Argus-Leader from Sioux Falls, South Dakota • Page 37

Litefeatures NBC is slipping lower than third place; Atari zaps Peacock network rw The bie ioke in network tplpvi 1 11 these days is that NBC, the third-place network, soon may slip to fourth place behind CBS, ABC and Atari. Indeed, although the Peacock Network has improved the quality of its nighttime programming considerably this season, NBC still ranks dead last in the viewer derby. But Grant Tinker, the network's board chairman, and Brandon Tartikoff, his program chief, thus far are refraining from launching an overhaul of the NBC prime-time schedule. There are two reasons for their patience: (1) it costs a ton of money to kill programs hat still have four to six episodes remaining in the can, and NBC no longer has eash to burn; and (2) Tinker is hoping that NBC's comparatively decent program lineup eventually will start appealing to the mass audience. "Rhoda," "WKRP in Cincinnati" and "The White Shadow," among others.