http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_3939.asp
For 'Starting Over,'
it may well be over
Syndicated show up for another tough renewal
By Abigail Azote
Apr 6, 2006
Every year it seems to be the same question: Will it or will it not come back? And each year the syndicated show seems to slide down the right side of the bubble, winning renewal despite the lack of really strong ratings.
That’s the story of “Starting Over,” the NBC Universal daytime reality show. And now, with three seasons behind it, the question arises once again, and its chances seem no less iffy for a fourth season. They may be more iffy.
“Over” is averaging a 1.1 household rating so far this season, flat from last year.
What's saved the show in the past is its strength in female viewers, delivering a higher concentration of those viewers relative to its household numbers. Season to date, “Over” is averaging a 0.8 rating among women 18-49 and a 0.9 among women 25-54.
For sure, those are not big numbers, and in fact they're down 12 percent from what the show was averaging at this point last year. Yet they’re competitive with “Martha” and outpace “Tony Danza,” both higher-profile shows.
“Starting Over” is a reality show that follows six unhappy women who attempt to turn their lives around. They all live in one house, where two life coaches and a psychologist help them achieve their goals.
What's different for next season, and what could put the noose around “Starting Over,” is the impending arrival of the new talk show “The Megan Mullally Show,” another NBC property. As of January, “Mullally” has been cleared in 70 percent of the country, including big markets like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. The show is slated to premiere in September.
Whether "Over" survives will ultimately come down to whether NBC stations can find room for both shows. If not, "Over" will be over. NBC is mum as to the show's future at this point.
“It’s always a question of available time periods,” says Bill Carroll, director of programming at Katz TV Group, “and with fewer available time periods, you have to potentially sacrifice something.”