Watching Gulf War News Becomes Simple as ABC

TV or not TV . . .

NIGHT AND DAY: At dinnertime, bedtime and breakfast, ABC News has a lock on network viewers seeking the latest on the Gulf War.

Viewing patterns show that ABC’s “World News Tonight” with Peter Jennings, “Nightline” with Ted Koppel and “Good Morning America” with Charles Gibson and Joan Lunden are outdrawing the competition.

But the war has brought heavier viewing to all late-night and morning news shows in a classic example of how major events affect tune-in: Basically, audiences want to know what happened from the time they went to sleep until they woke up.

“Nightline” invariably beats all opposition during times of national crisis, and it did it again in the ratings for the weeks of Jan. 14-18 and Jan. 21-25.

And while CBS’ “America Tonight,” with Charles Kuralt and Lesley Stahl, was third, it, too, showed a sharp upswing.

In the breakfast-time competition for the week ending Jan. 25, even CBS’ last-place “This Morning” series, with Paula Zahn and Harry Smith, showed a 32% audience gain over the same period last year.

“Good Morning America” went up 19% over the same week last year, and NBC’s “Today” show registered a 5% increase as it finished second.

“World News Tonight” and “Good Morning America” have simply pummeled CBS and NBC in the ratings for more than a year now.

OVERTIME: PBS’ “The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour” has added a Saturday edition because of the war, with Judy Woodruff as anchor and Roger Mudd as contributing correspondent. It is anybody’s guess how long it will stay on, but some PBS insiders would like it to be for the duration of the conflict. Better yet, how about permanently?

WIPEOUT: Glenn Close’s Sunday CBS special, “Sarah, Plain and Tall”--about a woman who answers a widowed farmer’s ad for a wife--was a smash hit in overnight ratings for 25 major markets, earning 36% of the audience. It walloped NBC’s “In Broad Daylight,” about a town bully, and ABC’s “Son of the Morning Star,” a film about Gen. George Custer.

IN THE WORKS: Interesting double feature on KCET Channel 28 on Feb. 16: “State of Siege,” Costa-Gavras’ film indictment of U.S. foreign policy, and “Forbidden Games,” Rene Clement’s anti-war masterpiece. Hmmm.

VIEWPOINT: The Japanese newscast that KSCI Channel 18 broadcasts each weekday from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m.--via satellite from Fuji TV--is adding English subtitles starting this week to give audiences here that nation’s “perspective on the (Gulf) War.”

THE END IS NEAR: News item: “Geraldo Rivera’s television talk show will be dubbed in Russian and aired daily in the Soviet Union” starting March 1. After that, how about a month of taping in Siberia?

MIXED BAG: KCOP Channel 13’s live coverage of Friday’s crash at Los Angeles International Airport was notable. In fact, CNN picked it up. But surely, KCOP could have pulled “Airplane!” instead of running it the night after the crash. Caught the last part of the film, and it’s the first time I never laughed at a single line.

PICTURE PERFECT: Steve Rambo’s visual illustration of water rationing on KCBS Channel 2 was really excellent television.

WIRED: So how’s your cable company? Mine, Century Cable, just dispatched an eye-popping notice on increased “non-recurring charges.” For example, it’s now $50 for “each additional outlet connection if performed after initial connection.” This business of exclusive, non-competitive franchise areas for cable companies has got to be halted.

INSIDE MOVES: Somebody at CBS has a sense of humor. On Feb. 18, the TV newsmagazine staff in Candice Bergen’s “Murphy Brown” faces cutbacks when a big corporation buys the fictional network and tries to slash costs. What is this--a documentary? Or is it whistling in the dark?

DATE BOOK: The ill-fated marriage of Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh is the subject of a two-part miniseries, “Darling of the Gods,” that begins on the Arts & Entertainment channel Feb. 21. Anthony Higgins (“Reilly--Ace of Spies”) plays Olivier, and Mel Martin portrays Leigh.

HIT AND MISS: Did we really say that the Miss Universe Pageant was on CBS Feb. 22? It’s the Miss USA Pageant, of course. How could we possibly mix up these events?

SUICIDE SLOT: That new Farrah Fawcett-Ryan O’Neal sitcom, “Good Sports,” is going to die if CBS keeps it in the time period following “The Flash.” It actually did pretty well when inserted into CBS’ Monday night “Murphy Brown” lineup-- but, then, almost everything does.

POINT MAN: Tom Murphy, chairman of Capital Cities/ABC, will get the National Assn. of Broadcasters’ Distinguished Service Award, and for some very good reasons. He not only built Cap Cities, but then bought ABC to create a magnum force in broadcasting.

COMER: You’ve really got to catch sportscaster Hannah Storm on CNN. Major scene-stealer; her co-anchor might as well be invisible. But she’s good, real good, with tremendous energy. Imagine a straightforward Carol Burnett doing sports, and you’ve got it.

WORKING IT OUT: Sportscaster Scott St. James, whom KCAL Channel 9 foolishly axed, reports that he’s doing a movie, a credit card commercial, segments for radio stations KRLA and KIIS-FM “and I’m almost caught up with my rent.”

COMING ATTRACTION: If you’re a Raymond Chandler fan--and who isn’t?--then make a note that KCET is running a 90-minute documentary tribute to the great Los Angeles writer Feb. 17. It’s called, simply, “Chandler.”

BEING THERE: War, said Miss Kitty in “Gunsmoke,” is “like falling down a hill. You can’t stop and you can’t change direction, and you’re bound to get hurt.”

Say good night, Gracie ...