The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 83

LOS ANGELES TIMES WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2001 F13 TODAY ON TV Prime-Time TV Rankings ABC Has Commanding Sunday, but CBS Scores a Win MTV Music Videos (TVPG) NICK Dora the Explorer 567898 SCI-FI The Sentinel (TVPG) SHOW "Race" '98 (PG-13) 1hr44 54180256 (9:15) SUND "Conquest" 6337053 TBS Matlock TLC A Baby Story (TVPG) TMC "Ulysses" 1849850 TNN WKRP in Cincinnati TNTER(TV14-D) USA Something So Right (TVPG) VH1 Top 10 Countdown (TVPG) BB KRCA Chespirito AMC "The Dark Comer" '46 1hr45 9482324 BET Bill Winston DISN The Book of Pooh (TVY) El Talk Soup (TVPG-D) 773430 ESPN2 RPM 2Night FAM Two of a Kind (TVG) FNC NewsQuinn FSN National Sports Report FSN2 Yoga Zone FX MASH (TVPG) HBO "Crocodile Dundee II" '88 (PG)1hr52 773850 HGTV Room by Room LIFE Austin's Daily Workout (TVG) MTV TRL (TVPG) NICK Hey Arnold! 199546 SHOW "Sinful Davey" '69 (PG)1hr35 8278695 SUND 'The Charcoal People" '00 1hr10 269508 TIC NiNi's Treehouse (TVY) tories last week: a last-minute settlement with 20th Century Fox of a lawsuit regarding sale of the show's reruns, and the veteran cop drama's biggest audience since last May's season finale, as viewers tuned in to witness the departure of James McDan-iel one of the original series regulars. In terms of spring tryout series, ABC's sitcoms "What About Joan" and "My Wife and Kids" both continue to exhibit promise. Fox's "Boot Camp" fell roughly 20 from its premiere audience against an original episode of "The West Wing," while "X-Files" spinoff "The Lone Gunmen" continues to struggle Friday nights. "Survivor" experienced a small viewing decline, probably due in part to the change to daylight saving time. BRIAN LOWRY 9:30 a.m.

Higher ratings for the NCAA championship game combined with "Survivor" to put CBS in first place last week, while ABC appeared to win a battle of biblical proportions Sunday, based on preliminary viewing estimates issued Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research. ABC's telecast of holiday perennial "The Ten Commandments" easily outdistanced CBS' repeat of the miniseries "Jesus" on Sunday, despite the vast audience (an estimated 40 million people) that watched at least a portion of CBS' Masters golf tournament coverage that afternoon. Final results for Sunday were being reprocessed by Nielsen, meaning network averages could be revised slightly. "NYPD Blue," meanwhile, celebrated two vic- National Nielsen VIewershfp 8:00 a.m. DO KTTV Queen Latifah 72091 DO KCOP Jenny Jones 27898 B3 KWHY "SilencioAsesino" 24 KVCR America Sews S3 KCET Noddy (TVY) 16689 KMEX PobreDiabla (TVPG) 36 KMIR News EH KTBN James Robison (42 KESQ Montel Williams 81614 S3 KDOC Headline News S3 KLCS Taxes in U.S.

History (639 KADY Unhappily (TV14-DL) AMC "El Dorado" '67 2hr1 5 66064275 Magnum, P.I. CMAX Atomic Tabasco (TV1 4) (11:15) CNBC Street Signs COM Don't Forget Your Toothbrush CSPN Public Affairs DSC Jennings Oesign (TVG) DISN Bear in the Big Blue House El Oh Baby! Melissa's Guide to Pregnancy (TVPG-L) 759850 ESPN National Championships. 559904 ESPN2 Soccer- UEFA Champions League: Deportivo La Coruna vs. Leeds United AFC. 5890898 FAM ItsyBitsy Time (TVY) 372782 FX Beverly Hills, 90210 (TVPG) HBO The Making Of: 28 Days (TVPG) 52283121 (11:15) HGTV The Carol Duvall Show HIST True Action Adventures (TVG) IFC "Donald Cammell: The Ultimate Performance" '98 1hr13 LIFE Unsolved Mysteries (TVPG) MTV Hot Zone (TVPG) NICK Dora the Explorer 674527 SCI-H Battlestar Galactica (TVG) SHOW "Strategic Air Command" '55 1hf54 509362 TBS "Perry Mason: The Case of the Poisoned Pen" 2hr 594430 TLC A Wedding Story (TVG) TNN The Wonder Years (TVG) TNT Champions on Ice 470121 USA Wings (TVPG-D) VH1 Legends (TVPG) 0 KCAL To Tell the Truth CD KTTV Divorce Court (TVPG) KWHYRoseanne (33 KCET Between the Lions (R) B3 KTBN Unfolding Majesty S3 KDOC Benny Hinn S3 KLCS Geometry 81091 BET AM at BET 776053 CMAX 'The Witches" '90 (PG)1hr32 93083527 (9:40) CNN Burden of Proof 836430 DISN Rolie Polie Olie (TVY) El Mysteries Scandals (TVPG) FAM CBN Special Edition 472256 FSN2 Gilad's Bodies in Motion HBO 'Three to Tango" '99 (PG-13) 1hr38 7979445 HGTV Appraise It! LIFE Golden Girls (TVPG-D) NICK Blue's Clues 294430 TCM "Suspicion" '41 1hr39 6164633 TLC A Baby Story (TVPG) TNN WKRP in Cincinnati USA Hearts Afire (TVPG) Here are the rankings for national prime-time network television last week (April 2-8) 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. CHANNELS LojAngeleV KVEA (Tele) 23 Oranga County E3 KDOC (Ind 56 QKCBS(CBS02 ajJLA(lnd )25 nKNBCNBC04 03 KLCS (Edu.) 17 HKTLAWB05 DKABCIABCI07 Palm Springs HKCAilnd.09 96 KMIR NBC 04 mOTVIFoxlll jKESQ(ABC7.

IHKC0P(UPN 13 25 S8ntaBarba" BDKCET(PBS28 Uj KEYT lABC 07 ED KPXN (PAX) 30 San Beroardino HlKMEXUni.14 24i KVCR (PBS) 24 CD KTBN lnd.) 40 Ventura County EDK0CE(PBS)50 iea KADY (UPN) 16 Cable Services 39 ESPN2 84 NICK 38 AMC 35 FAM 47 SCI-H 87 BET 57 FNC 91 SHOW 41 BRVO 54 FSN 27 SUN0 36 CNBC 31 FSN2 59 nc 13 COM 79 FX 89 irM rh CSPN 29 HBO 33 iff CMAX 45 HIST 30 I CNN 42 HGTV 80 DSC 37 IFC 21 49 DISN 53 LIFE 46 TNT 52 63 MSNBC 90 USA 44 ESPN 34 MTV 48 VH1 62 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. TV RATINGS (TVY) All Children (TVY7) Directed to Older Children (TVW-FV) Directed to Older Children; FantasyViolence fTVG) General Audience (TVPG) Parental Guidance (TV1 4) Parents Strongly Cautioned (TVMA) Mature Audiences Only (D) Suggestive Dialogue (L Coarse Language (SI Sex (V) Violence Movie Ratings A CLASSIC FIRST RATE FLAWED: HAS MOMENTS DESPERATION TIME Morning 10:00 a.m. 2- i KCAL Bewitched (TVG) 09 KCOP 3) KADY Sabrina, the Animated Series 27091 24) KVCR Nature (TVG) BO KCET Dragon Tales (TVY) 31 546 EH KTBN Kenneth Copeland B3 KOCE Simply Painting 03 KDOC James Robison 253966 09 KJLA Hollywood Treasures SB KLCS Book of Virtues 22850 KRCA "El Mariachi Canta" Northern Exposure (TVPG) BET Amazing Facts BRVO Bravo Profiles (TVPG) COM "Repossessed" (PG-13) DISN Bear in the Big Blue House El FashionTelevision ESPN SportsCenter ESPN2 NBA Today FAM Angela Anaconda (TVY7) FSN Southern California Sports FSN2 Preps: Chicago Hoops FX MASH (TVPG) HGTV TIPical Mary Ellen HIST Civil War Journal (TVG) LIFE Designing Women (TVPG-D) NICK The Wild Thornberrys (TVY) SCI-FI Wonder Woman (TVG) TBS Mama's Family TCM "The Saint Meets the Tiger" '43 ihrl 0 5422411 TLC Salty's Lighthouse (TVY) TNT Lois Clark (TVPG) USA USAM News VH1 Top 20 Countdown (TVPG) Nt- View.

Program work em 79. 7th Heaven WB 4.95 80. "Beethoven's 2nd" FOX 4.83 81. TheHughleys UPN 3.81 82. The Parkers UPN 3.71 83.

Charmed WB 3.33 84. Moesha UPN 3.29 85. The Steve Harvey Show WB 3.28 86. Gilmore Gilts WB 3.20 87. Sabrina.

me Teenage Witch WB 3.19 88. "Copycat" UPN 3.18 89. Gilmore Girts (Mon.) WB 3.14 90. TneONongs WB 3.09 Girlfriends UPN 3.09 92. TnePJs WB 2.94 93.

Star Trek: Voyager UPN 2.92 94. Popsters WB 2.88 95. NikM WB 2.76 96. Dawson's Creek WB 2.60 97. Angel WB 2.59 98.

For Your love WB 2.38 99. Jack Jill WB 2.35 100. fluffy the Vampire Slayer WB 2.30 101. The Jamie Fon Show WB 2.18 102. XFL Football NBC 2.13 103.

7 Days UPN 2.04 Nikkl(Fri.) WB 2.04 105. TheHughleys (8:30 p.m.) UPN 1.81 106. Gary (Mike UPN 1.71 107. Gary Mike (Fri, 9 p.m.) UPN 1.64 108. The Parkers 8 p.m.) UPN 1.55 109.

XR Football UPN 0.98 James McDaniel 8:30 a.m. KCBS The Price Is Right (TVG) 13) KEYT Martha Stewart 94275 CI KNBC Men Are From Mars (TVPGIChyna. 92817 KTLA Sally Jessy Raphael (TVPG) Angry people. 25169 fl KABC KESQ The View Kelly Ripa. 10237 EI KCAL Judge Mathis ID KTTV Power of Attorney SB KCOP Montel Williams 30362 KWHY La Corte Familiar 24 KVCR Creative Living BD KCET Sesame Street 94188 B3 KMEX Marta Susana 38904 GO KTBN Behind the Scenes KVEA "Secuestrada" 841343 S3 KDOC Southland Today KJLA "Los Gavilanes" 61275 S3 KLCS Working Together; Interactions: Real Math, Real Careers (10:15) KRCA Cine Murder, She Wrote BRVO 'Twelfth Night" '96 (PG3hr 769481 CNN CNN Live Today COM Daily Show (TVPG) 4242508 DSC Home Matters (TVG) DISN The Book of Pooh (TVY) El The True Hollywood Story (TVPG) "Joan Rivers" 779614 ESPN Racehorse Digest ESPN2 In the Driver's Seat FAM The 700 Club FSN2 Yoga Zone FX Beverly Hills, 90210 (TVPG) HGTV At the Auction HIST 20th Century Mike Wallace LIFE Intimate Portrait 362430 NICK Bob the Builder 465091 SCI-H Dark Shadows (TVPG) TBS Hunter TLC A Dating Story (TVG) TNN NewhartlTVG) TNT ERITV14-L) USA Doctor, Doctor VH1 Morning Mix (TVPG) Net- View.

Program work ers 50. "Jesus" Ft 1 CBS 8.71 51. Fighting Fltzgeralds NBC 8.56 52. That '70s Show FOX 8.43 53. That '70s Show (Wed.) FOX 8.22 54.

"Picture Perfect" ABC 8.20 55. Whose Uriels It? (8:30 p.m.) ABC 8.07 56. King of the Hill FOX 8.00 57. AlyMcBeal FOX 7.96 58. Diagnosis Murder CBS 7.95 59.

Grounded for life FOX 7.94 60. Gideon's Crossing ABC 7.77 61. Cops FOX 7.67 62. Futurama FOX 7.57 63. Once and Again ABC 7.51 Dark Angel FOX 7.51 65.

Titus FOX 7.49 Dag NBC 7.49 67. Police Videos FOX 7.40 68. WWFSrriackdown! UPN 7.18 69. Kate Brasher CBS 7.12 70. That's life CBS 6.66 71.

Boston Public FOX 6.59 72. JAG CBS 6.56 73. Whose Uriels It Anyway? ABC 6.54 74. The Fugitive CBS 6.43 75. First Years NBC 6.04 76.

Norm ABC 5.76 77. The Lone Gunmen FOX 5.59 78. Two Guys and a Girl ABC 5.26 Network Averages Here is the number of viewers that each network averaged per hour of prime time, for last week and for the season. El KCAL I Dream of Jeannie KCOP 63) KADY Pepper Ann KCET Arthur (TVY) R) 30817 ED KPXN James Robison EE KTBN Laverne and Edith Tripp 03 KOCE Teletubbies 612695 03 KLCS Cursive Handwriting; Phonics in Context (8:45) BET Peter Popoff DISN Otter (TVY) El Fashion Emergency (TVPG) ESPN2 NBA 2Might FAM Kids From Room 402 (TVY7) FSN National Sports Report FSN2 Southern California Sports FX MASH (TVPG) HGTV Smart Solutions LIFE Designing Women (TVPG-D) NICK Rugrats 576546 TBS Cosby (TVG) TLC NiNi's Treehouse (TVY) USA Carol Burnett and Friends nek to date CBS 12.50 million 12.68 ABC 11.44 14.22 NBC 9.65 12.44 FOX 8.09 9.18 UPN 3.00 WB 2.94 9:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m.

7:00 a.m. KCBS The Early Show- Renee Zellweger; ADHD. 88614 a KNBC36 KMIR Today Stanley Greenspan. 472546 KTIA Morning News 39362 KABC 3 KEYT42 KESQ Good Morning America 24430 ED KTTV Good Day A. 40492 0 KCOP $3 KADY Buzz Lightyear of Star Command 22343 KWHYBizbirije 46527 24) KVCR Time to Grow KCETZoboomafoo(TVY) ED KPXN Employment Television S3 KMEX jDespierta America! KTBN Rod Parsley SD KOCE Real Orange 891275 SB KVEA Esta Manana 03 KDOC New Zoo Revue (TVG) KJLA Shepherd's Chapel 03 KLCS Learning English KRCANubeluz (TVY) 34169 Christianity: The Second Millennium (TVG) (Part 4 of 4) BET Feed the Children CNBC Market Watch 22985 CSPN Public Affairs DISN Rotie Polie Olie (TVY) El News Daily 761695 ESPN SportsCenter ESPN2 NBA 2Night FAM Mary-Kate Ashley (TVY) FSN Southern California Sports FSN2 Gilad's Bodies in Motion FX MASH (TVPG) HGTV Decorating With Style HIST The Real West (TVG) IFC "Kolya" '96 (PG-13) 1hr45 4513782 (7:15) LIFE Austin's Fit Lite (TVG) MSNBC MSNBC Live 5118695 MTV MTV Jams (TVPG) NICK Doug 170411 SCI-H Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TVG) TBS Little House on the Prairie TLCSkinnamarinkTV(TVY) TMC "The Price of Kissing" '97 (PG-131hr33 TNT CHiPs (TVPG) VH1 Morning Mix (TVPG) 7:30 a.m.

KCAL Critter Gitters (TVG) IB KCOP 63) KADY Recess KSCI Iran-Sima (Farsi) 28508 1241 KVCR Time to Grow HO KCET Clifford the Big Red Dog EH KTBN Marilyn Hickey 03 KOCE Martha's Sewing Room 03 KDOC Japanese News S3 KLCS Clifford the Big Red Dog 11:30 a.m. KEYT News El KTLA The Nanny (TVPG) a KABC Port Charles (TVPG) 58072 03 KSCI Taiwan News 24 KVCR Quilt in a Day 153 KCET Teletubbies (TVY) 66148 36 KMIR Real TV 03 KTBN Benny Hinn S3 KVEA Noticiero S3 KLCS Teen Issues BET 106 Park: BET's Top 10 Live CMAX "Screamers" '95 (R) 1hr48 4750324 COM Ben Stein's Money (TVPG) DISN Otter (TVY) FAM Itsy Bitsy Time (TVY) 37341 1 HBO "Lean on Me" '89 IPG-. 13) 1hr48 145850 HGTV Simply Quilts HIST Great Blunders in History NICK Little Bill 675256 TCM "Dark Passage" '47 1hr47 9426237 TIC A Wedding Story (TVG) TNN The Wonder Years (TVG) USA Jesse (TVPG) Afternoon Noon 2 Woman 79527 a KNBC Access Hollywood 64695 El KTLA Little House KABC 1 3 KEYT All My Children (TV14) 50904 El KCAL News ED KTTV Judge Hatchett (TVPG) CD KCOP Maury (TVG) 25121 03 KSCI Mandarin Drama 24 KVCR Stokes Birds at Home F33 KCET Caillou (TVY) 34633 GQ KMEX La Revancha (TVPG) 136! KMIR The People's Court Ed KTBN The 700 Club 142 KESQ News KVEA Cotorreando 11256 S3 KDOC Ironside (TVPG-V) KJLA Aguay Chocolate 64362 S3 KLCS In Focus KRCA Noticias 63! KADY Bloomberg Television Night Court CNN TalkBack Live 826053 COM Saturday Night Live (TVPG) DSC Christopher Lowell (TVG) DISN Rolie Polie Olie (TVY) Celebrity Profile (TVPG) ESPN The Life FAM Rotten Ralph 758188 FNC NewsSmith FSN Pro Basketball-Suns at Lakers. (Tape) 51985 FX "The Fabulous Baker Boys" '89 (R2hr30 6282508 HGTV Decorating With Style HIST FBI: Untold Stories (TVPG) Please see TV Log, F14 the (TVPG) 2121 Lane MUSIC: COUNTRY KZLA-FM .93.9 RELIGIOUS ED KTTV Power of Attorney 241 KVCR Martha's Sewing Room 1361 KMIR Mad About You (TVPG) 03 KTBN Casey Treat S3 KDOC June Cain Miller SO KLCS World of Work; 3-2-1 Classroom Contact (10:45) BETVideolink COM Whose Line Is It DISN Out of the Box (TVY) ESPN America's Horse ESPN2 MotoWorld FNC NewsVester HGTV Collectible Treasures NICK Franklin 556782 SCI-H Dark Shadows 6843492 SUND "Beau Travail" '99 1hr30 93217275 (10:35) TLC A Dating Story (TVG) TMC 'Tea With Mussolini" '99 (PG)1hr56 1840695 (10:45) TNN NewhartlTVG) USA Ned and Stacey (TVPG-D) KCBS Martha Stewart 63614 KTLA Sally Jessy (TVPG) 26576 KABCI31 KEYT42 KESQ Live With Regis and Kelly 98324 KCAL Family Feud DO KTTV Divorce Court (TVPG) KCOP Maury (TV1 4) 89614 CD KSCI Kiss, Kiss. Kiss 43343 KWHY The Cosby Show 24 KVCR Sesame Street 68576 KCET Barney (R 21 169 EH KTBN Dr.

Cherry S3 KOCE Instructional TV KVEA M6nica 68594 S3 KDOC Life in the Word S3 KLCS Primary Science AMC "The Virgin Queen" '551hr45 A. Law BET BET.com Countdown BRVO St. Elsewhere CNBC Power Lunch 96072 CNN CNN Live Today DSC Assignment Discovery DISN Otter (TVY) El Celebrity Homes ESPN Baseball Tonight ESPN2 B3: Bikes, Blades Boards FAM It's ItsyBitsy Time (TVY) 738324 FNC NewsAsman FSN The Last Word 23527 FSN2 National Sports Report FXNYPDBIue(TV14-DLV) HGTV Appraisal Fair HIST Weapons at War (TVG) IFC IFC Short Film Collection (9:15) LIFE Golden Girls'(TVPG-D) VTunr- Program 1. Survivor II CBS 27.71 2. NCAA Basketball CBS 23.87 3.

CSI CBS 19.86 4. Order NBC 17.88 5. Millionaire (Tue.) ABC 17.21 6. NYPD Blue ABC 16.63 7. The West Wing NBC 16.52 8.

Millionaire (Thur.) ABC 16.36 9. 60 Minutes CBS 16.07 10. Millionaire (Fri.) ABC 15.38 11. My Wife and Kids ABC 14.29 12. What About Joan ABC 13.06 13.

ABC 13.01 14. Friends NBC 12.95 15. Tlte Ten Commandments" ABC 12.84 16. "CooperfteWiTMnatofire" CBS 12.56 17. Boot Camp FOX 12.37 18.

Will Glace NBC 12.33 19. 60 Minutes II CBS 12.19 20. Touched by an Angel CBS 12.11 21. The Simpsons FOX 12.01 22. "And Never let Her Go" Ft 2 CBS 11.85 23.

My Wife and Kids ABC 11.84 24. 2020 (Fri.) ABC 11.79 25. ER NBC 11.77 26. Law 4 Order SvU NBC 11.61 27. Malcolm mine Middle FOX 11.55 28.

Dateline NBC (Mon.) NBC 11.52 29. TheOrstnct CBS 11.49 30. Everybody loves Raymond CBS 11.48 31. 48 Hows CBS 11.20 32. Prtmetlme Thursday ABC 11.19 33.

Ed NBC 10.91 34. Dateline NBC (Fri.) NBC 10.66 35. The Dm Carey Show ABC 10.60 36. The X-Files FOX 10.46 37. Frasler NBC 10.35 38.

"Apollo 13" ABC 10.32 39. King ol Queens CBS 10.31 40. "me Pelican Brief NBC 9.87 41. America's Most Wanted FOX 9.71 42. Nash Bridges CBS 9.46 43.

Three Sisters NBC 944 44. The Weber Show NBC 9.40 45. Dateline NBC NBC 9.28 46. Cops (8:30 p.m.) FOX 9.20 47. 48 Hours (Tue.) CBS 9.14 48.

The Jot) ABC 9.01 49. Third Watch NBC 8.84 From Obscurity Music 'Pink by the late British folk singer Nick Drake, is just one little-known song to find success after ad exposure. ByNARASCHOENBERG CHICAGO TRIBUNE In life, British folk singer Nick Drake was a commercial disaster: an artist too sensitive to tour, too withdrawn to give interviews, too high-minded to compromise his artistic vision, even as he longed for a wider following. In death, he is a rising star, thanks to a car commercial. Drake, who died in 1974 at the age of 26, got his big break when his song "Pink Moon" was used in a TV ad in 1999 for the Volkswagen Cabrio.

U.S. sales of the "Pink Moon" album rose rapidly, from about 6,000 copies in 1999 to 74,000 in 2000, according to Palm Pictures, which distributes Drake's record label, Hannibal Records. "It's been a huge boost," says Hannibal founder Joe Boyd. The rediscovery of Nick Drake is the most dramatic example of a broader trend. At a time when consolidation in the radio industry has made many stations less adventurous in their musical choices, challenging and little-known music has found an unlikely outlet in commercials for shoes, clothes and cars.

Fatboy Slim and Moby both benefited from the early use of their music in ads, as did this season's newcomer, Badly Drawn Boy, who was heard in a Gap ad before he was seen in a "New Faces" profile in Rolling Stone. "I'll be out at a show or at a bar and I'll talk about Badly Drawn Boy, and people say, like, 'Oh, yeah, I saw that Gap commercial. That was says Matt Harmon, director of marketing at Badly Drawn Boy's U.S. record company, the Beggars group. Similarly, Nike's use of the song "Bitter Sweet Symphony" in a 1998 ad was an early break for the Verve.

But few tales of commercial redemption have been as clear-cut as that of Drake, who died of an overdose of antidepressants after years of depression that some believe was related to his stalled musical career. That career began auspiciously enough when Drake was discovered by Boyd while still a student at Cambridge University. "I heard part of half of one song and I 11:00 a.m. KCBS The Young Restless (TV1 4) 87985 13 KEYT Port Charles a KNBC News KTLA Judge Mills KABC News KCAL Moral Court RADIO and Radio Station Guide All stations AM unless otherwise noted MUSIC: ADULT CONTEMPORARY to Hit in 1 TV felt I wanted to make a record with him," says Boyd, who has produced Pink Floyd and R.E.M. Some reviewers were captivated by Drake's eerie voice, brooding lyrics and skilled guitar work.

But Drake, by all accounts a sensitive soul, withdrew from an early tour, unwilling or unable to handle drunk and distracted audiences. By the time his second album came out, even interviews were too much for him. "I think it was a pretty steady downward decline emotionally, from the time I first met him, really," Boyd says. "As he got more and more accomplished professionally, I think there was also the problem that I and other people told him how wonderful he was and encouraged him to feel he could be successful, and he didn't get successful, and I think that was very hard for him." In 1972, Drake released a third and final album that added little to his commercial appeal: 28 minutes of spare and sometimes inscrutable Nick Drake songs accompanied by Nick Drake on guitar and Nick Drake on piano. The title song consisted of only 16 lines, most of them variations on the first five: "Saw it written and I saw it say Pink moon is on its wayAnd none of you stand so tallPink moon gonna get ye allAnd it's a pink moon." The record sold poorly and Drake's downward spiral continued.

In a 1979 interview, Drake's mother, Molly, said he once told her, "I have failed in everything I have tried to do." After Drake's death, ruled a suicide by the coroner although some dispute that, his legend was kept alive by true believers such as Boyd, who sold his production company to Island Records on the condition that Drake's records never be deleted from the Island catalog. Each year, Boyd says, more Drake records were sold worldwide: about 13,000 copies of all three Nick Drake albums in 1985, 50,000 in 1995. But U.S. sales remained modest, with "Pink Moon" selling only about 4,000 copies in 1998. At the same time, American radio was consolidatingwith more stations in the hands of fewer owners and often becoming more uniform and predictable.

"It's easy to recycle the same formulas, because you have a bet-ter-than-average chance of getting listeners," says Alan Pafenbach, a group creative director at Arnold Commercial Worldwide, the advertising agency that did the "Pink Moon" commercial. "The problem is, you never find anything new." By the late 1990s, companies such as Nike and Volkswagen were rushing in where radio preferred not to tread, perhaps most memorably in the case of VW's 1997 use of the German novelty hit "Da, Da, Da" by Trio. "It was an out-of-print German band that had done that song, and it just caught on," says Jean Halli-day, Detroit bureau chief of Advertising Age. "Pink Moon" wasn't the original choice for the Cabrio commercial, Pafenbach says, but a member of the advertising team had the music and suggested it might work. The result is an ad in which four young people drive along a country road, captivated by the moon, playfully reaching for the stars.

They stop at a party, exchange glances, and, without saying a word, agree not to go in. Their car exits into the night. Throughout the commercial, the only sound-aside from a few very faint sound effects is the song "Pink Moon." The commercial, which debuted in late 1999, is still seen occasionally, although its official network run ended in October. It was an instant hit among new listeners such as Kate Orr, 18, of Portland, who bought the "Pink Moon" CD within a week of seeing the ad. "The music was killer," says Orr, a college freshman who finds that many of the songs she owns are showing up in ads.

At Amazon.com, customers posted "Pink Moon" reviews with headlines such as "Thank you, Volkswagen," "VW does it again," and "Now when I think of VW, I think of Nick Drake and not Hitler." Not everyone is happy with such synergy. At Amazon.com, hardcore Nick Drake fans express dismay at the use of a resolutely noncommercial musician's work in a car commercial. But some artists have openly embraced their role in ads, with Moby telling MTV News he was "really happy" about the widespread use of his music. What Drake would have thought is, of course, an open question, but not one without precedents in the artist's life and work. "Safe in your place deep in the earthThat's when they'll know what you were really worth," Drake wrote in his 1969 song "Fruit Tree." "I think he would have been very pleased about the commercial, because it's exposed him to a lot of people that never heard about him before," Boyd says.

Coe Angeles (Times Classified www. latimes.comp lacead 1-800-234-4444 KBRT 740 KFBN 1280 KFSO-FM. .96.3 KKLA-FM ...99.5 KL1X 1390 KTYM 1460 KWVE-FM .107.9 FAMILY KDIS 710 FOREIGN LANGUAGE: SPANISH KBIG-FM .104.3 KIK-FM ....943 KLIt-FM ...92.7 KOST-FM 103.5 KKSR-FM .98.7 MUSIC: CLASSICAL KCPB-FM .91.1 105.1 KUSC-FM .91.5 MUSIC: JAZZ BIG BANDPOP STANDARDS KJAZ 1260 KUC 570 WON 88.1 X1AZ 540 MUSIC: ROCK 102.7 KNHS-FM ..897 WtOQ-FM .106 7 KUCI-FM .889 MUSIC: ROCK OLDIES KCBS-FM .93.1 KCMOFM .92.3 101.1 NEWS TRAFFIC KFWB 980 KNX 1070 PUBLIC RADIO KCRW-FM .89.9 KCSN-FM .88.5 KPCC-FM. .893 90.7 MUSIC: URBAN CONTEMPORARY Tips for Today 4- 8 p.m. Duffy and "The Shroud of Turin" p.m.), KKLA-FM (99.5).

p.m. Rockline: Music and interviews with members of the band Journey, KCBS-FM (93.1). p.m., a.m. Dragnet: The police find a man who was badly beaten and left in the trunk of a car, KNX (1070). Drama-Comedy-Family p.m., a.m.

The Whistler: Rumors and gossip lead to violence, KNX (1070). Classical p.m. Charles Andrews: Beethoven (3rd Symphony, Revolutionary and Romantic Orchestra), KUSC-FM (91.5). 7 p.m.-midnlght lm Svejda: Interview with soprano Ruth Ann Swenson p.m.), KUSC-FM (91.5). Country-Folk-Jazz-Pop 9 a.m.-noon Morning Becomes Eclectic: Los Angeles rock band Minibar performs live, in-studio (1 1:15 a.m.-noon), KCRW-FM (89.9).

News-Commentary a.m., p.m., p.m. Paul Harvey, KABC (790). Noon-1 p.m.-The World, KCRW-FM (89.9). Noon-1 p.m. Noon Business Hour, KFWB (980).

1- 2 p.m. To the Point, KCRW-FM (89.9). 2- 2:30 p.m. Marketplace, KCRW-FM (89.9); p.m. and p.m., KPCC-FM (89.3).

p.m.-The Politics of Culture, KCRW-FM (89.9). p.m. Paclflca News, KPFK-FM (90.7). 3- 4 p.m. Fresh Air, culture, KCRW-FM (89.9); also, 10-11 p.m.

KPCC-FM (89.3). p.m. All Things Considered, KPCC-FM (89.3); also, p.m., KCRW-FM 89.9). 5- 6 p.m. Beneath the Surface, KPFK-FM (90.7).

6- 6:30 p.m. Evening Update, KCSN-FM (88.5). 6-7 p.m. Evening News, KPFK-FM (90.7). p.m.

California Focus: Local Flavor, KCSN-FM (88.5). p.m. Which Way, LA.T KCRW-FM (89.9). i 103.1 KBCD-FM .103.1 KALI 900 KBUA-FM ..94 3 KBUE-FM 105.5 KHJ 930 9 KLYY-FM .107.1 KLVEFM 107.5 KNSE 1510 KRCD-FM .1039 101.9 KTNQ 1020 XPRS 1090 FOREIGN LANGUAGE: OTHER KAZN 1300 KBLA 1580 KEZV 1240 KIRN 670 KVMR ....1480 KVMS-FM .106.3 KXMX 1190 TALK-INTERVIEW KABC 790 KFI 640 KLSX-FM .97.1 KRIS 830 KRLA 870 TALK: SPORTS KM PC XTRA ...1540 KSPN 1110 KXTA 1150 ....690 Noon-1 p.m. Let's Do Lunch: "Mama Mia!" the musical, KCSN-FM (88.5).

Noon-3 p.m. Laura Schlessinger, KFI (640). Noon-3 p.m. Michael Medved, KRLA (870). Noon-3 p.m.

Frosty, Heidi and Frank, KLSX-FM (97.1). Noon-3 p.m. Al Kresta, KPLS (830). p.m. Talk of the City, highlights repeated, 9-10 p.m., KPCC-FM (89.3).

1-3 p.m. Allred It Taylor, KABC (790). 3-4 p.m. Clark Howard, KFI (640). 3-5 p.m.

George Putnam, KRLA (870). 3-7 p.m. Larry Elder, KABC (790). 3- 8 p.m. Tom Leykis, KLSX-FM (97.1).

4- 5 p.m. Marc Cooper, KPFK-FM (90.7). 4-7 p.m. Phil Hendrie, KFI (640). KJLH-FM 102.3 KKBT-FM 100.3 KPWR-FM .105.9 Sports p.m.

Baseball: Dodgers at Arizona Diamondbacks, KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330). 7-10 p.m. Baseball: Texas Rangers at Angels, KLAC (570), XPRS (1090). Talk-Interview 9-1 1 a.m. Larry Mantle's Alrtalk, highlights repeated 7-9 p.m., KPCC-FM (89.3).

9 a.m.-noon Rush Limbaugh, KFI (640). 9 a.m.-noon Drew Marlani, KPLS (830). 9 a.m.-noon Dennis Prager, KRLA (870). 10 a.m.-I2:45 p.m. Al Rantel, KABC (790).

11 a.m.-Noon Sam Rubin, KLSX-FM (97.1). 1 1 a.m.-l p.m. Talk of the Nation, KPCC-FM (89.3). Going. Going.

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