Syndie Insider

Ratings for King World's Jeopardy! finally dropped to earth in the week ended July 25, despite super-contestant Ken Jennings' continued winning streak.

Week-to-week, Jeopardy! slipped 6% from a 10.2 to a 9.6, after rising for the five prior weeks. Still, Jennings played his 38th consecutive game and extended his winnings to $1,321,660, making the Utah software engineer the biggest winner in Jeopardy! history.

Even with the drop-off, Jeopardy! easily topped all syndicated shows for the fourth consecutive week, including a tie with King World's Wheel of Fortune in the week ended July 4. Compared with last year at this time, Jeopardy! is up 60%. Wheel of Fortune, usually the syndication leader, continued to run second, dipping 1% to an 8.5.

NBC Universal's The Jane Pauley Show will air in daytime this fall in New York and Los Angeles. The scheduling move answers whether Pauley would bump Warner Bros.' Ellen in Los Angeles and Paramount's Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown in New York. NBC syndication executives hinted last year that Pauley would force the other shows to daytime in the top two markets, with Pauley in their spots in early fringe. Instead, The Jane Pauley Show will follow Ellen at 11 a.m. on WNBC New York and The Today Show at 10 a.m. on KNBC Los Angeles. The Jane Pauley Show is sold in 202 markets, representing more than 99% of the U.S. It premieres Aug. 30. Pauley is cleared in early fringe on more than 140 stations.

Recording artist Meredith Brooks, famous for her 1997 single "Bitch," is helping Dr. Phil McGraw promote his third season. Although "Bitch" might be an appropriate theme song for the Dr. Phil show, Brooks croons her song "Shine," from a soon-to-be-released CD of the same title, in the promos. Spots were created by Paramount and ad agency Colby & Partners of Santa Monica, Calif. Stations will receive 30- and 60-second spots in August. Season three premieres Sept. 13. Brooks will perform on the show in early fall.