NBC Makes A Play For The XFL


News and notes from the world of television:

NBC, desperate to regain the ratings and viewers they lost after losing the NFF, has become a partner in the new Xtreme Football League. The league is the brainchild of the same people who bring you the popular World Wrestling Federation. NBC took a 50% share in the start-up costs and will share in 50% of the profits as well.

Still in the planning stages, the XFL was scheduled to debut on April 1, 2000. The league will consist of eight teams in major markets throughout the country. Most games will be played on Saturday evenings in hopes that NBC can boost their prime time ratings. Stay tuned for more details.

Talkin' Baseball Hector Elizondro (CHICAGO HOPE) will narrate an upcoming special spotlighting the contributions of Latino Americans to Major League Baseball. The special is scheduled to air on NBC on April 8th at 2:30 p.m. Produced by Major League Baseball Productions, the special will be available in English and Spanish.

FCC To Rule On Closed Captioning: According to BROADCASTING AND CABLE MAGAZINE, the FCC is set to rule that local television stations do not have to provide extensive live closed-captioning of emergency broadcasts.

Hearing impaired viewers aren't left out in the cold entirely, however. According to the report, the FCC will also rule that stations must provide specific on-screen information such as locations of local shelters and disaster evacuation routes.

Our Survey Said... Here are the five most popular syndicated game shows currently on television as listed by the Nielson Ratings System. Note: WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE is not counted here as it is a network series.

1. WHEEL OF FORTUNE
2. JEOPARDY
3. WHEEL OF FORTUNE (Weekend edition)
4. HOLLYWOOD SQUARES
5. FAMILY FEUD

This Week In Television History: FANTASIC JOURNEY, a science fiction time-travel series debuted on NBC. The series was set on an island in the Bermuda Triangle that was engulfed in a time warp. The series lasted only 9 weeks and starred Jared Martin and Roddy McDowell. (Martin went on to co-star in the popular CBS soap opera DALLAS.)

Here are my television viewing picks for the week beginning April 8th. Enjoy!

Saturday, April 8th

BIOGRAPHY, A&E, 8:00 - 9:00 p.m., PST
Actor Peter Lorre (VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA) is profiled.

THE STEPFORD WIVES, AMC, 9:00 - 11:00 p.m., PST
Katherine Ross stars in this classic horror film about suburban housewives who turn into automatons.

Sunday, April 9th

BIOGRAPHY, A&E, 8:00 - 10:00 p.m., PST

The copyright of the article NBC Makes A Play For The XFL in American Television is owned by F. Colin Kingston. Permission to republish NBC Makes A Play For The XFL in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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