Daily News from New York, New York • 486

al spodo st ted beinsq murninim ant of Er zulg ai abc NBC LOX purveyors of programs in television history. As head of Warner Bros. TV, he guided the studio to a dominant position in the industry, selling shows to all four networks. During his stint at Warner the studio created such programs as "ER" and "Friends." The son of a Long Island gas station owner, Moonves, 47, spent the early '70s working as a bartender and studying acting in New York. He moved to Hollywood in 1977 and landed roles in such shows as "Cannon" and "The Six Million Dollar Man." Feeling that his acting career wasn't moving forward, Moonves took a development job at 20th Century Fox Television.

He left in 1984 to work for Lorimar. In 1989, he was made president of the company, which through later mergers became Warner Bros. TV. Moonves is married, with three children. No.

1 lineup sank to third, leading most in the industry to write off Littlefield as a goner. But it has been Littlefield with some help from NBC West Coast President Don Ohlmeyer who has driven NBC back to the top. Littlefield, 45, is a native of Montclair, N.J. He spent time working as a truck driver for a concrete firm before entering the television business at Westfall Productions. Following a stint at Warner Littlefield joined NBC in 1979.

He was named executive vice president of primetime programing in 1987. He's married, with two children. TARSES ROTH LITTLEFIELD MOONVES Maximum exposure re Daily News Staff Writer They're the killers and life givers of television. As presidents of their respective entertainment divisions, they have the ultimate power over the scheduling and canceling of your favorite shows. "It's a brutal job," said Dick Wolf, a prolific producer Order," "New York who has worked with 17 entertainment presidents during his tenure in the business.

"It's much more difficult than most people have any conception of." While they're ultimately responsible for all entertainment programing, they're also charged with dealing with affiliates, producers, studio heads and, of course, upper management at their networks. There are four such jobs at the major networks, and they are held by Jamie Tarses at ABC, Leslie Moonves at CBS, Warren Littlefield at NBC and Peter Roth at Fox. "This is a situation where you've got very, very bright Wolf said. "They're all very competitive; they all want to win. They're all survivors.

You just don't get that job without having a variety of skills." The four people holding those spots do have a broad range of experience, including acting (Moonves), truck driving (Littlefield) and growSMEN ing (Tarses). up in the business In general, Wolf said, "they ATIVO have creativity." a real appreciation of Yet they're not paid to be creative in terms of coming up with shows, although they are 1997 paid well: Each makes more than $1 million a year. In8 stead, they shepherd ideas and pick those that will work. After that, it's left to the allSunday, fu 022 judge lamer important if they've Nielsen been ratings srit success- to Who are these people deciding what we'll watch next season? Here are brief portraits of each: JAMIE TARSES ABC At 33, she's the youngest person holding the job, and the only woman. She's the daughter of comedy writer Jay Tarses Days and Nights of Molly After earning a degree in theater from Williams College, Tarses landed a job as a casting director for Lorimar Productions.

Soon after, her father mentioned her to then-NBC Entertainment head Brandon Tartikoff, who hired her for the network's programing department. She quickly rose through the ranks at NBC, becoming vice president of comedy development for the network in 1992. Under Tarses, NBC launched such sitcoms as "Friends," "Caroline in the City," "Mad About You" and "Frasier." She was named president of the ABC Entertainment unit in 1996. When she took over ABC, the 1996-97 schedule was in place and the die had been cast. for ABC's third-place season.

Tarses, who is divorced, has been romantically linked with Robert Morton, a former "Late Show With David Letterman" executive producer who will have a sitcom on the ABC schedule this fall. LESLIE MOONVES CBS Before being named president of CBS' entertainment unit in July 1995, Moonves was one a of the most successfultomo atst numinin) star amino pnibna dinom tong sit yd bet Kids hop to solve frogicide THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES The frogs are DOA in Christine Karlberg's class. Her students' task is to find out why they croaked. Karlberg tries to make frog dissection more interesting and educational for her students by placing the dead, preserved frogs in miniature "crime scenes" and assigning the seventh-graders to solve the whodunit. The approach has delighted students and offended animal-rights activists.

The frogs are posed in doll furniture and given toe tags. Stray hairs, fake blood, footprints, fingerprints and other evidence are left at the scene. The late D. Frog, for example, was found dead in a bathtub; a certain K.C. Amphibious had a stab wound inflicted by some pond scum.

At Hewes Middle School in Orange County last week, the student forensic sleuths were ribetted by the exercise. "It was laying on its back, and there were blood spatters on the wall," Robert Washington, 13, said of his frog. He said the frog had been done in by a teacher. "She took a pencil and she stabbed it in the throat," he said. What was the first clue? "We had pencil fibers and pencil No one at the school actually kills the frogs; the supplier delivers them in formaldehyde.

But Karlberg dreams up the crime scenarios, and she and other teachers often take the fall for the murders. About 800 students have taken part in the science exercise in three years, said Principal Margaret Sepulveda. She said the students are learning how to go through the steps of scientific problem-solving. "It's a way to help students understand the sci" entific process, she said. It has raised eyebrows at animal rights groups opposed to dissection.

"If you sort of make light of it. it almost ridicules the exercise all the more," said Jonathan Balcombe, associate director for education in animal research issues at the Humane Society of the U.S. in Washington. Robert's mother, Erin Washington, said her son has never been so interested in science. "He's had a blast," she said.

"This has been the only time he's talked about science. He came home today and said that he was pretty sure he had gotten an 'A' on the test." 10 of PETER ROTH FOX WARREN LITTLEFIELD NBC In less than a decade, Littlefield has gone from zero to hero. He inherited the top programing job in 1990, when programing whiz Brandon Tartikoff was elevated to a larger position at the network. Littlefield spent 11 years working under Tartikoff before being promoted. Soon after, however, the network's sit cnnub up Roth has held the programing mantle for the shortest period of the bunch, having taken the seat in September.

Although he's new to the gig, he has a wealth of television production experience. Before taking over at Fox, Roth was head of 20th Network Television, which produced such shows as "The X- Files," "Chicago Hope" and "Picket Fences." He joined 20th after a sixyear stint at Stephen J. Cannell Productions, where he oversaw the creation of "21 Jump Street," "Wiseguy" and "The A native of Larchmont, Westchester County, Roth, 45, launched his television career in 1976 at ABC. He's married and has two children. want that a in- DYSO "They're all very competitive, they all to win.

They're all survivors. You don't get job without having variety of skills." fit libel PRODUCER DICK WOLF.