Young Viewers

I'm not kidding, but TV is: A lot of the new or best stuff on television today is aimed squarely at children.* "A. J.'s Time Travelers" (11:30 a.m.-noon, Channel 45) -- This new Saturday-morning Fox series has colorful production values, playful tone and an educational bent: It's about a 15-year-old named A. J. (John Patrick White) who uses a machine to travel through time with his buddies, as Mr. Peabody and Sherman did on "The Bullwinkle Show." They travel with help from pages of an encyclopedia, and there are moral lessons as well as historical ones throughout.

Los Angeles -- Aaron Spelling is a surprising guy.For openers, take the turnaround in his image.Since the 1970s, his name has regularly appeared in newspaper stories followed by a comma and the word schlockmeister.There was justification for that characterization. As the producer of such shows as "Charlie's Angels" and "Fantasy Island," his work was popular, but it defined much of what many found worst about commercial TV: It was heavily escapist, sometimes sexist and often lightweight in terms of social conscience.

LOS ANGELES -- In one of the most abrupt reversals of strategy in network television history, CBS announced during the weekend that it is through chasing after viewers in their 20 and 30s and wants to win back its older audience.It was only six months ago that the struggling network launched 11 new series -- like "Central Park West," a prime-time soap opera from the creator of Fox's "Melrose Place" -- and a multi-million-dollar advertising campaign aimed exclusively at young viewers."In terms of looking at what's happened to the CBS schedule over the last six months, there were mistakes that we made," said Leslie Moonves, president of CBS Entertainment.

As the new CW network prepares to unveil its fall lineup next week, the way that African-Americans are portrayed on TV hangs in the balance. The fledgling network, formed by the merger of the struggling WB and UPN broadcast operations, is expected to announce a fall season aimed at young viewers and anchored by series such as WB's Gilmore Girls and UPN's Veronica Mars. Unlikely to be on the roster, industry insiders say, are several of UPN's eight African-American-themed sitcoms, including shows such as One on One and Half & Half, which now dominate the network's prime-time viewing hours on Monday and Thursday evenings.

"Homefront," "Civil Wars" and George Lucas' "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" made it. '"Baby Talk," "Pros and Cons," "Anything But Love" and "Capitol Critters" got axed. And Delta Burke is coming back to prime time.ABC announced its fall schedule late yesterday, adding seven new series and canceling eight. And the network that finished last in ratings but first in earnings is sticking with niche programming targeted at young viewers -- the group advertisers most want to reach. Demographics remains the name of the game at ABC."

As the victorious Taylor Hicks warbled his new single on the American Idol finale last night, Fells Point resident Jamie Sienko and her girlfriends were watching in style. The 27-year- old teacher had persuaded her boyfriend to let them use his home movie theater with the stadium-style seats; they had an enviable view of the surprise Prince appearance, Kellie Pickler eating escargot in an ill-advised comedy bit and runner-up Katharine McPhee bravely smiling. But two lucky invitees to the party sent their regrets, and not because they were too busy for television.

As president of the new CW network, Dawn Ostroff has what some might call the mission impossible of network TV: attracting 18- to 34-year-old viewers to her channel. That's the demographic everyone in television wants, but the rest of the TV industry is only part of the competition. With young adults, programmers must also battle -- or find ways to work with -- the Internet, which is claiming more of that audience's time. On TV The CW network launches with America's Next Top Model tonight at 8 on WNUV (Channel 54)

I AM 19 YEARS OLD. I grew up with video games and a short attention span. I can call anyone, anywhere, on a cell phone. I can talk to my friends across the country online. I can find any information I want. I can watch anything I want. I can get news from any source I want. So, understandably, there is a reason why I do not watch the local news. It is worthless. In a survey conducted by the Pew Charitable Trusts, nearly half of the local journalists polled said that local journalism is heading in the wrong direction.

The 1992-'93 TV season officially ended at midnight last night, and it must feel like it's morning in America again for CBS stockholders.Not only did CBS win the prime-time ratings race by going against the grain of youth-oriented and niche programming, but it made money doing so. Last season, CBS won the ratings race, but lost millions in the process.But while CBS's fortunes have rebounded, the larger picture for network TV has worsened. The combined audience for CBS, NBC and ABC hit an all-time low -- a 60 percent share, down from 63 percent last year.