Kids' TV networks are looking at some real financial damage should proposed Federal Communications Commission rules take effect in January. The new rules are pushing commercial kids' programmers to become like public broadcasters--and perhaps even that isn't far enough.

This past summer young men saw 24 percent fewer films than a year ago. For the movie industry, which depends so heavily on one demographic in the summer, this statistic could be cause for some alarm. But given the fickleness of that young group--and perhaps of the research itself--no one should jump to conclusions.

With ratings down for many of its top-rated shows, reality TV isn't what it was. But you'd be surprised to know the new leader in the reality race. No, it isn't "Survivor" or "The Apprentice," the Mark Burnett-produced shows that had been kings in the past. Right now the king-of-reality title belongs to none other than ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

Dear DirecTV: I hear you are abandoning TiVo and starting up your own digital video recorders and software. That's really nice--considering I just bought your cheapy TiVo digital video recorder last week, all touted in an ad campaign to sell the product. So, where does that leave me in future years? Just asking, TV Watch.

Reality TV is now taking jobs away from union actors--but casting still continues on the shows as if reality "stars" were real actors. Still, networks aren't necessarily to blame for this trend.

Rock bands now skillfully use marketing, especially on TV, for self-promotion. This seems quite a distance from an earlier generation, who would snub profit for creative artistry.

ABC has given "Jimmy Kimmel Live" another season, extending the show through 2006 -- which may not yet be such a strong endorsement for a late-night show.

So far this TV network season, everything is back to normal. Network TV blockbusters are nowhere to be found. To some, that will be comforting and predictable. Competing cable programming executives might even be celebrating.

Last season "The Apprentice" got a gelato maker, Ciao Bella Gelato, involved in a task in the show. That small company--which had a small marketing budget to begin with--didn't buy any TV advertising time on NBC. This year, another product of Italian descent with a higher price tag-- the Lamborghini--also failed to buy any NBC TV commercial time in the show.

Think about a TV screen on your fingernail, or on your bathroom floor, or possibly on the entire back wall of your house. Think about TV in as many unusual places as possible, and few of those ideas would sound that successful.