Sweeping Up the Sweeps

Cheers and kudos for the series of articles on the hilarity of the Dreaded Sweeps Cycle on local television (“The Sweeps”)!!!

However, as a perpetual student of the mass media, I’m a wee bit confused as to how many times per year we should head for the hills to avoid the titillating fare which local TV offers during sweeps weeks.

Dennis McDougal (“It’s Wonderful, It’s Disgusting, It’s the Sweeps,” Jan. 31) informs us that we will find shows such as “Nude Beach Accountants” and “Bikini Barbers” on local TV four times per year.

On the other hand, Howard Rosenberg warns us that we will be bombarded with “Celebrity Combat-Ready Swimsuit Shows” and other such meaningful topics only three times per year (“How About Sweeping This Under the Rug?” Feb. 1).

Sorry, but I think that I’ll believe Rosenberg . . . his prognosis sounds a bit easier on the stomach.

D. PAUL ZITO

Los Angeles

There are four sweeps periods per year , but during the summer period--when viewership is down and mostly reruns are on--no special programming is done.