walter llopps and Dennis Hopper, KCRW-FM (B9.9). 4-8 p.m.

Duffy and Actor Kirk Cameron p.m.), KKLA-I'M (99.5). p.m. Rockline: Music and interview with Sammy Hagar, KCBS-FM (93.1). 10-11 i.m. HequlemFest 2000: Brahms German Requiem," soprano Arlcne Auger, baritone Richard Stilwcll, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus), KCSN-1M (88.5).

Drama-Comedy-Family p.m., a.m. Gunsmuke: "Til Death Do Us Part," KNX (1070). p.m., a.m. The Whistler: Cheapskate landlords become involved in theft and murder (originally Dec. 17, 1945), KNX (1070).

Classical 8-9 a.m. Commuter Classic: Wagner Overture," the Met Orchestra), KMZT-FM (105.1). 1 1:20 a.m.-noon Masterpiece of the Day: Bruch Fantasy," violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, Royal Philharmonic), KMZT-FM (105.1). Country-Folk-Jazz-Pop 9 a.m.-noon Morning Becomes EclecUc, KCRW-FM (89.9). 10 a.m.-1 p.m.-Global Village, KIM KIM (90.7).

8-10 p.m. Metropolis, KCRW-FM Mldnlght-3 a.m. Nocturna, KCRW-FM (B9.9). Rock-Urban 8-10 p.m. Smokey Robinson, KCMG (92.3).

8- 10 p.m. Rhapsody in Black, doo-wop, KPFK-FM (90.7). 10 p.m.-mldnlght Chocolate City, urban rhythm soul, KCRW-FM (89.9). a.m. Music From Your Own Back Yard, KROQ-FM (106.7).

Sports p.m. Pro Hockey: Mighty Ducks at Kings, KRLA (11 10). Talk-Interview 9- 11 a.m. Larry Mantle's Airtalk, Kl'CC-FM (89.3). 9 a.m.-noon Dennis Prager, KABC (790).

9 a.m.-noon Rush Limbaugh, KFI (640). 9 a.m.-noon Bob Dornan, KIF.V (870). 9 a.m.-noon The Doctors, KP1.S (830). 9 a.m.-noon Michael Jackson, KRIj (1110). 11 a.m.-Noon Sam Rubin, KLSX-FM (97.1).

at. a.