Syndie Insider

Nicole Ari Parker will host NBC Enterprises' A Change Is Gonna Come: Brown vs. Board of Education, the first of two 30-minute specials in The Remarkable Journey series, hosted by NAACP President Kweisi Mfume. The show has been sold in more than 85% of the country for stations to use April 26-May 23, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the end of segregation in public schools. Parker starred on Showtime's Soul Food and also opposite Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans and Martin Lawrence in Blue Streak. Remarkable Journey is produced by Access Hollywood's senior production staff in conjunction with Park Hill Entertainment. Shirley Neal is executive producer..

NBC Enterprises renewed daytime syndicated reality show Starting Over for a second season in 86% of the country. Renewals include NBC-owned WNBC New York, KNBC Los Angeles, and Fox-owned WPWR Chicago. The show, produced by Bunim-Murray Productions, is moving to Los Angeles for its second outing. (It had been in Chicago.) Starting Over features a group of women who "reinvent themselves, all under one roof"; Bunim-Murray is still hunting for the particular Los Angeles roof. Starting Over averaged a 0.9 rating in the demo, flat versus November.

Most syndies rallied in the week ended April 18, snapping back after being depressed in the previous week. Oprah surged 19% to 6.9, while Dr. Phil shot up 16% to 5.1, logging its highest ratings in six weeks. Year-to-year, Oprah advanced 38%, and Dr. Phil improved 13%.

All seven courtroom strips were up for the week ended April 18. Still, Twentieth's Divorce Court lost sole possession of third place. The show gained 4% to 2.4. Both Warner Bros.'Judge Greg Mathis and People's Court at 2.4 tied with Divorce. Mathis, which jumped 26% for the biggest year-to-year growth of any court show, was up 9% for the week. People's Court was up 14% week-to-week and year-to-year.