Centre Daily Times from State College, Pennsylvania • 32

8D CENTRE DAILY TIMES Thursday May 20 1993 TELEVISION Forces working to break up viewing nale But Thursday's cable distractions (and attractions) include pro baseball basketball and hockey King and the movie to describe only the tip of the iceberg The same forces expanding geometrically every day are like death to longevity in network television The life span of TV shows unlike that of people is shrinking with the advance of technology As network profit margins decline so does the patience of network executives desperate for hits Networks cant afford to carry a low-rated quality series for a couple of seasons until it finds an audience as NBC did with in the early '80s As the networks operate more pragmatically the loyalty of viewers wanes in much the same way baseball fans are becoming alienated from the high-stakes game being played by owners and players Next fall the sitcoms with most seniority will be With Children" and (six seasons each) Can you imagine either one lasting an additional five Reasons matching run? I don't think so Nor would I put a nickel on two greats Brown" and (five seasons each) We'll be lucky to have another two or three seasons much less six Anyway here's one for our friends and one for the road By GREG DAWSON Orlando Sentinel One reason not to miss the final episode of is that we'll never pass this way again I mean the show itself Yes they're already making room in the sitcom pantheon for Cheers but there will always be another great comedy around the corner There always has been from generation to generation Dick Van Dyke to generation in the to generation Local plans for last call 1 A But as proceeds into TV immortality (and profitable syndication) along a ticker-tape route of deserved tributes and fond farewells little is being said about the melancholy milestone its departure represents not just shutting down a TV bar tonight closing the door on a ritual of television's first 40 years not only saying goodbye to the Cheers we're witnessing the final breakup of the last great extended family of viewers Write it down: May 20 1993 was the last time Americans gathered in such huge and eclectic numbers to bid communal farewell to a TV show Call it the last long goodbye of network television The reason is simple: No show ever again will be on the air long finale 9 tonight TCI Channel 6 enough Cheers lasted 11 seasons to charm and insinuate itself into our into collective lives The cause is simple too: cable In smashing the network monopoly cable TV has splintered the audience the national viewing that once gathered together before one TV but now scatters to separate rooms and sets The only thing we know for sure about the Nielsen rating for the finale is that it won't top the all-time number for the final episode of Why? Because in February 1983 when folded its tents only 40 percent of TV households were wired for cable Surely most of the 602 rating achieved that night could be traced to the phenomenal popularity of the series But just as surely a chunk of that audience was there for lack of a better alternative Today about 62 percent of TV homes are wired for cable with the average home receiving more than 30 cable channels To say nothing of the millions of VCRs waiting for rental videos Given the relatively uncrowded TV universe of 1983 Thursday's would be even money to match or exceed the fi PRESSURE TREATED LUMBER! Sale Ends May 2nd CD Sheathing 1 Plywood Agency Certified Exterior Grade No Rakidiscka 3-Pfy Wo ifi KIDS TV 8:00 am Watt Dtanay Praeants The Tattooad Police Horae A Thoroughbred that continuously btsaka stride before reaching the fkiish line la sold to a police captain (R) :00 am Norwards Mr Wizard's World mBootonice 6:30 am (E Storytlme (D Join In! 7:00 a jn Sesame Street After Lamar Tyrone and Duane dean up the street they do a np on Utter Mat Gibeon plays Hamlet on Tdonsteipieca Theatre" Andy Garda (R) OWLTTVJR) ft 0 (QZoobtteeZoo 7:30 ejn CD Mister Rogers (R) ft Adventures In Wonderland Wa All Have Talas A email boy discovered Ins ids a peach grows up to become a miity warrior (R) rt QQ He the Happy Profeesor :00 am Frlands "Carnival of a Numbers" Became Street Mel Gtwon to a gueat on Telly's show The Wide Wide World at the Wofld" the Count and Countess remMace about their youth (R) vnflrfA Rock QD Hunchback of Notre Dame Quasimodo Notre Dame's hunchbacked bell ringer comes to ths rescus of a woman who has been wrongly accused ol a crime (R) (D Magic Boa :30 am SMtstar Rogers (R) Bozo ft Welcome to Pooh Comer Kitty Cats 9:00 am Reading Rainbow Two boys buM a plane In "Bored -Nothing to Dof Laval's flight lesson (R) Under the UmbraUa Trsa Castle mBookmlc 9:30 am Barney 6 Friends "Hop to IIP ft Circus (T) Join In! 10:00 am Cl Lamb Chop's Ptay-Along Charlie Horse sends Hush Puppy on a treasure hunt tor gold in the back ywd(R) A (D Zoobllse Zoo 10:30 am Cl Shining Time Station A nanor that a movie is coming to 8hlnlng Time sets off dreams of stardom A Jump Ratlls and Ron Q) trio the Happy Professor 11:00 am Cl Square Ona Television (R) A QD Sharon Lola Elephant Show (T) Magic Box 11:30 am CD KRty Cats 12:00 NOON (S Sesame Street Attar Lamar Tyrone and Duane dean up the street they do a rap on inter Mat Gibeon plays Hsmlet on "Monsterpiecs Theatre" Andy Garcia (R) Walt Disney Presents Prolessor Ludwig von Draks discusses Ns patient Donald Duck (R) Fred Place 12:30 pm Barney Frlende "Carnival of Numbers" (R) Lighthouse Island InhaMants lake a young gfefs advloe and buMd a DgNhousa (R) 1:00 pm Sesame Street Big Bird and his friends demonstrate what a play is Maria speaks loudly and softly to Bill Cariy Simon sings (R) Cl Mister Rogers (R) A 1:30 pm QD World of David the Gnome 2:00 pm Shirring Time Station 8chemar triaa lo lake over the station attar Stacy tosaa her memory Lamb Chop'a Play-Along Charlie Horse sands Hush Puppy on a treasure hunt for gold in the back yard (R) A 2:30 pm Lamb PlayJUong Lamb Chop has to prove that sha will stick with the training to be a famous ballerina G3 Shining Time Station A rumor that a movie la coming to Shining Time sals ofl dreams of dardom A 3:00 pm Mister Rogers (R) Barney Friend to RT (R) A Prague Rock Lktte 3:30 pm Reeding Rainbow Two boy buM a plane In Nothing to Do! Invar's flight lesaon (R) CD Baeamo Street Alter Lamar Tyrone and Duane dean up Or street they do a rap on Utter Mel Glbaon plays Hamlet on jMonsterpiece Theatre" Andy Gwda (R) Adventures In Wonderland The Queen gats a robot to replace the While Rabbi while he it on vacation (R) 4:00 pm CB SunaNn Factory 4:30 pm Square Ona TsiavMon (R) 8:00 pm ES Sunshine Factory Kids Incorporated Tha kids by moviemaking (R) 5:30 pm GB Sunshine Factory Mickey Mouse Club A (:00 pm E3 Family Theatre Dlnoeaucar 7:30 pm Pontoffel Pock An animaled story by Dr Sauss about Pont oft ei Pock and the magic piano lhal takes him anywhara at tha touch of a key (B) 'ij Nielsen TV ratings Prkne-ftns percentage of households using television' 15 sf A -v 1 5 yv in 7 flfVt I 7 14 2128 4 It 18 25 2 918 March Tap rated shows -c -s' Cheers NBC 203 Home Improvement ABC 201 Seinfeld NBC187? Roseanno Lf-vABC'ISJ Home Improvement ABC 184 -i 60 Minutes CBS 174 'I TommyKnockers 2 ABC 174 Murder Sha Wrote CBS 174 Coach ABC 154 Primetimetivo ABC 144 SOURCE: AP KnlgN-Ridder Trtouna RATINGS VS SHARE: The Nielsen rating is a percentage of the estimated 874 million homes with televisions The share is a percentage of the audience tuned in during a particular time period New shows planned I OSB or WAFERBOARPH Agency Certified Exterior Glue 1 71 I $95 Southern Yellow Pine Select Grade 3 6" Delivery Available this year and look for a Barney movie by the end of 1994 The Lyons Group is talking to TV people abroad about adapting the current shows for use in English-speaking countries and coproducing und etc around the world 7 Days Vegetable Impatiens 1 Hanging Rd (Between Dallas Morning News The critics may grumble the Purple Reign forges on A Barney update: Taping began March 29 for 18 new episodes of that will hit the airwaves in September In October Barney and his side-kick Baby Bop will be joined by a third dinosaur character whose name gender and other particulars remain hush-hush but that's a top-secret says spokeswoman Beth Ryan protect our dinosaurs very A Barney network special is in the works Barney is about to sign a recording contract: 10 more Barney books should be in stores Bedding Plants Petunias Begonias etc (6pk) a flat tax Baskets Planting Supplies Available FARM 4 (Ridge Road) Tyrone Tyrone Warriors Mark) 814-632-6986 9 am-9 pm 13 State Rt 150 Mill Hall 717-726-3191 or 1-800-326-9451 Store Hours Mon Tues Thurs Fri 8 am-9 pm Wed Sat 8 am-5 pm enningeris.