(AP) - She feared nothing, man or beast. She wore campy leather armor and affected sultry poses that drove her fans wild. But in the end, Xena was defeated by the realities of network television economics. After six seasons on the air, "Xena: Warrior Princess" will call it quits when the current season ends next summer. For the legions of fans who have packed the more than 100 Xena conventions over the past few years, the blow was swift and painful. Sharon Delaney, head of the official Xena fan club, said her e-mail inbox was practically groaning with messages on Monday morning after the announcement was made. "There was a huge outpouring," she said. "They're upset about it." Xena has become a cult icon since first hitting the airwaves in 1995, and now references to Xena and the "Xenaverse" turn up in all kinds of places. A nerdy character in the new Fox series "The $treet" wins a woman's heart after he discovers she is a Xena impersonator. The show won high ratings in its early seasons, but it was gradually forced out of key prime time slots over the past few years due to the expansion of the WB and UPN networks, said Jim Benson, a spokesman for Studios USA, which makes the show. "Xena" never aired on network television, and the studio instead cut separate marketing deals with independent stations, leaving the show vulnerable when those stations became WB or UPN affiliates, which quickly filled their prime time lineups.
By Anya Khait CBS' Monday night lineup is gaining on ABC and NBC for the first night of the week. The network's comedy block and drama "Family Law" posted strong victories in viewers (15.9 million), households (11.1 rating/17 share) and in a number of key demo areas, according to Nielsen Media Research. CBS finished second for the night to ABC in adults 18-49, scoring a 5.8/15. ABC's "Monday Night Football (Jacksonville vs. Tennessee)" averaged a 10.4/16 in households, 15.5 million viewers and a 6.7/17 in adults 18-49. In total household rankings, ABC captured a 10.0 rating and a 16 share. In the 18-49 demographic, NBC was the winner with a 5.5 rating (15 share), followed by ABC with 5.0 (14), CBS with 3.9 (11) and Fox with 3.7 (10). The WB Network reached a 2.8 rating/4 share in total household rankings, and its rating among adults 18-49 was 1.9. In total household rankings, UPN had a 2.8 rating/4 share last week. Its rating among adults 18-49 was 1.9. PAX TV had a total household rating of 0.9 and a 1 share. Among adults 18-49, it had a 0.3 rating. UPN is a network owned by Viacom Inc. CBS comedy "King of Queens" (14.8 million viewers and a 5.4/15 in adults 18-49-both first place for the time period) started the night off strong at 8 p.m. ET/PT. New sitcom "Yes, Dear" improved on "King of Queens'" numbers in adults 18-49 (5.8/15) and scored nearly identical figures as its lead-in (14.7 million viewers and a 9.8/15 household rating). "Everybody Loves Raymond" continued its ratings high, averaging a time period best 21.1 million viewers, 7.8/19 in adults 18-49 and a 14.0/21 in households. "Becker" drew 17.5 million viewers and drama "Family Law" topped NBC rival "Third Watch" in adults 18-49 for the first time (4.8/12 vs. 4.7/12). The top Nielsen rated programs for the week of 10/9/00 - 10/15/00 were: "ER" (NBC, 19.2, Thu), "Friends" (NBC, 18.0, Thu), "Friends" (NBC, 16.6, Thu), "Will & Grace" (NBC, 15.8, Thu), "Monday Night Football" (ABC, 14.9, Mon), "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" (ABC, 14.5, Tue), "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" (ABC, 13.9, Wed), "Everybody Loves Raymond" (CBS, 13.7, Mon), "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" (ABC, 12.4, Sun), "Just Shoot Me" (NBC, 13.3, Thu), "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" (ABC, 12.4, Thu), "The Practice" (ABC, 12.4, Sun), "Dharma & Greg" (ABC, 12.2, Tue), "Becker" (CBS, 12.1, Mon), "Judging Amy" (CBS, 12.0, Tue), "Geena Davis Show" (ABC, 11.7, Tue), "Bette" (CBS, 11.4, Wed), "NFL Monday Showcase" (ABC, 11.2, Mon), "Gideon's Crossing" (ABC, 11.0, Tue), "60 Minutes" (CBS, 10.9, Sun), "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (CBS, 10.9, Fri), "Touched by an Angel" (CBS, 10.2, Sun), "Yes, Dear" (CBS, 9.9, Mon), "JAG" (CBS, 9.7, Tue), and "King of Queens" (CBS, 9.6, Mon). The Miss America pageant's ratings fell by nearly 3 million viewers compared to last year as the annual pageant went up against the new television season on Saturday to avoid competing with the Olympics, as reported by The
Prescription for Advertising, an acclaimed advertising book for business owners and managers, is now available for free with a simple Internet download at www.freeadvertisingbook.com. The book, which has received glowing reviews from Inc. and Christian Science Monitor, covers the array of media options and even helps set guidelines for developing an advertising budget. The 163 page, thirty-chapter book covers such topics as logo development, co-op advertising, direct mail, and press releases-virtually everything a marketer needs to make intelligent advertising decisions. Prescription for Advertising is a reference guide to help the businessperson decide what type of advertising to choose, where to go, and how to interact with professional advertising agencies and other advertising personnel. Concisely, but in sufficient detail, the relevant topics are covered: setting an advertising budget; working with printers, artists, photographers, writers, buying print, radio, and TV; advertising on billboards, buses, and benches; using logos; preparing newsletters and co-op ads. And yet the book is short enough to read and reread in one sitting. "We are releasing the book for free on the Internet as a 'thank you' to the world community at large for making this book so successful," explained Edmond A. Bruneau, author of the book. "Since this book was written for the average businessperson instead of advertising executives, its practical and helpful advice can now reach thousands of people at no cost," he said. When asked what his book provided that others don't, Bruneau responded, "There are few books written for the business owners and managers who wear all the hats. This is one that speaks to them in the common sense language they can understand." The author has been a newspaper editor, radio station announcer, media director, agency account executive, creative services manager, advertising director, and award-winning copywriter. His book offers a well-rounded explanation of advertising choices and allows the reader to talk knowingly about reach, frequency, synergistic advertising and gross rating points.