NBC season off to a slow start

NEW YORK -- NBC was ready to start the fall television season last week, but viewers weren't quite ready.

The network averaged 7.5 million viewers last week, when it sprinkled some new programming among repeats and three hours of Republican convention coverage. To put that in perspective, NBC had 12.6 million viewers for the traditional first week last year.

After a summer's worth of promotions, 12.4 million people saw the premiere of "Father of the Pride," enough to make the animated series the week's most-watched show.

NBC's new drama, "Hawaii," ranked fourth for the week with 10.9 million viewers. Those would be pretty modest numbers, however, if stacked up against real competition. More worrisome for NBC was the 8.5 million viewers for the season premiere of "Scrubs," a disappointing showing for a series the network is banking on.

CBS's telecast of the Latin Grammys was seen by 3.3 million people, one of the least-watched programs for the week among the top four networks.

Nielsen Media Research's weekly ratings were delayed for two days because of the Labor Day holiday and power problems near its Florida office caused by Hurricane Frances.

CBS was second to NBC with 7.2 million viewers, although both networks had a 4.9 rating and a 9 audience share. ABC had 6.1 million viewers (4.1, 7), Fox 5.1 million (3.2, 6), UPN 2.4 million (1.6, 3), the WB 2.1 million (1.5, 3).

A ratings point represents 1,084,000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's estimated 108.4 million TV homes. The share is the percentage of in-use televisions tuned to a given show.

For the week of Aug. 30-Sept. 5, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: "Father of the Pride," NBC, 12.4 million; "60 Minutes" (Sunday), CBS, 11.4 million; NFL Exhibition Football: Tennessee vs. Dallas, ABC, 11 million; "Hawaii," NBC, 10.9 million; "CSI: Miami," CBS, 10.8 million; "Fear Factor," NBC, 10.8 million; "Two and a Half Men," CBS, 10.7 million; "Everybody Loves Raymond," CBS, 10 million; "Amazing Race 5," CBS, 10 million; "Cold Case," CBS, 9.6 million.

It's `Happy Days' again on ABC

To mark the 30th anniversary of one of its most-loved sitcoms, ABC is holding a reunion for the "Happy Days" cast -- even Chuck.

The reunion show, set for later this season, will bring together nearly all of the core cast from the long-running show, including Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Tom Bosley, Marion Ross, Anson Williams, Don Most, and Erin Moran. Gavin O'Herlihy and Randolph Roberts, who played Richie's (Howard's) older brother Chuck during the show's first two seasons, will also be on hand, as will series creator Garry Marshall.

Whether Marshall will explain what happened to Chuck -- who was never heard from, seen, nor even mentioned after the show's second season -- remains to be seen. In addition to the original cast, Scott "Chachi" Baio, Ted "Roger Phillips" McGinley, Penny "Laverne" Marshall, Cindy "Shirley" Williams, Pat "Arnold" Morita, and others who played recurring or regular roles during the 11-year run of "Happy Days" will also appear on the special. ZAP2IT.COM

Final `Jeopardy' for all-time champ

Want to know the fate of all-time "Jeopardy!" champ Ken Jennings? If not, look away now. For those still reading, several sources are reporting Jennings has finally lost, following a record-breaking run that stretched over parts of two seasons and saw the Utah software engineer rack up seven-figure winnings. "Jeopardy!" tapes its shows weeks in advance, so Jennings's final episode will likely air in October.

News of the Jennings loss, in his 75th game, was first reported on a blog called Kottke.org, the tip coming from someone in the "Jeopardy!" audience on Tuesday. The trade magazine TV Week confirmed with sources close to the show that Jennings was indeed done. A spokesperson for Sony Pictures TV, which produces the long-running game show, said show officials "have never disclosed whether a contestant has won or lost before a show has aired."

Wednesday's edition of "Jeopardy!" marked Jennings' 41st win, raising his total prize money to above $1.38 million. He reportedly leaves the show with more than $2.5 million in total winnings.

ZAP2IT.COM

Globe on NECN

Here's what's happening on "Around the Globe" today on NECN:
9:30 a.m.: "Talk of New England"
12:30 p.m.: "Globe at Home" -- High school sports editor Bob Holmes and Richard Lyons, a high school football alumnus and record-holder from Concord, with a look at teams to beat this opening weekend.
4 p.m.: "Around the Globe"
6:30 p.m.: "New England Business Day"
8 p.m.: "NewsNight" Schedule is subject to change.

Talk of the dial

11 a.m. WBIX-AM (1060) -- "MoneyLife." Guest: Rande Speigelman, vice president of financial planning for Charles Schwab Center for Investment Research, discusses retirement spending.

Other radio highlights

9 a.m. WCRB-FM (102.5) -- Mozart's Flute and Harp Concerto; Ravel's "Le Tombeau de Couperin"; Hummel's Piano Concerto in F.