TELEVISION - June 16, 1993

KCET Budget: Declaring its intent to give “special priority to children” and to expand coverage of statewide issues, Los Angeles public-television station KCET Channel 28 set a projected budget of $40.3 million Tuesday for fiscal 1994, which starts July 1. This is $200,000 less than an earlier projected budget of $40.5 million for the current fiscal year--a reflection of the fact that, because of California’s economic downturn, the station has been unable to meet its budget projections for three years in a row. This year, KCET was forced to lay off 19 employees and cut departmental budgets “across the board” to balance its books, KCET President William Kobin said. With a flat $12-million programming budget, KCET will be putting about half into children’s programming. It will add a fourth in-studio segment to its “Life and Times” public-affairs series to deal with state legislative issues, and also will produce a four-hour prime-time series, “The Human Quest,” combining biological and brain sciences and the qualities that define human beings.

* Critics Pick NBC: NBC led the pack in nominations for the ninth annual Television Critics Assn. Awards, taking two of five best comedy nods for “Cheers” and “Seinfeld” and three of six best drama nods for “Homicide: Life in the Street,” “I’ll Fly Away” and “Law & Order.” Other comedy nominees: Garry Shandling’s “The Larry Sanders Show” (HBO), “The Simpsons” (Fox) and “Roseanne” (ABC). The remaining drama nominees: “Barbarians at the Gate” (HBO), “Homefront” (ABC) and “Prime Suspect 2” (PBS). Roone Arledge, Bob Hope, David Letterman, Bill Moyers and Fred Rogers were nominated for career achievement. The July 23 awards will be telecast on cable’s E! Entertainment Television.

* Two Is Better Than One: A Gallup Poll has found that 61% of respondents prefer to watch “CBS Evening News With Dan Rather and Connie Chung” compared to 14% who prefer Rather as sole anchor; 17% said it didn’t matter which of the two anchored. But the enthusiasm of those polled was not reflected in the ratings. “CBS Evening News” ratings last week were 8% lower than the previous week, and it finished second overall, well behind ABC’s “World News Tonight.” In other poll results, Rather was named “best news anchor” by 32%, followed by ABC’s Peter Jennings (31%), NBC’s Tom Brokaw (22%) and Chung (10%).

* ‘Jurassic’ Cartoon?: Amblin Entertainment on Tuesday confirmed that there are “talks” about an animated TV series based on Steven Spielberg’s record-breaking film “Jurassic Park.” But the company denied published reports that the project is already in development and said it has yet to receive a firm commitment from Spielberg.

MOVIES

Let It Stand: A Superior Court judge on Tuesday refused to reduce a $170,000 jury award against 11-year-old actor Michael Oliver and his manager-mother, who were sued by Universal Pictures for high-pressure contract tactics for the movie “Problem Child II.” The panel found in favor of Oliver’s original $80,000 contract--saying that his sweetened $250,000 deal--negotiated days before the boy was due on the set for the sequel and amid threats that he would quit--was unenforceable, because studio executives were under economic duress when they signed it.

STAGE

More on Grove: Facing a debt estimated at $200,000, GroveShakespeare’s acting artistic director Jules Aaron, board president David Krebs and three other board members have resigned, in a further sign of the disintegration of Orange County’s second largest professional theater company. Two of the remaining board members said Tuesday they would try to reorganize the company. But the summer season has been canceled.

OPERA

Keep on Singing: Opera star Luciano Pavarotti Tuesday strenuously denied reports he plans to quit opera to concentrate on recitals. “Leave the opera? That’s rubbish,” the celebrated tenor, 57, said. “I’m in good shape and I will sing for as long as I have the strength to do so.” Pavarotti’s longtime manager Herbert Breslin was quoted by the New Yorker this month as saying the singer would leave opera after a year or two. But Pavarotti, who acknowledged he nearly retired after a miserable year in 1992 but now has obligations running through 1996, said Breslin’s words “have probably been distorted by the press.”

QUICK TAKES

A memorial service for writer-director James Bridges (“China Syndrome,” “The Paper Chase”), who died June 6 of cancer, will be held at 6 tonight at the Writers Guild/Doheny-Plaza Theatre in Beverly Hills. . . . Montel Williams’ syndicated talk show has been renewed for 1993-94 in 100 markets covering 80% of the country, including Los Angeles’ KCOP Channel 13. . . . Producer David Wolper will receive the Television Responsibility Award and the Permanent Charities Committee of the Entertainment Industry will take home the Jean Renoir Film Humanities Award during the Los Angeles Film Teachers Assn. Awards dinner tonight. . . . Talk-show host Sally Jessy Raphael and former television bigwig Brandon Tartikoff will receive Industry Achievements Award today from the group BPME/PROMAX (International Promotion and Marketing Executives in the Electronic Media).