CBS Readies Post-Games Plan

Though the promotional campaign says “The address is CBS” and “Welcome home,” once the Winter Olympics end, viewers will find much of the network’s prime-time furniture rearranged or put in storage.

Considerable attention has focused this season on ratings woes plaguing ABC, which ranks third in overall viewing after leading the pack three years ago, but some of CBS’ best-laid plans have fizzled too, prompting the network to make scheduling changes later this month, seeking to capitalize on the promotional windfall the Olympics provide.

CBS will alter its lineup on five nights of the week, shuffling a handful of series into new time slots while premiering three programs--including Tom Selleck’s much-heralded return to prime time and the first series starring Ann-Margret--after the Games conclude on Feb. 22.

If those transplants don’t take hold, then the temporary viewing increase the Olympics bring will have potentially been for naught.

CBS was perceived to have momentum heading into the current season, with NBC spreading its resources thin by strewing sitcoms throughout the week and ABC in what its executives describe as a rebuilding mode. CBS subsequently reinforced that appraisal with an upset win over NBC during the November ratings sweeps, suggesting the gap between them was narrowing.

Since then, however, the network has fallen victim to the same general malaise affecting its principal competitors: Despite ratings increases Sundays--thanks to a strong lineup of movies and “Touched by an Angel”--and Thursdays (due largely to “Diagnosis Murder”), CBS is down four other nights, where some major gambits didn’t pan out as planned.

Foremost, a revised Monday lineup featuring the police drama “Brooklyn South” has faded, and though “Chicago Hope” has held its own Wednesdays, shifting “Murphy Brown” and a newsmagazine hosted by Bryant Gumbel to that night hasn’t yielded the hoped-for dividends.

Replacing a Tuesday movie with two dramas--cancellation victim “Dellaventura” and “Michael Hayes,” starring former “NYPD Blue” star David Caruso--also didn’t improve the ratings, nor did acquiring the Friday night sitcoms “Family Matters” and “Step by Step” from ABC.

Those difficulties have been masked in part by the hubbub surrounding NBC (which in short order lost “Seinfeld” and renewed “ER” at an enormous price) and CBS’ improved status relative to the other networks--especially ABC, whose ratings are down across the board.

In fact, all four networks have found the battle for viewers more difficult this season, with new cable services and the fledgling WB network making inroads. While second to NBC in overall viewing, CBS also trails ABC and Fox in the key age demographics that networks can most easily parlay into advertising dollars.

“Our attitude is, nobody should be patting themselves on the back this year,” said CBS Television President Leslie Moonves. “Everybody has a few things to crow about and some things not to crow about.”

Perhaps for that reason, CBS officials are seeking to downplay pressure to make like a downhill skier and burst out of the post-Olympic starting gate. More legitimate goals, they say, would be for Selleck’s sitcom, “The Closer,” to open well and some existing programs to get a second look from viewers.

CBS also points to some legitimate room for optimism based on changes implemented in January. “Kids Say the Darndest Things,” hosted by Bill Cosby and based on Art Linkletter’s “House Party” segment, has improved Friday night results and will be joined by another revival, “Candid Camera,” beginning Feb. 27.

Another midseason series based on “The Magnificent Seven” provided some spark Saturdays, and the network is hoping the show’s ratings will increase with its move from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., creating a butt-kicking block of western action with “Walker, Texas Ranger.” “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” will rejoin them Feb. 28, while the second-year drama “Early Edition” takes a breather.

The network’s flurry of activity following the Olympics is calculated to cash in on the event’s vast audience, which presents a rare opportunity to reach people who don’t regularly watch CBS.

Projections are that the network’s prime-time ratings will more than double compared to an average week over the course of the Games. The Olympics also remain unusual among sporting events by attracting not only hard-to-reach male viewers but also hordes of women who tune in for such events as figure skating.

Initial ratings have been strong but somewhat mixed. CBS has easily won each night since the Games began, with 56 million people watching at least part of Friday’s opening ceremony.

Viewing dropped sharply Saturday, when the downhill skiing was postponed by inclement weather; however, ratings rebounded Sunday, with 67 million people seeing at least part of the coverage.

Selleck’s heavily promoted comedy, in which he plays an advertising executive, will air at 9 p.m. Mondays, followed by “George & Leo.” “Four Corners”--a drama set on a New Mexico ranch starring Ann-Margret and Sonia Braga--makes its debut the following night, scheduled against “NYPD Blue” and “Dateline NBC.”

In early March, CBS will switch “Public Eye With Bryant Gumbel” to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, opposite “Home Improvement” and “Frasier,” flopping Caruso’s show into the Wednesday slot prior to “Chicago Hope.” Beyond the time-period shift, CBS has replaced the executive producer on Gumbel’s program and will tinker with its format.

“Cybill” will return Wednesdays after “The Nanny,” with “Murphy Brown” taking a sabbatical until the May sweeps, when the Emmy winner begins counting down to its one-hour series finale May 18.

One reason CBS can diminish the Olympics’ long-term importance is the network does have other big events on the horizon. After its initials were once derisively translated as “Can’t Broadcast Sports,” CBS has reclaimed rights to NFL football for next fall and will televise college basketball’s championship tournament in March.

Still, CBS has good reason to revel in this month’s Olympian ratings: Once the torch flickers out in Nagano, Japan, NBC holds exclusive rights to all Olympic Games through 2008.