CBS Takes 18-49s on Thursday Night
Los Angeles— CBS did something last Thursday night that the networks used to think was impossible: beat NBC for the night in adults 18-49. Although Friends
still won its time period in the demo with a 9.5 rating/26 share, the 90-minute premiere of Survivor: The Amazon
combined with a 90-minute episode of TV's top show, CSI, to give CBS the victory. The final score: CBS 9.8/25, NBC 9.5/24. ABC came in third with two hours of its new Are You Hot?
at 8-10 p.m. ET and Prime Time Thursday
at 10 p.m. Fox was fourth with a repeat of Joe Millionaire
at 8 p.m. and The Pulse
at 9 p.m. CBS also won the night in viewers, with 25.14 million vs. NBC's 19.83 million. In overall sweeps, CBS is in fourth place in adults 18-49, and last night's win won't make a difference to NBC. But it does bring down NBC's overall 18-49 numbers, while Fox's are climbing and ABC is doing its best to steal the demo with reality programming and multiple broadcasts of its Michael Jackson interview. On Monday night, NBC and ABC go head-to-head, with ABC's two-hour Jackson repeat vs. NBC's special two-hour Dateline
on Jackson's face. NBC expanded the special when it learned that ABC planned to repeat its show against Dateline. Both shows are likely to get a drubbing from Fox's finale of Joe Millionaire.
Fisher Stays Put
Seattle— Fisher Communications last week rejected two bids for the company and said, after a four month strategic review, that it will remain independent. Reuters reported that bids from LIN TV Corp. and Sonoran Capital were valued at between $430 million and $470 million. The company wanted roughly $520 million.
Anchor Named Pa.'s Homeland Chief
Harrisburg, Pa.— WBRE-TV Scranton-Wilkes-Barre, Pa., news anchor Keith Martin was selected by Gov. Ed Rendell as the state's new homeland security director. The governor cited Martin's ability to communicate and his military service as key qualifications for the job. Martin is a retired National Guard Brigadier General. Rendell said he believes Martin would effectively inform Pennsylvanians and raise their level of preparedness without scaring them.
