Syndie Insider

Warner Bros.' talker Jenny Jones is unlikely to return for its 13th season next year, sources confirm. Members of the show's Chicago-based staff were told last week that they should look for other jobs. Warner Bros. would not confirm that the show would not be back, although analysts say that, once the Tribune station group cleared Sharon Osbourne's new talk show (also from Warner Bros.) for next fall, Jenny Jones's fate was sealed. Although the show was once a ratings powerhouse, it has dwindled in recent years, averaging a 1.5 in the national Nielsen ratings this year.

Mike Mellon has been promoted to executive vice president of research for Paramount Worldwide Television Distribution, according to Paramount Domestic Television President John Nogawski, to whom Mellon reports.

Mellon is responsible for the research needs of Paramount Domestic Television, Paramount International Television and Paramount Television Production, which includes Paramount Network Television, Viacom Productions and Big Ticket Television. He has been at Paramount for 12 years. Prior to joining the studio, he was vice president of media strategy for Buena Vista Television from 1989 to '92 and vice president of research for Disney Television from 1985 to '89.

Universal's Maury continues to grow, logging 10% growth season-to-date over last year and becoming the only talk show to show double-digit growth this year. The show hit a 3.4 national Nielsen rating in the week ended Jan. 26. Right before NATPE, Universal President Steve Rosenberg said the show, which has been on the air since 1991, will be back for two more years.

Although Paramount's movie-review weekly, Hot Ticket, was flat last week at a 1.7, the weekly program hosted by Leonard Maltin pulled ahead of Buena Vista's long-running Ebert and Roeper, which was down 32% to a 1.5. Many weekly shows saw ratings drop in the week ended Jan. 26 when they had to compete with the Super Bowl's pregame coverage and the game itself in western markets.