KCAL Sets Up Battle Royal Between ‘Jerry’ and Jerry

Jerry versus Jerry: the ultimate showdown.

KCAL-TV Channel 9 will pit fights against farewells next week when it airs a prime-time edition of the “Jerry Springer Show” against the highly anticipated finale of “Seinfeld” on NBC.

In fact, the station is preempting two-thirds of its nightly three-hour news block on May 14 for a mini-marathon of “Springer,” starting with a new episode at 9 p.m. against “Seinfeld” and repeat episodes at 10 and 11 p.m., the regular time slot for the controversial talk show.

“It’s going to be the Battle of the Jerrys,” said Don Corsini, KCAL’s general manager. “Jerry Springer has demonstrated a strong and growing following, and we believe he will hold his own in relative terms versus the competition.”

“Springer,” which has recently come under fire for its brawls among guests, is KCAL’s top-rated program and leads the local ratings between 11 p.m. and midnight.

Corsini said that putting “Springer” against “Seinfeld” and the season finale of “ER,” which will also air that night at 10 p.m., will be “fun and interesting for the audience.”

He denied that the counter-programming move was in conflict with KCAL’s commitment to local news, which has been the station’s trademark since 1990, when it launched an unprecedented three-hour prime-time news block.

“This is only one night in our overall schedule,” Corsini said. “One night is not going to hurt our commitment.” He noted that there would still be a newscast from 8 to 9 that night.

KCAL is giving “Springer” a prime-time outing just as the high-rated show has come under fire from politicians, religious leaders and parents for its rowdy content. Studios USA, which owns the program, said last week that it will eliminate all physical violence from the broadcasts starting next month.

“I say let the viewers decide,” Corsini said. “They have demonstrated there is an appetite for this type of programming.”