Bombs away for syndie strips
Daytime yakkers dropped for Iraqi, Clinton bombshells
Most daytime yakkers dropped at least one day from their five-day average for the week due to news-related preemptions or delays in key major markets. Access strips including "Entertainment Tonight" and "Hollywood Squares" also were hard hit by the two-pronged breaking news attack.
But neither the prospect of another war in the Persian Gulf nor the specter of impeachment could stop the "Jerry Springer Show," which soldiered on with a five-day average of a 6.4 household rating to lead the yak pack for the week. "Springer" was also tops with women 18-49, in spite of a 4% decline from the previous week to a 4.4.
Studios USA's "Springer" is carried mostly by Fox, UPN and WB affils, which are less likely to preempt for breaking news than the Big Three network affils that carry tamer talkers "Oprah Winfrey," "Rosie O'Donnell" and others.
Winners with women
Based on a four-day average, King World's "Oprah Winfrey" was unchanged from the previous week at a 5.9 household av-erage, while its femme 18-49 demo upticked 6% to a 3.8. Paramount's "Montel Williams" was up 7% on a five-day household average to a 3.7 and was up 14% with femmes to a 2.4.
Warner Bros.' "Rosie O'Donnell" was flat from the previous week with a three-day household average of a 3.7; "Rosie" was also unchanged with femmes at a 2.5. Buena Vista TV's "Live With Regis & Kathie Lee" was up 6% on a four-day household average to a 3.6, while its femme demo dropped 6% to a 1.7.
Studios USA's "Sally Jessy Raphael" was unchanged from the previous week with a four-day 3.4 household average, but its femme demo jumped 15% to a 2.3. Columbia TriStar's "Ricki Lake" was also flat from week to week with a 3.2, five-day household average, but its demo headed south 8% to a 2.2.
Warner Bros.' "Jenny Jones" was flat in both households (2.8) and femmes (1.9) with a five-day average. Studios USA's "Maury" was down 3% on a four-day average to a 2.8 in households, and was down 12% with femmes to a 1.5.
Of the season's rookie strips, Twentieth TV's "Forgive or Forget" climbed 6% from the previous week with a five-day household average of a 1.7, as well as a 9% gain to a 1.2 with femmes 18-49.
Reruns rate for Rosie
King World's "The Roseanne Show," cleared widely on Big Three affils, dropped 11% on a three-day average to a 1.6 in households. "Roseanne's" femme demo slipped 9% to a 1.0 -- a full point below the 2.0 femme demo rating earned the same week by syndie reruns of the "Roseanne" ABC sitcom.
Col TriStar's "Donny & Marie" and Par's "Howie Mandel" both clocked in with four-day averages, and both were stuck at a 1.4, unchanged from the previous week. "Judge Judy" and the rest of the gavelers were either flat or down slightly from the previous week.
In the access arena, Paramount's "Entertainment Tonight" notched a 7% hike to a 5.8 household rating on a three-day average. "ET's" adults 18-49 demo climbed to a 2.7. Warner Bros.' "Extra" was flat at a 3.8 household number on a four-day average, while its adults 18-49 demo moved up 6% to a 1.7.
King World's "Hollywood Squares" eased 5% on a four-day average to a 3.8 household number as its adults 18-49 demo fell 12% to a 1.5. Off-net champs "Friends" and "Seinfeld" were also down slightly from week-to-week.
