The Commercial Appeal from Memphis, Tennessee • 13

MEMPHIS SATURDAY JANUARY 28 1995 THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL A13 SATURDAY MORNING JAN 28 8:30 0:00 0:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 12:30 7:00 7:30 8:00 WHBQ awaits Fox takeover LAS VEGAS Since the Fox network announced its intent last summer to buy and run ABC affiliate WHBQ-TV Channel 13 the people at Channel 13 and WPTY-TV Channel 24 -the current Fox affiliate have been waiting to hear when the deal will be done still waiting and will wait for at least six more months Tim Lynch Channel 13 general manager has been telling syndicated program suppliers meeting here that from WHBQ: Limboland He know when Fox is going to take over the station and until he does he know how much programming need Fox programs considerably fewer hours during the week than does ABC A Fox affiliate needs to buy more syndicated programming shows such as Oprah Hard Copy or Wheel of Fortune than an ABC affiliate does since ABC has more of its own shows to put on the air The flip side is that Fox stations can program much more local news than traditional network affiliates Some stations that switched to Fox last year program up to eight hours of news a day More news programming means more local commercials the station can sell The people who know going on are being tight-lipped even about whether Fox truly intends to buy WHBQ or just get the affiliation while letting the station stay in other hands ComCorp of Tennessee a subsidiary of a Louisiana company bought the station last year As soon as the sale to ComCorp was final Fox announced its plan to buy WHBQ the last specific anyone has heard would just say there are a Lynch wheels deals for said the FCC action is one reason happened in Memphis so far If and when the switch oc-j curs the most logical place for ABC to turn for an affiliate is WPTY-TV Channel 24 CBS! recently signed a long-term af- filiation agreement with WREG-TV Channel 3 and NBC did the same with WMC-TV Channel 5 WPTY controls the programming on WLMT-TV Channel 30 which just affiliated with the new United Paramount Network The only other fiill power station in the market is WFBI-TV Channel 50 which just went on the air with home shopping agreement with WHBQ provides that both the station and the network give each other six notice before switching affiliations So the earliest the switch could come is this summer just waiting to see: what shakes said Bryce Rathbone vice president and director of station relations for ABC we know happening we will be in Memphis going to make the strongest affiliation we can as perplexed about all of this as anyone For his part Jack Peck gen eral manager of WPTY said! be happy to become an ABC affiliate If he does seriously considering starting a news operation which would' make WPTY the fourth station in the city broadcasting news can tell you it will be from other local news casts he said Television reporter Tom Walter is in Las Vegas attending a meeting of the National: Association of Television Pro gramming Executives 1 1 TV lineup air if a show bought in 1 enough cities covering a large enough percentage of the TV households it disap- pears even before it begins Then there are the shows that are working and the duction companies that want to capitalize on their success WHBQ for instance picked up The Ricki Lake Show last' year just as it became a major hit killed Donahue" in theu November ratings book Lynchs said about the demographic performance So-Columbia which produces' Ricki Lake is offering a comf panion talk show Tempestt-Bledsoe Lynch was anticipate ing interesting conversations? with Columbia about those twcr shows and tell Paramount what he would do until he talked with Columbia -t Lynch suggested he would look favorably on The Maury Povich Show if Paramount made the tabloid show Hart Copy available One Channel 3 alreadyh has renewed the show for the 1995-96 season Lynch left the Paramount' booth with the promise re-! turn talk to you tomorrow-about Sightings he said Maury 1 replied SELLINGS VSi DIAMONDS! lemplis Best Diamond Sourcs STOR'JEWELERSM 1 876 FVrklni Rd Ext 63-2000 -JiF DIGGER NURSERIES Self Service WHOLESALE NURSERY GROWER OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AZALEAS MONKEY GRASS $000 graon or voriagalad 1 go Mm FERNS HOLLIES BEDDING PLANTS TREES JUNIPERS WILDFLOWERS PERENNIALS HERBS HANGING BASKETS FRUITS SHRUBS Hbu Should See This Place! HOURS: Open Monday-Soturday 9-5 Sunday 10-5 11134 Highway 64 17-1511 TOM WALTER Television Radio lot of factors that will decide what the final play on this is going to be and that confident that everything is going to come out smoothly but I tell you what that is right said Ken Solomon executive vice president of network distribution comment on ownership But there will oe a switch? Will WHBQ indeed become a Fox affiliate down the road? Will the prime time programming now seen on Channel 13 such as 2020 and Roseanne move to another channel? "We think Solomon said One of the reasons for delay is that Fox has been busy Since last summer 68 TV stations in 34 cities have switched affiliations The whole switcheroo began when Fox invested $500 million in the New World television stations seven of which switched to Fox from other networks primarily CBS Any further activity also seems to have been put on hold because of a complaint NBC has filed with the Federal Com-munications Commission against Fox concerning an affiliation switch in Green Bay Wis Things may be delayed until the FCC decides that challenge which could cause trauma for Fox if the go its way Solomon or show that currently airs at 11 pm Saturdays on WLMT-TV Channel 30 Paramount would like an earlier time period for it so advertising would sell for a higher rate For this show Paramount sells six minutes of national advertising and the station would be able to sell seven minutes Sightings?" Lynch asked a show about the paranormal: ghosts angels UFOs and the like Its slogan is imagination lies the Firalio pushed Sightings almost mechanically After all WLMT just gave it a slightly better tune period moving it from 1:30 am Mondays Her real interest was in selling Lynch The Maury Povich Show a talk show that was on WHBQ a couple of years ago but which currently doesn't have a Memphis home have no problem with it In fact I have a great time period for he said referring to a spot on his morning schedule But this is where things get tricky at the National Association of Television Programming Executives' convention A slew of production companies Eitch shows at stations that ave limited time periods available Stations may commit to a show that never gets on the SHOWS nam fi-gm 295287 10:30 amBET Our Voices 998542 11 am CSPAN National Association Winter meeting Welfare I includes Sea Nancy Kasaabaum Sen Daniel Bill Goodlina Clay Shaw (R-Fla) (Live) 1:45 pm CSPAN National Association Winter meeting National Resources Committee Includes Ssn John Chafe (R-RI) Rep Don Young (R-Alaska) Carol Browner of the EPA (live) 01 639 4:30 pm CSPAN Pubke Pokey Conference (2:30) 812232 6 pm CNN Armada 970233 7 pm CSPAN Booknotaa Steven Waudma (1:00) 324691 8 pm CSPAN America On-Una Chat Room author Steven Wald man 340639 i CSPAN British Pomes 320875 (1:00) BET Our Voicaa (Repeat) 9:30 10 pm CSPAN Booknotaa Steven Waldman (Repeat) (1:00) 323962 Insider Helen Michael Keaton 606148 Polklca (Ro pm CSPAN Pubke Pokey Con (3:00) 157523 2:30 ajn CSPAN Pubke Pokey 634176 SalKSwyhad one parson In ttw world JawM ChrM would ham The nay bo mw but a not bocouoo of ttw onor- mauavakaotSiaipanaa but ewimwiaomi worth orawOraoool God Loan man about Sw Graoa of Oort Ma Sunday LEAWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH 3638 Macon Road at Homer Dr Thomas Vinson Sun Bible Study 8:40 AM Sun worship Services 11AMC6PM Wed Worship Service 630 PM Radio AM WCRV 640 11 AM Sun Cable Channel 20 4 PM Wed Prayer Tower Phone 323-PRAY end talk show list are for owners of VCRplu a remotest Development Corp The code numbers Included with the listings In control device that simctities VCR programming PluscodesQ 1991 LAS VEGAS Tim Lynch general manager of WHBQ-TV Channel 13 came to Las Vegas to pick a bone with Paramount The syndication arm had canceled The Price Is Right (the new version not the one hosted by Bob Barker) with four notice Lynch had to scramble to replace the show which aired in the key 6:30 pm time period week- has 'moved Married With Children into the spot for now That show played at 6:30 pm a couple of years ago and did fairly well But that mean Lynch was happy with Paramount giving him only a notice And he intended to let Liz Firalio sales rep for Memphis know it "Would you rather have a show not Firalio asked him Firalio and Lynch went back and forth for a while on that and other matters I give you a little guff say being too nice Lynch told her His objections out of the way the two sat down to deal on other matters Lynch needs a show this fall to replace the canceled Star Search which has aired at 6 pm Saturdays Firalio suggested Sightings a TALK TODAY 7 am CD Today Gadgets tor Super Bowt party fitness await Edward Ja- HI iwllWI8il SCSneS Of fiffEnWOi I pTSVISl preview of Mian Rhapsody 81393 7 am CSPAN Rosa Kennedy Funeral Eulogy by Sen Edward I Hollywood Inaldar Helen Hunt (Mad About You) Michael Keeton (Speechless) (Repeal) 683886 11 am BET Taan Summit 107577 11:30 am CNN Evans a Novak 31 1022 12:30 pm CSPAN National Association Winter meeting With Gov Howard Dean (D-VL) ana Gov Tomm Thompson (R-Wte) (Live) (1:30) 2 pm CSPAN Public Pokey Confer-anca (3:00) 919751 6 pm (SI Tony Journal From 1894 Dr William Gibson NAACP chairmen of the board diacusses hi role In the Ben Chavi controversy 3428 8 pm CSPAN Public Pokey Conference 6 pm CSPAN America and the Courts (2:00) 198044 8 pm CNN Larry King Weekend 874747 8 pm CSPAN Speech by Ross Perot From Kansas State University (1:30) 377409 9 pm El Howard Stem (Repeat) 315409 9:30 pm El Howard Stem (Repeal) 395770 9:30 pm CSPAN Pubke Pokey Con- i (3:00) 851393 11:30 pm PTL This Generation 16577 12:30 am CSPAN Pubke Pokey Con- (3:00) 644542 2 am BET Teen Summk 149423 3 am CNN Larry King Weekend (Repeat) 654981 SUNDAY 6:25 am CSPAN State of Me Union Address President Clinton's State of the Union address to a Joint session of Congress (Taped) 6:30 am CNNEmm A Novak (Repeat) 205691 7 am (D Today A preview of the Super Bowl preparations a woman fighting for her cnikfa inheritance rights the sport of fox hunting 97184 8 am CD Sunday Momfno The future of the Corporation tor Public Broadcasting the art museum of Albany Texas 50tn anniversary of the Bam of the Butwrg musician Olga Bloom 8 am CSPAN Sunday Journal (Live) 9-JO am CSPAN Sunday Journal (Re- to hold for the one for the books TUNE IN i29th bowl or By Kirk Nicewonger United Feature Syndicate NEW YORK No matter vho emerges victorious from Super Bowl XXIX (live 5 pm Sunday ABC WHBQ-TV Channel 13) history is sure to made The AFC champion San Diego Chargers have already achieved one Super Bowl first: rhis is their debut appearance in the big game And if they win they will have scored the greatest upset in Super Bowl iistory oddsmakers have made them the biggest under-tog ever The San Fran-isco 49ers on the other hand lave the chance to be the first to get for the the only team to have won five Super Bowl championship rings Monday Night Football announcing team of Dan Dierdorf Frank Gifford and A1 Michaels calls the action from Joe Robbie Stadium wife Katbie Lee Gifford sings the national anthem The Disney-produced halftime show is called Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye you may consider Yourself warned Super Bowl XXIX and the series preview of Extreme immediately following will take up the entirety of prime time a sci-fi comedy about a boy who finds an extraterrestrial in his morning cereal No really Heaven Earth Oliver 1993 story about a Vietnamese woman who marries an American soldier makes its ay-cable premiere (7 pm I Jeff Fahey returns as the title character in Sketch Artist (7 pm Showtime) a sequel to the 1992 original This time the police artist helps hunt down a serial killer terrorizing a blind woman (Courteney Cox) and her husband (Jonathan Silverman) NBC concludes its two- Lhampionships (8 pm WM TV Channel 5) taped Dec 10 in Landover Md artistic programs feature Kristi Yamagucni Scott Hamilton and other rinkmeisters HIGHLIGHTS: Cinemax airs five films star- gemaut pi by The Remains of the Day (4:30 pm) and Shadow-lands (7 pm) Desperate Hours (9:15 pm) and Bram Dracula (11 pm) NBC devotes its pnme time to a four-hour rebroadcast of the 1993 miniseries Diana: Her True Story (6 pm Channel 5) on the life and travails of Squidgy Princess of Wales Think of Extreme (9:15 pm Sunday time approximate after football Channel 13) as being Baywatch at 10000 feet Instead of lifeguards saving idiotic surfers you have a mountain rescue squad saving idiotic paraskiers instead of attractive young people in Lycra swimsuits you have attractive young people in Lycra ski suits instead of cardboard plots and plastic characters you have oh never mind James Brolin stars as Reese Wheeler the gruff but fatherly leader or the team which also includes troubled Kyle (Cameron Bancroft) emotional-crisis-prone Sarah (Brooke Langton) egomaniacal Lance (Justin Lazard) lively Andie (Julie Bowen) and Vietnam-vet chopper pilot Farley (Tom Wright) Hanging around are obnoxious teens Bones (Micah Dyer) and Skeeter (Danny Masterson) who would be out-scored on the SATs by Beavis and Butt-head all pretty formulaic but the Utah scenery is spectacular and the rescues can be exciting After preview ABC plans to add the series to its schedule at some unspecified date HIGHLIGHTS: Ben Savage (Boy Meets World) and Sinbad star in Aliens for Breakfast (7 pm Channel 13) aaal Gannantawn aod yaw wW tun an I antfcwy44GtaatanHwy Mtar YOU WIU Hf US.