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Show ft r (, The dlt Lake Tribune. GB j- May 23. 19R5 Saturday, ? TV Fare: HBO Scores Big Success, But Growth Rate Is Waning Kiiint'Ul K ( ( tiu dijo T ribunt' By V, riu-- y7 j a little cable teleOn Sept iMon opei'dtiuii in M ilkes Barre Pa JU 1 limbed aboard an i RCA growmg. but not at the rocketship pace that it had been growing in prior years Cable operators have stopped wiring the cities Everybody talked about the wiring of America, but in 1984 that really slowed down." The slowdown came at a bad time With the proliferation of home videocassette recorders and ready rental availability of theatrical movies, the main staple of the HBO menu suddenly was beginning to look like stale bread, so the company plunged into the very expensive business of creating its own fare. Films such as "Draw," "Sakharov," "The Glitterdome and "Finnegan, Begin Again," made exclusively for HBO with stars of international magnitude, never would suffer exposure at the movies. Best of all, they could not be rented, but the likes of Carol Burnett, Robert Preston, Elizabeth Taylor and Kirk Douglas do not work for minimum wages and good production values carry high price tags Promotional Blitz HBO poured $250 million into such productions last year and this summer, when traditional network audiences are turned off by reruns and the lure of the outdoors, the company will launch the biggest promotional blitz in its history with a $100 million lineup of original movies, top theatrical films, musical specials and sports events. "We want our channel to be a hot channel w here people can come and see something they're not going to see on free commercial television." Abraham said. "If it's the same thing, then I think you begin to get something very insidious in the viewers lar. - . coinmumea ions satellite and became tbe first pav system in the industry's history to deliv u its programming to 50 i tales from spate Home Box Office iMBUi owned by Time Inc turned its first profit two years later and everybody railed it the suet ess story of the decade Now the decade is over, and so, appatentlj, is IIBOs adolescent grow th with awards from HBO, laden (fcl. Oeme Monitor Clarion, Fmmy and a host of other industry admirers, .emains the top shop in pay television with 14 5 million subscribers and the highest A C Nielsen Co rating in the business Its companion t , mm if channel, Cinemax, claims irullion wewtrs but last year the number of new HBO customers fell short of company projections by a 3 5 million The sen ice gained 2 4 million new subscribers in 1983, but in 1984 HBO responded to the downturn by laying off 125 employees and by parting company with Frank J Btondt Jr, who left Ins post of chairman and chief executive because of policy ' differences Seth Abraham, senior vice president for programming operations jnd sports, blamed a cable industry suddenly gone torpid and growing competition in a marketplace that has become a cornucopia of things to w atch" for the blunting of HBO s growth The whole business has slowed down, he said "The business is still Today's Viewing Television Stations Ijxal M V Channel 4. 172-177- T, 6 KL-I- , Channel 5, 375-5.)3- 3 KM I , Channel 11, (Provo) Saturday May 25 6 a.m. (29 ill i) Snorks Supeilriends Legendary Super Powers Show ,D Biskitts iD Telephone tni Sons ,1) n sJ 23 (ID ID 29 Get Along Gang 7 am. Smurfs Mighty Oibots Jim Henson s Moppet Babies Mister Rogers New Tech Times 2 if) ID HD v, f Newton s Apple Ot it 4 s r Days," 1940. Cedric Hardwicke. Freddie Bartholomew 39 end Of Hell House." 1973. Pamela Franklin. Roddy McDowall Littles Pryor s Place Reading Ramhow f Garden Spider Man And , Ania.nng v r t lout'io With bv.k.h r.Vss Gunsmoke (i sltTEYEWiTNESS NEWS A with Don Olden & Carole Mikita Nova Movie. "Hush.. Hush. Sweet Charlotte," 1965. Bette Davis. Olivia de Havilland ID Cl) 2 Happy Days Again Buck Rogers Hee Haw Wild America Star Trek 5 30 p m. Three s Company Profiles Of Nature Hummingbirds Wall Street Week u Black Sheep Squadron WKRP In Cincinnati A 10 40 p m. , 11 2) Abandon 1957. Ty rone Power Lloyd Nolan Mov-- Ship'. 11.05 p m. j 2 KUTV NEWS with John Stchr ond Kothy Brink! Movie Exorcist II The Heretic 1977. Richard Burton. Linda Blair 3 inc'edbe Amer can Hu'k 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS with Don Olsen 8i A Bandjtand v y it Sune'cade L'ectric Company This Old House 11am 3 Baseball t Sesame Stree .5 Justm Wilson s Louisiana Cookin Wrestling 4 Puttm On The v Hits MISL i 4 m Seasons ' se-- Aitjt a China Noon WdltUMj Here s Tu Your Health A House f or 39 2 30 p m Let s Make A All r 5 "JAZZ RAP. A A look ot the post ond Future of the Utah l 2 Jon. The Sport Night Live 1.05 a.m. CX Tales From The Darkside Solid Gold i, Faces tl This Week In Country Music News 2 05 am Odyssey Music Video Clips Puttin On The Hits 2 35 am ABC News i 7pm Movie Jimmy The KiO. 1982 Gary Coleman Paul LeMat 4' 2 A M 1.35 a m Advertiiement circumspect and don't have as much disposable income for gadgets and technology? "A lot of people would Eke to say that VCR stands for 'very conclusive Fuchs said the human herd instinct alone would be enough to vindicate Abraham s contention that the VCR poses no lasting threat EMORIAL DAY CLEARANCE SAL SAVE NOW DURING OUR HUGE SALE New Kimball Consoles Factory Carload Specials Pecan, Walnut & Cherry $35 00 Down$35 00 per mo all. HBOriginals, introduced in 1983, have run to mixed reviews from critics, some of whom, Abraham said, "want us to be PBS." Viewers, keeping "satisfaction diaries monitored by the Nielsen, generally have given the effort good marks. Scores have averaged in the 70s, on a scale of 100, To Catch a and in 1984, only three King," 59. "The Cold Room, 43; and "Blood of Others," 52 were ranked as fizzles by the viewers. It is a track record ABC, CBS or NBC would cov- New Kimball Artist Consoles $2 095 $1,495 $2 995 Si 895 Pecan, Oak & Walnut5 styles $45 00 Down$45 00 per mo Finishes to choose from $45 Down S45 Per Mo 3 New Chickerinq Artist Consoles Pecan, Oak Walnut. Cherry, Mahogany 9 Styles, $40 Down$40 per mo New Grand Pianos Script Originality Draws Abraham said HBO pays top stars about what they would get if cast in movies for television by the networks, but that originality in scripting, not money, is what draws them to HBOs banner. He cited Between Elizabeth Friends, which Taylor and Carol Burnett, as an example. "You don't see the commercial networks doing a story about two middle-aged divorced women in a friendship relationship, he said. "There's no hot topic there. They're not discussing herpes. Theyre not discussing my son, the homosexual. It's a story about two women who were friends It was a very nice story that had some emotion to it but it was not a topical thing that youre going to see on the cover of People magazine. It was not a movie. That's what we present to not less monmany of these talents ey, but greater opportunity. Has No Counterpart Certainly, original HBO fare has no counterpart on network prime time. "The Glitterdome," a gritty, grimy tale of burned-ou- t cops and once "beautiful people gone to seed, was about as uplifting as a funeral in the rain. "The Guardian was a dark, complex study of crime and punishment Dostoyevsky would have found fascinating. "Sakharov and "Gulag" were narrowly focused ink wash studies of life under Soviet tyranny n and "Forbidden was a turgid, love story cast in Hitlers Germany. Any one of them, run opposite "Dallas or "Dynasty" in network prime time, would have been a prime candidate for ratings catastrophe, yet HBO viewers generally received them well. "Sakharov" pulled a perfect 100 on the satisfaction scale. "The Guardian scored 71. "Gulag" was given an 81 and "Forbidden posted a 75. Only "Glitterdome was a disappointment Over 50 to Choose From Financing Available 15 00 Annual Percentage Rate Interest Free Bench Local Delivery Tuning CENTER SUMMERHAYS MUSIC Free 5450 South Green Street Murray, Utah 268-444- 6 Toll KSL 7 V d Sports Specialist Jim fsantz and Hat Rod Hundley co host an in dup!)i report on tkt Jazz. past, present an future Jazz festival tonight The Utah Jazz, their colorful history and bright prospects for the future, have become part of daily life for many Utahns. Hot person report on the past, present and future o! the Jazz. Jazz Rap tonight 6:30 the News Specialists Eyewitness News Join Jim Nantz. Hot Rod Hundley and the Jazz players tonight at 6:30 for a person-to- - Hud Hundi 1 A Utah Transit Authority public hearing on changing some buses to faster, and higher, express service to Hill Air Force Base from Salt Lake City and southern Davis County has been set for June 10 at noon. Comments will be sought on the proposal affecting Routes 77 and 78 The session will be at Hill Air Force Base Building 1295. Other routes to the base would not be affected The date is changed from June 6 noted in an earlier legal notice. UTA planners are reacting to passenger interest in more express routes, Lynn Telford, community relations director said The proposal would make half of the eight trips to the base and the eight returns into express runs, shaving 15 minutes time each way Following general policy concernfare ing express routes, the would be raised from 50 cents to 60 one-wa- x y cer's. .t s expected that it would be about two months after the hearing before any change is implemented Design Direction A BRAND NEW LOOK & LOCATION WITH ALL NEW QUALITY, VALUE Activities associated with missing children will be presented free Saturday at the Cottonwood Mall, 4835 Highland Drive Child Find ol Utah will dispense information The Utah State Bureau of Criminal Identification will provide fingerprinting for file with the State Child Register Times for the service are AND SERVICE ett d ojf t a cop House bdlurddV Mj ut .' open the door o h fh , virormn,M SpeC'cH cu 'leiTYporar odb dS a suac doe d t odlhfi cinj d d! 0 AM we d'l'J CC't rq J p m There also will be a puppet show, "Stranger Danger. by the West Valley City Police Department, Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street Live, a mime doing faee painting and entertainment for children Gov Norman H Bangcrter has declared Saturday Missing Children's Day in the state J O' j sho LlDttiSfT n J ,) 1 4 & k Public Hearing To Discuss UTA Changes to $1,995 As Low As New Kawai Consoles et. Saturday 1 ig Lite r ,i ' 1.30 a.m. Deal Tri-Sta- of HBO, To Benefit From Mall Event 4 6 11.30 a m. Soccer Championship os game l Adam Smith s M mey World Star T rpk ' Pictures, a joint venture Columbia and CBS, and by shooting many of them in Canada, w here location costs are lower From Other Sources "Me get money from another suurce, he said. "We're not fully financing the budgets, which are high. This allows us to put more money on the screen and not have to pay for it and ill 11.35 p m One Giont leop The Rote to the Moon Michael Fuchs, who replaced Biondi as chairman and chief executive officer, said his firm has softened the impact of financing original productions by coproducing them with such entities as Columbia Pictures research, but right now it stands lor We don t 'very cloudy research know vet. but we don t think at this point that the L'K spells doom and gluum for the pav t Revision tndus-tr- They re the first to own a microwavt-oveor a Sony Walkman What happens when that group of people is saturated What will happen to the great middle w ho are a little bit more the first of 1985 at 54. but clearly HBO has found something with which to meet even the competition of VCR fever Want Latest Gadgets "American families who go out now and buy VCRs are the ones who want the latest gadgets in their homes, Abraham said "They're the first to go out and get a Cuisinart. need Missing Children Solid Gold 4 7 SPACEFLIGHT I 11:10 p m. Corole Mikita Datu'd.iy Why do Movie Friendly Fire 1979 Carol Burnett. Ned Beatty 10 30 a m 4 p.m. Six Wives Ol Henry VIII 29 6pm Tame Stehr and Kathy Brock! 5 p.m. 2 Animated Bugs Ouimy Rua I Runner Mister Regers Wood wiiyht s with KUTV NEWS 10.35 p.m. Sneak Previews 2 10 p.m. News CD 89'Wrestling 1030 p.m. 2 Shr :0 29 CD Kidsworld CBS News V 29 ''ends ARC Weekend T CD CD 4 30 p.m. NBC News 2 F e 9 p.m. Hunter Mickey Spillane s Mike Hammer Austin City Limits America Matinee At The 4 Hi-- 1 Roundtable 2 1 10 a m 5 Cl) , 08 9 Bi)ou T Victory 2 2 4 5 2) 4 p.m. Wild Kingdom ABC News 2) Joan Shepherd s 9 30 a m. Mr ce, "simulcast in stereo on KBYU-FM- Movie "The Leg- Ti Compleat Gilbert And Sullivan. "Pirates of Penzan- A John Firing Line 29 29 Baseball Bunch 9 am. Kidd Video Scary Scooby Tunnies CBS Storybreak Dtagon s Blood Animated 3 Contact Hooked On Aerobics Hardy Boys Nancy Drew Mysteries 5 2D 2 Sports 20th Century comes to rural China! CD 3 p.m. Wide World Of til 2-- 1 i) The li Brown's School is slow-motio- 7 The Heart of the A Drogon living Movie. "Tom jjj Garden 5 Airwolf Journal F 39 CD 2.30 p.m. Chipmunks Scooby-Do- Keepsakes Indianapolis 500 Setting The Pace Tony Brown s 21 ' 8 p.m. Galactica la, Kid, 1969, Paul Newman, Robert Redford International Airport European Journal Russian Language And People Battlestar Alvin And The Mystories Utah amily Sundance 2j 21 Gaidenmg 4 29 p Working Women Magic Of Painting PGA Golf 8 30 a.m. 2 J Hooker QD Sports World 29 Sesame Street Joy T Pet Action Line Magic Of Decorative Painting p.m. which disease-of-the-wee- 2 Nature The Whimsical World Of Oz: A salute to L. Frank Baum Movie Butch Cassidy And The Cl) a.m. tv 0 Cover-U- Li) (ID Rubik The Amazing Cube Bugs Bunny Road Runner J? 7 339-122- 2) 2 p.m. Turbo Teen Dungeons and Dragons Electric Company Rod And Reel 8 4 381-777- 1:30 p.m. 23 7:30 a m. CS) 0 CD 1 2) 973-300- 12:30 p.m. Wonder Woman International Edition Joy Of Painting Greatest American Hero (J1 Pink Panther And D 8 -- Auction 6.30 a.m. h 378-529- Channel 2, Kl Kl LD, Channel 7, K8TI T20, mind HBO OPEN HOUSE & GRAND SATURDAY MAY 25th, 10 AM 6 PM Grand re openmq continue:, thru June 1988 So. 1100 Hours M F East 9 7 Sdt 9 6 Salt Lake City, Utah Convent' t p.l' mij ' (,u'h 485-746,1 ) In', J i |
