Fox, the last network to hold its upfront presentation in New York yesterday afternoon, introduced seven new shows for the fall season with a dozen returning shows. Fox’s long-standing hit Ally McBeal will be replaced by a similar new drama, Girls Club. Although it takes place in San Francisco instead of Boston, the show will be about three young female attorneys. It was created by David E. Kelly, whose credits include Ally and The Practice. Other new dramas include Fastlane, a Los Angeles cop show produced by Warner Bros; Firefly, a sci-fi adventure about a spaceship 800 years in the future, from Mutant Enemy and 20th Century Fox; and John Doe, about a man possessing special knowledge which he uses to help Seattle police solve impossible crimes, from Regency Television. Fox will also introduce three new comedies: Cedric the Entertainer Presents, a comedy troupe variety show, from 20th Century Fox; The Grubbs, a family sitcom starring a 14 year old boy who is “a poster child for mediocrity," from Granada Entertainment and 20th Century Fox; and Oliver Beene, a family sitcom that takes place in 1962 about growing up in the Cold War, from Dreamworks Television and 20th Century Fox. Fox also announced mid season shows, including Septuplets, a drama about a group of septuplets who turn 16, from 20th Century Fox; 30 Seconds to Fame, a game show in which contestants demonstrate skills to compete for cash prizes, from Explorer Production Group; Meet the Marks, a reality sitcom in which guests have no idea they’re part of a scripted show, from Vin Di Bona Productions; The Pitts, a family comedy from Mike Scully, producer of The Simpsons, from 20th Century Fox; Keen Eddie, a drama about a New York cop who turns up in London, from The Littlefield Comp. and Paramount Network Television; and The Time Tunnel, a drama about time travel, from 20th Century Fox and Regency Television. Returning shows include 24, The Bernie Mac Show, Boston Public, Futurama, Grounded for Life, King of the Hill, Malcolm in the Middle, The Simpsons, That 70's Show, Cops, America's Most Wanted and MADtv.
At least one advertising medium is up over last year. New data from the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) shows that March 2002 ad sales beat last March by 1%. At a time when print, network TV and newspapers continue to report a slump in revenue, any growth is a welcome sign of a possible ad turnaround. On a year-to-date basis, national radio sales figures also rose 1% compared to the first three months of 2001. Local sales figures for 1st Quarter, 2002 showed a drop of 1% and the combined total for 1st Quarter also fell by 1%. To put the growth prospects of the radio industry into perspective, the RAB introduced a Sales Index that equates base year 1998 to 100. The Index works similar to the Consumer Price Index so that information can be monitored on a monthly basis. The local sales index for March, 2002 was 128.1; the national sales index was 127.8; and the combined total was 128.0. On a year-to-date basis, the local sales index was 129.6; the national index was 130.2; and the combined total was 129.8. According to a recently released report from Arbitron, national radio was on a revenue tear through the late 90s. Its 1999 growth rate was 13.5%, followed by 11.2 percent in 2000. The rate fell to .9% last year. According to Gary Fries, president and CEO of RAB, “History has shown that Radio is the most resilient of all advertising media and the first medium to post positive growth following a downturn. Radio’s cross-section of advertising categories makes it less vulnerable to unexpected fallouts from one or two advertising sectors. Radio is positioned for steady recovery as we approach the end of 2nd Quarter and move into 3rd Quarter.”