Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.ads From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: ads Mon, Mar 30 1992 Date: Mon, 30 Mar 92 05:43:33 EST Message-ID: 03-30 0000 DECISIONLINE: Advertising USA TODAY Update March 30, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network CBS TO TRY LATE-NIGHT NEWS: "60 Minutes" is CBS' most-watched program. "Up to the Minute" may end up being CBS' least-watched show. "Up" is CBS' new live overnight news program. Premiering Monday at 2 a.m. EST:PST, it will never be a big audience getter. But that's fine with CBS. "What this gives us is a 24-hour news operation," says CBS News President Eric Ober. (For more, see special News package below.) HEALTH WARNING TO BE CONSIDERED: A Senate Commerce subcommittee will hold hearings Thursday about legislation that would require health warnings to be broadcast with alcohol ads on television and radio. National groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving want strongly-worded voiceovers to be included in all TV ads. Breweries, wineries and distillers, along with broadcasters and ad agencies, are against the move. VOICEOVERS WOULD BE REQUIRED: If proposed health warning legislation passes, TV ads plugging beer, for example, would require a voiceover saying: "Drinking during pregnancy may cause mental retardation and other birth defects. Avoid alcohol during pregnancy." Annual advertising runs $751.5 million for beer and wine and $290.8 million for distilled spirits, says Janet Flynn from the Distilled Spirits Council. NIGHT TALK SHOW TO DEBUT: "NightTalk With Jane Whitney" debuts Monday night (broadcast time varies). The syndicated show from Warner Bros. is trying to have more substance than other late-night talk shows, with less celebrity chat. It is geared to working men and women. Topics include "Being Single in the Age of AIDS," and "The New Rules of Sex at the Office." Whitney is a former reporter for NBC. ABC PLAYS MUSICAL CHAIRS: The spring run of ABC's "Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" ends April 8, to be replaced by "Room for Two," the Linda Lavin sitcom that did well in its premiere Tuesday. "Two" moves to Wednesdays at 9 EST:PST on April 15, followed by "Sibs" at 9:30, the Marsha Mason:Alex Rocco sitcom that's been taking a rest. "Coach" returns to its 9:30 p.m. EST:PST Tuesday slot on April 21. `GOOD MORNING' STAYS ON TOP: ABC's "Good Morning America " last week won the ratings race for the 115th time out of 116 weeks, beating NBC's "Today" and "CBS This Morning." "GMA" got a 4.4 rating:19 share, ahead of "Today's" 4:18 and "Morning's" 2.8:12. `SIMPSONS' TOP `COSBY': Even as "The Cosby Show" plans to end its run, the Fox Network is still attracting viewers away from the show. Fox notes that Thursday's "Simpsons" (14.8 rating:24 share) beat "Cosby's" 13.6:22. (A rating point equals 921,000 TV households; a share is the percentage of TV sets in use). POLITICAL ADS NOT ACCEPTED: KOBI-TV in Edford, Ore., says it won't accept political ads from state and local candidates taking part in the May 19 primary. Political advertisements take time away from regular advertisers who are having hard economic times, a station executive said. PLAN TO RUN ADS CRITICIZED: The President of the Washington, D.C. Police Officials Association has criticized a plan by its rival union, The Fraternal Order of Police, to place ads urging tourists to stay away from the city. The assoication says the move would further tarnish the image of the district. Due to the district's budget problems, the FOP recently lost an attempt to bargain a pay hike for its members. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON NEWS: `NIGHTWATCH' DIDN'T WORK OUT: CBS' "Up to the Minute" replaces "Nightwatch," which started the network overnight news trend 10 years ago. For the past six years, it was a taped interview program, "a format that was not drawing a lot of viewers," CBS News President Eric Ober says. "Up" will air live reports, stories from affiliates and from other CBS programs. VIEWERSHIP WILL BE LOW: "Up" will have to fight for viewers. NBC and ABC already have overnight news shows. ABC's "World News Now" has aired since January and "NBC Nightside" has been available since November. Since its premiere, "Now" has averaged a 0.7 rating and a 9 share; Nightside a 0.7:7 share. "Nightwatch" has been averaging a 0.4:5 (a ratings point equals 921,000 TV homes.) PRODUCER TO EXPERIMENT: Small numbers aside, "Up" executive producer Tom Bradford plans to experiment. CBS News consultant and Russian expert Stephen Cohen will do stories for "Up" from Moscow next month. "Are they the type of things he'd do on another CBS broadcast? Probably not," Bradford says. (End of package.) CORRECTION: The production company for the CBS TV pilot "Cutters," about a barber shop and a beauty shop, was misidentified in Thursday's Decisionline. It is a Grant:Tribune project. Advertising Editor: Ed Kelleher. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM