AN ARRESTING DRAMA UNFOLDS AT FOX… SINCLAIR SAYS ANTI-KERRY SHOW IS ‘AN OPPORTUNITY' FOR THE CANDIDATE… and A PAIR OF SHORTS

NEW YORK, Oct 16 – The offbeat Fox television series, "Arrested Development,' could be the next sitcom hit of the season, but scheduling delays at the network are causing concerns that the Emmy-winning show can survive its late second-season start on Nov. 7, according to the October 18th edition of Broadcasting & Cable magazine.

"Arrested' stunned even the show's creators and cast when it walked away with five wins at the Emmy Awards ceremonies earlier this fall, including the upset award for 2004 Outstanding Comedy Series, says B&C.

"Notwithstanding lackluster first season ratings, the sitcom gained a faithful following and seven Emmy nominations,' notes the magazine's Editor-In-Chief Max Robins. But, he adds, there were concerns that the show might be a little too sophisticated for its own good.

One of the show's stars, Jason Bateman, is among those with concerns. He seems to think that the program may be an "acquired taste' and told B&C: "I don't think this show will ever be in the top 10." His co-star Jeffrey Tambor says: "I'm a little nervous that people are going to say, 'Oh, this is an elitist little cult show'.'

But, B&C points, out that "this season, viewers appear to be increasingly hungry for edgier, more sophisticated fare,' noting the success of series such as "Lost' and "Desperate Housewives.'

Mitch Hurwitz, who created "Arrested Development,' says that after the Emmy's he began hearing from friends and colleagues who were anxious to see the show's second season debut.

"There are other signs that this sitcom has legs,' says B&C's Robins, referring to a posting on the Amazon.com Web site offering the DVD collection of the series' first season, which comes out this week. One fan wrote: "Not only would I watch it religiously on Sunday nights, but I would videotape it and re-watch the episodes 3-4 times because it seemed like every time I watched it again, I would catch onto something new that I didn't see before."

So why the hold up? Fox is airing the baseball playoffs, preempting prime time programming and this "sleeper of a sitcom' is caught in the middle.

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SINCLAIR SAYS ANTI-KERRY SHOW IS
‘AN OPPORTUNITY' FOR THE CANDIDATE

NEW YORK, Oct 16 – Sinclair Broadcasting's Mark Hyman defends the group's decision to air an anti-Kerry documentary on its 62 TV stations in this week's Broadcasting & Cable, calling it a "news exclusive' and "an opportunity' for the candidate.

He tells B&C that Kerry was invited to participate in the program and that if Kerry would accept the invitation he'd have "an opportunity to make a statement that could be very statesmanlike and sway a lot of undecided people.'

The program, "Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal,' charges that Kerry's protests against the Vietnam War in the 1970s were used by the North Vietnamese to demoralize U.S.

Hyman, who is Sinclair's on-air editorialist, also tells B&C in an exclusive interview: "I haven't hidden that I'm conservative in my political beliefs. But nobody here had anything to do with this documentary. When it was offered to us we spent 2 1/2 weeks vetting the people who made allegations. We didn't forge any documents or hire fake actors.'

Shades of "Rathergate,' says Max Robins, B&C's Editor-In-Chief, referring to the editorial position the authoritative industry weekly has taken on the issue:

"Now, to go along with the Republicans who screamed for Dan Rather's head after the National Guard story fell apart, here come Democrats gunning for Sinclair's decision to air a Kerry rant because it wasn't, well, fair and balanced.

"Sinclair's journalistic sin is wearing its conservatism like a badge of honor and opening itself up for attack when it preempts programming on all its stations for what is perceived as a partisan Kerry attack.

"Yes, the director of Stolen Honor has, to say the least, a questionable journalistic record. But attempting to stifle Sinclair is no solution. Letting viewers make up their own minds, about the documentary and then about Sinclair for showing it, is the way to go.'

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A PAIR OF SHORTS

ANOTHER O'REILLY FACTOR: Sensational as it is, the Bill O'Reilly sex scandal that broke last week ultimately may not have the kind of negative impact on Fox News or O'Reilly himself as some people think, opines Broadcasting & Cable magazines Editor-In-Chief Max Robins. He points to a feature in the book's gossipy "Flash' column this week: "Factor's ratings actually spiked 10% after the news broke. ‘This is going to be evolutionary, and if the viewers stay with him, the advertisers will, too,' says Horizon Media ad researcher Brad Adgate.

THE KID FACTOR: Broadcasting & Cable magazine quotes from "The O'Reilly Factor For Kids,' the tome penned by the beleaguered Fox News host accused of sexual-harassment by his associate producer Andrea Mackris. In a chapter titled "Sex,' he writes: "Sex is best when you combine sensible behavior with sincere affection. That's the ideal… And guys, if you exploit a girl, it will come back to get you.'

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