NETWORK TV: Fox Plays Its King Early

Summer shifts, new shows aimed at keeping viewers interested
Could this summer actually become a ratings battleground for the Big Four? NBC wants viewers to tune in to repeats of episodes they may have missed (Mediaweek, June 1), while Fox plans to ramp up its original programming and reschedule its veterans in preparation for the fall season. ABC is rolling out a few new shows, while CBS is staying mum on its plans, declining to return phone calls last week for comment on its summer scheduling.
The most interesting summer move so far is Fox's July 28 shift of veteran King of the Hill from 8:30 p.m. Sunday to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Media buyers wonder how the animated King will perform in its new Tuesday slot this fall against NBC's Mad About You and ABC's Home Improvement. During the recently completed season, King averaged a 9.8/15 in its Sunday 8:30 time slot, while Home Improvement averaged a 12/18 and Mad averaged 9.7/16 on Tuesdays. While all three shows will be airing repeats this summer, a sense of what could happen in the fall might be gleaned.
Fox Entertainment Group president Peter Roth downplayed the significance of the shift. He said the goal is to begin to establish awareness of the show's move and develop an audience pattern on Tuesdays. Roth hopes that running back-to-back episodes of King from 8-9 p.m. during the summer can cement audience awareness.
In a similar vein, Fox also will move Getting Personal from Monday to Friday nights beginning July 31. Fox will air original episodes of GP for three weeks at 8 p.m., followed by repeat episodes at 8:30 until the series' season premiere at 8:30 p.m. this fall. "What we're doing is not all that profound," Roth said.
What is profound to Roth is that the network will increase its first-run programming from 40 percent last summer to 42 percent of this summer's prime-time lineup. Last summer's original programming helped the network grow its 18-49 demo ratings over the previous summer by 11 percent, he said. "We are continuing a strategy we started last summer that we would not be one of the networks who goes fishing for the summer," Roth said.
Fox on July 16 will introduce its first news magazine since 1993; it's also the first mag produced by sibling Fox News Channel. The show, Fox Files, hosted by Fox News' Catherine Crier and Jon Scott, will air at 9 p.m. for nine Thursdays through Sept. 10. Roth said if the show is successful, it may be brought back sometime during the coming season to fill in any possible gaps.
Another new show, the reality-based, one-hour series Guinness World Records: Primetime, will begin airing July 28. And Fox will also begin running a second movie night on Wednesdays from 8-10 p.m. Both the network's Tuesday and Wednesday night movies will include some premiere showings. Melrose Place will return to its Monday 8 p.m. timeslot on July 27 and continue into the new season with all new episodes.
ABC will also roll out some new series this summer. Maximum Bob, a quirky drama centered around a flamboyant Florida judge (played by Beau Bridges), produced by Barry Sonnenfeld, will premiere in late July or early August. Sonnenfeld is also producing Fantasy Island, which is part of ABC's fall schedule. Who's Life Is It Anyway?, based on the British comedy hit, will also air this summer. Ryan Stiles of ABC's The Drew Carey Show stars. And a July special, World Fashion Premiere From Paris, will mark the first time that international designers have let their fall collections be shown in their entirety on television.