The State from Columbia, South Carolina • 207

DOUG NYE Affiliates sticking with tried- syndicated programming Not too many years ago, September would signal not only the beginning of new programming for the networks the but local also syndicated lineups for new stations. More often than not, there would be numerous changes in the Monday-Friday of 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on all time period stations. Weekends would also bring major changes in those time slots given to network affiliates to fill on their own.

In recent years, the number of such changes has dwindled. Oh, there are still new shows and new faces each September, but not nearly as many as a decade ago. Take Columbia NBC affiliate WIS-10, for instance. As the 1995-96 season begins, the station has a minimum of programming Beginning Sept. 11, the station changes.

will air reruns of "Baywatch" Monday-Friat 3 p.m.. On that same day, WIS also day will premiere its new 5 p.m. newscast coanchored by Susan Aude Fisher and Dawn Mercer. The rest of the day's lineup remains much the same with "Maury Povich" pretty at 4 p.m., "Inside Edition" at 5:30 p.m., the news DOUG block at 6 p.m. NYE and "Entertainment Tonight" at TV 7:30 p.m.

Beginning Editor Sept. 18, reruns of "Baywatch" will replace the talk show of Sally Jessy Raphael weekday afternoons at 3 p.m. on Channel 10. "We never felt comfortable with Sally Jessy," said Diane Bagwell, director of marketing for WIS. "Some of the subject matter just wasn't us." Although some critics have dubbed "Baywatch" a show that puts a heavy emphasis on scantily-clad bodies, Bagwell said it was a show the whole family could watch.

She also rightly pointed out that it is a huge international hit. WIS will air first run episodes of "Baywatch" Saturday nights at 1 a.m. beginning Sept. 30. About the only other change in store for the station is the return of "The Cosby Show" reruns weekdays at 12:30 p.m.

Bagwell said one of the reasons there fewer changes these days in local staare tions' syndicated lineups is that you can no longer buy a series for a limited run of, say, two years. "Today, you have to make long-term commitments," Bagwell said. That's one of the reasons "Cosby" is back in the lineup. WIS purchased it a few seasons ago, stripped it Monday-Friday, then shelved it 3-SEPTEMBER 9, 1995 SEPTEMBER for a while. Tim and Jerry.

That "long-term" stuff is why you'll see reruns of "Home Improvement" and "Seinfeld" in the Columbia market for many years to come. Fox affiliate WACH-57 picked up the syndicated package of "'Home Improvement," which will continue with first run episodes on ABC. WACH is giving the Tim Allen show a big launch, airing it Monday-Friday at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. ABC affiliate WOLO-25 purchased the backlog of "Seinfeld" shows and plans to air them seven nights a week; at 12:05 a.m.

Monday-Friday, at 7 p.m. Saturdays and at 11 p.m. Sundays. By the way Rush Limbaugh fans, that means your hero's show won't air until 12:35 a.m. each weeknight.

WOLO lost the rights to the original "Baywatch" series because of the WIS deal, but will have the series' spinoff "Baywatch Nights" at 6 p.m. Sundays. Although the beach is still near by, the setting for this hew show will be a nightclub. "The Tempest Bledsoe Show," hosted by the girl who played Vanessa Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," comes to WOLO at 2:05 a.m. each weeknight.

WOLO and WACH also have "traded" talk shows. "Geraldo" moves over to Channel 57 at 11 a.m., while "Jenny Jones" moves over to Channel 25 at 9 a.m. Ready for more talk? Of the four local commercial stations, WACH has the most changes. The station also is adding two morning talk shows to the mix "Gabrielle" at 9 a.m. and "Danny Bonaduce" at 10 a.m.

"Gabrielle" is "Beverly Hills 90210" regular Gabrielle Carteris and Bonaduce will be remembered as the red-headed kid who was a regular on "The Partridge Family." WACH also will do some shifting in its daily schedule. "Step By Step" and "Family Matters" airs in the 5-6 p.m. slot. "Roseanne" moves to 6:30 and "'The Simpsons" to 7:30. "MASH" will air weeknights at 10 by "Final Justice" at 10:30.

followed "Northern Exposure" reruns will be shown at 1 a.m. each weeknight. Most of the changes mentioned above will take place Sept. 11. WACH has picked up the adventure series "Lands End" starring former "Hunter" star Fred Dryer.

Its debut is Sunday night, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m. "Hercules" premieres Sunday at 6 p.m. the following week. The biggest addition at CBS affiliate WLTX-19 is the acquisition of programming from the new United Paramount Network.

Last year, WLTX picked up the new series "Star Trek: Voyager" with no strings attached. This year, UPN told the station "if you want you're going to have take the rest of our programs." TV STATE Thus, on Saturday nights WLTX will have "Nowhere Man" at 11:35 p.m. and "Live Shot" at 12:35 a.m. Also from UPN on Sundays, WLTX will have "Deadly Games" at 1 p.m. and a movie at 2 p.m.

Still going and going. WLTX still holds the market rights to two of the most astonishing syndicated success stories "Sanford and Son" and "The Andy Griffith Show." Both have been running for years on the station and no matter how many times the episodes air, they always seem to attract an audience. "Sanford and Son" will continue at 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. And if you really wonder if anybody is watching, consider that when WLTX dropped "Sanford" at 11:35 and replaced it with "David Letterp.m.

man," the station's ratings went down in that time slot. That track record of "The Andy Griffith Show" is even more phenomenal. It concluded its eight-year run on CBS way back in 1968, but 27 years later is as popular as ever. WLTX has been airing the reruns for nearly 20 years and its consistently finishes in second place weeknights at 11 behind WIS's news. A few years ago, it actually tied WIS's news for first place in one particular ratings survey.

How confident is WLTX that Andy's popularity will continue? The station will begin airing it six nights this week, adding it to the Saturday night lineup at 11:05. If that's not enough, cable subscribers can also catch Andy reruns each day on superstations TBS and WGN. Are there any "evergreens" in the newer crop of syndicated fare that have the potential to be around as long as Andy and Sanford? Probably not. The "problem" with most of today's sitcoms is that their humor is too topical; too reflective of the times in which they were made. "All in the Family" is a perfect example of that.

After a few seasons on the rerun market, the Norman Lear show never showed staying power when it came to the ratings. Many of the jokes were funny in the 1970s, but seem outdated in the 1990s. But Andy Griffith's shows never attempted to make comments on the political climate of its era. In Mayberry, where Andy lives, the gentle humor and the sometimes crazy mix-ups are timeless. Tops in the Midlands.

The most-watched network prime time show in the 11-country Columbia market during the July sweeps, was "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" on NBC. Will Smith's show has been near or on the top in this area ever since it premiered six years go. 35.