The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • Page 69

2002:09:24:15:00:26 TODAY ON TV A fter a trying season, ABC closed the 20012002 broadcast year with a rare ratings victory, fueled by Night the pageant, and previews of its Tuesday comedies Simple and With based on viewing estimates issued Tuesdayby Nielsen Media Research. Last week saw a mix of series premieres and reruns in advance of the new TV season that officially began Monday, as latest capitalized on a rerun to top all programs and help lift Brother to its biggest audience of the summer. The question is how well the fifth edition of will hold up against new episodes, which start Thursday. NBC also received a boost from the Emmy Awards, which delivered the second-biggest audience of the last six years. The telecast faced which averaged 11.2 million drop of 2.2 million versus its record-setting fourth-season premiere the week before.

The bronze medal went to the WB, with the two-hour season premiere of on its new night, playing against the Emmys and posting the highest ratings ever for a night where the WB has traditionally struggled. Fox introduced four series, scoring the best results relative to the time period with its most-watched Friday premiere in five years. Brian Lowry ABC Ends Low Year With Win National Nielsen Viewership Here are the rankings for national prime- time network television last week (Sept. 1622) as compiled by Nielsen Media Research. They are based on the average num- ber of people who watched a program from start to finish.

Nielsen estimates there are 272.04 million potential viewers in the U.S. age 2 and older. Viewership is listed in millions. Program Network View- ersProgram Network Viewers 1 Survivor: ThailandCBS23.05 2 Emmy Awards NBC19.99 3 Monday Night FootballABC17.83 4 8Simple Rules 5 Life With Bonnie ABC16.12 6 Law OrderNBC14.87 7 Big Brother 3 8 Monday 9 CSICBS13.97 10 CSI 11 Everybody Loves RaymondCBS13.29 12 FriendsNBC13.17 13 Will GraceNBC12.48 14 60 MinutesCBS12.11 15 ERNBC12.03 16 17 Push, Nevada ABC11.99 18 My Wife Kids (9 p.m.)ABC11.32 19 BeckerCBS10.71 20 Fox NFL Sunday, PostgameFOX10.52 21 Cedric the Entertainer FOX10.39 22 Law Order: SVUNBC10.26 23 The Bernie Mac ShowFOX10.16 24 That ShowFOX10.01 25 FastlaneFOX9.99 26 Show: A Look 27 Yes, DearCBS9.86 28 John DoeFOX9.79 29 My Wife Kids (8:30 p.m.)ABC9.52 30 The West WingNBC9.46 31 Big Brother 3 32 33 King of QueensCBS9.26 34 FrasierNBC9.25 35 7th HeavenWB9.16 36 Most WantedFOX8.93 37 Grounded for LifeFOX8.91 38 Judging AmyCBS8.88 39 JAGCBS8.74 41 Movie FOX8.71 42 43 My Wife Kids (8 p.m.)ABC8.53 44 45 46 The GuardianCBS8.12 47 Push, Nevada 48 49 Big Brother 50 Fear FactorNBC7.81 51 Primetime ThursdayABC7.64 52 EverwoodWB7.43 53 48 HoursCBS7.40 54 Cops (8:30 p.m.)FOX7.39 55 Becker 56 Funniest Home VideosABC7.18 57 to 58 60 Minutes 59 Never 60 CopsFOX6.61 61 Dateline NBC 62 Survivor: Thailand 63 Just Shoot MeNBC6.37 64 CharmedWB6.32 65 Carol Burnett 66 FireflyFOX6.20 67 The Drew Carey ShowABC6.12 68 WWE 69 Whose Line Is It, AnywayABC5.77 70 Third WatchNBC5.76 71 Push, Nevada (Thu. 8 p.m.)ABC5.69 72 EdNBC5.42 73 Crossing JordanNBC5.27 74 ProvidenceNBC5.23 75 The AgencyCBS5.19 76 RebaWB4.91 77 Enterprise 78 Then and 79 80 The Twilight ZoneUPN4.58 81 SmallvilleWB4.38 82 Law: The 83 One on OneUPN4.11 84 Latin Grammy Awards CBS3.99 85 GirlfriendsUPN3.95 86 87 Girlfriends (9:30 p.m.)UPN3.81 88 What I Like About YouWB3.72 89 Sabrina, the Teenage WitchWB3.59 90 Greetings From TucsonWB3.40 91 Family AffairWB3.38 92 Gilmore GirlsWB3.29 Do OverWB3.29 94 Gilmore Girls: BeginningWB3.02 95 Meet My FolksNBC2.91 96 It 97 Jamie KennedyWB2.83 98 The ParkersUPN2.70 99 Buffy the Vampire SlayerUPN2.50 100 Off CentreWB1.99 101 Enterprise Network Averages Here is the number of viewers (in millions) that each network averaged per hour of prime time, for last week and for the season.

Network Last week Season to date ABC10.118.62 NBC9.7511.70 CBS9.2010.97 FOX8.628.30 WB4.733.38 UPN3.833.85 Southland Top 10 Here are the 10 most-watched prime-time programs in L.A. last week, based on the average number of households. No. ProgramStationHouseholds 1 Emmy 2 Survivor: Thailand 3 8Simple Rules 4 Monday Night Football 5 Life With Bonnie 6 Push, Nevada (Tue.) 7 7th 8 9 10 Will F10 213.365.3500 OR 714.740.7878 ticketmaster.com TOWER MUSIC, TU THE WILSHIRE THEATRE BOX OFFICE (DAILY 10AM-6PM THRU OCT.6) WWW.NEDERLANDER.COM GROUP 310.657.7377 LATimes I AT 8 FEATURING: The B.E.P.’s Dollar and their 1918 Postage Stamp Error. Plus LOBEX II (Stamp Section) and the Teddy stamp.

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Moreover, all of those networks have a vested interest in cable. So if not tuned to CBS, the parent company, Viacom, still wins if you watch Nickelodeon, MTV, TNN, BET or Show- time. From that perspective, the market share for the networks can be unexpected when most people receive 80-plus the aggregate reach of the few companies that own them, thanks to consolidation of ownership, remains largely undiminished. As for the perceived worth of the major networks, one need only see the way people react when deprived of Time Warner subscribers were a few years ago when the cable operator briefly dropped ABC in the midst of a contractual gauge the value people attach to favorite programs. not accustomed to thinking this way, but what would viewers pay if told that was the only way they could see this season premieres of West and Would they part with a few bucks a month if that was the only way to continue their weekly fix of Crime Scene and Loves Maybe even ante up for to see Jennifer Garner look pensive? This meant to take anything away from HBO, which, in baseball parlance, has a batting average that would put it in the hall of fame.

also fair to say this has relatively little to do with language and nudity, or pork of premium television, as in other pay be up to its eyeballs in glittering paperweights too. Still, the major networks play a very different game, operating under a business model that requires them to churn out a higher volume of original programming and amass the widest audience, viewing awards and critical adulation as a bonus, not an end in itself. By contrast, marketing strategy involves creating a drumbeat any sentient creature would be hard-pressed to siren song that says those not anteing up for the channel risk being mocked and ridiculed if they draw a blank expression when Your or Feet are referenced at catered parties and pricey piano bars. In that respect, HBO has brilliantly tapped into the snobbery that exists television, positioning itself between feature films (the ones that aspire to win Oscars, not mollify teenage boys) and medium elitists normally admit to watching only when the surf is about to wash away their beach house or a raging brush fire threatens to consume their hillside retreat. The slogan, not TV.

reinforces this image. You can almost hear the refrain above the clinking wine glasses: Oh, heavens no, I watch TV. I do love Perhaps foremost, being a subscription service affords HBO the luxury of being able to patch to- gether a programming quilt to satisfy customers, rather than aspire to be all things to all (demographically desirable) people, as the broadcast networks do. Under this formula, fine if mostly women watch and the teens view a Britney Spears concert, men catch the De La Hoya-Vargas fight, lonely men stay up late for String and pretty much all of them watch just as long as they keep dutifully subscribing. In that context, actually remarkable that one broadcast network, NBC, continues to pace the HBO juggernaut, tying for the most awards at this Emmys.

Although the networks bluster and moan about encroachment in this arena, they ignore our award-obsessed culture, as the allure of seeing stars communicate without a script causes new made- for-TV events to keep springing up like weeds. All missing, in fact, is an annual telecast honoring the best in award shows. Some proposed categories: Most irreverent: MTV Video Music. Most popular: Oscars. Best dressed: Tonys.

Least dressed: (tie) Grammys and Latin Grammys. Most Neurotic Presenting Body: Screen Actors Guild. So HBO is right when the channel asserts that not TV in the conventional sense. What TV- watchers-come-lately overlook is that if your point of reference is the world baby boomers grew up in, when three networks towered above all, then TV really TV anymore, either. Brian column appears Wednesdays.

He can be reached at brian.lowry@latimes.com. Lowry: HBO in a Changed TV World Continued from F1 Tips for Today 9a.m.-noon—Morning Becomes Eclectic Panel discussion of second-annual List of (10-11 a.m.); Sitarist Ravi Shankar and his daughter, Anoushka Shankar, perform live, in-studio (11:15 a.m.- noon), KCRW-FM (89.9). p.m.—The Treatment Journalist Toby Young, author of to Lose Friends and Alienate KCRW-FM (89.9). p.m., a.m.—X-Minus 1 An American and a Russian honeymoon on the moon (originally broadcast Dec. 25, 1956), KNX (1070).

10-11 p.m.—Arts in Review Storytellers Lance Anderson, Marty MacGibbon and Beverly Mickens, KPFK-FM (90.7). Drama-Comedy-Family 6-9 a.m.—Don Crabtree KDIS (710). p.m., a.m.—Have Gun, Will Travel Paladin (John Dehner) is hired to find money stolen in a bank heist, KNX (1070). Classical p.m.—Masterpiece of the Day Haydn (84th Symphony, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment), KMZT-FM (105.1). Orchestra), KMZT-FM (105.1).

Sports 5-8 p.m.—Baseball Angels at Texas Rangers, KLAC (570), XPRS (1090). 7-10 p.m.—Baseball Colorado Rockies at Dodgers, KXTA (1150), KWKW (1330). RADIO Morning 9:00 a.m. KCBS Martha Stewart 88670 KTLA Maury (TVPG) 13380 KABC KEYT KESQ Live With Regis and Kelly 15748 KCAL Judge Mathis (TVPG) KTTV I Love Lucy KCOP Ricki Lake 84816 6 KWHY Dragon Ball KCET Clifford the Big Red Dog KTBN Dr. Cherry KFTR Amanda KOCE Instructional TV KDOC Life in the Word KLCS Reading: Basic to Success 62212 Magnum, P.I.

(TVPG) BET BET Start BRVO Hill Street Blues CMAX (R) 1hr58 170090 CNBC Power Lunch 988699 CNN CNN Live DSC Assignment Discovery (TVG) DISN The Wiggles (TVY) True Hollywood Story 941496 ESPN Baseball Tonight ESPN2 NBA Inside Stuff 2348692 FAM the Boss? (TVG) FNC Fox News Live FX MASH (TVPG) HGTV Appraisal Fair HIST U.S. Marshals (TVPG) IFC IFC Short Film Collection (9:15) LIFE Golden Girls (TVPG-D) MSNBC Curtis Kuby 3735800 MTV Making the Video (TVPG) NICK Bob the Builder 739632 SCI-FI Outer Limits (TVPG) TBS Matlock (TVPG) TCM 1hr39 2390767 TLC A Baby Story (TVPG) TNN Kids Say the Darndest Things TNT Charmed (TVPG-LSV) USA of 2hr 556496 9:30 a.m. KTTV I Love Lucy 6 KWHY Los de al Lado KCET Barney Friends 21800 KTBN Lifestyle Magazine 469361 AMC African 1hr55 76625767 (9:40) DISN Rolie Polie Olie (TVY) ESPN2 Streetball FAM Living the Life FSN2 Southern California Sports FX MASH (TVPG) HBO (PG) 2hr07 32638125 (9:45) HGTV Appraise It! LIFE Golden Girls (TVPG-D) MTV Wannabes NICK Franklin 474293 SHOW Ghost: The Secret of (PG) 1hr32 619670 TLC A Baby Story (TVPG) TNN Kids Say the Darndest Things 10:00 a.m. KCBS The Price Is Right (TVG) KNBC John Walsh 31699 KTLA Jerry Springer 55293 KABC KESQ The View (TV14) 40361 KCAL Wayne Brady 50075 KTTV Good Day Live 97293 KCOP Montel Williams 37922 6 KWHY De Buen Humor KCET Caillou (TVY) 57854 KMEX Marta Susana KTBN Behind the Scenes KFTR La Soberana KVEA Pobre Pablo KDOC Rockford Files (TVPG-V) KLCS Eddie Files Murder, She Wrote (TVG) BET Videolink BRVO St. Elsewhere COM The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (TVPG) 8956748 DSC Surprise by Design (TVG) DISN Stanley (TVY) True Hollywood Story 561274 ESPN NFL 2Night 371767 ESPN2 RPM 2Night FAM The 700 Club FNC Fox News Live FSN2 Best Damn Sports Show FX MASH (TVPG) HGTV A Place to Call Home HIST Lost Found (TVG) LIFE Golden Girls (TVPG-D) MTV Music Videos (TVPG) NICK Clues 911309 SCI-FI Dark Shadows 2382748 SUND 1hr20 422813 TBS Hunter (TV14-V) TLC A Wedding Story (TVG) TNN Kids Say the Darndest Things TNT ER (TVMA) VH1 VH1 Mega Hits (TVPG) 10:30 a.m.

KCET Between the Lions 88651 KTBN Paula White KLCS Destination Tomorrow COM Win Ben Money DISN Otter (TVY) ESPN Diamondbacks at Cardinals. 622748 ESPN2 NFL 2Night 4640516 FX MASH (TVPG) HGTV Designing for the Sexes HIST The Wrath of God (TVG) LIFE Mad About You (TVPG-D) NICK Oswald SCI-FI Dark Shadows 1664125 TLC A Wedding Story (TVG) TMC (PG- 13) 1hr29 263496 TNN Kids Say the Darndest Things 11:00 a.m. KCBS The Young and the Restless (TV14-D) 26767 KNBC News KTLA Jenny Jones 42729 KABC News KCAL Crossing Over 31090 KTTV Divorce Court (TVPG) KCOP Cosby (TVG) 6 KWHY La Corte Familiar KCET Teletubbies (TVY) 39212 KMEX Mujer Casos de la Vida Real KTBN James Robison KFTR La Oreja KVEA Usted KDOC Perry Mason (TVPG-V) KLCS Shakespeare Shorts Murder, She Wrote (TVG) BET 106 Park: Top 10 Live BRVO Moonlighting CMAX (R) 1hr49 499038 CNN Live From COM Whose Line Is It Anyway? CSPN House of Representatives DSC Berman Berman: For Women Only (TVMA) 588835 DISN Out of the Box (TVY) True Hollywood Story 581038 ESPN2 USGA U.S. Mid- Amateur Championship, Semifinals. 3183449 FAM Step by Step FNC Fox News Live FSN EX TV FX The Practice (TV14) HGTV The Carol Duvall Show HIST In Search Of (TVG) IFC With the Filmmaker: Portraits by Albert Maysles (11:15) LIFE Mad About You (TVPG) MSNBC Buchanan Press 6407467 NICK Dora the Explorer 586477 SCI-FI Forever Knight (TVPG) SHOW (PG) 1hr46 842106 TBS of No (R) 2hr 837274 TCM 2hr05 5751212 TLC A Personal Story (TVPG) TNN Company (TVPG) TNT ER (TV14) USA 2hr 835816 VH1 100 Sexiest Artists (TVPG) 11:30 a.m.

KABC KEYT Port Charles (TV14-LV) 10583 KCAL Crossing Over 49019 KTTV Judge Hatchett (TVPG) KCOP Cosby (TVG) 8 KVCR Quilting Friends KCET Jay Jay the Jet Plane (TVY) 30941 KMIR Pyramid KTBN Benny Hinn KVEA Noticiero KLCS It Figures; Math Works (11:45) AMC Farewell to 2hr40 69768187 (11:35) COM Whose Line Is It Anyway? DSC Perfect Partner (TV14) DISN The Book of Pooh (TVY) FAM The Wonder Years FSN EX TV HGTV Simply Quilts HIST Haunted History (TVG) IFC Akira Kurosawa: The Last Emperor 7652019 (11:45) LIFE Mad About You (TVPG) NICK Dora the Explorer 587106 SUND 1hr18 434941 TLC A Personal Story (TVPG) TNN Company (TVPG) Afternoon Noon KCBS News KNBC The Other Half 64800 KTLA Maury 13570 KABC KEYT All My Children (TVPG) 13598 KCAL News KTTV Divorce Court (TVPG) KCOP A Different World 2 KSCI Mandarin Drama 6 KWHY les 2hr 19670 KCET Sesame Street 17651 KMEX Soledad KTBN The 700 Club KFTR El del KVEA Maritere KDOC Ironside (TVPG-V) KLCS Madison Heights The View (TV14) BRVO Antiques Roadshow CNBC Closing Bell CNN TalkBack Live 354908 COM Saturday Night Live (TVPG) DSC Home Matters (TVG) DISN Stanley (TVY) Celebrity Profile (TVPG) FAM Funniest Home Videos FNC Fox News Live FSN This Is the PGA Tour FSN2 Rockies at Dodgers. 202854 FX The Mean Season 3810545 HBO (PG) 1hr33 710632 HGTV Decorating With Style HIST Mysteries (TVG) LIFE Unsolved Mysteries (TVPG) MTV True Life NICK Little Bill 759496 SCI-FI The Twilight Zone (TVPG) TLC A Makeover Story (TVG) TMC to the (PG) 1hr52 498729 TNN Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors (TVPG) TNT Law Order (TV14) VH1 Storytellers (TVPG) 12:30 p.m. KCBS The Bold and the Beautiful (TV14-D) 63125 KTTV Judge Hatchett (TVPG) KCOP Jamie Foxx (TVPG-DL) KOCE Right on the Money KLCS Story of Read-Alee-Deed- Alee; Phonics in Context (12:45) DISN Rolie Polie Olie (TVY) FAM Funniest Home Videos HGTV Kitty Bartholomew: Home IFC in (PG) 1hr38 43078632 (12:45) NICK Clues 485309 SCI-FI The Twilight Zone (TVPG) TLC A Makeover Story (TVG) 1:00 p.m. KCBS As the World Turns (TV14-D) 51380 KNBC KMIR Days of Our Lives (TV14) 53748 KTLA Beyond With James Van Praagh 46545 KABC KEYT KESQ One Life to Live (TVPG) 88458 KCAL The Court KTTV Texas Justice (TVPG) KCOP The Steve Harvey Show (TVPG) KCET Mister Rogers 79564 KPXN Bonanza (TVPG) KTBN John Hagee KOCE Simply Painting KVEA Cotorreando Mauricio Zeilic Graciela 88125 KDOC Streets of San Francisco KLCS Reading Rainbow 88187 The Real Story (TVPG) BET World BRVO Arts Minds CMAX From (PG-13) 1hr40 4085583 CNBC Closing Bell CNN Inside Politics 721036 COM Late Night With Conan 7955903 DSC Surprise by Design (TVG) DISN Bear in the Big Blue House New York Fashion Week 585854 ESPN2 Vintage NBA 5606729 FAM to (G) 2hr 176274 FNC Your World With Neil Cavuto FSN MuscleSport USA HGTV Decorating Cents HIST Modern Marvels (TVG) LIFE 2hr 189748 MSNBC Lester Holt Live MTV Beat Seekers (TVPG) NICK Maggie and the Ferocious Beast 633019 SCI-FI Sliders (TVPG) SHOW (PG) 1hr41 8640835 SUND 1hr29 2426309 TBS Full House (TVG) TCM 1hr56 2394583 TLC A Dating Story (TVG) TNN American Gladiators (TVPG) TNT NYPD Blue (TV14) USA Nash Bridges (TVPG) VH1 Storytellers (TVPG) 1:30 p.m. KTLA Beyond With James Van Praagh 97106 KTTV Texas Justice (TVPG) KCOP The Steve Harvey Show 2 KSCI Tea Time KCET Zoboomafoo 38877 KTBN Rod Parsley KOCE This Old House KLCS Between the Lions 24903 BRVO (R) 2hr30 665125 DISN Winnie the Pooh (TVY) Coming Attractions (TVPG) ESPN Major League Baseball: Inside the Moments HBO REAL Sports (TVPG) HGTV from garden NICK Bob the Builder 477380 TBS The Drew Carey Show (TVPG) TLC A Dating Story (TVG) 2:00 p.m.

KCBS Guiding Light (TV14-D) 83564 KNBC KMIR Passions (TV14) 78632 KTLA Full House (TVG) KABC KEYT KESQ General Hospital (TVPG-L) 27922 KCAL News KTTV Rob Nelson 67564 KCOP The Hughleys (TVPG-L) 6 KWHY Todo Puede Pasar Los Orange County KCBS (CBS) 02 KNBC (NBC) 04 KTLA (WB) 05 KABC (ABC) 07 KCAL (Ind.) 09 KTTV (Fox) 11 KCOP (UPN) 13 2 KSCI (Ind.) 18 6 KWHY (Ind.) 22 KCET (PBS) 28 KPXN (PAX) 30 KMEX (Uni.) 14 KTBN (Ind.) 40 KFTR (Futr.) 26 KOCE (PBS) 50 KVEA (Tele.) 23 KDOC (Ind.) 56 KJLA (Ind.) 25 KLCS (Edu.) 17 Palm Springs KMIR (NBC) 04 KESQ 7, 25 Santa Barbara KEYT (ABC) 07 San Bernardino 8 KVCR (PBS) 24 39 AMC 35 BET 57 BRVO 54 CNBC 31 COM 79 CSPN 29 CMAX 45 CNN 42 DSC 37 DISN 53 63 ESPN 34 ESPN2 84 FAM 47 FNC 91 FSN 27 FSN2 59 FX 89 HBO 33 HIST 30 HGTV 80 IFC 21 LIFE 46 MSNBC 90 MTV 48 NICK 38 SCI-FI 87 SHOW 41 SUND 36 TBS 43 TCM 88 TLC 51 TMC 58 TNN 49 TNT 52 USA 44 VH1 62 Cable Services 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. Movie Ratings A CLASSIC FIRST RATE FLAWED: HAS MOMENTS DESPERATION TIME TV RATINGS (TVY)All Children (TVY7)Directed to Older Children (TVY7-FV)Directed to Older Children; (TVG)General Audience (TVPG)Parental Guidance (TV14)Parents Strongly Cautioned (TVMA)Mature Audiences Only (D)Suggestive Dialogue (L)Coarse Language (S)Sex (V)Violence CHANNELS Continued on next page.