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TV/Radio Notes: NBC pulls in convention viewers
Thursday, August 28, 2008

More people (4.7 million) tuned in to NBC than to any other network at 10 p.m. Monday to hear Michelle Obama speak at the Democratic National Convention.

NBC is the only broadcast network to have clocked more viewers in that hour than in the comparable time period at the confab four years ago. That said, NBC didn't beat CNN by much.

CNN clocked 4.26 million viewers at that time, more than ABC, CBS, Fox News Channel or MSNBC. (Lisa DeMoraes, The Washington Post)

Fox's college try

Exploring new ways of reaching young viewers, Fox will simul-stream the premieres of "Fringe" and "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" exclusively for college students.

Fox announced on Monday that students accessing the network's main Web site through a ".edu" domain will be able to watch a streaming feed of the two highly anticipated premieres as they air on the regular network.

The special college feeds for "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and "Fringe" will be complemented with pre- and post-shows featuring behind-the-scenes footage and music videos, as well as cast and producer interviews.

For many Internet-savvy college students, the Sept. 9 two-hour premiere of "Fringe" may already be mighty familiar. Well before screeners were sent to critics, a not-quite-complete cut of the J.J. Abrams-produced pilot was already available through a number of popular BitTorrent sites. Presumably Fox's decision to stream "Fringe" for college students is a way to tap into an audience accustomed to watching television on their computers, while also providing that audience with incentive to watch episodes through legitimate means.

The second season premiere of "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," only a one-hour episode, will air on Sept. 8. (Zap2it.com)

Steelers pre-empt CBS

Another Steelers preseason game on KDKA tonight pre-empts CBS's prime time. Channel 2 plans to air "Big Brother 10" overnight tonight at 1:37 a.m. and "CSI" at 2:37 a.m.

If the football game runs past 10 p.m., the remaining play will shift to WPCW so coverage of the Democratic National Convention can air, as scheduled, on KDKA.

WPCW's 10 p.m. news will be pre-empted for a Steelers post-game show on Channel 19. (Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor)

Channel surfing

Comcast will launch The Sportsman Channel, devoted to hunting and fishing, in most areas Sept. 23 on Channel 153 (traditional Comcast) or Channel 186 (former Adelphia areas) on the digital classic tier. ... Fans of the syndicated "Bob & Tom" morning radio show, which once aired locally on the former WRRK (96.9 FM), take note: Cable network WGN will air an hour of the radio show on TV weekdays at 1 a.m. beginning Nov. 3. ... Sci Fi Channel's "Stargate: Atlantis" will end its run after its fifth season ends in January. The series will be followed by a TV movie. A new series, "Stargate: Universe," will premiere next summer. (R.O.)

McCain on KDKA

Republican presidential candidate John McCain is scheduled to be the guest at 7:10 a.m. today on "KDKA Morning News" with Larry Richert and John Shumway. The interview will be streamed and podcast online at KDKAradio.com.

First published on August 28, 2008 at 12:00 am