Convention Opens, A.M. TV Zooms In

The network morning shows hit the ground running Monday on the first day of the Democratic National Convention--one of the few times of day we can be sure that ABC, CBS and NBC will be covering the gathering in a significant way.

In fact, of course--barring major news breaks--the planned coverage by the Big Three is pretty limited, with truncated prime-time reports plus “Today,” “Good Morning America” and “CBS This Morning” probably providing the most extended attention to the Bill Clinton-Al Gore festivities in New York.

By the time the morning series were over at 9 a.m., however, we were quickly reminded by the networks’ local stations that this is a cable-TV story all the way unless ABC, CBS and NBC are forced to stick with it.

While CNN and C-SPAN continued their coverage, KCBS-TV Channel 2 switched to its new talk show, “Cristina”; KNBC-TV Channel 4 went to “Donahue” and KABC-TV Channel 7 turned to the fluffy Regis Philbin-Kathie Lee Gifford series.

The difference in cable and network attention to the story was quickly apparent shortly after 9 a.m. when CNN presented a lively Clinton Q&A; session at an outdoor location on New York’s Lower East Side.

Early network coverage had a nice sense of immediacy that probably was helped by the fact that the convention is being held at Madison Square Garden, not far from the headquarters of the Big Three.

As expected, such politicians as Gore, Texas Gov. Ann Richards--the convention chairwoman--and gadfly Jerry Brown were all over all of the network morning shows, where the sharpest questioning seemed to be done by CBS’ Paula Zahn and NBC’s Bryant Gumbel.

Gore, for instance, was pressed on his stand regarding federal funding for abortion. He was a bit elusive at times, but said, “There should be no doubt in anybody’s mind which is the pro-choice ticket.”

As for the sharpest answers, they easily belonged to the radiant, irrepressible, outspoken and good-humored Richards, who is a devastatingly effective TV weapon for the Democrats.

There was a clip of her exquisitely humorous and memorable moment at the 1988 convention, when she delivered the famous lines: “Poor George (Bush). He can’t help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth.”

The morning programs displayed a magazine cover showing Richards with a motorcycle. “The truth is, I’m going to learn to drive it,” she said. She also confessed that while the face on the magazine was hers, the body wasn’t: “I haven’t had thighs like that in 15 years.”

Brown, meanwhile, remained the relentless maverick. Despite kind words for Clinton, he decried the cost of the convention and told a “Good Morning America” interviewer: “There’s another world out here other than the one you’re showing on television.”

HOUSE RULES: C-SPAN’s live, viewer phone-in calls now make up about 900 of the 6,000-plus hours of first-run programming on the political channel each year. And if you call during the Democratic convention--or anytime--here’s the way it works, says C-SPAN:

“Calls are not screened for content. Callers are asked only if their question is on the same topic as the day’s program, if they are observing the network’s 30-day policy to assure that the widest variety of opinion can get on the air, and the city from which they are calling.”

CANDIDATE: Ross Perot said on TV that “ideas are worthless unless you implement and execute them.” Sounds like a born network programmer.

DREAM ON: Can’t help thinking of the TV pizazz there would be in a Democratic ticket of Mario Cuomo and Ann Richards--or Ann Richards and Mario Cuomo. The New York-Texas link-up would keep the screen sizzling.

RETURN ENGAGEMENT: Johnny Carson’s deal to do new shows for NBC came quickly but wasn’t unexpected. He suggested in his May 22 farewell on “The Tonight Show” that he might return. And friends such as Bob Newhart said the urge to work would bring him back before long.

NIGHT OF THE HUNTER: NBC’s David Letterman did a number on the network’s pay-per-view “triplecast” of the Summer Olympics. “Fifty hours of swimming and diving,” he said recently. And said. And said.

Oh yes, he also introduced “newsboy Tom Brokaw.”

TOP BILLING: Caught Susan Sarandon in “Thelma & Louise” on Showtime, and I can’t think of a single era in American film in which she wouldn’t be a star. She’s really a national treasure--our very own Jeanne Moreau.

BOYS’ NIGHT OUT: Larry King interviews Kirk Douglas, Jack Lemmon and Anthony Quinn in an hour TNT special July 22.

GET SMART: Very clever idea to name Dick Van Dyke chairman of the Nick at Nite network, even if it’s mainly for advertising and promotional purposes. His image is a perfect representation of the appealing channel, which uses a great deal of ingenuity in marketing and presenting old TV series, including his own.

SWITCH: Robin Givens’ new CBS police series, which debuts this fall, had its title changed from “Polish Hill” to “Angel Street.”

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: We were re-reading Paddy Chayefsky’s script for the film “Network,” and here is what the cynical TV programmer Diana Christenson, played by Faye Dunaway, says at one point to an embattled news executive:

“I watched your 6 o’clock news today--it’s straight tabloid. You had a minute and a half on that lady riding a bike naked in Central Park. On the other hand, you had less than a minute of hard national and international news. It was all sex, scandal, brutal crimes, sports, children with incurable diseases and lost puppies. So I don’t think I’ll listen to any protestations of high standards of journalism.”

That was in 1976.

PATTERNS: Here’s the breakdown on how viewers now are tuning in television’s various alternatives: The Big Three networks get about 62% of the audience, independent stations 20%, basic cable (non-pay) 18%, Fox 13%, pay-TV 5% and PBS 3%. Yes, yes, that’s more than 100%, but there’s crossover.

And of course, that doesn’t include VCR viewers.

It’s a jungle out there.

DON’T FENCE ME IN: “Gunsmoke” holds up wonderfully in reruns on cable’s Family channel. Former New York Times drama critic Brooks Atkinson once described “Gunsmoke” as TV’s “most ennobling and instructive weekly lesson.”

BEING THERE: “Do you have a match, sir?”--Lt. Columbo (Peter Falk) in “Columbo.”

Say good night, Gracie. . . .

Convention Coverage

Here is today’s schedule for broadcast coverage of the Democratic National Convention in New York. The agenda will include the presentation of the party platform and scheduled speeches by the Rev. Jesse Jackson and California State Treasurer Kathleen Brown.

All times Pacific Daylight.

TELEVISION

NBC (4, 36 and 39), 7 to 8 p.m.

ABC (7, 3, 10, 42), 7 to 8 p.m.

PBS (28 and 15), 5 to 8 p.m.

CNN (cable), 3 to 8 p.m.

C-SPAN (cable) 1 to 8:15 p.m.

KMEX (34), 10-10:30 p.m.

RADIO

KCRW-FM (89.9), in cooperation with National Public Radio, plans extensive coverage of convention-related news from noon to 7 p.m. KPFK-FM (90.7) will have convention programming from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 3 to 4 p.m., and KPCC-FM (89.3) will provide coverage from 3:30 to 8 p.m. Tom Leykis’ KFI-AM (640) talk show originates from the convention, 3-7 p.m.

WEDNESDAY: Nomination of candidates and voting by the state delegations. The presumptive winner, Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas, will be nominated by New York Gov. Mario Cuomo.