Debates Offer Opportunity for UPN, WB

Three presidential campaign debates during the next two weeks present an opportunity not only for the trailing Republican ticket but also for “The Wayans Bros.” and the “Star Trek: Voyager” crew.

That’s because while the major networks are simulcasting the debates and Fox televises playoff baseball, the fledgling UPN and WB networks--unencumbered by news or sports divisions--will carry their usual programming.

The first debate is set for Sunday, followed by a vice presidential showdown Wednesday and a second presidential te^te-a-te^te on Oct. 16. Although the debates will be seen at 6 p.m. on the West Coast, that’s prime time in regions accounting for more than 80% of the U.S. population.

Because politics generally isn’t much of a ratings draw--and baseball appeals to a very specific, mostly male audience--the timing provides certain UPN and WB shows a chance to be seen by viewers who’d rather watch a sitcom or drama than the theater of Bill Clinton and Bob Dole wrestling over public policy.

“When you’re an alternative [network], all you want is a shot at the audience,” said WB programming chief Garth Ancier. “Whenever you have a clear shot to get your shows sampled, that’s tremendously helpful.”

Though it may sound cynical, because the new services appeal to younger audiences, they hope to benefit from limited election interest in those age groups. As Ancier noted: “The average age of our viewer is 24, and they tend to be a bit more apathetic about the political process.”

“We have to look for counter-programming opportunities because we’re small and we’re new,” agreed UPN Entertainment President Michael Sullivan. “With the Big Three networks and cable, these events are pretty well covered.”

Uncertainty about debate dates, meanwhile, has played havoc with network scheduling. Initially, talk centered on debates on four successive Wednesdays, prompting CBS to delay introducing two programs earmarked for that night, “Public Morals” and “EZ Streets,” rather than trot out series that would almost immediately disappear for a month.

To avoid facing Game 4 of the World Series, those series now won’t premiere in their regular time periods until Oct. 30, the night before the November ratings sweeps begin. As a result, the network won’t have long to decide whether they’re working in terms of ratings.

CBS Entertainment President Leslie Moonves acknowledged that he would have rather premiered the shows sooner but promised they wouldn’t receive a quick hook due to sweeps. “Our intention is to stick with both shows,” he said.

The delay has nevertheless annoyed the producers involved. “Everybody’s getting a little restless,” Moonves noted. “When you’ve been in production for awhile you want to get into the game.”

For ABC, Sunday’s debate fouled up a planned theme night combining a long-delayed wedding on “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” with the network premiere of “Four Weddings and a Funeral.” The movie will now play later this season, while “Lois & Clark” will be shown before a Ross Perot infomercial and “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”

By contrast, for UPN the Wednesday debates raise the prospect of beaming more viewers in for “Star Trek: Voyager,” which moved to 9 p.m. Wednesdays this fall.

UPN, which normally programs Monday through Wednesday, is also showing the anniversary special “Star Trek: 30 Years and Beyond” at 8 p.m. Sunday. Interestingly, the network didn’t know a debate would air that night when the show was scheduled, and Hillary Rodham Clinton--at one point an honorary chair of the event--withdrew when it was realized the special would be on opposite her husband.

The biggest attraction versus the debates, however, will be baseball. Fox will carry divisional playoff series this Sunday and a National League championship game on Wednesday.

The following week gets a little confusing. NBC is scheduled to televise Game 7 of the American League championship the night of Oct. 16, but if NBC’s series ends early then Fox’s game (currently scheduled for the afternoon) shifts to prime time.

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Fox doesn’t have a news organization to rival the Big Three networks, but a spokesman said Fox News will cover the debates and televise them if the games aren’t played for any reason. Fox’s coverage--which it’s billing as “pundit-free,” without post-debate analysis--will be fed to affiliates, which have the option of airing it on a delayed basis.

In addition, Fox’s cable news network signs on Monday and will cover the next two debates. The service makes its debut with roughly 17 million subscribers, available in about one-fourth of U.S. cable households.

The WB’s Ancier called not televising events such as the debates “one of the luxuries that we and Fox and UPN have.” Last January, for example, WB introduced the prime-time soap “Savannah” opposite the president’s State of the Union address to try to hook viewers, and UPN did the same with its sitcom “Moesha.”

Similarly, UPN is planning a special comedy night for Nov. 5, when the Big Three networks are reporting election returns. For its part, WB moved what it deems to be better episodes of its Sunday and Wednesday programs--including “Life With Roger” and “The Wayans Bros.”--to air on the debate nights.

Sullivan cited the precedent of Fox, which “often made in-roads during off periods like summer” when the networks were showing reruns. Both UPN and the WB rolled out new programs in August against low-rated network coverage of the Democratic and Republican national conventions.