Young Viewers

NBC announced its fall schedule yesterday and there was good news for fans of quality drama: Rookie series "I'll Fly Away" and "Reasonable Doubts" were renewed. There was good news for fans of Norman Lear: His political satire "The Powers That Be" won a spot.But there was bad news, too: The sleaziest reality show yet, "I Witness Video," which features amateur videos of real-life murders and beatings, is going to be on every Sunday night at 9 come fall.Overall, demographics will be the name of the game at NBC next year.

He's been a gentle uncle figure for generations of youngsters, so who better to offer some advice on how best to approach that enormous event in a youngster's life, the first day of school?Fred Rogers of "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" this week is offering a series of programs aimed at helping preschoolers be more comfortable as they face that looming engagement in the first week of September.The show can be seen at 10 a.m. weekdays on Maryland Public Television (channels 22 and 67)."Children need to see that many things in school are a lot like home," says Rogers, who takes young viewers on a visit to a real school.

Cynthia Nixon and Christine Marinoni are engaged Cynthia Nixon is engaged to her partner, Christine Marinoni. Charlotte Burke, a representative for the Sex and the City actress, confirmed the engagement. No other details were given. Nixon showed off an engagement ring at an ActionMarriage Equality rally in midtown Manhattan on Sunday. She has two children from her relationship with photographer Danny Mozes. Will Ferrell, Pearl Jam set for O'Brien's first 'Tonight Show' Will Ferrell and Pearl Jam will be part of Conan O'Brien's first Tonight Show.

Matt Damon, who plays former assassin Jason Bourne in The Bourne Ultimatum, has a much fuzzier role in a future episode of PBS' Arthur. Damon, bedecked with bear ears, plays himself as part of "Postcards From You," an initiative to encourage young viewers to make their own videos. His guest appearance on the animated children's show about a friendly aardvark is set to air Sept. 3. A Bel Air finalist Country singer Julienne Irwin of Bel Air has made it to the finals of NBC's hit reality show America's Got Talent.

The two big trends this season are characters in comas ("Beverly Hills 90210," "The X-Files," etc.), and skaters on ice. After two live prime-time specials on CBS comes tonight's two-hour live special on NBC. They're competing for $1 million in cash. CBS is also offersing cash -- Johnny and June Carter Cash, that is, as guests on "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman."* "The Gold Championship." (8-10 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) -- The good news about this competition is that it's between only those skaters who already have won Olympic gold medals -- which means no Nancy Kerrigan, no Tonya Harding, no distractions.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets could be worse. It could be Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Actually, there's a lot that's solid about the second Potter movie, which, as only parental fools don't know, comes out tomorrow on DVD and video. The special effects are much improved from the first film (the Quidditch game looks and feels like a bona-fide match; the scary spiders are really pretty scary), the acting is better (especially sidekick Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley) and Secrets really moves, whereas the first flick just sort of started, sputtered and sank like a stone.

RUN YOUR FINGER down the daily television listings and it's hard to say that the offerings geared toward adults are any more enlightening or educational than the baleful fare aimed at children. But at least there is plenty of it, and it's available all day long.Except for the oasis of public television, children's programming is short on both quantity and quality. As a result, too many young Americans spend time watching shows full of sex and violence grossly inappropriate for their age. The few good shows designed for children are often relegated to off-hours less in demand by advertisers or pre-dawn time slots when few children are watching.

"Roc" is going live. And Fox is going to seven nights and a virtual year-round schedule of prime-time shows geared to young viewers.Fox Broadcasting yesterday announced a fall schedule that includes 11 new programs and is easily the most daring of any broadcast network's. For example, not only did Fox renew the lowly rated "Roc" -- a sitcom about a Baltimore sanitation worker -- but announced that "Roc" will be broadcast live each week next season. It will be the first prime-time series to be broadcast live on a regular basis since the 1950s.

ON AND OFF THE AIR:* Parents whose children are facing their first day of school in the coming weeks might want to tune in this week's "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," for TV's most venerable friend to kids is repeating his annual "Starting School" episodes.The show airs at 10 a.m. daily on Maryland Public Television, (and also at 8 a.m. on Washington's WHMM-Channel 32 and 8:30 a.m. on Washington's WETA-Channel 26).In the programs, the host tells his young viewers that school is "an exciting new adventure and something to look forward to -- a milestone in growing up."

Geraldo Rivera is coming to prime time, and he's got his sights set on Larry King's viewers.Cable channel CNBC yesterday announced it will launch a new weeknight talk show Feb. 7 called "Rivera Live." The program, which will go head-to- head with King six nights a week at 9, will feature Rivera reporting, interviewing and taking phone calls from around the country."If I had to describe it, probably the most simple way would be to say it's 'Larry King' meets 'Crossfire,' with a little 'Nightline' thrown in," Rivera told TV critics in Los Angeles.