• by Paul Gough , November 4, 2002

As the first sweeps of the new season begin in earnest, network television tries to put its best feet forward in what has become a race between CBS and NBC for supremacy.

A Zenith Media report expects a lot of special network programming between now and Nov. 27, with longer-than-normal Thursday programming to counter Survivor: Thailand and CSI. For its part, CBS isn’t making many changes to the lineup that has carried it to the top of the Nielsen household ratings. NBC retains its lead in overall key demographics and the day-to-day picture differs.

”CBS is probably in the best shape of any of the networks. Their schedule is working for them,” said Roy Rothstein, research director of Zenith. He said the CBS ratings momentum is leading it to not tinker with too much special programming, and predicted it will probably continue to win on households.

Rothstein said NBC is strong on Wednesdays and Thursdays. He said there’s been a fallout of audience from The West Wing at 9 p.m. Wednesdays, maybe because of the real-life sniper and Iraq news or perhaps they’ve had enough of politics. Rothstein said The West Wing’s storyline has changed and it’s much more political and less personal than it was last year.

NBC’s changes have focused on Sunday, Monday and Thursday, where there is competition from other networks. The hopes are that if NBC improves in its ratings, it might dominant in the ratings again. On Nov. 17, NBC’s Thursday night programming will include 40-minute versions of Friends, Will & Grace and Scrubs before ER begins at 10 p.m. ‘It’s worked very well for them in the past,’ Rothstein said. He said NBC was trying to stem viewers switching to CBS after Friends for Survivor: Thailand and CSI. Scrubs, the show after Friends, hasn’t been performing as well as NBC has expected, Rothstein noted. And there seems like no way to stop CSI, which is well on its way to a 30 share for CBS. One minor blip for CBS: One of its Sunday night comedies, Bram & Alice, was canceled last week.

ABC’s planning several changes, including a two-part showing of Gladiator this past weekend, special 20/20 programs and temporarily moving The Drew Carey Show and Whose Line Is It Anyway’ To replace the canceled That Was Then. Monk, the USA Network show that’s been popping up on ABC since the summer creative doldrums, will be the lead-in to Monday Night Football. Rothstein said that might be a good spot for Monk, which was mismatched in the 8 p.m. Thursday slot.

Rothstein said The WB was doing well this year, with good numbers on returning series Gilmore Girls and Smallville and the new series Everwood. It’s too early to tell about Birds of Prey. He said UPN wasn’t doing well at all, with only Monday and Wednesday night wrestling and the Monday night comedy block registering any success. Its signature series, Enterprise, is dropping fast and The Twilight Zone isn’t doing well behind it. But Buffy The Vampire Slayer isn’t doing well against the Gilmore Girls, he said.