
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, October 8, 1993                   TAG: 9310150380
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: RICHARD HUFF NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

FOX EXECS GETTING NERVOUS OVER CHASE'S LOW RATINGS

Chevy Chase may get a chance to return to his movie career sooner than expected. Hollywood trade paper Variety this week reported that Fox executives are in a panic over the ratings decline experienced by ``The Chevy Chase Show'' and are scrambling for a way to stop the drop before affiliates begin to drop ``Chase.''

Ratings for the show are well below the network's expectations for the show, and affiliates around the country are seeing their ratings and profits in the time period evaporate, many of them having given up lucrative off-network reruns to air ``Chase.'' With the weak ratings depressing ad rates, they're now feeling it in their pocketbooks.

According to Variety, executives at Fox have started discussing ``quick fixes,'' ``guest host ideas'' and, perhaps, sending host Chase on a permanent vacation. E! Entertainment personality Greg Kinnear has been mentioned as a replacement, and there's talk that Fox is trying to get Richard Lewis (``Daddy Dearest'') and Sinbad (``Sinbad'') to take week-long stints behind the desk. The trade paper also reported that Chase has reportedly been heard referrring to his executive producer Steve Binder as ``Blunder.''

Fox denies plans are in the works to dump Chase. Nonetheless, one of the pitfalls of low ratings and bad word of mouth is trouble getting top-name guests, which only accentuates the negative.

A schedule released by Fox of upcoming guests is heavy on Fox TV stars such as Queen Latifah (``Living Single'') and Gabrielle Carteris (``Beverly Hills, 90210'') and offbeat guests unlikely to draw new viewers.

CBS has put an end to its prime-time soap ``Angel Falls,'' staring Chelsea Field and James Brolin. The show, which has been airing Thursdays at 10 p.m. following ``Eye to Eye with Connie Chung,'' never attracted much of a following. As for how the network will now fill the time slot (after the next few weeks of baseball playoffs and World Series games), sources indicate that it's likely do so with the cult hit (and Emmy winner) ``Picket Fences,'' which now airs on Fridays at 10 p.m. ``Angel Falls'' had a six-episode order for the fall, and that ran out with last Thursday's telecast.

ABC's ``Loving,'' which has long struggled in the ratings game, is getting a new executive producer. Jo Ann Emmerich, who was a daytime programing executive at the network from 1976-91, and most recently executive producer for Lancit Media Productions (``Reading Rainbow''), will replace Haidee Granger, who has produced the decade-old series since May 1992. The move is effective Nov. 1.

The rosters at ABC's and NBC's news divisions got a little fatter Monday. NBC announced that political strategist Ed Rollins has joined the network as part of ``Today's'' political insiders team. He replaces Roger Ailes, who recently became president of NBC's cable channel, CNBC.

Meanwhile, ABC finally made it official: Meredith Vieira has been named chief correspondent of ``Turning Point,'' the network's latest prime-time news show (slated to launch in early 1994).

by CNB