If you've been anxiously anticipating the arrival of cable's first all-comedy program service next week, brace yourself for a let-down.
Utah's largest cable system won't be carrying it.At least, TCI (known locally as Cablevision of Utah) won't be on hand when HBO's The Comedy Channel, with its comedy movies, stand-up routines and comedy clips, premieres next Wednesday. (At press time, officials from Insight Cable, the state's second-largest cable company, couldn't be reached for comment. Anyone who's ever tried to get through to a cable company knows how that goes.)
According to local TCI spokesman Tom Bork, such programming decisions are made at the company's national headquarters. And so far, he said, no one has said anything about picking up the new service.
"Indications are we will eventually be carrying one of the two new comedy channels (MTV's Ha! channel will make its debut sometime next spring), but at this point no decision has been made that we're aware of," Bork said Wednesday morning.
In other words, you'll have to look for your laughs elsewhere. For now, anyway.
-BUT TCI IS moving ahead with its plan to offer its Prime Sports Network-Utah channel sometime next week. The regional sports cooperative, with ties to former Utah Stars boss Bill Daniels in Denver, will operate Mondays-Fridays from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. and weekends from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. It will be seen on most cable systems on Ch. 15.
As mentioned before, the foundation of PSN-Utah will be the 25-game Utah Jazz cable package. It will also feature a variety of sports offerings from other regional networks - sports talk shows, golf, tennis, rodeo, college (not NHL) hockey and other sports offerings - as well as locally produced games and events. For example, PSN-Utah will carry the 4-A championship football game Nov. 17 from the U. of U.'s Rice Stadium.
"We're really excited about this new service," Bork said. "We think it will offer some really exciting programming, something that will be of value to the community."
Even if it doesn't make anyone laugh.
-HEADS ARE STILL reeling after ABC's surprise announcement Tuesday that it is cancelling Jackie Mason and Chicken Soup. Rumors had been circulating that the show was in trouble, especially in light of ratings trends that indicate a huge audience drop-off from "Roseanne's" top-rated lead-in. But it was still the highest-rated new show of the season, and everyone expected it would have at least a year to earn its place on the schedule - just as NBC did with "A Different World."
Then came Tuesday's announcement, and it was gone. No, not just gone - obliterated. ABC didn't even allow it to present one last episode on Tuesday. It got pulled like a bad comic breaking in new material in the Borscht Belt. And without so much as a reasonable explanation. ABC Entertainment President Robert A. Iger called "Chicken Soup" "a well-executed program," but that it didn't strengthen the network's already-strong Tuesday night line-up.
"Clearly," he said, "we're disappointed that `Chicken Soup' didn't achieve that objective."
But it's hard to believe that that's the only reason the show was dumped so unceremoniously. Some are hinting at Mason's recent political difficulties (some jokes he made at the expense of New York City Mayor-elect David Dinkins were widely labeled "racist"). Others say he's just too "Jewish" - whatever that means - for Middle America.
No one, however, is saying for sure. Even Mason is uncertain of the reasons. But even though he is disappointed, he told the Pittsburgh Press that he's glad he did the show, if for only one reason: "There are at least 20 million Gentiles who now know what a real Jew sounds like."
-SO HOW DID "Chicken Soup" do in its last performance? According to last week's ratings, it finished the week in 23rd place - not too good when you consider it had the week's fourth most-watch program, "Roseanne," right ahead of it in the schedule.
For the record, NBC won the week and the top 10 programs were: 1. The Cosby Show (NBC); 2. A Different World (NBC); 3. Cheers (NBC); 4. Roseanne (ABC); 5. Golden Girls (NBC); 6. Dear John (NBC); 7. 60 Minutes (CBS); 8. Murder, She Wrote (CBS); and 9. L.A. Law (NBC) and Empty Nest (NBC).
The second 10 consisted of: 11. Monday Night Football (ABC); 12. Barbara Walters Special (ABC) and Unsolved Mysteries (NBC); 14. In the Heat of the Night (NBC); 15. Growing Pains (ABC) and Sunday Night Movie: Crocodile Dundee (ABC); 17. Wonder Years (ABC); 18. Matlock (NBC); and 19. Who's the Boss? (ABC) and Monday Night Movie: Settle The Score (NBC).
The week's big losers were: 78. Homeroom (ABC); 79. Living Dolls (ABC); 81. Peaceable Kingdom (CBS); 82. Mr. Belvedere (ABC); and 83. Wolf (CBS).