Morning Report - News from Sept. 20, 2002

TELEVISION

As New Season Unfolds, Ratings Tumble Out

Ratings roundup:

* ABC’s big advertising and promotion campaign for the launch of “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos gave it only a slight boost. The Sunday program edged out CBS’ “Face the Nation” for second place last weekend, with 3.07 million viewers to 3 million for CBS. In the key demographic group of adults between the ages of 25 and 54, ABC was third. Still, ABC said the number of viewers was 5% above the week earlier and its highest number since March 10. NBC’s “Meet the Press” was in its usual first place with 4.54 million viewers.

* The fall season got underway last Saturday in the area of children’s programming. And in the Saturday morning slot, Nickelodeon continued to outpace all contenders, followed by the WB. Led by “SpongeBob SquarePants,” Nickelodeon averaged 2.1 million viewers in the 2-to-11 age bracket, according to Nielsen Media Research data, followed by 1.9 million watching the WB. “Fox Box,” a new Fox lineup supplied entirely by 4Kids Entertainment, averaged just 660,000 viewers.

* “Dr. Phil,” the new afternoon talk show hosted by Dr. Phil McGraw, appears to be a clear-cut hit three days into its run. Thus far, the syndicated show, seen locally on KNBC-TV, is roughly doubling the audience for the program preceding it in major cities monitored by Nielsen, where it is being watched on average by more than 5% of homes. Locally, however, the show is finishing behind KABC-TV’s “Eyewitness News” at 4 p.m.

In prime time, Fox delivered respectable numbers Wednesday with its premieres of “Cedric the Entertainer Presents” and the action show “Fastlane,” which averaged 10.4 million and 10 million viewers, respectively. ABC, meanwhile, drew 9.3 million viewers with its special “Christopher Reeve: Courageous Steps,” finishing well behind NBC’s “Law & Order” in its time slot.

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MUSIC

Glow Off Vilar Due

to Late Donations?

For more than a year, rumors have swirled around Alberto W. Vilar. The buzz: The high-tech billionaire and mega-opera donor has not been meeting his commitments to cash-hungry arts organizations, possibly due to stock losses affecting his company, Amerindo Investments Inc.

Vilar’s refusal to contribute additional funds, as well as to adjust his payment schedule to pay up front, recently resulted in the cancellation of the $3-million “War and Peace” at L.A. Opera. But the company and other arts organizations have insisted that Vilar has paid all prior commitments according to schedule. Until now.

According to the New York Times, Lorin Maazel, music director of the New York Philharmonic, says that Vilar’s discontinuation of support for the orchestra has forced him to put up his own money and seek other funding sources for the $700,000 needed to pay for final stages of the Maazel-Vilar Conductors Competition, scheduled for next week at Carnegie Hall. And the Vilar/Domingo Young Artist Program at Washington Opera has reportedly removed Vilar’s name from the program because he hasn’t come through with a $1-million pledge.

Vilar has stated that he still plans to support the New York competition--and said through a spokesman Thursday that he only learned of the decision to take his name off the Washington Opera educational program by reading about it in the New York Times. Though he missed his most recent payment to Washington Opera, he said: “It would be totally unorthodox, if not unprecedented, to change the naming of the program just like that, given that I initiated the idea, nursed it along for two years and have in principle made a long-term commitment to it. An abrupt decision like that does not compute.”

*

THE ARTS

Last-Minute Visas Save Balinese ‘Sacred’ Show

Visas for Cudamani, a 30-member Balinese troupe of musicians and dancers, came through early Wednesday--the day before they were scheduled to leave for the World Festival of Sacred Music, organizers said. The event is being presented in various L.A. venues through Sept. 29.

Several prominent artists have missed their festival engagements due to turmoil in the Middle East or visa problems related to heightened post-Sept. 11 security checks by U.S. consulates. Among them: The Syrian-based Whirling Dervishes of Damascus, which will be replaced by an ad-hoc group of U.S.-based Middle Eastern musicians.

Cudamani’s performances are scheduled for Sept. 28 at the Wilshire Ebell Theater and Sept. 29 at the Greek Theatre.

International tensions and the travel barriers that have beset the festival give “more reason than ever to advocate cross-cultural awareness and reaching to understand each other,” said festival director Judy Mitoma.

*

POP/ROCK

El Rey Dark Until Further Notice

The structural damage that shut down L.A.’s El Rey Theatre earlier this week will apparently keep the busy pop concert location quiet indefinitely.

Sleater-Kinney’s just-completed two-night stand had to be moved to the Highlands nightclub in Hollywood. Tonight’s Jazzanova show will be held at Fais Do Do in Los Angeles, and Thursday’s Pseudopod date will take place at the A.D. nightclub in Hollywood. New locations for Rilo Kiley on Saturday and the Aquabats on Wednesday have not been confirmed.

Representatives of the Miracle Mile venue could not be reached. But Sean Healy, whose Hollywood booking service, SHP, uses the El Rey regularly, said Thursday that he has heard “indirectly” that the theater is hoping to reopen by Oct. 1.