Next year, not one but two networks -- ABC and NBC -- will turn the 10 p.m. hour - sacrosanct for dramas - into comedy blocks. That means each will have a night with three hours of comedy.

This is dangerous terrain to take on, the kind ice road truckers face. But here it goes. Power rankings are great. But isn't it time to stop women-only rankings -- at least in entertainment?

The networks' demise has been boldly predicted since at least the Iran hostage crisis by authors (Ken Auletta), cable guys (Turner Broadcasting) and journalists (MediaPost). End the death pool. The medium could be stronger than it's ever been. If the network model is viewed as a multilayered ecosystem, a case can easily be made.

Stubborn Cablevision has abandoned its effort to bring a dual-revenue stream to Newsday.com. At least for the time being, the company has cut the chord on its gambit to charge $20 a month for access to Newsday's site.

Another breakthrough in the IES is a yes at ABC. The fledging Inventory Exchange System will move into a "reverse exchange" phase. As ABC told affiliates Friday, it will buy 16 spots from them to run in January.

Man, don't cross Jimmy Kimmel. Dude bears some major-league grudges. Tabbed a "man of the year" by GQ, Kimmel says the late-night snafu left him understanding: "The lesson is, it pays to be sneaky ... and don't trust Jay Leno."

The remarkable John Slattery, who plays Sterling, sat for an interview with Piers Morgan at Advertising Age's Media Evolved conference, opining on topics from how long the series will go, to whether he admires or detests his character.

ESPN has trumpeted its ESPN3.com offering as a breakthrough for years. Rightfully so. But now, the cutting-edge site is at risk of becoming marginalized.

TV programming executives agree that if a producer can't compellingly describe the conceit of a show in two sentences or less, there's trouble ahead. A hit is still harder to find than Susan Boyle, but a swift "Show Summary for Dummies" gives it a much better shot.