EXIT LINES

Anything but surprised at the proliferation of “tabloid TV” shows, irreverent TV journalist Linda Ellerbee told conventioneers Friday at the Western Cable Show in Anaheim that “I’ve never been to a traffic accident or a murder that didn’t draw a crowd. But I think there’s an appetite for far more than Geraldo Rivera in our business.” And why has Ellerbee turned down several offers to host her own talk show? “There’s a word for the talk show, and it is radio. When the talking stops, what’s left is a picture, and there is a word for that--television.”