Jane Pauley

One of the greatest tragedies in U.S. Navy history is re-visited by Maryland Public Television, while one of Hollywood's biggest epics gets a four-hour screening on cable.* "Sniper" (8 p.m.-10 p.m., WBFF, Channel 45) -- In this 1993 film, Tom Berenger plays a veteran Marine sniper who is teamed with an arrogant Olympic marksman (Billy Zane) in a mission to eliminate a drug lord in Colombia. Fox.* "The John Larroquette Show" (8:30 p.m.-9 p.m., WBAL, Channel 11) -- Mayim Bialik makes a guest appearance in this repeat, playing John's daughter, Rachel.

Extra! Extra! Dog bites woman! That's one subplot on this week's "Seinfeld" (9-9:30 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2), which has Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) fearing she's gotten rabies from a dog bite. NBC.* "Frasier" (9:30-10 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) -- John Mahoney, as Frasier's dad, gets to snarl overtime when his sons (Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce) take him to dinner at an expensive restaurant. NBC.* "Dateline NBC" (10-11 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) -- On tonight's show, Jane Pauley is scheduled to do a profile on Paul Simon, that soft-spoken, bespectacled senator who -- no, wait.

Issues involving teens and sex occupy two programs, including an NBC TV movie about a school official sexually harassing students and a PBS special making a serious examination of pregnancy and sex education in schools.* "The Nanny" (8 p.m.-8:30 p.m., WJZ, Channel 13) -- The old mistaken-sexual-identity plot gets a twist. Catherine Oxenberg guest- stars as a publicist hired by Maxwell (Charles Shaughnessy). He's interested in her, but she's eyeing someone else. CBS.* "Murphy Brown" (9 p.m.-9:30 p.m., WJZ, Channel 13)

No more "Picket Fences" after tonight. Enjoy it while you can."Nightly Business Report" (7 p.m.-7: 30 p.m., MPT, Channels 22 and 67) -- Correspondent Darren Gersh reports on efforts to improve the quality and efficiency of the managed health-care industry -- a hot topic, with traditional health care becoming a dinosaur in modern corporate America. PBS."Where Are They Now? Part 2" (8 p.m.-9 p.m., WJZ, Channel 13) -- Ever wonder what happened to the Von Trapps (You know, "The hills are alive with the sound of music," and all that)

Isn't it a great coincidence how anniversary specials always seem to fall during a "sweeps" ratings period?"Cheers" 200th episode anniversary show aired last May, a "Dallas" anniversary the May before that. And, tonight at 10 on WMAR-TV (Channel 2), "The L.A. Law 100th Episode Special" celebrates the upcoming 100th episode.NBC doesn't say exactly when the "upcoming" 100th episode will air. But who's counting? Besides, any network these days that has a show run for that long deserves some self-congratulations -- especially when it is a show as culturally appropriate to its times as "L.A.

LOS ANGELES -- Steve Friedman, former executive producer of NBC's "Today" show, said anchorman Bryant Gumbel did not sexually denigrate female staffers, especially Jane Pauley, whom, a new book charges, he nicknamed with a four-letter vulgarity."

CBS will finally get in the cable business today with its launch of a promising new channel, CBS Eye On People. The problem with this Eye, though, is that very few will be able to see it -- at least for the immediate future.The channel, which is self-described as "entertainment and information programming focusing on people and personalities," has great brand identity going in, thanks to CBS News personalities ranging from Charles Kuralt and Mike Wallace to Mark McEwen and Paula Zahn. With CBS News providing 70 percent of the programming from archives and new reports, Eye On People resembles MSNBC, which launched with a bang in July thanks to the NBC News archives and the presence of Jane Pauley and Brian Williams.

New York -- Here is the conventional wisdom about NBC "Today" show anchor Bryant Gumbel: He's pompous, he's humorless, he thinks too much of himself and, oh yeah, he doesn't treat his female co-anchors with enough respect.But, as the 43-year-old newsman pointed out the other day in an interview in his Manhattan office, "I've been here 10 years and we've been No. 1 for . . . half of those years, so I can't be that much of a deadbeat."Ten years ago today, Mr. Gumbel became anchor on "Today," the show that started network morning television 40 years ago Jan. 14.Mr.

Kiss before swimming Singer Judy Collins' new album, "Judy Sings Dylan Just Like a Woman," is not out yet, but it has already gotten a favorable review from one longtime fan: President Clinton.The president thanked the folk singer for sending him an advance copy last week when they appeared in New York at a rally for Mayor David N. Dinkins."It makes me very happy that he likes my new album," said Ms. Collins. The Geffen Records release is due out Nov. 9.Country music stars left out in the rainDolly Parton, Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn were left cooling their heels on the street after a smoke machine triggered alarms during filming of a music video last week in Nashville, Tenn.

On The Weekend Watch:INTRODUCING . . . -- Ringing in the new year are some new shows in the wake of a generally lackluster fall season for the networks. At 8:30 tonight in the coveted after-"Cosby" slot on NBC (Channel 2), we get a sneak preview of the series "Blossom" before it moves to a regular Mondays at 8:30 time slot next week. In this alternative-family comedy, Mayim Bialak is the teen daughter of divorced Ted Wass (who was the dim deputy sheriff on "Soap" some years ago). And to further capitalize on the lead-in show, "Cosby's" Phylicia Rashad gets a cameo on tonight's debut episode.