TNT shuffles hoops, pix
Cabler to cluster movies on weekend, b'ball midweek
"There's no better reminder to viewers than a promo that says, 'Tune in tomorrow night,' " said exec VP and G.M. Steve Koonin. Until now, TNT couldn't use the tune-in-tomorrow line with the NBA broadcasts because right through the 1999-2000 season it scheduled the games on Tuesday and Friday nights.
Starting in November, the basketball games will run on TNT Wednesday and Thursday, following the once-a-week Tuesday game on TNT sister network TBS, which will heavily promote the TNT cablecasts. Last season, TBS scheduled its NBA game on Monday. The movies that TBS now airs on Tuesday will shift to Monday when the NBA season kicks off.
The changes, Koonin says, will allow TNT to schedule a three-night block of pics from Friday through Sunday every week.
Friday will usher in the broadcast-premiere theatricals, which could score in the Nielsens, Koonin said, because none of the broadcast networks runs movies on Friday. Titles include "U.S. Marshals," "The Wedding Singer" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer."
TNT will continue to play high-visibility older theatricals on Saturday ("Top Gun," "Moonstruck," "Michael") and a mix of theatricals and original movies on Sunday.
WCW wrestling stays on Monday, and on Tuesday a movie will run in the 8-10 slot, leading in to the firstrun drama hour "Bull," about young Wall Street professionals (show premieres Aug. 15).
In January 2001, a second hourlong series will join the Tuesday lineup, "Breaking News," revolving around the staff of a 24-hour news channel.
Reruns of "The Pretender" kick off every weeknight at 7 beginning Sept. 5, bumping "ER" reruns back to 6. On the same date, "Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal" replaces "Dark Justice" weeknights at 5 p.m., and "Pensacola: Wings of Gold" succeeds "L.A. Heat" at 4 p.m.
