Syndie Insider

Syndication is faring well in February sweeps, with weekly newsmagazines leading the way for the week ended Feb. 9. Entertainment Tonight improved for the fifth time in the past six weeks, gaining 10% to a 6.9 rating—a new season high. ET is up 8% year-to-year. Inside Edition climbed 3% to a new season high of 3.8 and up 15% over last year. Extra was third, up 7% to 3.0 and matching its season high. The show also was up 3% from last year. Access Hollywood remained No. 4, up 7% to a 2.9 and unchanged from last year.

Among weekly hours, ET Weekend was tops for the 60th time in the past 61 weeks, gaining 14% to a 4.1 and up 8% over last year. Mutant X and Andromeda tied for second place at 2.6, with each show gaining 24%. That marked a new season high for Andromeda, down 10% from last year. Mutant X was up 13% year-to-year. Stargate SG-1 was up 19% to a 2.5 but down 22% from last year. Double-digit gainers among the top rookie weeklies included Adventure Inc., up 15% to a new high of 2.3. She Spies was up 17% to a 2.1, and rookie half-hour The Chris Matthews Show rose 47% to a new record high of 2.2.

All TV executives looking to head the National Association of Television Program Executives must get their application in by March 7, 2003, Lew Klein, chairman of the association's search committee said last week Interested individuals should send their information to lewklein@mindspring.com. The committee will review applications beginning March 8, followed by personal interviews, with a goal of presenting a final candidate to NATPE's board of directors by the association's spring meeting on April 23 in Los Angeles. NATPE President Bruce Johansen announced in January that he will step down after a transition.

Twentieth Television is developing a new dating/relationship show tentatively titled Classmates TV based on the Web site Classmates.com, sources confirmed. The show would reunite high school classmates, send them on blind dates and see what happens. The show would likely roll out as a test this summer and go wider if it's successful.