From war mode to sweeps mania

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld probably didn’t care whether the “Friends” season finale aired on schedule, but war in Iraq has nevertheless wound down at an opportune time for the major networks -- allowing them to plunge unabashedly into the cliffhangers, stunts and “very special episodes” associated with the May rating sweeps.

Although somewhat inaccurately named (the four-week survey actually begins Thursday), May is the most significant and fiercely contested of those key months local stations use to negotiate ad rates. That’s in part because broadcasters in 210 U.S. TV markets rely upon data from May through the summer, a longer stretch than surveys in February and November.

The competition also assumes greater importance by overlapping the networks’ presentation of their fall prime-time schedules, as programmers seek to leave the best impression on media buyers before that annual ritual triggers the sale of more than $8 billion in air time.

“If there’s any sweep that you can monetize on the network level, it’s the May sweep,” said Preston Beckman, Fox’s executive vice president of strategic program planning. “You want to say it’s a winning schedule that you’re bringing back.”

In addition to season-ending episodes of hit series, the fact some shows wind up early affords networks more latitude in scheduling specials, movies and miniseries during May. Among the highlights next month will be the conclusion of the “American Idol” competition, ABC’s three-hour 50th anniversary special, a controversial miniseries about Adolf Hitler, the umpteenth Michael Jackson special, and series finales of “Touched by an Angel,” “Dawson’s Creek,” “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

Not all programs, however, see the end coming far enough in advance to enjoy such fanfare. ABC has yet to hammer out an agreement on “The Practice” after damaging the show’s ratings by moving it from Sundays to Mondays, and NBC has made no decision yet about “Just Shoot Me,” which returns Tuesday with original episodes. The long-running comedy has bounced all over NBC’s schedule, and series creator Steve Levitan has crafted a finale that provides a degree of closure while leaving open the possibility of another year.

“What was very frustrating was ... you got the sense that they gave up on it,” Levitan said about NBC’s response after the show struggled when it was moved from Thursday to Tuesday nights. “I think we got sacrificed, and here’s a cast that deserves better.... They really poured their hearts into it.”

Still, that’s hardly the only show whose future remains uncertain, with several “on the bubble” programs -- among them first-year dramas such as NBC’s award-winning “Boomtown,” CBS’ “Hack” and Fox’s “John Doe” -- waiting to learn their fates when the networks unveil their lineups the week of May 12.

Look, too, for the usual assortment of weddings, pregnancies (wanted and otherwise), guest-casting stunts (Madonna on “Will & Grace,” Whitney Houston on “Boston Public”) and other made-for-sweeps milestones, such as the 200th episode of “ER” and 300th “Law & Order,” both of which just happen to fall during May.

The WB network, for example, will feature an episode of the new drama “Everwood” in which an 18-year-old seeks an abortion -- traditionally a hot-button topic, especially when it involves younger characters.

WB Entertainment President Jordan Levin said he hopes advertisers won’t shy from the episode, which he said will “use the microcosm of a smaller community to examine all sides of the issue.... Because so many of our shows center around coming-of-age issues, inevitably in order to service the characters in a credible fashion, you need to address certain issues that are complex and challenging to face.”

Controversy has also surrounded CBS’ miniseries “Hitler: The Rise of Evil,” with network officials anxious enough about it that an executive producer was fired for remarks he made to TV Guide, citing parallels between pre-World War II Germany and contemporary America.

In a more fanciful vein, NBC’s arsenal includes a Martha Stewart “biopic” (Cybill Shepherd plays the title role) and a behind-the-scenes movie about “Three’s Company,” while ABC will offer an adaptation of the novel “The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer” -- a prequel to Stephen King’s “Rose Red,” a miniseries the network broadcast last year.

In addition, after specials on three networks made Michael Jackson mania the talk of February, Fox trots out “Michael Jackson’s Private Home Movies” on Thursday, attempting to further milk public fascination with the self-proclaimed king of pop.

Networks are also planning to “super-size” established programs, from a 90-minute episode of “CSI” to two-hour finales of “Survivor,” “The Bachelor” and “American Idol.” Newsmagazines will contribute to the cause as well with fluffier fare, with “Dateline NBC” to profile Celine Dion’s Las Vegas stage show and preview “ER’s” 200th-episode anniversary.

All the promotional heft thrown at sweeps notwithstanding, not everyone is rooting for the networks to boost ratings in the weeks ahead. In fact, today marks the start of “TV Turnoff Week,” a national push for a weeklong TV boycott organized by the nonprofit TV-Turnoff Network in Washington, D.C., whose goal is to inspire people to reduce TV viewing to “engage in other more valuable and healthier pursuits,” among them sharing time with family, exercising and reading.

Still, a survey by the group Public Agenda tied to the campaign underscores the public’s incongruity about TV viewing, with nearly half of surveyed parents saying they worry that their kids watch too much TV, yet over half saying that children age 10 to 17 are allowed to have a TV in their bedroom.

“People are concerned, but it has yet to translate into action,” conceded Frank Vespe, executive director of TV-Turnoff Network, who said the hope is that getting people to turn off the set for even a week will inspire them to “watch more selectively.”

Vespe added that the timing has less to do with sweeps than the arrival of spring weather that lends itself to getting out of the house. Viewing levels do tend to drop after the switch to daylight saving time, but past “TV Turnoff” weeks haven’t detected any special diminution in TV use.