Where the Buys Are

Although NATPEs past have been heavy on one genre or the other—judge shows one year, talk shows the next—the upcoming confab will feature a mix of just about everything.

In the daytime-talk arena are Warner Bros. Domestic Television's Ellen DeGeneres, which picked up some steam when NBC-owned stations signed on last week, and Sharon Osbourne, for the talk audience that wants something completely different, and Universal's Fergie, fronted by the Duchess of York.

For the traditionalists, King World's Living It Up! With Ali and Jack is a little like the homey Live With Regis and Kelly, though less frenetic. On the other end of the spectrum, Litton Syndications'Ask Rita, planned as a late-night show starring comedian Rita Rudner, promises to be a bawdier, showbiz offering.

And then there are one-of-a-kind attempts. NBC Enterprises is trying Starting Over, a reality-based daytime show about a group of women, all rooming together, who attempt to work on fixing their lives.

Sony is trying a talk show wrapped around a home shopping experience with its eBayTV, which taps into the popular Internet auction site with stories of people who use eBay to peddle and buy the strange trinkets they collect.

It's a different mix, but probably with results similar to other NATPE hopefuls. Attendees get a lot to choose from every year because, every year, quite a lot fails.