Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 13, 1995 TAG: 9509130008
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CODY LOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Those are among the changes Roanoke-Lynchburg television stations are making to non-network programs they are airing for the new fall season.
Local stations have little control over the programming they receive from their networks between 8 and 11 p.m., but they have a lot of discretion about the rest of the day. As the new network programming season begins, so does the syndication season - including some new shows as well as re-runs of network shows.
WDBJ (Channel 7) got the two highest-rated network programs to move into syndicated re-runs this year - "Seinfeld" and "Home Improvement."
The station wanted to run both programs in the so-called "prime-time access" hour of 7 until 8 p.m., but contractual obligations to run "Wheel of Fortune" in that time period precluded that, said Programming Director Mike Bell.
So the station ended up splitting the popular "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!" game shows to move "Seinfeld" in at 7:30.
"Jeopardy!" moves to 4:30 p.m., following "Home Improvement" at 4.
Next season, the "Wheel"/``Jeopardy!" combination will move to WSET (Channel 13) and WDBJ will air "Seinfeld" and "Home Improvement" back-to-back, Bell said.
The station hopes the new programs will help draw a somewhat younger audience, Bell said.
Other stations also are hoping new programs will draw new viewers.
At WJPR/WFXR (Channel 21/27), "America's Funniest Home Videos" will air at 5:30 p.m., challenging the enduringly popular "Andy Griffith Show" re-runs on Channel 7.
"Andy" is the top-rated show in its time slot, even beating out "Oprah," the nation's highest-rated talk show, which airs from 5 until 6 on Channel 13.
Fox 21/27 General Manager Stan Marinoff believes "America's Funniest Home Videos" will be "good family programming" to counter "Andy."
WSLS (Channel 10) also is trying something new against "Andy" with "Hard Copy," one of the so-called "tabloid TV" news programs. It will air between "First News at 5" and "Channel 10 News at 6."
The station is adding more news emphasis with another new program - ``Day and Date'' - which will be a combination of information and entertainment, according to WSLS programming chief Eric Newman.
"Day and Date" will lead in to "First News at 5."
Channel 10 this year announced it was dropping the popular but sometimes controversial "Ricki Lake" talk show, which was picked up by Channel 13. Channel 10 is adding a relatively new talk show, "Danny," starring former ``Partridge Family'' kid Danny Bonaduce. This television extension of what began as a radio talk show will start off with a 25th anniversary reunion of the "Partridge Family" cast members.
The rest of its first week sounds to be a bit more titillating with shows titled "Teens and Sex," "Beauty vs. Bootie," "Beefcake and Cheesecake" and "Cross-dressers and the Women Who Love Them."
Channel 21/27 dumped "Montel Williams" at 1 p.m. to add "Gorden Elliott," another relatively new show that has shown some strength nationally.
Other changes by station include:
WDBJ (Channel 7) hooked two of the biggest TV comedies to go into syndication with "Seinfeld" and "Home Improvement," but those are not the only new additions to the non-network lineup.
"Star Trek Voyager" - the latest entry in that sci-fi series - enters its second season this week. To keep the series, WDBJ had to become a "secondary affiliate" of the new Paramount network, which owns "Voyager."
That means Channel 7 will now be airing other Paramount shows, primarily on Sundays, including "Space Strikers," "Technoman" and "Nowhere Man."
The late-night weekend line-up also will change to include episodes of "The Outer Limits," produced last season by the Showtime cable network. The station also will show some original TV movies produced by the Turner cable networks.
"This is a sort of reversal of the process of cable expansion," when the cable outlets survived by showing re-runs of network shows, Bell said. "Only about 4 or 5 percent of people nationwide buy the premium cable services," he said, "so this is almost like first-run material for us."
The station with the most new offerings and time changes for continuing shows is WJPR/WFXR, Fox 21/27.
New animated shows for children will be added to the early morning and late afternoon lineups, including "X-Men" and "The Adventures of Batman and Robin."
The stations also have added several new programs and rearranged others between 10 p.m. and 5:30 a.m.
The reality-based "COPS" show, which last year aired on WSLS (Channel 10), will run at 10 p.m., followed by "America's Most Wanted" at 10:30.
Relatively few changes are in the offing at WSET (Channel 13).
The biggest may involve the pairing of the "Ricki Lake" and "Oprah Winfrey" talk shows in the afternoon, leading into the local news.
With Lake's addition at 4 p.m., Sally Jessy Raphael's ``Sally'' has been moved to 9 a.m. and "Donahue" to 10 a.m. at Channel 13.
Channel 13 has added another talker - former "Cosby Show" co-star "Tempestt" Bledsoe - to its late-night line-up. The station will continue to air "Home Shopping Spree" from 2:05 until 6 a.m. weeknights.
WSLS (Channel 10) also is making several changes to its daytime schedule.
After the early afternoon soap operas the station is adding "Baywatch" syndication each weekday.
WSLS also is adding a new late-night talk show, "Stephanie Miller," which will be broadcast at 12:35 a.m., forcing Conan O'Brien's show to begin at 1:35 a.m.
The station is also changing its Sunday morning line-up. "We feel the viewership is looking for something a little different from the usual Sunday fare of religion and infomercials," Newman said.
What viewers will get is a "sand and surf" block, including "Baywatch Five," "Flipper" and "One West."
The "Sunday Today" news program will be dropped, and "Meet the Press" will be delayed until noon. "Meet the Press" will not air during the professional football season, Newman said.
by CNB